Nautical, but not as you knew it

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Though the dichotomy between sporty Vs lavishly embroidered and tightly clinging persisted during the last few days of New York Fashion Week, there was also another interesting theme that emerged, though in a rather subtle way, the timeless nautical trend.

At Tommy Hilfiger’s it was reinterpreted in a rather traditional way, with stripy jumpers for men, immaculate white trench coats and perfect navy suits, or with fresher looks such as strapless white dresses with stripy inserts.

There were references to the nautical theme also at Ports 1961 where sandals in navy/pale blue/white and red seemed to having been designer by an expert in the art of nautical knots.

Red and white stripy tweeds appeared at Peter Som's where black mini-dresses were paired with fancy necklaces with oversized charms of sparkling anchors, blue glass helms and rope elements.

The sea was also the main inspiration behind a few dresses by Stephen Burrows’.

A (frankly not so convincing) tiered dress looked more like a mass of seaweed both for its colour and for the consistency or its layers, while the sculpted edges of a white and crispy mini-dress reproduced the movement of sails blowing in the wind.

Moving to London Fashion Week, the Bebaroque girls presented another interpretation of the nautical look.

For their Spring/Summer 2010 collection the duo created hosiery, body suits and scarves inspired by nautical themes, from ropes and knotting, to mermaids and tattoo art.

Some designs made me think about Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers dancing in Mark Sandrich's Follow the Fleet, while the sheer body suits with appliquéd studs, beads and embroideries called to my mind Busby Berkeley's aquacade “By a Waterfall” in Lloyd Bacon's Footlight Parade.

The more I look at the body suits, the more I think about the girls performing their intricate dances and patterns in the water, creating a four-tiered rotating fountain, star-shaped formations and kaleidoscope-like effects surrounded by Art Deco graphics.