InStyle - Wedded Wonderland

A MAN
FOR ALL
SEASONS
International florist to the stars JEFF LEATHAM has been
termed the rock star of the flower world for good reason.
Here, he shares the tricks of his bold and innovative artistry
by CHRIS URANKAR
photographed by PETRINA TINSLAY
styled by MAGDALENE LIACOPOULOS
LIFE etc.
InStyle / OCTOBER 2015
175
“This is some of my best
work, it’s art,” Leatham says
of his InStyle shoot.
Waterford Fleurology by
Jeff Leatham vase (second
from left) and rose bowl.
Forage & Find Co. herb
scissors (on p 174)
W
hen he was starting out as a florist
in LA, Jeff Leatham had a secret
weapon to steel him for the daily
4:30am flower-market trips. Hanging on
his garage wall, only illuminated when he
flicked on the stark light above, was a
photograph of country music legend Dolly
Parton. “I remember having this David
LaChapelle photo of Dolly, torn out of a
magazine and pinned to the wall of my
garage, because it made me smile every
morning.” Parton remained a muse, and a
few years later, when Leatham relocated to
Paris as artistic director of the Four Seasons
George V in 1999 (a position he still holds
today), he bought the original LaChapelle
photograph. It was a testament, he says, to
“when I did good, so to speak. So when
people are like, ‘Oh, you don’t go to the
flower market [yourself ]? I’m like, ‘F***
you, I’ve paid my dues.’”
That kind of edgy insouciance, coupled
with an A-list clientele that includes
Oprah Winfrey, Kylie Minogue and
Madonna, along with fashion deities,
such as Emanuel Ungaro and Elie Saab,
has earned Leatham (who has over
165,000 Instagram followers) the “floral
rock star” tag. It’s a long way from his early
days as a teen retail wunderkind, then a
model in Europe, then an out-of-work
twentysomething returning to LA looking for work. Wondering
where he could park his creative energy and passion, Leatham
landed a job as assistant to Paige Dixon, the Brisbane-born floral
designer at Four Seasons Beverly Hills. “I looked at her romantic
work as true art,” he says. “When you do floral in a hotel, you need
to create drama. I couldn’t have learned that in a flower shop.
I mean, I didn’t know shit about flowers, and Paige was this
talented, sassy Scorpio who put me in my place.”
Well, maybe for a while. Soon, Leatham was handpicked to
oversee the floral arrangements at the George V hotel and his gamechanging floral artistry—think 12,000 to 14,000 stems in the lobby—
quickly saw it dubbed “the flower hotel” of Paris. Updated every three
weeks by his team of nine, Leatham eschews the traditional bouquets
in favour of a sculptor’s approach that breaks symmetry and creates
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InStyle / OCTOBER 2015
angles with bold blooms. “But it’s not all about the flowers,” Leatham
says of his evolving output. “My brand has become about design.” This
expansion includes starring in TV docu-series Flowers Uncut (Arena),
publishing two books on floral design, and collaborating with luxury
labels including Waterford Crystal to create three Fleurology
collections. And though his talent has seen him design events at
Windsor Castle and Château de Versailles, he is equally passionate
delivering seminars, like on this Sydney trip for Wedded Wonderland.
Next up? A “top secret” project involving the Dubai Mall.
Despite his success, Leatham admits that the international
acclaim is “humbling and rare in its longevity”. He has seen many
rise and fall, and he plans to stay on top. “My parents instilled a great
work ethic in me and told me to never put my eggs in one basket. I’m
always like, ‘I have a day job’, and I still work off that mentality.” n
LIFE etc. ARTISAN FLORALS
LIGHT AND SHADOW
“Because of the background
in this shoot, the mood is all
about bringing the light in from
the dark and having the feeling
of a gritty Brooklyn studiomeets-floral workshop,”
Leatham says. “To me, this is a
renaissance piece with black
calla lilies, red carnations,
alliums and magnolias all
having special meaning for me.
Rich and beautiful, these are
also my favourite colours. If I
were to get married, these are
the colours I’d go with.”
LITTLE MIX
Pint-sized vases in a variety of
shapes can turn small bouquets
into works of art. The standouts
of Leatham’s whimsical peony
and rose display are the greenhued vessels by Dinosaur
Designs. “I love them, they do
such great work,” he says of the
Australian brand. “This brings
back that feeling of Van Gogh’s
poppy paintings...it’s an oldschool still life.”
GETTING IT WHITE...
If there’s one thing Leatham has learned from A-listers it’s that, contrary to popular
belief, “white only” floral requests aren’t merely the mark of a diva. “It can drive hotel
staff frantic, but a celebrity often asks for only white flowers in their room because
so many bad florists have f***ed up [arrangements] by mixing too many colours and
varieties,” he says. “If I were a celebrity, I’d probably make the same request. You can
mix many shades and varieties of white flowers and it will still look great.”
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InStyle / OCTOBER 2015
LIFE etc. ARTISAN FLORALS
PURE AND SIMPLE
“My intention here was to
create a modern-day oil
painting,” says Leatham.
“What I love about this shoot
is that it shows I can do more
than contemporary. [This is]
soft and romantic.” Here,
Leatham pairs peonies,
camellias, tulips, ranunculus
and orchids in shades of
alabaster and pearl with hints
of green and soft pink to
temper the pale shades. Get
the look by adding three types
of tonal blooms into
different-sized vases.
John Rocha by Waterford
Crystal black vase. Jardan vase
OPPOSITE: Dinosaur
Designs vases and bowls
CONTEMPORARY COOL
“For me, this is a painter’s
studio—it’s a canvas and he
has just painted it,” says
Leatham. “For this look
I combined alliums, vanda
orchids, phalaenopsis orchids
and black calla lilles. This is
contemporary art.” Choose
tall, simple vases and individual
stems for a stunning result.
West Elm vase (tall).
Papaya vases (white).
Jardan vase (blue)
LIFE etc. ARTISAN FLORALS
NEW ROMANTIC
“This one could be hanging
in the Louvre,” Leatham says of
the display. Combining red
peonies, red Naomi roses and
black calla lilies has created
“true romance and sexiness.”
Ideal for a dinner party, work
the look with vintage crystal
and an armful of velvety buds.
Waterford Fleurology
by Jeff Leatham
vases and rose bowls
GROOMING:
SARAH LAIDLAW
THE RULE OF THREE
Leatham’s mandate for floral displays comes down to a “clean, simple and chic”
aesthetic. “For an easy DIY arrangement, just choose three different types of
flowers, so think about combining roses, tulips and orchids, or roses, tulips and
hydrangeas,” Leatham says. Also, “never combine more than three types of
monochromatic flowers,” he says. Leatham’s favourite colour combinations
include purple, red and deep blue; or white, cream and green.
IN BLOOM Get a glimpse into Leatham’s world—and his creations— at instylemag.com.au
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