Grammy winner walks the ramp with floral garment !

"காடெல்லாம் பிச்சிப் பூவூ , கரையெல்லாம் செண்பகப் பூவூ"  - படித்த உடனே உங்களது உதடும் சேர்ந்து பாடியிருந்தால் உங்களுக்கு 50 வயது இருக்கலாம்.  செண்பகமே செண்பகமே, தென்பொதிகை சந்தனமே - தேடி வரும் என் மனமே - ஆஷா போன்ஸ்லே பாடியது என உதிரி தகவலையும் தெரிந்தவராயின், நீங்கள் இசைஞானி இளையராஜாவின் பித்தர் !!  Flowers have occupied a great space in Sangam literature. குறிஞ்சிப்பாட்டு, எனும் நூலில் - தோழியும், தலைவியும் அருவியில் நீராடி பல்வகை மலர்களைப் பறித்துப் பாறையில் குவித்து வைத்ததாக குறிப்பிடப்பட்டுள்ளது. குறிஞ்சிப்பாட்டில்   மகளிர் கொய்து  விளையாடியதாக 99 மலர்களின் பெயர்கள் தொகுத்துக் கூறப்பட்டுள்ளன.

Had posted in detail about this year’s ‘Grammy Award’ - an award presented by the Recording Academy to recognize achievement in the music industry. The trophy depicts a gilded gramophone.   The 63^rd  Annual Grammy Awards ceremony was held  in Los Angeles on March 14, 2021.   South African comedian Trevor Noah hosted the ceremony. Beyoncé received the most nominations with nine, followed by Dua Lipa, Roddy Ricch, and Taylor Swift with six each.  

"Everything I Wanted" won the Record for the year .. .. is a song by American singer and songwriter Billie Eilish, and co-written by Eilish and her brother Finneas O'Connell, who also produced it. Darkroom and Interscope Records released the track as a single in  2019.  The Album of the Year was won by “Folklore” of  Taylor Swift. Folklore is the eighth studio album by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift. This album was released in July  2020, through Republic Records. Swift conceived Folklore in quarantine during the COVID-19 pandemic as "a collection of songs and stories that flowed like a stream of consciousness" out of her imagination, and collaborated with producers Aaron Dessner and Jack Antonoff virtually. The  album explores fictional narratives featuring characters and story arcs, in contrast to the autobiographical tone of Swift's previous projects. The album's title was inspired by the singer's desire for the music to have a lasting legacy akin to folk songs, whereas its artwork and aesthetic reflect cottagecore. Upon release, Folklore broke the Guinness World Record for the biggest opening day on Spotify for an album by a female act.

This is no post on Grammy but on the dress worn by the winner Taylor Swift !! ~ the attractive one was floral !! – yes fully made of flowers !!!  it was  £6,500 dress made of real flowers virtually drawing a garden into a gown.

MailOnline reported that - adorned in petals from head to glossy thigh, Taylor Swift was the very embodiment of Spring as she strutted on stage at the Grammy Awards. Her psychedelic floral dress, a £6,500 couture design by Oscar de la Renta, featured more than 200 flowers, each carefully preserved and appliqued by hand to the skater-style gown. With its rainbow-hued wildflowers, roses, gardenias and foliage, the eye-catching design won praise from fans and fashionists alike.

After a year of doom and gloom, and when the outdoors has been more important than ever, it seems flower power is having a moment.  While spring fashions are blooming, forget floral prints — as Taylor showed, these days it’s all about using real flowers, with blooms spotted on catwalk designs for Moschino, Alexander McQueen and Yves Saint Laurent — and making their way into everything from earrings to shoes.  Taylor Swift may not only  won a Grammy award for Album of the Year, but she also deserved a gong for serving up this statement look. Styled by Joseph Cassell Falconer in this stunning mini dress by Oscar de la Renta with Christian Louboutin heels, the singer stole the show on the red carpet that many celebrities flocked.

Hailing from the Autumn/Winter 2021 collection, the long-sleeved mini number is beautifully embellished with 3D florals to create a look that's hard to forget - and once we wish we could shop, of course. We asked couture designer Sandra Blanco, whose company Sophie and Luna London (sophieandluna.com) specialises in floral millinery for brides, to take on the ultimate floral challenge. ‘Preserved flowers aren’t the same as dried flowers; they’re vibrant and lifelike, not dehydrated and delicate,’ says Sandra. ‘My grandmother had a preserved flower in her house and I knew I wanted a crown made out of them for my own wedding day, but I couldn’t find them anywhere in the UK or America. I eventually found a company in Spain, where I’m from, that made them.’ She began importing preserved flowers and making her own headpieces to sell at London’s Spitalfields Market, where she saw the trend really take off. ‘In the past six years it’s gone crazy — thanks to the rise of Instagram and designers using real flowers to enhance floral patterns and prints on the catwalk.’

During the pandemic, she adds, lots of British florists have diversified into preserved flowers, as they don’t wilt in storage and can be easily sold online. ‘It’s a great option if you’re getting married abroad; you can send an entire bouquet on the plane,’ Sandra says. ‘Also, they fill your house with colour — but require little maintenance and last years.’

The preserving process is different from drying  (which involves hanging flowers upside-down by their stems) or pressing (between the pages of a heavy book or using a cold iron), the preserving process is complex and intricate, and can only be done by professionals — so it’s not one to try at home. The flowers are harvested when they are in full bloom, by pickers wearing gloves who handle them extremely carefully so as not to damage the petals, stamens or stems. Roses, gardenias and orchids work best — flowers with thick petals — as does foliage and most greenery with tough leaves. They are then placed in special chambers for a few days to dry. Next, the chambers are filled with glycerine, a thick, plant-based liquid which is colourless, odourless and non-toxic. Little by little — it can take up to two weeks — the plant absorbs the glycerine through osmosis, drawing it up through the stem and into its petals, until all its sap has been replaced. Doing it this way preserves the natural cell structure, meaning the finished flower looks soft and freshly-cut.

So it is a pricey business and this dress, Sandra estimates, would cost around £5,500 to make bespoke (a bargain, really, without the designer premium on top).  The preserved flower process is entirely environmentally-friendly, from the growing and harvesting right through to the packaging. ‘While fashion is moving towards being more eco-friendly, accessories aren’t — they’re almost always covered in plastic,’ Sandra says. ‘Preserved flowers are the opposite; everything is natural and plastic-free — even the packaging is made from cardboard and paper.’ What’s more, preserved flowers last an extremely long time — some up to 15 years — and you don’t need to do anything to keep them in tip-top condition.  

Winning Grammy and appearing in trendy style, Taylor Swift has made a real fashion statement.

With regards – S. Sampathkumar

31.3.2021.