"Is that a hut on her head?" said one guest on Friday night as a model strode down the runway at Garfield Park Conservatory's Fleurotica event. A fund-raiser for the Garfield Park Conservatory Alliance, the centerpiece was a garden-based runway show that showcased models in dresses and hats made out of flowers and other organic materials—including some sinuous, and apparently hut-like, branches.
After its inaugural run in 2008, the event's second iteration "was a much bigger show," said Christine Martin of the Fleurotica committee. The previous Fleurotica showcased 11 looks from local florists, but this year's version presented 20 garments created by local milliners and fashion designers as well as floral designers.
Also new this year, a post-show reception allowed guests to mingle with models and get a close-up peek at the designs. Martin and her team sold tickets at two levels, letting some attendees pay a lower price to attend only the party. For that set of guests, "the reception allowed them to get a look at the floral designs even if they didn't see the show," Martin said. "And it brought more exposure to the designers and helped them get more out of the event overall."
Martin said the greatest challenge of the planning process lay in the unusual materials from which the fashion show's looks were made. "We couldn't do a fitting because the models were wearing live plants, and the designers basically had to construct them the day before the show," she said. To create well-fitting garments, the designers received models' measurements and photos well in advance.
They also took a tip about wilting from the event's previous set of participants. "One of the challenges of the show, as florists explained to us in our preparation meetings," Martin said, "is that the designs they created shrank down when they dried up a little bit. So this year they anticipated that, and left extra room in the garments for these tiny little models."
