ipo
garden
fashion
In late spring, the ground is more forgiving. A plunge into the soil feels like
a reward after months of waiting behind frozen ice panes. Gardening
expects a different set of virtues: there is no casual green thumb, no
budding caprice. One has to go in, get dirty and beg Mother Nature for
healthy, happy blooms. Call it superstition or a refined preference, but a
beautiful assortment of gardening accessories will make the flower bed
burst with glory faster than the clunky plastic pieces moping about in
the tool shed. Slipping on a glamorous apron by the inimitable Hermès,
makes one feel so ravishing even the weeds start to wilt. Such is true for
the chic French rubber boots in a fabulously bold panther print from The
Best Dianne B., the hand-selected favorites of noted garden expert
and author Dianne Benson. We take her word as the outdoor authority
(and designer of a few essentials, like a sleek tool belt and yard bag)
with panache. Style is rarely perennial with shovels, trowels and hand
forks—the serious utensils for labors of botanical love. There is only one
exception: Le Prince Jardinier. Louis Albert de Broglie, a Frenchman with
royal pedigree and a passionate preservationist with noble pursuits (he
founded Le Conservatoire National de la Tomate bursting with 650 tomato
varieties) has been offering exquisite accessories, clothing and items
dedicated to the art of gardening for over a decade. Tools crafted of
black iron with contoured exotic wood handles are one part of this posh
collection, which bears the family´s coat of arms, either engraved on a
brass plate or embroidered, on every piece in the range. For specially
crafted bonsai tools with urbanity, Takashimaya is the natural favorite—
an entire floor of the boutique is devoted to such wonders, it is paradise
for serious flower people. And for the lighter days to simply admire
the plants, a stroll with the ingenious Brelli—a series of biodegradable
umbrellas and parasols featuring UVA protection—spied at the smart,
kicky shop of June Blaker, for aesthetes in any weather. German studio
Blomus in collaboration with Flöz Design cultivated understated cool with
the stainless steel and wood Verdo watering can, just the indulgence for
a garden that´s coming up roses n Arianne Nardo
feb + mar 2010
