I’m drawn to a gigantic bloom as much as I’m drawn to six yards of a waxed print. You’ll often find me at my machine with a gardenia, à la Billie Holiday, pinned in my hair. Who am I kidding? You’ll often find me with a full garden on my noggin. The kick I get out of catching myself in the mirror when fitting (or answering the door, back in the days when we used to physically answer the door) is always a mood lifter.

In 1958, Diana Vreeland arranged a “floral cap” of silk flowers on model Ivy Nicholson for the Harper’s Bazaar April cover, photographed by Louise Dahl-Wolfe. Vreeland loved her florals in fashion. Her first “Why Don’t You . . .?” advice column asked:

“Why don’t you . . . waft a big bouquet around like a fairy wand?”

I answered, in my head: “. . . or…