Real and fake flowers can be seen everywhere in all types of accessories. Throughout the history of fashion, floral prints and flower inspired designs have been incredibly common and have always proved immensely popular. Retailers are completely on board and you can go into any fashion outlet and get an entire garden’s worth of flower inspired products but sometimes the real thing can prove just as effective. Flowers have a temporary beauty which means that the time when they are the most beautiful becomes even more precious. You can never overuse a natural floral accessory because chances are, the next time you go to use it, it’ll be dead.
Button-holes: Probably the most common use of natural flowers for accessories and some people will keenly use artificial flowers for the same purpose so that there’s no chance of wilting or leaking all over the suit that you are accessorising. A large bud and an open bloom are usually the only essential elements of the button-hole. Though I have seen closed roses in button holes which still work fairly well. Though, if you are anything like me, you see a closed rose in a suit button-hole and just get distracted by thinking how much nicer it would look open. These flower accessories can be used at any time of year and will continue to be synonymous with weddings and heightened formal occasions.
Corsages: Though more of a popular hit in the United States, corsages are making a significant impact in the UK too. The idea seems to be multi-pronged. It’s a status thing for the girls with dates who can show off that they were asked by somebody by virtue of the flower on their wrists. It’s also a status thing for the boys who have put a stamp of ownership on the girl that they brought with them. However, floral accessories for an evening dress are never a bad thing and if the person providing the corsage is clever enough to match the flowers to the dress then it’s a tick in everybody’s good books.
Garlands: Traditionally, the hair garland can say anything from hippy to fairy and right back to pre-Raphaelite beauty. There’s nothing to deny that flower glarlands send out certain messages about the wearer but they are also incredibly simple to make and can be made with a whole variety of spring and summer flowers – the smaller and more delicate the better. The only slight drawback here is that the garland is almost definitely a seasonal flower accessory. But, on the other hand, the fact that it is seasonal means that you can look forward to wearing your flower garland when the weather is on your side.
Hair: Apart from garlands, flowers can be used in all sorts of hairstyles to give them a colourful, stylish and naturally beautiful edge. Commonly the individual flower is used in individual units of hair like a ponytail or a bun while multiple flowers suit braids, plaits and the like. When using an individual flower be careful that is doesn’t look like an aerial or antenna. This is not the ideal. Having the flower around the hair-tie or at least on the side of the bun or ponytail is a good way to get around this. It almost goes without saying, but if you opt for multiple flowers in your hair, try to make sure they match or at least complement each other.
