The Language of Flowers
ELLE US|June/July 2024
Young designers are falling for the subversive power of a classic motif.
 Olivia Laing
The Language of Flowers

When I got married, I chose a dress by Simone Rocha. As a nonbinary person, I didn’t want anything conventionally feminine, but I did want a spectacular piece of clothing. The dress I picked was from the spring 2018 collection—Elizabethan in its shape, with leg-of-mutton sleeves and a huge skirt. It was gothically black, covered in sprays of tiny red roses. The exaggerated shape felt sculptural, romantically androgynous, and definitely un-girly. When I took it off to dance, two friends, both gay men, took turns slipping it on.

We got married at a University of Cambridge college, in a 15th-century hall decorated with Pre-Raphaelite exuberance in the same unusual black, red, and green palette as the dress. There were heraldic roses and other botanical motifs everywhere you looked, rising up the walls and swarming across the painted ceiling. It was like entering a fantastical Eden, at once traditional and anarchic.

Flowers are often coded as sweetly feminine, especially in fashion, but their historical use is far stranger and more subversive. Before I became a writer, I trained as an herbalist, falling deep under the spell of medieval herbs, with their bewitching floral associations. Flowers had once formed a kind of secret language, an arcane code that only an adept could read. Bouquets, paintings, even dresses could carry a hidden message, by way of the humble plants they contained.

This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM ELLE USView all
Peer Into Our Crystal Ball
ELLE US

Peer Into Our Crystal Ball

And behold the future of your skin, hair, and body. The ELLE beauty team talked to experts to learn about the most exciting innovations ahead.

time-read
5 mins  |
November 2024
THE BIRTH OF THE LITERARY IT GIRL AESTHETIC
ELLE US

THE BIRTH OF THE LITERARY IT GIRL AESTHETIC

A new book brings Joan Didion, Eve Babitz, and their still-influential style into focus.

time-read
2 mins  |
November 2024
Love Lessons - JOHN DAVID WASHINGTON
ELLE US

Love Lessons - JOHN DAVID WASHINGTON

The actor and former pro-athlete - star of Tenet, The Creator, and now The Piano Lesson, in select theaters November 8 - talks about facing his fears, being ghosted, and meeting one actual ghost.

time-read
2 mins  |
November 2024
KYLE'S WORLD
ELLE US

KYLE'S WORLD

Front-row fixture and budding designer Kylie Jenner expands her growing empire.

time-read
5 mins  |
November 2024
Kesha Frees Herself
ELLE US

Kesha Frees Herself

With a new album, her own record label, and a 10-year plan to upend the music industry, the liberated pop star says anyone with \"deep, dark secrets better run.\"

time-read
10 mins  |
November 2024
Making Her Own Way
ELLE US

Making Her Own Way

Actress Nico Parker is shining by embracing her individuality.

time-read
2 mins  |
November 2024
WHERE THE WORLD'S BEST SKIERS GO
ELLE US

WHERE THE WORLD'S BEST SKIERS GO

From the steepest slopes to luxury spas, find your spot.

time-read
3 mins  |
November 2024
EMPIRE STATE OF MIND
ELLE US

EMPIRE STATE OF MIND

A new launch from Michael Kors celebrates the beauty and grit of New York City.

time-read
2 mins  |
November 2024
OUT OF OFFICE
ELLE US

OUT OF OFFICE

For Agua by Agua Bendita, resort isn't merely a season—it's a lifestyle.

time-read
2 mins  |
November 2024
Fringe Fantasy
ELLE US

Fringe Fantasy

Alessandro Michele gets into a '60s groove with the Garavani Nellcôte bag from his debut collection for Valentino.

time-read
1 min  |
November 2024