cristina buckley

The “Flora” print has become iconic for Gucci and in the history of textile design. Created by artist Vittorio Accornero in 1966, the scarf’s history is as fabled as Gucci’s past. The story is that Rodolfo Gucci commissioned Accornero to design an original scarf as a gift for Princess Grace after she visited the boutique in Milan. Accornero painted nine bouquets of flowers dedicated to the four seasons. The intricate botanical print includes a dragonfly, a grasshopper, a butterfly and beetles throughout the design. The naturalistic artwork is comprised of 37 colors, unheard of for most scarves due to the expense of printing with so many screens.

Vittorio Accornero created many scarves for Gucci, and each bears his recognizable signature in the artwork. He was also a successful illustrator of children’s books and fairy tales. The scarves Accornero painted for Gucci all reflect a fantastical style that is dreamy and romantic.

The Flora design has lived on in the House of Gucci ever since the 1960’s. It has had many incarnations and revivals: the print has been used on handbags, clothing, china and shoes. In 2012 the print was printed by Cole & Son as a special edition wallpaper for the Milan Furniture Fair.

I feel very honored to have this scarf as part of my collection. Several of my vintage scarves (including Flora) belonged to my grandmother, who wrote a column for the New York Times in the late 1960’s through the 1980’s about fashion, beauty and style.