 |
|
|
 |
|
|
| By Ki Hackney Valentine’s Day celebrates gestures of love and affection as much as it does romance. The history of this annual event revolves around several legends, including an ancient pagan purification and fertility festival called the Feast of Lupercalia, which, in about 498, A.D., Pope Gelasius declared officially as February 14. But Valentine’s Day speaks primarily, to the legend of a Roman named Valentine, the third-century A.D. priest who secretly married young men and women when Emperor Claudius II outlawed marriage. The emperor felt that young men did not join the armies he needed so badly at the time, because they did not want to leave their wives and families. Valentine disagreed. For his compassion, Valentine was eventually imprisoned and beheaded.
The oldest known Valentine is from Charles, Duke d’Orleans. While imprisoned in the tower of London, the Duke wrote a note to his wife that later inspired one sent from King Henry V to Catherine of Valois. By the mid-eighteenth century, men and women would commonly exchange tokens of affection and letters, and printed cards became available in the mid-eighteenth century. Today, more than a billion Valentine’s Day cards are sent each year in the U.S. We also exchange about 180 million roses on this sentimental day. Why flowers? Perhaps we can trace them back to Father Valentine, as well. It is said that some of the young couples whom Father Valentine married in secret would visit him in jail, bringing with them notes of gratitude and flowers ... which leads me to our story. For Valentine’s Day this year, we decided to skip chocolates and to look at different ways to send flowers. It started when I walked into Bergdorf Goodman one day and right in front of me was this pink rose-covered handbag by Valentino. What an inspiration and a reminder how much beauty and softness flowers bring into our lives. Next, heading up Madison Avenue toward home, I spotted the real thing – rows of traditional red (and pink) roses at Dean & DeLuca and Bardin Palomo offered a magnificent floral arrangement with poppies, roses and fiddlehead fern fronds from his shop in the St. Regis Hotel. Then, in a flight of fancy, we started to explore our floral options and came up with everything from the most delicate, vintage, flower-enameled heart charm to beach bags; swimsuits; and flower-sprinkled dresses from Marc Jacobs, Roberto Cavalli, and Carolina Herrera; and knock-your-socks-off gems from Graff and Van Cleef & Arpels; plus, of course, one or two Valentines from Victoria’s Secret. There is nothing quite like a beautiful flower. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
-CMYK.jpg)
|
 |
|
|
 |
|
| VS logo lace V-neck babydoll in pink or red; $34.50 at Victoria's Secret, victoriassecret.com [6]. | Pout™ruffled babydoll in green/white daisy print; $38 at Victoria's Secret, victoriassecret.com [7]. |
|
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Carolina Herrera’s red and ivory floral strapless dress with black rosettes; $4,290 at Bergdorf Goodman, 754 Fifth Avenue, 212-872-8845, bergdorfgoodman.com [8]. | Marc Jacobs’ ink blue and multi-colored floral slim dress with cap sleeves; $1,100 at Bergdorf Goodman, 754 Fifth Avenue, 212-872-8845, bergdorfgoodman.com [9]. | Gottex floral maillot; $178 at Saks Fifth Avenue, 611 Fifth Avenue between 49th/50th Streets, saksfifthavenue.com [10]. | Just Cavalli dalia print jersey tank dress; $435 at Saks Fifth Avenue, 611 Fifth Avenue between 49th/50th Streets, saksfifthavenue.com [11]. |
|
|
 |
  |
| Flowered Vera Bradley backpack, $84 (above); Hair combs with red or bronze satin rosettes, $22 - $45 (above, right). Both available at Zitomer, 969 Madison Avenue at 76th Street, 212-737-5560, or zitomer.com [12]. | Eye Pillow covered in printed kimono silk with lavender and flaxseed filling for soothing tired eyes and reducing puffiness; $25 at Takashimaya, 693 Fifth Avenue between 54th/55th Streets, 212-350-0100 or ny-takashimaya.com [13]. |
|
|
|
|
|
[15] |
|
 |
 |
| This oversized bag is bursting with pink flowers and reinforced with green leather, is from Balenciaga by Nicolas Ghesquière; $1,595; and will be available soon at Balenciaga, 542 West 22nd Street between 10th/11th Avenues, 212-206-0872. | Clover poppy carry all in sturdy cotton/linen canvas; $145 (tote size); $190 (storage or laundry basket size); from Hable Construction at 117 Perry Street between Greenwich/Hudson Streets, 212-989-2375, 1-877-422-5304, hableconstruction.com [17]. |
|
|
|
|
| Top row, l. to r.: Elyssa Bass flower ring in 18 carat gold with chocolate diamonds. Available at elyssabassdesigns.com [18] or Saks Fifth Avenue, 611 Fifth Avenue, at 49th Street, 212-753-4000; Hearts-and-flowers charms are just a few from the inventory of vintage gold charms at Deanna Littell’s Charm School, a customized approach to everything charmed; by appointment, 212-369-8474 or deannalittellscharmschool.com [19]. Above, l. to r.: For the girls in all of us. 'Pierre de Ronsard' rambling roses and romantic pink peonies tumble from the vase when only the pretty will do; A smashing tangle of mediterranean foliages twists with black calla lilies, luminescent mustard ranunculus and creepy paphiopedilum orchids. Both available at LMD, 437 East 12th Street, 212-614-2734 or lmdfloral.com [20]. |
|
 |
 |
| Vibernum, Icelandic poppies, garden roses and fiddlehead fern fronds, for a dramatic Valentine bouquet from Bardin Palomo; $350 at Bardin Palomo, The St. Regis Hotel, 2 East 55th Street, 212-521-8088. | Black magic and intuition roses, blush hydrangeas, and Japanese aralia in a sang de boeuf square vessel from Bardin Palomo; $265 at Bardin Palomo, The St. Regis Hotel, 2 East 55th Street, 212-521-8088. |
 |
|
|
 |
| Daisy Chain necklace of 18K gold and rubies from Sandy Leong; $2,500; at Peipers + Kojen, 1023 Lexington Avenue at 74th Street, 212-744-1047. |