Need a Mask? Why Not Try One of These Floral Styles for a Touch of Cheer
By Jill Brooke
In these days of social distancing, it is now becoming necessary to have masks in our fashion arsenal to protect ourselves and others. Of course, we recommend finding cheerful floral options since flowers make you happier. Here are a few that have caught our eye.
We particularly like the ones now offered by Los Angeles-based clothier Johnny Was. Coming in several patterns featuring flowers including peonies, anemones, and roses, the bloom-covered masks are sold in a pack of five for $25 or 50 for $250. With every pack you buy from Johnny Was, another pack is donated to essential workers in their local communities, so it feels good to support them.
The company, which has always used florals in their designs for dresses, tunics, and kimonos, has pivoted its production to include masks and has already donated over 10,000 of them to local hospitals and charities.
Other designers are getting crafty by repurposing leftover floral prints into needed masks. Couture designer Michael Kaye, who is also a professor at the Fashion Institute of Technology, is making special masks.
After F.I.T. sent out a pattern for masks, Kaye took it upon himself to create his own using leftover Liberty of London fabric. He is selling them for $10 each. We love the floral ones of course. You can get them by sending an email to mkcouture@mac.com. 🌸
Travel writer Paula Froelich dipped into her own reserve. In a recent Instagram post, Froelich donned this floral mask, which she acquired at a market in Thailand.
Florists Michael Grim and Jim Osburn, the talented owners behind the popular Bridgehampton Florist, were gifted these stylish floral masks by a friend.
While most of us do not have a reserve of creative masks from our global travels or crafty friends, there are many DIY options out there to help you create these on your own. We saw one tutorial that involved little more than a single piece of paper towel folded like an accordion and looped through elastic hair ties and stapled in the center.
If you’re going that route, here is a step-by-step picture tutorial from Joann Fabrics, which includes a pattern that you can use at home.
If you make more than one, you might consider donating any additional masks to the essential workers who truly are our heroes. Since we can’t give flowers to hospitals during this crisis, the next best thing may be floral-inspired masks.