Ashes of roses

I was reading Ditch Monkey: Ferrero Roche, and the phrase "ashes of roses" cought my eye:

Last night was a bit of a contrast to the normal Wood living antics, it started off at the a Fashion show at the Argentinean Ambassador’s residence, lots of clothes, lots of models wearing stuff like this http://www.ashesofroses.com/ lots of champagne and a whole bunch of mischief. From there I managed to find my way to Brick Lane, somehow loosing my friends and wallet on the way. When I got there I discovered another fashion show going on, this time all the clothes had been created from recycled clothes. ...

I was thinking Ashes of roses might be something goth-romantic, and maybe it is; but a look on the web suggested a possible source for the phrase in a novel, Ashes of Roses by Mary Jane Auch, page 52:

I carefully unpacked my good dress and smoothed out the creases. Ma had made it for me just a few months before we left. In Limerick she was a seamstress for a fancy shop on O'Connell Street, and they paid her only a small fraction of what they sold the dresses for. The shop owner must have felt guilty about that, because every now and then he'd let Ma have some fabric, usually something that was damaged. The piece she made my dress of was silk taffeta in a new color called "ashes of roses." It had some water stains on it, but Ma cut the pattern so none of them showed. I'd never had anything quite so grand. Though I tried not to be prideful, I couldn't help but notice in the mirror how the soft rose colour brought out the blush in my cheeks.

There is also a poem by Elaine Goodale Eastman:

Ashes of Roses

Soft on the sunset sky
   Bright daylight closes,
Leaving, when light doth die,
Pale hues that mingling lie —
   Ashes of roses.

When love’s warm sun is set,
   Love’s brightness closes;
Eyes with hot tears are wet,
In hearts there linger yet
   Ashes of roses.