The 21st edition of the iconic orchid exhibition at The New York Botanical Garden (NYBG), The Orchid Show: Florals in Fashion, is a fashion-inspired celebration of all things orchid. Running Saturday, February 17 through Sunday, April 21, 2024, the sartorial scene is set by thousands of diverse orchids and accessorizing plants in dramatic, picture-perfect installations, highlighting the bold, fashion-themed creations of three rising design stars—Collina Strada by Hillary Taymour, Dauphinette by Olivia Cheng, and FLWR PSTL a.k.a. Kristen Alpaugh—who have all been inspired by nature.
Often called the “divas of the plant world,” orchids have inspired designers such as Halston, Rodarte, and others across the globe for decades. They are one of the largest and most diverse families of flowering plants on the planet. To create The Orchid Show, horticulturists at NYBG identified and assembled an extraordinary selection of these colorful and coveted flowers, including iconic and rare specimens from the Botanical Garden’s collections, as well as from some of the finest growers in the world. In this year’s exhibition, orchids are accented by a diversity of other plants, including epiphytic cacti, carnivorous nepenthes, air plants, and more, in displays of living attire.
The Orchid Show: Florals in Fashion explores the beauty of these formidable flowers through the striking displays of the featured designers. As visitors enter the Haupt Conservatory’s Palms of the World Gallery, they experience a “First Look” installation of floral dresses designed by Dauphinette. In front of a wall of orchids, mirrors, and other plants, mannequins on a grand staircase are adorned with Olivia Cheng’s dramatic arrangements, including headdresses of Tillandsia air plants suspended within an orb to create a floating effect. The plant-based outfits are delicately made of colorful living material, such as elegant blue-green tresses of Huperzia, pastel rosettes of Echeveria, and delicate Spanish moss. The scene sets the stage for the exhibition and begins the orchid-dotted journey through the Conservatory’s verdant Lowland and Upland Rain Forest Galleries. There’s an orchid diversity display along the way and later, a tunnel of lights where visitors can strut their stuff as if walking the catwalk.
In the Seasonal Exhibition Galleries, FLWR PSTL’s dramatic installations evoke a “Close- Up” experience, beginning with a monumental cape made of a variety of Phalaenopsis orchids in different shades of pink and purple, accentuated by mini ferns. A water lily hoop skirt fountain, thigh-high floral boots, and eye-catching “Iritherium”—iridescent painted Anthurium plants—are examples of the delightful creations stemming from FLWR PSTL’s imagination.
A flowery threshold leads to the final gallery, which showcases Collina Strada’s “Freeze-Frame” runway vignettes. Hillary Taymour uses upcycled materials such as “rose sylk,” which is made from salvaged rose plants, and she was the first to use artificial intelligence to generate looks for her New York Fashion Week and Spring/Summer 2024 collection. Some of her creations are on view in The Orchid Show’s flower-filled fashion runway frames. Geometric plantings complement the runways, while orchid-decorated Kokedama—spheres of moss in which an ornamental plant grows—float overhead. Vanda orchids, colorful miniature Phalaenopsis, variegated succulents, and other plants clothe the A.I.-inspired characters in the snapshot tableaus.
Photography by Marlon Co.
Like what you see? Get it first with a subscription to aspire design and home magazine.