I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud - Gathered by Lukas

18th May 2020

Here are my three handpicked and freely styled bunches of daffodils to lift our moods during Mental Health Awareness Week and share some beautiful flowers from home #MyChelseaGarden.

The poem by Wordsworth celebrates the relief from isolation that he felt in the company of daffodils.

I wandered lonely as a cloud That floats on high o'er vales and hills, When all at once I saw a crowd, A host, of golden daffodils; Beside the lake, beneath the trees, Fluttering and dancing in the breeze. Continuous as the stars that shine And twinkle on the milky way, They stretched in never-ending line Along the margin of a bay: Ten thousand saw I at a glance, Tossing their heads in sprightly dance. The waves beside them danced; but they Out-did the sparkling waves in glee: A poet could not but be gay, In such a jocund company: I gazed—and gazed—but little thought What wealth the show to me had brought: For oft, when on my couch I lie In vacant or in pensive mood, They flash upon that inward eye Which is the bliss of solitude; And then my heart with pleasure fills, And dances with the daffodils.

– William Wordsworth (1815)

E-postcard from Home - Iconic Images of COVID-19 Pandemic

My parents, Josef and Hana, in Eastern Bohemia

Dorothea Lange’s Migrant Mother is one of the most iconic images of the Great Depression. The challenging circumstances portrayed in Lange’s photographs are reminders of what many are experiencing today.

I had been looking for an image that speaks to me - and all of us - at these uncertain times. I have struggled until I got this e-postcard from my home in the Czech Republic, from my parents. I see fear, love, and hope. This photo expresses the circumstances we are now facing as a society and feels emblematic for our time.

#HoldStill2020

Domestic Goddess in Lockdown

May 2020, Your Home

Social media bombards us with some fabulously dressed-up themed Zoom parties - Met Gala's Camp, Oscars, Great Gatsby's 20's style or the latest couture fashion from Cannes Film Festival, to name but a few.

In the meantime, the dishes are piling up on the side of the sink in the kitchen. I took these contrasting images and pushed them further with this retrospective.

I was inspired by my Grandmother and her style in her own kitchen. It was always a performance. Everything had its order and place and she was the lead performer on stage. I was the audience. To me it seemed so elegant, almost glamorous.

I recreated this vision with my friend, fashion writer and vintage boutique owner Suzanne some time back. It feels so relevant to me now - summing up the power some women and men have to bring light to everyday life. This is such a empowering message and so helpful to remember in the COVID-19 pandemic.

Wash hands and wash your dishes: stay home and stay glamorous!

Suzanne as a Domestic Goddess Pinup styled by Lukas Kroulik