Janice Martin Couture collaborated with Nicol Floral Design and Philadelphia University students, Lisa Waldman and Leona Dong, to win the window display competition for “Most Creative” category sponsored by The Philadelphia Flower Show Bloom Philly.

The display was inspired by a Holland fairytale in which a young prince gives his betrothed 20 petticoats. The story tells of a princess who had discovered a beautiful blue flower, unlike any she had seen before, called the flax flower. Soon the area where once a tall forest had been was now thick with the blue flax flowers. The women learned how to create cloth from the flowers fibers and the princess favored the new material.

Lace and linen were new materials created from the flowers. It was customary for young men to give one or more petticoats to his betrothed. The Princess loved the garment so much she demanded more, and eventually had accumulated twenty petticoats. A new trend started, it was fashionable to wear up to twenty petticoats at a time.  The window display at Janice Martin Couture depicts the young princess getting ready.  She has a bodice made of flowers and has already dressed in a few petticoats.  Blue flowers are abundant around her and a few birds have gathered to help.