Is it a botanical garden? Or a fashion show? In a way, it's both, at the landmark Haupt Conservatory at the New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx.
It's the 21st annual Orchid Show, featuring botanically inspired fashion, including whimsical animals wearing clothes made from plants from Collina Strada by Hillary Taymour.
What You Need To Know
- The New York Botanical Garden's Orchid Show is in its 21st year. This year's show is called "Florals in Fashion"
- Guest designers include Collina Strada by Hillary Taymour, Dauphinette by Olivia Cheng and FLWR PSTL, also known as Kristen Alpaugh
- The show runs through April 21
"She gave us these inspirations, and we, because we are all plant people, had a lot of fun figuring out what her designs translated to in the plant world," said Brian Sullivan, vice president for glass houses and landscape at the garden. "So then we made all these crazy ideas about how we could create succulent pants, and here you have it."
Taymour, along with fellow rising stars Olivia Cheng, of Dauhphinette, and botanical artist FLWR PSTL, also known as Kristin Alpaugh, are the guest designers for this year's show, called "Florals in Fashion." There are thousands of orchids and companion plants on display, complementing the work of the designers and artists.
"We were able to take their vision — and all three have quite different perspectives — and then we were inserting plants into those perspectives," Sullivan said.
The diversity of the orchid is on display big time at the show. The flowering plant is found on every continent except for Antarctica. It's the largest plant family, with around 30,000 different species. At the garden, the Orchid Show has also established somewhat of a magical portal to the coming spring.
"We always host this in February, March and April, so it starts off in winter and kind of brings us all the way to spring, and a lot of people look at it as a harbinger of spring," Sullivan said.
The Orchid Show runs through April 21, with "Orchid Nights" evening exhibition viewing beginning at the end of March. Head to the New York Botanical Garden's website for more information.