Fashion blooms at Biltmore this spring! Join us now through May 21 for Fashion en fleur featuring floral arrangements in Biltmore House and several “surprise guests” whose grand Gilded Age costumes are created entirely from beautiful botanical elements.
Finding fashion cues
In preparation for spring and the creation of Fashion en fleur, the Floral team met with Lori Garst, Curator, to learn more about fashion during the Vanderbilt era at Biltmore.
“We worked with Lori to learn about different silhouettes that were popular and how they changed over time, as well as styles that would have been worn at Biltmore for different activities at different times of day,” said Lizzie Whitcher, Floral Manager.
Fanciful fashion
Though the shapes and styles of the costumes are authentic, the Floral team took a fanciful approach to interpret them, hoping to surprise and delight guests with these art pieces. Botanical material was used to create every detail, from hair and hats to trims, shoes, and even a puppy!
Billiard Room
For the Billiard Room, Don and Laura designed a gentleman who is dressed for the outdoors, wearing a homburg hat and carrying a fishing pole. The materials used include dried willow reeds, magnolia leaves, moss, birch bark, red eucalyptus leaves and feathers. He is surrounded with fresh potted ferns.
Fun fact: Look for little botanical insects, butterflies, and a bunny around this fashionable fellow.
Banquet Hall
Team members Joslyn and Marcie created the lovely lady in the Banquet Hall. Her Gilded Age-style gown is designed with blue craspedia, blue and gold hydrangea, bleached palms, Italian ruscus, hanging amaranthus, star fern, queen flower, willow eucalyptus, and star flower.
Fun fact: This floral figure stands in a garden with a plant-based puppy the team playfully named Gigi.
Morning Salon
Designed by Callista and Sophie, the floral figure in the Morning Salon wears a costume based on an actual House of Worth dress that features a sun pattern radiating up the skirt. They used blue and green hydrangea, populus eucalyptus, spiral eucalyptus, button flower, preserved roses, Indian paintbrush, orange strawflower, hanging amaranthus, bleached gypsophila, red yarrow, red starflower, red plumosum, and bleached bullet flower to create the striking design.
Fun fact: The floral designers drew colors from the Monet paintings in the Morning Salon.
Tapestry Gallery
In the Tapestry Gallery, Whitney designed a stunning costume that captures the beauty and sense of movement in Edith Vanderbilt’s dramatic dress and wrap in her 1910 Boldini portrait that hangs nearby. Materials include black rose petals, ferns, white oak leaves, bleached hydrangea, blackbeard wheat, star fern, anahaw leaves, dried sun palms, reindeer moss, strawflower, and staavia.
Fun fact: Artist Giovanni Boldini was the known as the “Master of Swish” for the way he painted flowing draperies.
Second Floor Living Hall
Fiona and Nikki designed the Second Floor Living Hall dress based on a classic “Gibson Girl” silhouette. This fashionable lady is designed with preserved roses, bunny tails, hydrangea, pampas grass, green sable grass, elephant reed, reindeer moss, pink gypsophila, and parchment fern. Although the materials are all preserved or dried, the lower part of her train will be changed out each week with fresh flowers. Doesn’t she look ready to sweep down the Grand Staircase and go for a garden stroll with her parasol?
Fun fact: The Gibson Girl fashion style symbolized an ideal “new woman” who signaled a change from the more restrictive Victorian era.
Plan your spring visit now
Spring is the perfect season to visit Biltmore to find our gardens in bloom, enjoy Fashion en fleur, experience the wonders of Luminere on select evenings, and so much more!
