Maximalist floral jewellery is back: from Bad Bunny, Cardi B and Aimee Lou Wood sporting dazzling brooches at the Met Gala, to Bottega Veneta's and Boucheron's 2025 collections

South China Morning Post

14-05-2025

Flower motifs have existed in almost every civilisation's fashion, jewellery, art and home decor for as long as humans have had tools to create them. A signifier of the end of winter and the promise of more fruitful days to come, florals are inherently tied to the spring season and signify rebirth, as well as beauty, femininity, purity and class.
The ancient Greeks designed the Kritonios crown, an ornate golden wreath of intertwined convolvulus, narcissus, roses and myrtle flowers; Chinese empresses of the Song dynasty wore hair pins with intricate plum blossoms designs made from kingfisher feathers; the Victorian era saw an obsession with the language of flowers, and blooms of all kinds were incorporated into cameo brooches, rings and more to communicate love, affection and mourning alike.
Today, flowers are still a favourite of luxury jewellery designers.
This year's Met Gala , held on May 5, explored the theme 'Superfine: Tailoring Black Style' and the concept of black dandyism which celebrates flamboyant and audacious dress by black men in the late 19th to 20th century. One facet of that style, spotted on the flower-printed carpet was the boutonnière – a floral decoration on a tuxedo or suit lapel.
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Cardi B sports a floral-themed brooch at the 2025 Met Gala on May 5 in New York.
Traditionally, this would have been a fresh flower – however celebrities such as Cardi B,
Bad Bunny and
The White Lotus actress Aimee Lou Wood sported dazzling pins and brooches crafted from sparkling gemstones shaped like tulips, Puerto Rican hibiscus flowers and roses.
Although more contemporary taste sees the execution of floral designs moving away from a traditional representation of nature and towards more maximalist and abstract styles, they are often incorporated into spring collections. For example, Boucheron's spring 2025 high jewellery collection, Untamed Nature, is a testament to transforming the everyday into the exquisite with meticulously crafted flair. In 1858, founder Frédéric Boucheron drew inspiration from ivy growing along the Palais Royal where his first shop was situated, and that focus on 'living nature' led him to build a library of over 600 works to study the flora and fauna of the natural world in detail – including its imperfections.
Creative director Claire Choisne drew from said archive and offered a 'fresh perspective' on the specimens, resulting in a 28-piece collection with pieces constructed from diamonds and white gold, designed to be worn multiple ways, and appear as if 'taking over the body'.
Histoire de Style Fleur de Carotte, from Boucheron's spring 2025 high jewellery collection, Untamed Nature. Photo: Handout
The Fleur de Carotte (or carrot flower) brooch, which can also be worn as a hair jewel, is a new addition to the encyclopaedia by Choisne. The clusters of white petals were made to appear fluffy via three different types of settings and bezels, demonstrating technical complexity to elevate this simple bloom. Similarly, the bell-like blossoms of the Fuschia earrings dangle effortlessly thanks to the fully articulated pistil.
After a lengthy period of quiet luxury and understated elegance via simple yet refined clothing and accessories, typically in neutral shades, the trend pendulum has been slowly moving towards maximalism.