Floral fashion blooms at Phipps Conservatory's La Fleur soiree
Models wore designs showcasing real flowers and plants — daisies, carnations, roses, moss, bamboo and more — as they posed and mingled at Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens in Oakland on Thursday.
They were there as part of the inaugural La Fleur: Music x Art x Culture x Botanicals Soirée.
Fleur means “flower” in French. The event was curated by The Green Voice, a twice-monthly newsletter that provides expert insights on sustainability.
“I wanted to do a floral fashion show with vignettes in different spaces inside Phipps,” said Ronda Zegarelli, president of Acrobatique Creative Ltd., which produced the event. “Phipps was open-minded to my idea. This was definitely a collaborative effort. Each room is like an open canvas.”
In the Serpentine Room, fashion designers each created a floral motif look.
Virginia Nicoll of Bon Air worked with Pennock Floral in the Strip District and collaborated with model Hector Santos of Bellevue. The look included an organic cotton dress with a band of bold and colorful gerber and pom daisies with eucalyptus, fern and willow framing Santos’ face.
The show’s creative curator, Brian David of Greentree, said his piece for model Joanna Wentling of Monroeville was Tinkerbell-inspired. David also did a live floral fashion draping of a gown on a model as guests arrived. Designer Olesya Nova created floral headpiece fashions for event greeters.
David teamed with Pittsburgh-based Petal Pushers and incorporated moss into the strapless dress with a green bodice, fresh sprays of flowers on the skirt and wings of bamboo. David designed Wentling’s necklace of freshwater pearls and quartz crystal.
Using a burlap-designed dress, Nolan Kouri of Highland Park attached dried flowers for his model in addition to fresh flowers from Phipps in her hair.
Taylor Fisher of Plum was grateful to be given such a creative outlet.
She said she researched French fashion for her design for model Sadie Flinner of West Deer, weaving Robellini leaves (palm leaves) into the dress bodice similar to a basket weave. She decorated a club weapon with flowers.
“This was truly an honor to be able to be creative like this,” Fisher said. “This experience reached a special part of my soul.”
In another room, artist Claire Hardy of Sewickley displayed her oil on canvas floral paintings from her “Jolie Fleur” collection. Hardy said she was inspired by French artist Anne Vallayer-Coster.
Zegarelli saw Hardy’s show at The Chateau at Nemacolin in Farmington, Fayette County, and invited her to be part of the event.
“To see all of this art among the gardens at Phipps is inspiring. I want to paint more,” said Hardy. “Phipps is like a tropical getaway for Pittsburghers.”
Musical performances included operatic performer Daphne Alderson, the Cello Fury trio and dancing to the beats of DJ Jimmy. Confluence Ballet also performed.
Guests embraced the floral theme with floral apparel and accessories.
A plant-forward menu was crafted by chef Kate Romane from Black Radish Kitchen. Bacardi-branded signature cocktails were curated by Sarah Shaffer at Tina’s Cocktail Bar and Bottle Shop in Bloomfield.
There were mocktails and non-alcoholic beer options from Two Frays Brewery in Garfield.
On the menu was grilled eggplant, Caesar salad, fresh mozzarella with pea shoots and edible flowers and baked ravioli, along with smoked eggplant sliders with spinach and hummus sliders with arugula as well as fresh breads and gluten-free toasts.
Zegarelli said she hopes to make this an annual tradition that coordinates with Phipps’ spring flower show “A Bloom for Every Room!” and Earth Day.
“I love that we’ve brought together artists from all over the city for this sustainable event,” Zegarelli said. “Tonight, Phipps was transformed into a magical land.”
JoAnne Klimovich Harrop is a TribLive reporter covering the region's diverse culinary scene and unique homes. She writes features about interesting people. The Edward R. Murrow award-winning journalist began her career as a sports reporter. She has been with the Trib for 26 years and is the author of "A Daughter's Promise." She can be reached at jharrop@triblive.com.
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