Zara Goes Gucci Flora

I have recently had the immense pleasure of visiting Italy for my Honeymoon, and boy did I come back inspired.  When I told everyone where my husband and I planned to visit, everybody questioned why a fashion lover like me was not stopping in at Milan, one of fashion’s international hotspots? Why Florence and Rome?  Even out of the two destinations that we chose you would be forgiven for assuming that Rome would be in my lasting fashion memory, but this couldn’t be further from the truth.  It was Florence that I found truly inspiring; it has almost certainly changed my view on style and fashion and I have a female cyclist wearing a black skirt and white and navy horizontal striped tee and The Gucci Museum to thank for this.

Both of these reminded me that style will never go out of fashion, dungarees may come and go, and hopefully keep on going but Riviera chic and Gucci Flora are here to stay.

Flora World in the Gucci Museum illustrates the creation of what was to be the most beautiful scarf imaginable for Princess Grace of Monaco in 1966, presented to her by Rodolfo Gucci on their visit to Gucci’s Via Monte Napoloene store with her husband Prince Ranier.  Flora was created from nine bouquets of flowers from the four seasons, with berries, butterflies, dragonflies and insects.  It may seem like a questionable design to have insects on a garment of such beauty, but the result is mesmerising; so much so that it has continued forty years later and flora inspired designs can be seen all over the high street.

Designer looks in high streets stores has always been my fashion mantra and clearly Zara have a similar way of thinking. Gucci flora is so inspiring that Zara have left not one garment untouched;  putting together a collection of floral suits, providing a masculine garment with a feminine charm.  Their blazers and bomber jackets are cool and beautiful and wouldn’t look out of place on the likes of Cara Delevingne.  They have shirts, shorts, skirts and they have even been daring enough to replicate the iconic flora scarf itself.  The items ooze the international jet setting and opulent lifestyle that Gucci epitomised.  These are a few of my favourite items.

Zara have immersed their designs in Flora.  They have combined their signature designs and cuts with an iconic luxurious print and the results are pure genius.  Italian chic, but at a fraction of the price and in today’s dreary climate be it the weather or the economy, this could not have come at a better time.  So go ahead and immerse yourself.  I promise you will look blooming lovely.