Fleur de Villes shows off their country-themed flower show at the Calgary Stampede

By Ansharah Shakil, July 22, 2024—

At this year’s Calgary Stampede, Canadian flower show Fleur de Villes presented the worldwide premiere of their new country-themed show. Fleur de Villes COUNTRY included twenty-two floral mannequins modelled after country music icons all crafted by local florists and hosted at BMO Centre. 

Vancouver-based luxury brand Fleur de Villes was founded in 2015 by Tina Barkley and Karen Marshall. Since its inception, it has produced over 100 floral events in and outside of Canada — Edinburgh, Costa Mesa, Seattle, New York, Toronto, Montreal and Sydney to name a few, and currently it’s holding a show in London. 

In Calgary, Fleur de Villes provided a QR code on the installations where people could vote for their favourites. The winner was announced to be the floral mannequin of Taylor Swift by Flowers by Janie & West Queen Studio. Second place went to Dolly Parton, third place to Dale Evans and fourth place to Lindsey Ell. The amount of beautiful mannequins, all created with loving detail by the florists, to choose from was overwhelming, but the Gauntlet looked at a few of our favourite floral displays, some of which align with the overall winners. 

Beyoncé by Calyx Floral Design (@calyxfloraldesign)

After the well-deserved acclaim Beyoncé received for her recent album COWBOY CARTER, an album that took the country genre to new heights while including a number of Black country artists, there’s no denying that she has only further cemented her status as a music icon. Any display of her has a lot to live up to. This one, inspired by her ensemble in Las Vegas on the RENAISSANCE tour, does an admirable job. The gorgeous myriad of red and pink flowers making up Beyoncé’s heart-shaped wings are the highlight, but the red lace gloves and leggings are an elegant touch.

Dolly Parton by Golden Floral Co (@golden_floral_co)

Dolly Parton is a country legend for good reason. Her rich history as an artist is channelled in this display, which is inspired by her 1971 song “Coat of Many Colours.” Her multi-patterned patchwork coat is made up of brightly coloured roses, one of her hands holding up a microphone and the other pointing to a botanical book mic stand. All together, it’s the perfect tribute to Parton.

Shania Twain by Foxglove Studio (@foxglovestudio)

The influence of Canadian queen of country-pop Shania Twain persists to this day. In an homage to her iconic classic “That Don’t Impress Me Much”, she’s portrayed in this display as wearing the unforgettable leopard print outfit she wore in the song’s music video. It’s a fierce, unapologetic and gorgeous way to render her, the petals, roses and hypericum berries all complementing each other and Twain’s outfit.

Lindsey Ell by Bloom Culture (@wearebloomculture)

Many of the included country music stars are ones who have performed at the Stampede before, but Lindsey Ell is a local country-pop singer-songwriter and guitarist who did perform at the Stampede this year. This mannequin of Ell includes not only a pair of black sunglasses but a rainbow floral guitar, the overall excellent effect being of an insouciant Ell rocking out like she did at Nashville North.

Orville Peck by Small Flower {floral studio} (@smallflowerfloralstudio)

Depicting another artist who performed at the Stampede this year, this display of Orville Peck is inspired by his music video for “Summertime.” The vibrant and beautiful display of course includes Peck’s distinctive mask, as well as a black cowboy hat with yellow flowers peeking out below. Pink petals make up the majority of his Western shirt, but the entirety of the flowers used for the mannequin include phalaenopsis, roses, carnations, amaranthus, eryngium and pin cushion protea, meant as a nod to Peck’s South African roots. 

Kacey Musgraves by Alexandra Rose Métier (@alexandrarosemetier)

Award-winning country singer-songwriter Kacey Musgraves is put on full display with this stunning mannequin. The look is inspired by the custom Valentino she wore on the red carpet of the 2023 Grammy Awards. Musgraves’s feathered cape is transformed into a flower cape, beginning with small bunches of purple flowers before flowing out to include huge pink and purple carnations and roses. She’s throwing one arm out, a rebellious and captivating gesture that encapsulates her musical career.

More about Fleur de Villes can be found on their website and Instagram.