It’s Daffodil Season Outside and on the Runways

April is the cruellest month, breeding
Lilacs out of the dead land, mixing
Memory and desire, stirring
Dull roots with spring rain.

So wrote T. S. Eliot in his epic poem, “The Waste Land,” nearly a hundred years ago. In the midst of a global pandemic, his use of the word cruellest stings. Wisely, he reminds us of our connection to nature, that our spirits reawaken just as dormant roots do as spring arrives.

Two things that have become crystal clear during this global pause is the interconnectedness of all nations and the effect of our actions on the environment. Swans have returned to Venice, and everywhere in New England daffodils—unaware of the crisis—are once again raising their ruff-ringed faces toward the sun. (In “I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud,” another poet, William Wordsworth, expands on their irresistible cheeriness.)

Now there are many types of daffodils in a variety of colors, but the best-known are the intense bright yellow variety. One of the color stories designers had been developing pre-pandemic—for both spring and fall—was a golden one. Shades from almost white to deep ochre have been seen on frilly party dresses (Molly Goddard), rain slickers (Adam Lippes) and snazzy pants suits (Marc Jacobs, Dries Van Noten) that are anything but garden variety.