Forbes The Divine Miss M knows how to get her hands dirty: in the garden. By Caroline Reilly, August 7, 2026
Bette Midler, known as The Divine Miss M, gets her hands dirty in the garden.
“I have loved being in gardens since I was a child growing up in the projects in Hawaii,” Bette Midler tells me. “Truth be told, gardening is like music, you never really finish learning, it’s never ending and always surprising, that’s one of its greatest joys. I also believe gardens have great spiritual and healing powers and nothing relieves stress like being or working in the garden.” She adds: “Note that I did not say ‘yard’.”
Bette Midler and Practical Style
However, she found Rozae Nichols’ workwear on Pinterest. Bette Midler sets a standard for enduring, practical style. She knew the designers’ pieces would fit seamlessly into her life. “I ordered an apron, and I was absolutely right,” she says. “I’ve been wearing the same one for literally years, in the kitchen and in the garden. When my family sees me in it, they know I mean business.”
Gardening’s High-Fashion Aesthetic Nichols’ is the founder of Flora Animalia; inspired by her love of nature, the brand boasts an beautifully crafted collection of workwear inspired clothing and rustic home goods and linens. “We love dirt—which, when it’s healthy, is clean!” Nichols tells me. “Flora Animalia was born while tending our creative studio’s edible garden, which I planted long before the clothing collection. Working in the garden, I wanted an apron that could double as a harvest bag. After several design iterations, the Basket Apron was perfected and has since become our go-to gardening staple—and just as useful at the farmers market and beyond.”
Garden clothes and workwear make for both stylish and practical wardrobe options; whether you’re wearing an oversized linen shirt or a hearty waterproof clog, there are few aesthetics that transition as seamlessly between digging in the mud and a quick jaunt to the farmer’s market or to brunch.
Writing for Forbes last year, Brett F. Braley-Palko observed, “Gardening hasn’t always been this fashionable. Once relegated to hardware stores and overlooked corners of workwear catalogs, it’s now found a foothold in the wardrobes of designers, stylists and menswear obsessives.”
And Nichols prides herself on the fundamental usefulness of her pieces, something reflected in the garments’ pristine construction and elevated fabrics. “The functionality, ease and style of the pieces make them naturally multipurpose. I wear our denim and cotton shirts every day—from my Laurel Canyon garden to work, into the kitchen, through creative projects in the studio, and just relaxing at home,” she says. “These clothes move easily through daily life.”
A Divine Collaboration From her initial designs, the brand expanded into different apron styles and sturdy workwear pieces that would allow the wearer to move seamlessly between their afternoons in the garden, their creative studios, and their everyday life. Initially conceived as garden wear, the line now includes ready to wear that captures the spirit of the garden, like dresses and caftans, pieces that prioritize comfort and ease of wear. “At the heart of Flora Animalia is a simple ethos: to design timeless, functional clothing, produce it thoughtfully in small batches, always with respect and love for plants, animals and nature,” she says.
Then she found out that none other than Bette Midler had been a loyal fan since day one. “I was floored when I learned that Bette Midler had been supporting Flora Animalia since our first launch in 2021,” she tells me. “I was thrilled not only because I’ve loved and admired her for as long as I can remember, but because of her extraordinary generosity toward people and the earth.” Midler founded the New York Restoration Project over three decades ago; the non-profit works to develop and nurture green spaces, planting thousands of trees in New York City every year.
When Midler and Nichols met, they immediately connected. “Our conversations might begin with art, design and functionality and quickly move into conservation, gardens, politics, the environment and our shared curiosity, concerns and rants about the world around us,” Nichols tells me. And Midler says much the same: “A few years ago I realized that Rozae had an actual brick and mortar store on Gardiner St (what are the odds?) in Los Angeles, so out of curiosity, I drove over there,” she says. “All the books she had on her shelves were books I had on mine, and that’s always a good sign. I loved the clothes and I loved the vibe.”
Now the pair are teaming up for a collaboration: The Divine Miss M Collection, a limited edition selection of clothing and home goods that celebrate Nichols’ and Midler’s shared love of gardening. “One day Bette gifted me a little collection of vintage Chinese frog closures,” Nichols tells me. “The moment I opened the package, I knew they belonged on the front of our Artist Shirts.” And so she asked Midler: why don’t we do a collaboration, suggesting a small capsule of items she knew Midler already loved.
“We have something for everyone in the collection, and each piece was thoughtfully designed, produced locally in LA, and thoughtfully priced,” Midler tells me. “Many of the designs reference the natural world, both flora and fauna; Rozae and I are both passionately committed to it.” The New York Restoration Project will be the main beneficiary of the collaboration. “Cleaning and greening NYC for 31 years, and working on building our endowment, I hope this will be a nice addition to it,” she adds.
