Flower chic

Topeka Capital-Journal, The, Jul 18, 2004 by Linda Lee Capital-Journal

Newest fashion trends often starting with teens, young women

PHOTOGRAPHS BY ANN WILLIAMSON/THE CAPITAL-JOURNAL

Elaine Saffels shows off her hat decorated with a flower. Saffels' daughter sent her a flower created by a friend in fashion.

Some of Elaine Saffels' flower accessories sit next to a potted geranium in her back yard. They include sunflower pins, flowers on a pair of sandals, a hat, a purse and belts.

BY LINDA LEE

I received a phone call recently from a longtime friend and fashion connoisseur, Elaine Saffels. I enjoy seeing Elaine in her colorful ensembles made in beautiful fabrics, so I knew she would have something to say that I would want to hear. She had received an interesting package from her daughter who lives in Dallas, and knowing that I am always interested in something new to share with you readers, she offered to show me her latest prize.

The item was an elegant silk flower, about four inches in diameter, mounted on a pin and decorated with delicate dew drops. An acquaintance of Elaine's daughter had made it and has now carved out a small business for herself, even selling them to the finest stores in Dallas.

Elaine wore the flower attached to her belt. It was such a hit among her friends that she decided that for all its simplicity, she had made a find.

As it turned out, I had been following a growing trend of accessorizing with flowers. It used to be that the latest fashion trends started in Europe on the runways and filtered down to mainstream fashion a year or two later. But now I find that the newest ideas show up immediately in the magazines targeted to teenagers and young women. And flower accessories are everywhere in these publications. Worn as pins on lapels, at the waistline, on hats or hanging from zipper pulls on jackets and bags, these beautiful blossoms are a really fun way to add pizzazz to your outfit without spending a lot of money.

Coincidentally, the same day that I visited Elaine and discovered her flower pin, I drove by Signature Consignments at 2515 W. 6th and was attracted enough to the colorfully dressed mannequins that were on the sidewalk outside the shop to stop in.

On the mannequins and throughout the store were a number of simple black shoulder bags in sleek black fabric adorned with the boldest flowers I have ever seen. Each bag had a single flower on it, but it was the magnificent size of each flower, at least 12 inches, that was so eye-catching. What a dramatic way to accessorize a simple black dress (or an old black dress that has seen its day).

Stores like Hobby Lobby and JoAnn Fabrics sell silk flowers in stems and bouquets. If you are even the slightest bit inclined to make something yourself, this is the project for you. Simply select a flower that you like and either pull it from its stem and leave the plastic attachment to the back of the flower or cut the flower away from the stem using wire cutters. Buy a pin mounting and glue it to the back of the flower (a glue gun works best) and mix up a product like Garden Splendor Quick Water to place a few drops on the surface of the petals emulating dew drops. That's it!

Another way to create and attach a flower is to sew a pretty button, faceted glass, rhinestone or pearl, to your garment, bag or belt where you want to attach the flower. Deconstruct a flower completely by removing each petal section from the plastic center. What's usually left is a petal grouping with a hole in the middle. Begin to re-stack the petals from a flower and thread them onto the button. You may have to increase the size of the hole in the petal. The button becomes the method of attachment plus the sparkling center of the flower. You can mix petals from different flowers and change the size and shape of the original flower.

I know that Elaine is expecting another shipment of flower pins in a variety of colors now that she has discovered the secret to simple accessorizing. hk