Boutonnière lapel pin vase by Omer Polak
This lapel pin by Israeli designer Omer Polak incorporates a miniature vase to hold tiny blooms (+ slideshow).
Polak's Boutonnière, French for buttonhole, the design allows the wearer to attach a real flower to their clothing with enough water to keep it looking fresh all day.
Each blown-glass vessel has a curved bottom and is attached with a simple brass pin and the user can choose their own combination of flowers or herbs, for visual appeal but also in order to wear a particular scent.
The accessory is a continuation of Polak's graduation project called S-sense, which was based on the story of a person who has never experienced the sense of smell before.
"Smell is vital in our everyday lives," said the designer. "It is a major component in our sense of taste and it has a wonderful ability to create memories and bring them to the forefront of our consciousness."
Here's a movie about that project:
Here is some more information from the designer:
Lapel pin for flower which is a side effect of my Graduation project S-sense - a project that combines designing and neuroscience. The project introduces a research on the sense of smell and its uses. Many case studies in this field were gathered into a story of anosmic character, who's never experienced the sense of smell before.
First, she learns to smell with an odour-learning device that operates as biofeedback. Subsequently, she combines smells in her own world and amplifies them by designated jewelries in order to influence social situations. Moreover, she studies her past by restoration of her memories through smells.
Since the beginning of mankind, flowers were used for various purposes including decoration and camouflage. Many flowers and their scents have gained recognition and appreciation and were attributed to different qualities. A decorative flower in a breast pocket is a cultural characteristic that traveled to the early twentieth century as a manly decoration symbolising wealth and male fertility.
Boutonnière - a lapel pin for flower made out of glass and brass - contains water to keep the flower fresh all day long. Apart from being pleasing to the eye, the flower also spreads its smell while being worn. It's suitable for a wedding, prom or any special event. By choosing the flowers you can give your own interpretation and you can use different variations of colours and odours in the flowers' arrangement. It's also nice and unique to use some herbs for decoration and perfumes.