With the recent completion of the BMO Centre expansion for this year’s Calgary Stampede, the 10-day event, attended by over a million people per year introduced a new exhibit to entice this year’s attendees – Fleurs de Villes.
Founded in 2015, Fleurs de Villes (translated to; flowers of the cities) is a Vancouver-based luxury brand specializing in bespoke fresh-floral experiences and activations. Gardens, venues, and shopping districts come to life through fresh-floral place-making and retail engagement, plus collaborations with some of the world’s biggest luxury brands and entertainment franchises.
When I attended the Calgary Stampede earlier this month, there was one display I was especially looking forward to seeing – Dolly Parton. On top of being one of the biggest icons in country music, the installation for Dolly was done by none other than local florist, Ashley Chernoff.
When the opportunity came up to participate in a unique event like Fleurs de Villes, Chernoff, owner of Golden Floral Co., knew she had to give it a shot. Sure enough, she was accepted into the competition, and then the planning began.
Fleurs de Villes COUNTRY transformed the BMO Centre into a floral wonderland with twenty-two floral mannequins, meticulously crafted by local florists and inspired by superstars of country music, from iconic classics like Johnny Cash and Dolly Parton to contemporary chart-toppers like Taylor Swift, Carrie Underwood and Blake Shelton. While browsing the various installations, attendees had the opportunity to vote for their favourite.
Chernoff accepted the challenge. There were only a couple of weeks to plan out all of the details that went into a project like this; what flowers and greenery would be used, what unique techniques would be beneficial, planning how the flowers would stay fresh over the 10 days of the Calgary Stampede, lots to consider!
With a new opportunity to showcase her skills, and iconic Dolly Parton as her assignment, Chernoff knew she had to pick something different and unique to stand out in the displays. Despite there being so many outfits that Chernoff had to choose from Dolly’s long career, she wanted something with more meaning and sentimental value. Participants had to base their entry on a photo, so Chernoff went with an image of Dolly in her “Coat of Many Colours”.
Inspired by her 1971 song “Coat of Many Colours”, the song tells a heartfelt story from her childhood, describing a coat made by her mother from rags inspired by the biblical tale of Joseph’s multicoloured coat. Though mocked by classmates for being poor, Dolly cherished the coat for its love and care.
The display platform included a botanical book mic stand, which is a tribute to the star’s love for literacy through her Imagination Library Foundation, which provides free books to children worldwide.
Chernoff went on to win second place in the Fleurs de Villes COUNTRY competition with her immensely detailed Dolly Parton-inspired mannequin.
Chernoff has been on the flower scene since opening her shop, Golden Floral Co., back in 2019. She has gained experience over the years putting together beautiful floral arrangements for weddings all over the valley and providing plants and flower bouquets to residents from her shop.
