Putting the Garden in Covent Garden with Fleurs de Villes

Whenever I travel to London, I visit Covent Garden, the lively shopping and dining area in the heart of the theater district. The skylit Apple Market, filled with shops and booths, is always a surprise. Look what I discovered in October. The Fleurs de Villes competition put the garden quite literally in Covent Garden.

Once inside the Apple Market, I had to take a second look. White mannequins stood on tables in various poses. Flora and fauna covered the models with the most amazing dress designs.

One was a replica of a dress in the Royal Ballet. The designer replaced wilted blooms and refreshed his living art project.

Amie Bone Flowers took first place.

They had to look fresh all weekend. I’m sure there was some magic involved.

She should have been holding a crystal ball.

Marie Antoinette or Mother Goose? Either way, I love it.

I love this mannequin’s attitude. Bring it world!

Using a spray bottle must help but I would worry too. This was Friday and the living couture had to last until Sunday.

This one has a Polynesian feel with its grasses and reeds.

Fleurs de Ville is a traveling show. Next stop, Toronto in April.

This entry got my vote.

Located between Charing Cross and Drury Lane, Covent Garden got its start in civilization as walled-off land used by Westminster Abbey for crops and orchards in the 1200’s. Somehow or other, the gardens of the Abbey’s convent, dropped the n and became Covent Garden. Something to do with the accent, perhaps?

Henry the VIII seized the property from the Abbey in 1552 and developed fancy-like housing to attract a high-end clientele. This architecture became the standard for estates and towns built thereafter, according to Wikipedia.

By 1654, fruit and vegetable stands lined the marketplace and the once fashionable square slid into disrepair and repute. It soon became a red light district.

In 1830 the area was “reorganized” by Parliament. They cleaned house and hosed it down. Architect, Charles Fowler, erected the neo-classical, Covent Garden Market building.

In 1974, the market relocated since traffic became congested. The Covent Garden Market reopened in 1980 and became a prime tourist location. It’s on the top of my things to do list every time I come to London.

There’s alway so much to discover in Covent Garden. One time, we had tea at the Laduree.

With high-end and marketplace shopping, theater, and restaurants, I’m sure you’ll enjoy your visit too.

Have you ever been to Covent Garden? Have you ever seen living dresses? Is London on your bucket list?

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London and Edinburgh and Why I Am Heading Back

A Day in London with Charles Dickens: Photo Essay

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