You may be forgiven if you don’t know what a Strelitzia is, however after Fendi’s show in Milan this week it seems that more of the fashion world will now know what I’m referring to.
Also know as the Crane flower or Bird of Paradise flower, this graphic-like long stemmed orange and purple bloom is indigenous to South Africa, yip, our very own piece of L’ Afrique du Sud had Karl Lagerfeld inspired! Who knew he was such a fan?!

I can’t say that growing up I was that much of a fan of this flower, my grandfather had a huge plant in his garden that continuously bloomed, but these plants seemed so ugly compared to the prettier petunias, roses and camellia flowers that sat alongside them and flowers still remind me of South African homes circa the 1980’s – along with aged brown patterned sofa’s and olive green carpets. But like everything, these bird-like flowers are having their resurgent moment and what better way than on on of the world’s most prestigious catwalk right? And now that I see it at Fendi I’ve changed my mind! Their long stems tucked into over-sized clutches, leaving the brightly coloured flower peeking out perfectly. Move over mini-dawgs and key chain adornments – the Strelitzia is where it’s at!

See the full collection at Vogue.co.uk