The wordfloriographyhas a poetic, succinctly beautiful definition: the language of flowers.
If the juice is white…well, it may be time to move on.
(Even Shakespeare wrote about this.)
Photo: Getty Images
Shes the author ofFlowers and Their Meaningsand the creator behind the popular Instagram account@flowersmeanings.
(Whether the designers themselves were aware of their meanings is a separate question.)
Out on the red carpet, I noticed Jack Harlowslily-of-the-valley brooch from Dior.
Jack Harlow’s Dior brooch
(As it happened, I had bought exactly the same pin to wear for the evening.)
(In the Disney version, Azoulay explains, Sleeping Beauty pricks herself on a spindle.)
The elegant calla lily was championed by the aesthetic art movement of the late 19th century, she says.
Bad Bunny’s dusky florals
TheChallengersstar may have made the most obscure allusion to the galas Garden of Time theme.
The emotional sentiment attached to forget-me-nots is self-explanatory, says Azoulay.
Its also the state flower of Alaska, where Quannah was raised.
Colman Domingo brandishing a bouquet of calla lilies on the Met Gala red carpet
There was a sentimentality to Karlie Klosss Swarovski flora, too, which evoked cherry blossoms.
They speak to a principle of sensitivity around ephemera.
(Fitting given the exhibitions fixation on natureand, in a sense,decay.)
Demi Moore’s peony-inspired Harris Reed dress
Azoulay notes that poppies are one of the most culturally significant flowers around the world, especially for remembrance.
Yet roses were, perhaps inevitably, the nights most prominent floral focal point.
Cynthia Erivos Thom Browne look featured allover embroidered pink rose petals.
Mike Faist’s Loewe turnip brooch
Both Nefertiti and Cleopatra were known to scent themselves with roses, says Azoulay.
Cynthia Erivo in petal-strewn Thom Browne
Sarah Jessica Parkers Richard Quinn dress included delicately embroidered white roses.
A white rose is a symbol for silence, says Azoulay.
Quannah Chasinghorse’s floral hair accessoires
The association goes back to Greek mythology.
Sarah Jessica Parkers rose trellisesque Richard Quinn dress
And finally there was the classic red rose.
Its meanings are myriad, but ultimately the flower is an expression of love.
Karlie Kloss’s Swarovski look
(Okay, this one isnt so secret.)
The column of her dress is the stem, and the arcade is the blossom.
Red is Shakiras favorite color, and its also a Herrera signature.
Nelly Korda’s poppy-covered Oscar de la Renta dress
The more you know.
Cynthia Erivo in petal-strewn Thom Browne
Sarah Jessica Parker’s rose trellis–esque Richard Quinn dress
Shakira in rosy red Carolina Herrera
