Carnations
Chanel SS19 Haute Couture, 2019
Karl Lagerfeld
Paris, France
This past week we lost a legend, Karl Lagerfeld, a creative who was beyond his time.
During Paris Fashion Week Karl Lagerfeld showed his couture collection for Chanel. In a few of his designs, beautiful, handcrafted, ceramic, painted petals had been attached on the dresses to create flowers. These flowers best represent carnations.
Carnations are scientifically known as Dianthus caryophyllus. The name “dianthus” roughly translates to “flower of love” or “flower of the gods.” The flower is a historically rich and meaningful flower and has been revered for centuries. It is known as one of the world’s oldest cultivated flowers, originating from Eurasia, but mostly from the Mediterranean region. Carnations have been intensely cultivated for 2,000 years.
The earliest known cultivation was during the Greek and Roman era where they have grown carnations for art and decor purposes, ceremonies, and was dedicated to Jupiter. During the Middle Ages, carnations had been made into perfume and also used for decoration. Thriving around France and Spain, the first carnations in the U.S. came in a shipment from France to Long Island, New York, in 1852. It was known to be used for teas, liquors, jellies, and jams.
Over time the flower has become rich with meaning depending on the color, the time of year, the occasion and its history. Coming in all colors, the white carnations is known for its historically good luck to women meaning sweetness and loveliness, innocence and pure love. The flower also signifies courage, happiness, and loyalty.
White carnations can also be dyed to change to a specific color. As we see in Chanel’s SS19 couture dress, with the many petals and painted tips it looks like the white carnations were chosen to represent this collection.
Lagerfeld was able to curate amazing designs in such innovative ways through all his brands that it has transformed and push fashion to new levels.