"Nothing Good Can Be Lost" – The Moving Story Behind Taylor Swift’s Floral Grammy Look

The 2026 Grammy Awards came and went with no sign of Taylor Swift. If you're anything like me you're slightly disappointed, but simultaneously hoping she's off having a bit of a break from The Eras Tour and the smashing success of her latest album The Life of a Showgirl.

While researching blooms, by complete chance encounter I ended up talking to Tricia Paoluccio, the artist behind Taylor's iconic Oscar de la Renta pressed flower dress from the 2021 Grammy Awards. If she's reading this right now, I still don't think she understands just how excited I was when she got in touch.

I took the chance to ask Tricia all about the amazing collaboration she did to make the dress happen, from how she landed the opportunity, to the process of collecting the flowers and crafting the dress.

How did the collaboration come about?

Tricia specializes in making pressed flower collages which are absolutely stunning (scrolling through her Instagram was such a blessing on the eyes).

It was Instagram that gave her her big break, and eventually connected her with Oscar de la Renta.

"Working with Oscar de la Renta was an incredibly meaningful project for me," said Tricia. "After one of my pressed-flower collages went viral on Instagram, I was approached by several people in the fashion and music industries about potential collaborations. I met with the Oscar de la Renta team at the very beginning of 2020, just before the pandemic took hold. Their vision was to create an entire collection using my artwork.

"Then the world shut down due to COVID-19. I quarantined in my parents’ cabin in the foothills of California, unsure of what would happen next. Despite the uncertainty, I made a commitment to myself to continue creating the work as if the project would happen. My mantra during that time was, “Nothing good can be lost.”"

How did you choose the flowers?

While much of the world came to a grinding halt, Tricia was busy foraging flowers to press as possible inspiration for what would become Taylor's dress.

However they weren't just any flowers, they were flowers from around the cabin where she stayed in isolation and beautiful blooms cultivated on her parent's farm, as well as a mixture of weeds and wildflowers.

"I spent months in isolation gathering weeds and wildflowers every day around the cabin, pressing them faithfully even when it felt like everything was on pause," said Tricia.

"The inspiration behind my work comes from a deep love of nature... wildflowers especially. I love weeds and wildflowers because they grow, survive, and thrive despite their circumstances. They don’t get any coddling. To me, they felt like a powerful metaphor for the grit we all needed to get through that time.

"I use a combination of cultivated flowers from my parents’ farm, alongside weeds and wildflowers, to create my botanical collages. My work is not literal. I don’t create landscapes or bouquets... but is more abstract and design-driven. I’m drawn to color, shape, and the way pieces can be connected to create something that feels natural and inevitable.

"Capturing something fleeting and honoring it by preserving it in art is central to my work. My goal has always been to elevate this art form."

How was the dress made?

Tricia pressed the flowers she gathered and then turned them into large glued components designed like a sheet. She then transported the sheets over to production, where the rest of the magic happened.

"After creating about a dozen large glued compositions, I drove them to San Francisco to be professionally photographed in extremely high resolution to capture every detail of the flowers," said Tricia. "These digital files were then printed onto fabric in Italy, and Oscar de la Renta created an entire collection from the works.

"Taylor Swift’s dress was further embroidered over the prints, giving the flowers a three dimensional, almost living quality."

One of the best parts? Tricia wasn't even aware that Taylor would be wearing her design. She happened to see her wearing it while watching the Grammys!

"Seeing Taylor wear one of the pieces, and watching her accept a Grammy in it, was a complete surprise. I found out in real time while watching the show and had no idea it was coming.

"It felt like a perfect and moving culmination of all those quiet months of work. It still amazes me that humble flowers gathered near my hometown of Modesto, which literally means “modest” in Spanish, and the California foothills could become such a moment."

Shop Beginners Flower Pressing Essentials

If you've ever wanted to give flower pressing a try, now's the time! Though if you're hoping to someday press flowers professionally it's worth doing more research and speaking to mentors like Tricia to learn how to get the best results and prevent your petals from browning.