Black Tulips

Coco Chanel liked camellias, Marilyn Monroe was partial to white roses, Victoria Beckham adores pink hydrangeas (Madonna hates them – see here) and AnOther fashion editor Agata Belcen loves black tulips. With Halloween on Monday it appears we have all been in a dark and gothic mood, with Belcen’s floral choice reaching the most loved post of the week on AnOther Loves. First planted in Holland in the autumn of 1593 the quest for breeding a pure black tulip has since continued as the flower is in fact the result of hybridisation and comes in a more deep purple, maroon or wine red in colour.

As well as enhancing any space – whether it be a room interior, outside area or garden – many scientific studies have proven that the sight and smell of flowers can greatly improve your mood. Typically given and used as decoration at times of celebration and commiseration, at this year’s Royal Wedding almost 30,000 flowers, most taken from Windsor Great Park’s Valley Gardens in Surrey, adorned Westminster Abbey. Also a recurring trend in fashion, flowers and floral motifs are repeatedly employed in varying ways throughout many collections each season. A key trend this winter, on the A/W11 catwalk Raf Simons punctuated his Jil Sander collection with a vivid flower print set against black – rewoven from original examples created by the fabric house of Staron. At Miu Miu, Miuccia Prada adorned her 40s tea dresses with intricate flower detailing. And Mary Katrantzou clashed various hyper vivid blooms across her interior-exterior, haute couture-silhouetted designs. Flowers also featured at Givenchy, Balenciaga and Erdem.

Here we speak to Belcen about her favourite floral collection and all things blooming...

Why did you choose to love these black tulips?
I picked them as something macabre and beautiful to fit with the Halloween theme on Loves last week. They seemed appropriate but more interesting than black roses.

In the language of flowers, black tulips represent power and strength – do they resonate something in particular to you?
Tulips are my mum's favourite flowers. And I've just booked a long weekend in Amsterdam.

What are your favourite flowers and why?
I like tulips, cabbage flowers, big wild daisies, pansies, forget-me-nots, cherry blossom, magnolia, orange blossom. I prefer bouquets of flowers that aren't too manicured and with lots of green leaves.

When do you think flowers are essential?
Births and apologies.

What do you have planted in your garden?
A bay tree and grass. I like our garden when the grass is long and everything is overgrown.

What are your favourite gardens?
Hampstead Heath. It's more than a garden really, but it's my favourite park in London because it feels so vast and uncontrolled, not belonging to anyone. But I also recently visited the gardens of several castles in the Loire Valley in France and they were very designed but still delightful. They had a very sweet, fairytale aspect to them. My boyfriend's family's front garden near Bordeaux has good views of the Dordogne and is very calming to be in.

What are you favourite collections that incorporate flowers or floral motifs?
Celine Resort 2012, Comme des Garcons S/S12, Balenciaga Pre-Fall 2011 Christopher Kane and Miu Miu A/W10, Prada A/W08.

What's on your wishlist for S/S12?
A holiday in the mountains. A couple of gowns for my friends' weddings.

What is the last thing you bought?
Vitamin A cream.

What is your favourite online shop?
LN-CC.

Text by Lucia Davies