Image Source: Getty Images / Dia Dipasupil/ WireImage [1]
On Monday, May 7, celebrities and fashion icons alike descended upon the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute Gala in New York City. As the biggest names in fashion and entertainment hit the red carpet [2] we noticed one big trend: roses. A little bit of research tell us the floral patterns on the red carpet were subtly following the theme of the night.
This year's theme is Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination [3] in honour of the museum's newest exhibit in partnership with the Vatican. So, why roses you ask? Well, in the Catholic religion roses have a few interesting meanings.
The rose and its many colours have long since been association with Catholicism [5]. For starters, the red rose is a symbol of martyrdom, while the white rose stands for purity. In fact, the Virgin Mary is frequently associated with the gorgeous flower, reportedly known as a "rose without thorns," because she was born without original sin.
The legend of St. Ambrose's [6] says that the rose was original created without thorns and found in the Garden of Eden. Once Adam and Eve committed their sins, the thorns appeared on the roses in the garden as a reminder of man's fall from grace.
Image Source: Getty Images / Jamie McCarthy [7]
Many flowers are used to honour Mary [8], including roses, often seen in figures and paintings depicting her (as well as other saints and angels), usually worn as crowns in her head. Red roses reportedly represent her sorrow, white show her joy, and yellow represent the honour "bestowed upon Mary" to carry Jesus.
It's no surprise then that celebrities wanted to give a nod to the symbolism of roses in Catholicism. Amal Clooney, for example, wore a Richard Quinn ensemble [9] with red roses as its focal point, featuring the flowers in its corseted bodice and gorgeous train. Jasmine Sanders opted for roses throughout her intricate braid [10] as she stepped out on the carpet wearing H&M [11].
Image Source: Getty Images / Neilson Barnard [12]