"Chicagoasis" in full swing

17:04:20 3rd April 2008

A year-long series of events are currently underway to celebrate the centennial of Garfield Park Conservatory in Illinois.

The Chi-Town Daily News explains that the glazed structure provided tropical humidity for a fashion show with a difference as entire outfits were created from flowers, leaves and other plants.

Melanie Harding, programme developer for the Garfield Park Conservatory Alliance, tells the publication that the structure was one of the first places to have displays of flora set up to look like a natural landscape and that it provided inspiration for the models' living outfits.

Upcoming events include a historical exhibition called conserve-a-story, which will give visitors an insight into the conservatory's past.

The glass edifice was completed in 1908 and covers approximately 4.5 acres as well as including cold frames and propagating facilities.

Its contents have been described as "landscape art under glass", the alliance explains, noting that it supplies produce for numerous displays in the region.