Nautical fashion: timeless, practical and visually appealing

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Written by Megan C. Hills, CNN

The image of Britain’s Prince Louis dressed in a miniature sailor suit was one of the highlights of the recent Platinum Jubilee celebrations. Pictured screaming with his hands pressed over his ears as fighter jets roared over the balcony of Buckingham Palace, all eyes were on the 4-year-old royal heir. While his animated reaction to the day’s events made headlines, his outfit — a favorite ensemble for British royalty, including his father as a child — was emblematic of the tradition that marked the event.

But it’s not just the royals who sport the iconic blue and white stripes. Nautical inspired fashion has a long and varied history that has stood the test of time and remained a trend loved by luxury and high street designers for decades.

A model walks the Chanel Cruise runway on May 3, 2018 in Paris, France wearing this nautical-inspired accessory. Credit: Victor Virgile/Gamma-Rapho/Getty Images

“Nautical fashion enjoys many positive connotations: from nautical adventures to the romance of the sea,” Hannah Lyons, assistant curator of art at London’s National Maritime Museum, said via email. “It has an enduring appeal — it’s timeless and ageless, and everyone can wear a nautical look.”

Nautical styles are both “practical and visually appealing,” Lyons added. “I think it’s this functionality combined with aesthetic appeal that makes it so inspiring to all designers — not just luxury ones.”

Royal Beginnings: Queen Victoria to Empress Alexandra

When nautical fashion first took off, Queen Victoria was one of its earliest pioneers. It began primarily with children’s clothing, due to the British monarch’s decision to order a child-sized sailor suit for her son Prince Albert Edward in 1846.

The robed portraits of the 4-year-old prince, who would become King Edward VII, would later go on public display at the Palace of St. that. Lyons added that the image was later “circulated in miniatures, in enamels, in printed images, and later in photographs,” allowing it to reach an even larger audience.

A description of the portrait on the Royal Collection Trust’s website read: “Its display helped stimulate a new fashion for children’s sailor suits and nautical leisure wear that would last for much of the century “.

Princess Mary, Prince Edward (later King Edward VIII) and Prince Albert as children, the latter two wearing sailor suits.

Princess Mary, Prince Edward (later King Edward VIII) and Prince Albert as children, the latter two wearing sailor suits. Credit: Universal History Archive/Getty Images

At the time, the outfit was not only a fashion statement, but also an example of soft power: An elegant show of support for Britain’s maritime community. It will grow in popularity in the coming years, Lyons said. “Naval styles in British fashion were used to evoke a sense of national pride and solidarity with the Royal Navy during wartime, particularly during the First and Second World Wars.”

It wasn’t just in Britain. Empress Alexandra Feodorovna of Russia dressed her young son Tsesarevich Alexei in the style for a photograph in 1913. And in Japan, amid a period of rapid modernization as it sought to leave the Meiji era behind, Japanese schools were linked with European sailor costumes as inspiration. for the new female uniforms known as “seifuku” around the 1920s. While male school uniforms inspired by Japanese navy dress had existed since 1879, Meiji era female uniforms were largely inspired by the traditional hakama — the trousers with wide leg pleats, worn high at the waist.
Namba Tomoko, an associate professor at Tokyo’s Ochanomizu University, said in a 2018 Nippon article: “Women’s school uniforms began to change in the 1920s, with Western-style clothing becoming more and more the norm. Many Students at the time enthusiastically welcomed the sailor suits, helping to establish the look as the standard uniform.”
High school girls in uniform take photos with their graduation certificates in central Tokyo.

High school girls in uniform take photos with their graduation certificates in central Tokyo. Credit: Stanislav Kogiku/SOPA Images/LightRocket/Getty Images

Over time, the association of nautical fashion with sea power would begin to change as more international designers entered the scene.

The Breton ball becomes a staple of the French navy — and of Coco Chanel

Beyond British naval influences, the striped uniform of the French navy began to have an impact internationally. In 1858, the French navy introduced the striped rayé sweater — otherwise known as the “mariniere” or Breton top — as part of the standard uniform. According to the French brand Saint James, which has been creating Breton tops since 1889, a naval decree dictated that the top would have 21 white stripes and 20 to 21 indigo blue stripes.

Although the reason for the exact number of stripes is unknown, Saint James claims that one popular theory is that “21 stripes (correspond) to the number of Napoleon’s victories,” while another is that the striking pattern was immediately apparent if one fell into sea

Beyond French naval officers, the sight of fishermen wearing what would become known as the Breton top would become increasingly common in Normandy and Brittany. While sailing between France and England to sell their wares, the item became popular as French vacationers along the Riviera began to adopt the breton top as part of their wardrobe.

Lyons explained that it would grow to be “associated with the bohemian life by the sea”, bringing romance to the style, especially as it spread in popularity.

Actress Audrey Hepburn in 1955.

Actress Audrey Hepburn in 1955. Credit: Phil Burchman/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

According to Royal Museums Greenwich, Breton yeast would find international fame thanks to some influential American immigrants named Gerald and Sara Murphy. While visiting American composer Cole Porter on the French Riviera in 1922, they would buy rayé sweaters for their famous friends, including Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald, raising the top’s profile as they showcased the trend to the public. american.

In France, designer Coco Chanel championed the style in the 1930s – true to her innovative approach to women’s fashion, which incorporated elements of menswear and pushed the boundaries. Lyons said, “Chanel transformed the striped ‘breton’ into a bohemian look — more for the romance of the sea than its association with the navy.”

“This helped public figures such as James Dean and Audrey Hepburn adopt the Breton, further increasing its popularity and associating it with Hollywood glamour,” she added.

Modern Nautical Styles: From the 1960s to Today

Later in the 20th century, more luxury designers began to use nautical styles for their collections. Yves Saint Laurent took the Breton top and made it glamorous in 1966 – transforming it into a floor-length evening gown, with its iconic stripes rendered in dazzling sequins.

Gigi Hadid during the Jean-Paul Gaultier Spring/Summer 2020 Haute Couture fashion show.

Gigi Hadid during the Jean-Paul Gaultier Spring/Summer 2020 Haute Couture fashion show. Credit: Victor Virgile/Gamma-Rapho/Getty Images

And Jean Paul-Gaultier, who wore Breton tops in his youth in Paris, would incorporate the stripes into his 1984 Boy Toy collection, sparking a lifelong love affair with sailors for the designer . Nautical styles would return in his 1996 “Pin-Up Boys” collection, the following year’s “Russia” and “Salon Atmosphere” collections, and continues to this day with Gigi Hadid modeling a sailor hat and bold version pleated Breton striped top at Gaultier’s. Spring/Summer 2020 haute couture show.

In the exhibition catalog of Jean Paul-Gaultier’s World of Fashion, Gaultier said of a backless piece from 1984: “I reinterpreted the navy striped sweater by giving it an open back, which was considered disrespectful!”

A model walks the runway at the K-Way fashion show during Milan Men's Fashion Week 2021/2022 on January 17, 2021 in Milan, Italy.

A model walks the runway at the K-Way fashion show during Milan Men’s Fashion Week 2021/2022 on January 17, 2021 in Milan, Italy. Credit: Stefania M. D’Alessandro/Getty Images

In recent years, the vintage charm of nautical fashion has also been renewed with brands such as Zimmermann and Ghost reintroducing turtleneck silhouettes into their looks. Last year’s cottagecore – one of fashion’s biggest trends, inspired by bohemian pastoral lifestyles – also fully embraced turtlenecks, adding an old-world feel to floral dresses and long-sleeved tops. puffed up
Nautical has also remained a mainstay of royal clothing, from a young Prince William to his future wife Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, and his late mother, Princess Diana. Princess Diana, in particular, favored turtlenecks — wearing one during a trip to visit the Royal Naval College in 1989.
Diana, Princess of Wales attends the Royal Naval College in April 1989 wearing a Catherine Walker dress and hat by Philip Somerville.

Diana, Princess of Wales attends the Royal Naval College in April 1989 wearing a Catherine Walker dress and hat by Philip Somerville. Credit: Jayne Fincher/Princess Diana Archive/Getty Images

“Simply, nautical fashion is less concerned with the navy and war and now more about leisure, pleasure and good taste,” Lyons said.

Main image caption: Prince Louis covers his ears at a Platinum Jubilee event.



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