Fleurs de Villes takes cues from ‘Downton Abbey' at South Coast Plaza
It's the fifth consecutive visit for the touring special exhibit featuring fresh floral installations. This year's theme takes cues from the show's fictional Crawley family, with mannequins in dressed in Edwardian fashions surrounded by high society props like a Tiffany lamp and a Rolls Royce.
Fleurs de Villes co-founder Karen Marshall said she and her business partner, Tina Barkley, started their floral display business in Vancouver, Canada in 2016 but didn't go full-time with it until 2019.
'And one of our first locations in the United States was here at South Coast Plaza,' Marshall said.
On view through Sunday and presented in partnership with Focus Features and Carnival Films, the Downton Abbey theme coincides with the theatrical release of the third film in the series, 'Downton Abbey: A Grand Finale' on Sept. 12.
'This spectacular floral exhibit is created in collaboration with some of Southern California's most talented floral designers,' Michelle Dalton Tyree, director of public relations for South Coast Plaza said at the preview reception. 'It brings to life all of the beloved Downton Abbey characters in the form of your favorite blooms.'
The exhibit also ushers in the 35th annual Southern California Spring Garden Show, a four-day garden event hosting more than 40 garden vendors and sellers of unique plants in the Crate & Barrel and Macy's Home Store Wings of South Coast Plaza, also through Sunday. Visitors will find four more Fleurs de Villes mannequins on display in that area of the shopping mecca.
In addition to the garden vendors and Fleurs de Villes, the show features outdoor living space vignettes, plus other home and garden displays. Carol Younger, senior horticulturist at Sherman Library & Gardens, leads guided tours of South Coast Plaza's core palm tree collection.
Marshall and Barkley thanked the participating florists present at the opening for their talent and hard work: Los Angeles Floral Couture, Kat's Floral Design, CJ Matsumoto and Sons, OC Florista, Florals by Mitzi, Sarah C. Brown Designs, NPD Events, Orla Floral Studio, Maravilla Floral Designs, Ivory Florist, Lilac Studios, Backstage-A-Fare Events, Paul Fenner Floral Design, Kissed by Tulips and Flower Bunny.
'The love of flowers is universal,' said Barkley. 'It doesn't matter what language you speak, how much money is in your bank, everyone loves flowers and these displays really speak to everyone.'
A floral installation inspired by Lady Mary Crawley of 'Downton Abbey' by Sarah C. Brown Designs features a slip-like beaded dress crafted from silver dollar eucalyptus. The character is donned in the modern silhouette, her short bob hairstyle accented with a gold headband, an example of the evolution of fashion that came with the arrival of the 1920s flapper era.
The wedding dress inspired Lady Edith Crawley's wedding gown by CJ Matsumoto and Sons uses 4,000 skeleton leaves for the lace veil and pumpkin seeds sewn on the hem serving as the beaded embellishment.
'We were definitely going for a very realistic look and also a lot of drama, as you can tell by the wedding veil and the train,' said David Navarro, creative director at CJ Matsumoto and Sons. 'That actually was the beginning process of the whole look; the veil itself took about two weeks.'
The detailed work of Navarro and his team didn't go unnoticed. CJ Matsumoto and Sons won the title for Most Creative and Florist Favorite from display judges. Other recognized florists included NPD Florals for Most Realistic and Florals by Mitzi for Best in Show.
This was Navarro's fifth time participating in Fleurs de Villes and he said his team has learned to choose hearty flowers that can stand up to being on display for five days indoors. A majority of the building happens in the CJ Matsumoto and Sons shop it's transferred to South Coast Plaza, where Navarro and the other florists work late into the night to finalize their creation.
While the exhibit is on display this week, visitors have the chance to vote for the fan favorite, an honor Navarro hopes CJ Matsumoto and Sons will earn.
'I just want people to know there is lot of hard work that we put into this,' Navarro said, surveying his team's craftsmanship. 'It looks like it paid off.'
'Fleurs de Villes Downton Abbey' is on view throughout South Coast Plaza Level 1, Jewel Court and Crate & Barrel/Macy's Home Store wings through Sunday, April 27.
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