Queen & Commander: LBC: Create a Coord Based on your Favorite Flower

"Ship's Log, Stardate 93930.64,

My favorite flower is the German Iris (I. germanica).

"Iris" by Dave Clark, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
Cultivar name is "Starring", Originator: Ghio, Joseph, Year: 2000

Otherwise known as the Tall Bearded Iris.

It comes in just about every color you can imagine except for green or gray thanks to folks who have been hybridizing them for years. They have come up with even bolder colors and patterns that today are beginning to defy their color classifications!

"Irises in the Botanical Garden" by Kor!An (Андрей Корзун), CC BY-SA 3.0

And yes, even chocolate. Several. varieties. in. fact.

Color Patterns/Combinations:

- Tall Bearded Irises can be a solid color, known as Self. My favorites within this category are the best solid color of all - black!

"Old Black Magic" by Kor!An (Андрей Корзун), CC BY-SA 3.0
Cultivar name is "Old Black Magic" - Originator: Schreiner Year: 1996

"DSCN9991" by moccasinlanding, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
"Before the Storm" - Originator: Innerst, Sterling Year: 1989

- They also come in a kind of a half n' half, where the "standards", the top petals, are solid but completely different from the "falls", the bottom petals. Those types are called Aemona and Reverse Aemona, Bitone, Reverse Bitone and Neglecta, which is a blue or violet Bitone.

"Iris 'Jurassic Park'" by Maia C, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
Cultivar name is "Jurassic Park" - Originator: Lauer, Larry Year: 1995

"Iris 'Leaps and Bounds'" by Kor!An (Андрей Корзун), CC BY-SA 3.0
Cultivar name is "Leaps and Bounds" - Originator: Niswonger, O. D. Year: 2001

- There are crazy blends and spotted ones, called Blend and Broken Color,

"Bewilderbeast" by Hope Abrams, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
Cultivar name is "Bewilderbeast" - Originator: Kasparek, Brad Year: 1995

"Bearded Iris" by Mathesont, CC BY-NC 2.0
Cultivar name is "First Interstate" - Originator: Schreiner Year: 1991

- And lastly, yellow ones with darker and sometimes multicolored bottoms, or white with stippled edges of color, and the ones with amazing bright outlines like lightning. These are Variegata, Plicata, and Luminata.

"Astrobubbles" by Cathleena Beams, CC BY-SA 2.0
Cultivar name is "Astrobubbles" - Originator: Blyth, Barry Year: 2005

"Iris 'Orinoco Flow'" by Kor!An (Андрей Корзун), CC BY-SA 3.0
Cultivar name is "Orinoco Flow" - Originator: Bartlett, Cy Year: 1993

"Iris 'New Leaf'" by Renee C. Fraser, CC BY-SA 4.0
Cultivar name is "New Leaf" - Originator: Ghio, Joseph Year: 1997

My favorites out of these varieties are the cream-topped, burgundy/black-bottomed irises (many are Aemona or Bitones), like "Secret Service", "Domino Noir", "Twist of Sheree", "Ocelot", and "Feudalism"...

"Maroon Peach" by J, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
Cultivar name is possibly "Ocelot" or "Feudalism"

"Iris 'domino noir'" by Marie Shallcross, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
Cultivar name is "Domino Noir" - Originator: Cayeux, Richard Year: 2012

Okay, enough buildup.

Here is my absolute favorite cultivar of the I. Germanica.

"Starring", introduced by Joeseph Ghio back in 2000

It's masculine and grounded with its extremely dark falls, yet feminine with its ruffled edges and soft blushes of orange, gold and burgundy over the black, and soft hints cream and pink tones in the white.

The dramatic contrast between the standards, beard, and falls is like someone crafted one flower from several completely different ones. It reminds me of white princess sleeves and the black ruffled skirts of Atelier Pierot!

About the coordinate I created based on this flower's color and shape.

I don't have any skirts that quite work as well as I'd imagine, so I used my Queen Cat JSK, since the subtle background pattern and cat border print sort of allude to the light speckling on the black petals and the golden orange beard.

I tucked the top half of the JSK inside the waistband of my petticoat (so you can wear it like a skirt, and it holds it in place better throughout the day) and chose a vest from F+F to help tie it together in the center structurally, and visually with a darker black. It's a corduroy texture, too, so it's fuzzy in the center just like an iris would be.

Sorry for tight fit - I got healthier but mannequin didn't, time to size down.

For a blouse, I chose ivory for contrast, and big ol' ruffly princess sleeves to represent the ruffly standards. It is from Atelier Pierot, so at least I got that part down. I wanted to keep the rest simple and "stem-like", and so went with sheer black tights and simple black heels, and an ostrich feather (another allusion to the fuzzy bits) braided into the side of my curliest wig.

I didn't take any good worn photos,
but here are some from when I was trying out the idea of tucking in the JSK:

I switched to black shoes/tights, and braided one black feather into the wig instead.

And once more to drive the comparison home.
Am I close?
"Iris" by Dave Clark, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

One last thing before we wrap up...

What's in a Name?

Flower meanings usually revolve around the type and color of the flower. Roses for love, yellow for friendship, etc. But what about the names? Iris cultivars all have unique, and sometimes very interesting names!

You can purchase bulbs, corms, or rhizomes on the internet. Most run between 3 and 15 USD, and are fairly hardy plants. They are also perennials, so they are totally worth it!

How fun would it be to grow a little garden, pick a bouquet, or create a little box kit of rhizomes padded with straw (so they can grow their own) for that special someone? You can derive meaning from the names of the irises!

There are several cultivars with "royal", "queen", "king", "princess", and "prince" in their names, and below are some other fun suggestions.

Treat your Lolita BFF:

Charm A Goth: