Lessons in Botany
Some dresses you never forget. One of mine, a white pique I wore in the third grade is with me still. I remember this dress partly because it was my spring dress the year our family cat had kittens. Even now, I feel those soft creatures scurrying up my dress as I tried to hold them, eventually poking through the fabric with their needle-like claws. Those pin-sized holes broke my mother’s heart and I don’t blame her. The dress was indeed heartbreakingly beautiful in summer-white with green vines of bright blue tulips running across the hem and trailing diagonally across the bodice. It was lovely.
“After women, flowers are the most beautiful things God has given the world”, Christian Dior once wrote. And he should know for he is the man who gave us a fragrance known as having the truest scent ever crafted of the sweet and fragile Lily of the Valley. Diorissimo has a mysterious depth with a pure floral shock, much like the tender flower. And to celebrate his magnificent perfume, he created The Muguet Dress which reportedly had fronds of the lilies sewn right into the hem, scenting the room where it was first shown to the public.
I’ve always loved flowers but I’m not very good at either growing them or arranging them. When I need a fix, I visit our grocer who has a decent selection even if they are not very heady or exotic. For really amazing blooms and when I am in the area, I love to visit a florist in Boston that seems to have the most unique way of expressing his love of flowers. Large urns of cherry blossoms sidelight the entrance to his romantic shop which is but a taste of what goes on inside. Beside the intoxicatingly perfumed air, there are showcases of vases and vessels holding roses, freesia, ranunculus, gardenias, and hyacinths, all displayed in the most charming ways. He even once used a vintage typewriter to show-off ribbons of ivy with white camellias. I often feel drunk with inspiration when I am finally able to tear myself away.
This season I am looking for a simple blouse with a small floral print. I love our vintage model’s above. And for spring, it seems just right with its soft celadon and lilac hues. A light spray of Muguet des Bois from the 1970’s, another albeit tamer, Lily-of-the-Valley fragrance, would be perfect with it.
I plan on asking my mother what she remembers of her daughter’s spring dress – the one she was so fond of. Another lover of flowers, I am pretty sure she will recall how the kittens ruined it. But I hope – I really hope, she remembers the climbing blue tulips.
8 Comments
Anonymous
I just found your blog and I must say that you are an eloquent writer.
Your words brought back memories of my sixth grade graduation and finding the perfect lilac dress. My mother and I shopped all day, which was fun all by itself.
susie @ persimmon moon cottage
I enjoyed this post so much. I hadn't thought about how tiny little kittens get those little claws caught in everything in a very long time.. For several years when I was a girl, our mama cat always had one litter of kittens each year right at this time of year. She was a beautiful honey- colored Persian cat and her kittens were always long haired, round faced, small eared very cute kitties. Papa kitty was Mama Kitty's new Spring romance of the year, so the colors of each litter were always a surprise. An un-spayed outside cat is totally unacceptable now days, but that was more than 50 years ago. Every spring we always found homes for each of those kitties, even though I would have preferred to keep every one of them.
I love lilies of the valley, but could never get them to grow in my yard. Muguet du Bois was always my favorite scent for years.
Karen
Muguet des Bois! I remember it clearly and fondly. One whiff and I am on the ferris wheel with my grade 9 boyfriend. (Who then puked when we got to the top!) I love your dear blog! xo
La Contessa
SHE WILL RECALL EVERY DETAIL!
XX
Lisa Zuchowski
Beautiful, Donna. (LLBean might have some floral blouses.)
Laura Jeanne
Yes, yes! I have always passionately loved clothing with delicate floral prints, ever since I was quite small. For my grade 8 graduation dress, which my mother made for me, I made her drive all over the place going from shop to shop until we found the fabric with just the right print. This was in about 1992, and all the girls had floral print dresses that year.
Too bad you don't have a photo of your old dress. It sounds lovely. 🙂
Karen
I am rooting for you to find that floral blouse, Donna! My mother was extremely fond of those small floral print blouses and wore them all summer long. But my favorite floral dress of hers was a fitted and flared sundress that was covered in blue roses. There's a picture, sadly only black-and-white, of her wearing it for my first birthday party when we were in Maine to celebrate. She wore it with a choker of white beans and she looks happy, young, excited, and elegant. And what was the occasion for all of this finery? Nothing, except the birthday of her darling daughter, me. Flowers gush with good wishes and love, don't they? Thank you for this beautiful post, I loved it!
Penelope Bianchi
I love this post. How lucky you are to have your mother to ask. I bet she remembers!!!