In the Works 003: The Florist's Morning in the Flower District

American garment craft was built on workwear. Plain Jane New York was built on that same foundation, creating the modern wardrobe essentials that working women actually need. By women, for women.

IN THE WORKS is a series about the women who get things done. Each edition goes inside what she's working on, where she goes, and what she wears through all of it.

Photos by Zaina Mahmoud.

Truly original experiences are few and far between. But I think being sisters and roommates with a florist whose studio is our shared NYC apartment is one of mine.

Meet Hanna Darnell, a full-time social media manager who moonlights as a florist. Or perhaps it's the other way around.

Older sisters will understand this — I watched my sister follow the blueprint I drafted. We went to the same college. We were part of the same club. I moved to New York, she moved a year later (and we became roommates). And so on and so forth. I would sometimes find myself wondering, ‘what path will she carve for herself?' Not that I ever doubted her. I knew, and so did she, that she just hadn't found her calling yet. But her potential was always obvious. Whatever path she chose would be hers to own.

When Hanna first moved to New York, she was working a remote marketing job at a luxury watch brand. She was good at it, but didn't love the work. After a few years with the brand, she hit that point of no return that I know many of us have experienced with a job. That re-direction led her to the career that had been sitting patiently dormant, waiting for the spark to reignite.

I didn't get back into floral until about 3 years ago. I had quit my job that I'd been at for 4 years and needed a reset, which led me back to floral. I was like, this always made me really happy, I want to just do this for fun. I worked at a flower shop in New York for a summer — best summer of my life — and that re-sparked my creativity. I forgot how much I loved it.

Almost overnight, I went from wondering what my sister's future would have in store to being awe-struck and inspired by the new career she was building for herself.

Then her floral and creator career really started to blossom (pun intended) when she began consistently posting her process on social media, her Flower Market hauls putting @hannasroses on the map.

On a weekday morning in June we followed Hanna to where you can find her on most weekday mornings: the NYC Flower Market, located on West 28th Street between 6th and 7th Avenues in Manhattan. This is where her work begins.

On Work

Plain Jane New York: What did you want to be when you grew up?

Hanna Darnell: I always wanted to be a teacher. I just wanted to teach little kids — I love little kids, I always used to babysit. I was like, I'm going to be a teacher. That obviously didn't happen.

PJNY: How did you get into floral design?

HD: I actually worked at a flower shop when I was in college for side money. My friend's uncle owned this flower shop on our college campus and she got me a job there, which turned out to be the best thing I ever did. I knew nothing about florals, and a woman named Laura — she was the head florist, still my favorite person ever — she was my mentor. She literally taught me everything I know, all the basics, and then I just learned from there. I was doing basic flower arrangements on a college campus, nothing crazy.

PJNY: What were you doing before this?

HD: I was working for a small Swiss watch company doing marketing. Social media marketing is my background — I've been doing it for about 7 or 8 years since I graduated college. I was doing it for that company, which I always liked, but you get to a point where you feel like you've done everything you can do and it's time to leave. That's kind of where I was at.

PJNY: What do you love most about working in New York?

HD: The people you meet here are just like nowhere else in the world. The opportunities, all the brands, all the companies — there's so much work to go around. I meet the coolest, most creative people, and it makes me feel very full and inspired constantly.

PJNY: Where do you look for inspiration for your work?

HD: Honestly, just being outside in New York City is inspiring — everywhere you walk, coffee shops, restaurants, stores, everything is so inspiring. Also Pinterest, obviously. And there are so many talented florists and creators out there that I'm constantly learning from. I try to put my own spin on things and have my own vibe, which I think I do. But there's a lot of talented people out there and you can learn from them.

PJNY: You said your style in 3 words was timeless, sophisticated, and feminine. Do you see those qualities come through in your work?

HD: Maybe not timeless, because I think I can do some funky stuff. I definitely think it can be very sophisticated and chic and just different, and I think a lot of people appreciate different and unique floral these days. It's like art.

PJNY: When did you start incorporating social media into your floral work?

HD: I already have a knack for making videos since I do that at my other job, so I basically was just like, why am I not doing this for myself? I loved watching people make videos about florals and learning from other florists, so I figured I should just make them myself. I'm not shy from the camera and I know how to edit, so it just came naturally to me.

PJNY: What was the turning point on socials for you?

HD: I think my flower market hauls are what really helped me take off. People love to see exotic things, and in New York you can get literally any kind of floral imaginable. Everything's shipped in from all over the world. The flower market hauls were definitely the start of it.

PJNY: How would you describe Hanna's Roses?

HD: I think I'm very versatile. I can do really structured and sculptural work, which I'm getting better at, but also very whimsical and girly. My strongest suit is that someone can come to me and just be like, this is kind of what I want, and it could be literally anything, and I can make it work. I don't have one specific style that I stick to. I can mold and do whatever is needed. A lot of people think you have to niche down and have your own type of style, but I don't think you have to do that. If I enjoy doing all different kinds of floral, I should just do all different kinds of floral.

PJNY: What's your favorite kind of floral work to do?

HD: I love when the client gives me full creative freedom and just says, “Do what you do best,” and gives me a color scheme. That's my favorite kind of work.

PJNY: What are some of your favorite floral trends right now?

HD: I love that people are using unconventional things to make arrangements — like food, or just things you wouldn't think should be arranged, and it looks like floral. I also love bedazzled flowers. When people put stones and gems on them, I think it's very fun and cute.

PJNY: What are your favorite flowers?

HD: I love anthurium. I feel like I use them a lot. But lately I love parrot tulips. I love orchids, all kinds of orchids.

PJNY: What's one of your favorite floral arrangements you've ever made?

HD: I'm really loving this one right now. It reminds me of a pond, a really pretty pond in Paris or something. Kind of reminding me of Monet's Water Lilies. Is that too big of a compliment to myself? But I feel like it's kind of reminding me of that.

PJNY: What work are you most looking forward to in the future of your career, both in florals and social media?

HD: I'm just excited to work with more brands that I look up to and am inspired by. I always have imposter syndrome, and I'm like, how are these brands thinking of me? They look at me as a creative and they want me to make florals for their events, which is always mind-blowing. So doing more work like that with people I look up to is what I'm most excited about.

PJNY: Who would be your dream client?

HD: Beyoncé.

PJNY: How do you see your business growing in the future, both social and floral?

HD: Only up from here. That's how I see it, honestly. I just feel like I'm in my groove right now, and onwards and upwards. It can only get better. I'm feeling very confident, more confident than I've ever felt in designing floral in this era right now, and I'm just excited to keep going and doing more work.

On Life in New York City

PJNY: What does a typical day in the life look like for you?

HD: Get up really early in the morning, go to the flower market, get a coffee always, or matcha at Kijitora. Then I typically do floral during the day, deliver, work some of my other jobs, and then usually get dinner with friends or drinks. That's kind of my favorite activity.

PJNY: What do you love most about living in New York?

HD: The accessibility to literally anything I could ever need at any time of day.

PJNY: What does a typical weekend look like for you in New York City?

HD: Definitely filled with food, all my friends, bopping around, frolicking, kiki-ing. But I also do a lot of floral on the weekends too because people have events on the weekends. But it doesn't feel like work to me. Like, this past weekend I went to the Hamptons, dragged my sister along, and it was a Saturday and technically I was working, but it was really fun work. So I don't really think of it that way.

PJNY: Where do you take someone who's visiting?

HD: I love to show them my neighborhood, so take them around Williamsburg, go to Domino Park, maybe Diner for dinner. But I also love a Central Park moment in the summer, so biking up the West Side Highway, maybe getting a cheeky glass of wine at Sauced. That's kind of my vibe these days.

PJNY: Favorite vintage or just shopping spot right now?

HD: Sorbara's is the best vintage ever. I cannot walk by it without going in, and it's on my street, so it's very dangerous.

PJNY: Favorite place to eat right now?

HD: Birds of a Feather in my neighborhood. Just always kills it.

PJNY: One place that feels very New York to you?

HD: Bar Oliver. Actually feels very Europe, so maybe not very New York. Maybe Le Dive. I feel like that is just like New York in a nutshell. Performative males, performative girls, all the things, me included.

PJNY: What part of the city do you find yourself spending the most time in?

HD: Definitely Williamsburg these days.

PJNY: What's something you do every week without fail?

HD: Go to the flower market.

PJNY: Best place to meet up with friends?

HD: Probably the West Side Highway.

PJNY: Best place to spend time alone?

HD: I hate spending time alone. Probably my apartment, just doing florals at my kitchen table. This is like the only alone time I have, and that's my choice. I choose to fill my time, but this is my time.

On Getting Dressed

PJNY: What are you wearing today?

HD: I am wearing a Plain Jane New York t-shirt in a size medium. The Shortie. With Levi jeans, a leather belt, and hoops.

PJNY: What's something other than your Plain Jane t-shirt that you've been reaching for a lot lately?

HD: My black t-shirt. I need a Plain Jane version because I actually always wear black, so I'm like waiting for a black t-shirt.

PJNY: What are you thinking about when you're getting dressed to make a delivery, do an install, or go to the flower market?

HD: I'm thinking that I want to look presentable always, but also very comfortable and chic and simple. Whenever I'm doing that kind of work, I'm not trying to wear anything too crazy because I know I might be getting dirty, and it's not about me in the moment — it's about the flowers. So I try to look very timeless and chic and simple. I'm usually getting up really early in the morning when I go to the market, so I'm getting up at 6 AM, throwing on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, just very simple. And when I'm doing events and setting up, I try to look decent and cute, but you just never know what you're going to get.

PJNY: What about when you're getting dressed to make a video?

HD: When I'm making videos, I like to wear outfits that I would actually wear with my friends going to dinner, out on the town. I just think it's a fun contrast of me working but also looking cute.

PJNY: How has your style evolved since moving to New York?

HD: Oh my God, I don't think I would have good style if I didn't live here. No shade, but I definitely dress more chic, and I'm not wearing like designer things all the time, but I'm wearing like cool vintage pieces or just very simple outfits that just naturally look good.

PJNY: What makes an outfit feel like you?

HD: I always like to look very chic and simple, but often with really fun accessories. I like to look feminine — not girly feminine, but in a ‘woman' way. Chic and feminine, not cutesy.

PJNY: How do you balance comfort versus style in a city where you're always moving?

HD: I always try to wear comfortable shoes — ballet flats, cute sneakers, wedges if I'm trying to be more dressed up. And as far as style, I'm never wearing tight outfits. I'm always wearing something very chic and classy but something I can move in. Silk pants I've been wearing a lot lately, linen in the summer, that kind of vibe.

Rapid Fire

Go-to coffee spot? Changes all the time, but right now I've been going to Butler a lot because it's really close and they make good lattes.

Favorite season in the city? Summer. I love summer and spring.

Best walk? Walking from my apartment up to Greenpoint and looping around by the water.

One thing you never leave the house without? Lip gloss.

Something you're excited about right now? My European Sister Summer.

Something you've been listening to a lot lately? A lot of my old playlists that I made like 5 years ago that have a mix of the 1975, Brent Faiyaz. It's all over the place.

Current obsession? Raspberry TruFru.

Your perfect NYC day in 3 stops? Coffee in the neighborhood, lunch in the city, and wine in the park.

Signed, sealed, delivered.

xx Hally