My scarf today is the second I have shown by Richard Allan, my other illustrating the RED LADY blog. He came into fame in the Swinging Sixties as an English accessories designer having cut his teeth designing for Schiaparelli and Yves Saint Laurent. He was inspired by the Art Nouveau movement and you can see the likeness to William Morris botanical designs in my scarf today. His scarves were made of silk twill made in Kent and hand finished in London. I don’t know if The Avengers series has been shown again on TV during lockdown, but Diana Rigg wore one of his scarves in that.
His daughter revived the brand name, using some of his old designs, yet putting her own twenty first century twist on them. I believe his designs were taken up by H&M so now available to many in their clothing range.
I have been fascinated by an exotic looking plant in my courtyard garden and this scarf reminds me of its serrated leaves. I bought it as a struggling plant from a counter selling off plants needing some TLC. I have had it for about three years and this is the first year it has flowered. We have a professional gardener in the family and he identified it as the Honey Flower Tree (Melianthus Major). It is native to South Africa. It has given me great interest during lockdown watching first what I thought was new pink growth of leaves, which then developed into weird red flowers....it kept growing taller and taller to about twelve feet or more. Now it dropped a sticky substance which turned black on other plant leaves or one’s clothes! Next came green four sectioned tiny lanterns between the faded red flowers. I have now cropped these and they are in a botanical arrangement on my garden table. I had hoped they might provide seeds, but I cannot see any. A fascinating plant to have in one’s garden. I had hoped to propagate with seeds, and share my enjoyment with others but I guess it will not happen.
At least I can share my photos and my scarf.
Busy Bee, Scarf Face!
Blog 92.
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