The History of Gucci's Iconic Flora Print

The Flora pattern from Gucci debuted on bags in 2005, but the history of this iconic print goes back many decades, to a very special custom gift for a very special person: Princess Grace of Monaco.

It all started when Princess Grace bought a green Gucci bag from the flagship Milan store. This was a pretty big deal back in the day, since before Grace became a princess when she married Prince Rainer III of Monaco, she was Grace Kelly, an Academy Award winning actress who starred in such classics as “Rear Window,” “Dial M for Murder,” and “To Catch a Thief” alongside Cary Grant.

Rodolfo Gucci, Guccio Gucci’s son, was intent on giving her a gift for her support and asked her to choose one. She requested a scarf, but as Rodolfo felt that nothing he had on hand fit the bill for royalty. So he commissioned illustrator Vittorio Accornero to design a floral scarf. Accornero was a textile designer for House of Gucci and he came back with a floral patter on a white background which included 37 colors and a wide array of flora and fauna, including daffodils, poppies, butterflies and beetles.

The rest was history.

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The patterned scarf was given to Princess Grace in 1966 and the print became legendary. When Frida Giannini took over Gucci in 2004, she revived the print, introducing a line of bags in 2005.

Forty seven years after Grace wore the scarf, her granddaughter, Charlotte Casiraghi was featured in a 2014 ad campaign with the print.

This day time tote is made of white canvas, featuring the Gucci flora print. A perfect on-the-go bag, this large tote comes in at a height of 15 inches and a wide of over 17, and can hold everything from a laptop to other daily essentials you need to carry with you. It’s available for $700.

Though smaller, this Gucci Flora tote does almost the same job as its larger counterpart. Good for weekend farmer market shopping or when you have less to carry, this bag is now available for $550.

With a stunning purple interior, the Gucci Nice Top in classic flora print is a great find to add color to an outfit. With a recognizable top handle, this bag has goldtone hardware and while it retailed for $1,690, it’s available to buy for $795 right now.