When people think of plants as they relate to the fashions we humans
adorn ourselves with, the first instinct most of us have it to imagine
floral patterns and such. But of course, what many people may not
realize is that every single thing we wear has plants at some stage of
the process. Seriously, even polyester and other synthetic materials
have petroleum as their raw ingredient... which is oil that is formed
via the compression of marine life, including plants. Of course, cows,
sheep and silk worms give us leather, wool and silk... but cows and
sheep depend on grass, while silk worms simply could not produce without
eating the leaves of the white mulberry tree.
And there was even a fashion show held in Cali, Columbia, in which the
various designers produced clothing items made from plant materials.
These included massive floral head dresses and actual, entire outfits
made from all manner of flowers and plant parts.
And no discussion of literal "grown clothes" would be complete without
mentioning the modern trend of rings that feature actual, live plants as
a part of their designs. These rings are like having a little putting
green right on your finger (or in the case of one designer's work, a
"lawn on your hand" that resembles a set of brass knuckles). And one can
only assume that these rings coordinate very well with flower necklaces,
which also (pardon the pun) are blossoming into popularity. But perhaps
that vision of fashion is a bit too literal.
Anything which is popular can be said to be a kind of fashion. This even
extends as far as out door life and the gardens and lawns we grow. When
you mow your lawn in a patterned design of some sort, you are putting a
"fashionable" spin on something functional. And when you dig up a
section, put down some soil and plant _flower seeds
, you are also expressing your own style
in a way that society considers good and normal.
Of course, like everything else in life, some people can take things far
further than the norm. The notion of "thimble gardens" which could be
grown by any apartment dweller with even the tiniest window was a good
start. And then, I paused momentarily when I caught a glimpse of
furniture, down spouts (as in, from gutters), shoes and even entire
walls that are either covered with, or made entirely out of, the very
same grass which can be seen in a multitude of lawns. But then I finally
stopped and stared when I saw a few other things that some green minded
designers have been coming up with lately.
Apparently, not only can plants be grown that display messages (such as
"I love you"), they can also be grown into photographs. In these photos,
the different grass colors visibly form different enough shades to make
actual images. That was just about enough to convince me that there are
a great many people out there who REALLY love turning plants into
fashion accessories. Love your plants, Love your planet, and Love Yourself....
