We've heard of high fashion, and even edible fashion, but botanical fashion?

As part of the Art of Horticulture (HORT 2010) -- a new "university course" that updates a decade-old predecessor -- three student designers modeled their own creations at a fashion show. The caveat is that the outfits were made from plants.

The course is an exploration of plants as a subject of art or as used in art, with students investigating topiaries, bonsai, sod furniture, plant fibers and dyes, floral designs, botanical illustrations and more, said Marcia Eames-Sheavly, course instructor and senior lecturer at the Department of Horticulture.

"Every class has some hands-on experience," said Eames-Sheavly. "It's a rich part of the course; it's not a class in which students sit and listen to someone talk for 40 minutes."

As part of the course, Eva Johnson '15, Jasmine LaCoursiere '14 and Shiela Gordon-Smith '14 agreed, for the first time in HORT 2010 history, to design and model botanical fashion, on Oct. 15 in the Plant Science Building.

In the weeks prior to the show, the students were required to define their artistic visions, create outlines for how they will create their fashions and stage their creations prior to the classroom show.

The Art of Horticulture is one of 12 "university courses" designed to teach students to think from the perspectives of multiple disciplines, across departments and among diverse fields of study.