What if Lillian Voss went to the Met Gala ?

You can consider this as a Halloween art (although it’s not a festival I celebrate) but this design has been going through my head since the beginning of the month and what better time to post it than now?!

The dress is based on the parasitic flower Rafflessia arnoldii found in forests of Southeast Asia which also happens to be the world’s largest flower species with an individual bloom having been recorded to be as wide as 3.3 ft in diameter!

These flowers are aptly called as ‘Corpse Flower’ because they stink of rotting flesh (now see why I used it as inspiration?🤭) to attract flies and beetles for pollination.

Unfortunately like all wildlife, this plant is now under threat due to habitat destruction. It’s also incredibly rare as it depends solely on one species of plant - Tetrastigma to be its host and male and female flowers are formed on separate plants making it harder for insects to pollinate it. The host specificity makes it impossible to cultivate it in a controlled environment as well. Therefore, loss of this species would be a truly horrifying thing if it comes to pass!

As for why I chose Lilian, she’s an absolute girl boss and the only forsaken character I actually admire (sorry folks 🙈) Her being an assassin/rogue felt on similar lines to how the flower is a parasite as a parasitic association harms the host over time, almost like a slow poison!