in defense of maximalism: prints please!

how 18th century tapestries inspired Rose Room Collection's foliage-filled verdure print

Left: dessert for 200 on a table covered with Rose Room Collection’s Verdure print at the Venice wedding of cofounder Ally Lewis. Right: A Rose Room Collection dress in the same Verdure print.

Have you ever been haunted by a print? I have, many times.

There was that geometric Prada print, lifting references from mid-century designs and reinforcing Miuccia’s own fascination with ugliness. “If I have done anything, it was making ugly cool. Ugly is attractive, ugly is exciting,” she has said.

A cacophony of delphiniums and kniphofias at Dries, created from photographs he took of the flowers from his magical garden in the countryside outside of Antwerp. (Two asides: 1) Have you seen these photographs of his house and garden? BEYOND. 2) Does anyone know why Anna won’t wear Dries? If you do, please give us the tea!).

Over the summer, I went to a dear friend’s wedding in Venice where a moody, lush print - an iteration of an 18th century verdure tapestry - made a potent case for maximalism. From…