Modern Mermaids Rule Summer

by Cecile Paul · June 6, 2023

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**Thanks to Disney’s The Little Mermaid (2023) for Reigniting our Obsession with the Shapely Fishtail Dress, Sequins and all things Sparkly.**

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Sarah Burton’s ‘shipwrecked mermaid’ dress for Alexander McQueen SS 2017

It was the late Alexander McQueen who said, “Fashion should be a form of escapism, not a form of imprisonment.”

Do we not secretly all want to ditch our day-jobs and become underwater mermaid-princesses? After all, they’re glisteningly beautiful, carefree, magical, elegantly seductive sirens, they get to pose on rocks, suntan on pristine beaches and frolic in the water for a living! No wonder season after season we adore fishtail dresses (and fishtail eyebrows for that matter), mermaid plats and psychedelic hand bags! Only – in 2023 we have extra good reason to indulge in all things seaworthy …

Image Credit Wikipedia
John William Waterhouse (1900)

For those of you who have been dozing under a rock, the story of The Little Mermaid, in a (nut)shell is the eternal tale of temptation. Sea King Triton’s youngest daughter, an adventurous, gorgeous mermaid-creature called Ariel, ventures to visit the water’s surface and falls head over tail for dashing Prince Eric. Love-lorn, she makes a pact with evil sea witch Ursula to taste life on dry land.

Watch the trailer of Disney’s The Little Mermaid (May, 26^th, 2023) here:

When cinema created this new take on The Little Mermaid (2023) featuring the gorgeous Halle Bailey, the international Fashion and Beauty industries were bound to follow suit with interpretative trends like Castaway Chic and the Mermaid fad in 2023.

We know that Fashion is more than simply an outward expression of our personalities, it’s also very much a reflection of what’s happening around us.

Little wonder then (perhaps to shine a light on the perilous plight of our oceans?) Hollywood responded with reviving an enchanting, age-old tale of adventure, seduction and romance to grab our attention.

We’re going to take you on a little journey of mermaid inspiration – from fishtail frocks- designer, red-carpet and high street – to shimmery sea-jewels and fish-scale bags.

The Original Disney animated version of the film

But before we show you a few celebrities who have embraced the trend in their snazzy fishtail frocks, here’s the shimmering star of The Little Mermaid, Halle Bailey, channeling her character in a drop-dead gorgeous molten metallic gown by Vadrin Sahiti as part of the promotional tour of the film. Bailey swept her ravishing waist-length auburn hair back (similar to that of Ariel in Disney’s film!), applied glittering blue eye-make-up and sparkling teal nail varnish to finish off the look.

Image Credit Harper’s Bazaar. Jesse Grant getty images
Halle Bailey in a Vadrin Sahiti gow

Let’s quickly glance back at where it all started …

Vintage Moments of the Famous Fishtail Frock

It was designer Marcel Rochas who firmly established the mermaid dress on the haute couture runways in 1930. When famous photographer Irving Penn snapped his stunning model-wife Lisa Fonssagrives-Penn in a mermaid dress for the September 1950 cover of Vogue, the iconic shape became a fashion classic forever. From that moment it was the preferred red carpet dress shape for Hollywood actresses -f rom Marilyn Monroe to Rita Hayworth and Dorothy Dandridge.

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Fishtail frocks from decades gone by – always supremely shapely!

Image Credit Happy Shop
The fishtail dress was one of Marilyn Monroe’s all-time favourites.

And some Swishy & Fishy Celebrity Mermaid Inspiration from the ‘Blue’ Carpet.

Glorious fishtails were swishing up and down the red carpet at the recent Met Gala, Cannes Film Festival and Vanity Fair 95^th Birthday Party. It seems everyone aspired to be a mermaid-siren! Hour glass-shaped floor-sweeping gowns in silk, satin, brocade, lace and sequins graced every high society event, it seems.

Image Credit Byrdie. Getty Images
Salma Hayek wore a crunchy plum silk Alexander McQueen mermaid gown with structured shoulders and a plunging neckline, which she wore for the Killers of the Flower Moon premiere at the Cannes Film Festival 2023

Image Credit In Style
Kendall Jenner wearing a fabulous vintage Jean-Paul Gaultier mermaid dress complete with ‘scales’ to the 95th Vanity Fair Party

Image Credit Byrdie. Getty Images
Gigi Hadid wore this taupe mermaid gown by Zac Prosen to the premiere of Firebrand, she paired the dress with Messika jewelry at the Cannes Film Festival 2023

Image Credit AFI
Thuso Mbedu at the Cannes Film Festival, in an Elie Saab mermaid dress

Image Credit Byrdie. Getty Images.
Attending the premiere of Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, Phoebe Waller-Bridge looked uber-glam in a black mermaid gown by Schiaparelli Couture at the Cannes Film Festival 2023

Image Credit Byrdie. Getty Images.
Alessandra Ambrosia sports a sheer pink hooded mermaid gown with dazzling jewels and a plunging neckline at the Cannes Film Festival’s opening night, 2023

And would you Believe, the Mermaid is the Darling of Designers too …

Evidently, season after season the sea seduces designers. From Moschino’s tongue-in-cheek take on the mermaid to Iris Van Herpen’s intellectual futurism and Diesel’s den-clad Ariel, the designer runways have been buzzing with all things mermaid-inspired.

Watch Iris Van Herpen’s “Sensory Seas’ here:

Image Credit Inspiration Grid
Futuristic mermaid. At Iris Van Herpen

Image Credit Business of Fashion on Pinterest
A mermaid dress with 3-D moving parts. At Iris Van Herpen

Image Credit Inspiration Grid
An ethereal-looking mermaid dress. At Iris Van Herpen

Image Credit Milan Fashion Week SS 2023
A double fishtail! At Moschino

Image Credit Milan Fashion Week SS 2023
A street-style denim mermaid. At Diesel

Image Credit Milan Fashion Week SS 2023
A pop-art mermaid. At Moschino

Hot off the Press! New Mermaid-worthy Fabric!

British superstar designer Stella McCartney has created a sleeveless, skin-tight bodysuit embellished with bioplastic sequins made from tree cellulose. The piece is adorned with hundreds of sequins called BioSequins, an alternative to the plastic and petroleum-based sequins currently on the market, with their potential harmful chemicals.

Similarly Philip Lim created a petroleum-free dress covered in shaped plates of biodegradable sequins, making the dress free of synthetic fibres, dyes and plastics

This means you can happily flaunt your shimmery mermaid scales, knowing the environment is also happy!

Image Credit Stella McCartney
A skin-tight bodysuit made of biodegradable sequins. At Stella McCartney

Image Credit Dezeen
Swishy biodegradable sequins. At Philip Lim

The High Street is on the Mermaid Trail too.

We’re seeing the high street’s own interpretation of this ultra-flattering trend – shimmer and sparkle, sequins and rhinestones are beckoning, and there are a few minidress interpretations of the trend too. Look out for sea-inspired jewellery and bags in gem-like shades.

Image Credit My Dressline by Iness Couture
Mermaids in 3 shades of cerise

Image Credit Harpers Bazaar
Holographic scales. At New Arrivals Resort 2023

Image Credit Arolora on Pinterest
That eternally shapely silhouette. At Arolora

No Mermaid worth her (Sea) Salt would be seen without a Shimmery Bag!

Image Credit @missibaba
At Missibaba

Image Credit @missibaba
At Missibaba

Image Credit @missibaba
Rainbow ‘fish scales’. At Missibaba

Image Credit Etsy
A raffia shell-shaped bag with bold gold chain

Image Credit Etsy
A beaded shell-shaped bag

Beauty Trends.

From fluffy brows and tousled wet, slicked back or platted hair to azure, sea-green purple eye make-up shades, the mermaid look may just override all other hair and beauty trends this summer. Think sparkly, iridescent, holographic gloss and shimmer, think dewy cheeks and glittery eyes. And if you’re brave enough, sport the fishtail eye-brow trend!