Siren Song

In the opera Rusalka by Dvorak the water sprite falls in love with a human prince, this leads to her  wanting to leave one world and join another. Only magic and spells can make this happen, as so often in these tales. This old Slavic legend also appears for many in The Little Mermaid by Hans Christian Anderson, and in turn for other people  this is a Disney movie. Back in 1984 the world was enchanted by Daryl Hannah in Splash, so our fascination with the legend and the collision of two worlds is endless.

The truth is that the legends are darker and more mysterious, and with often tragic associations and consequences. The tales merge humans, water creatures and the dark liquidity of oceans, lakes and rivers, all of which can be read into our fashion story. It’s visual strength, like the force of water, the power of emotions and the beauty in the strangeness of the merging of dry land with the swirling swish of a sea creature, is beautifully strong.

Both plunging through the waves, emerging shiny and wet onto the shore or simply floating in her natural domain, the mermaid evokes extraordinarily powerful imagery in fashion. Norman Norell and his sparkling watery mermaid dresses  are considered one of the greatest achievements in American fashion history. Introduced in the 1940s and perfected throughout the 1960s, these iconic sheath dresses became famous for their incredible fluid drape, liquid-like shine, and masterful hand-craftsmanship. Schiaparelli, Thierry Mugler and many other great designers have explored the line between fashion and the aquatic, oceanography and the beauty and drama of shells, water, and sea life.  

So feast your eyes on these images in this Cellotape story as they shimmer and shine. Dive through surfaces from scales to polished, from full length sensuality to corset like brevity, our siren is prepared to swim deep or splash to the surface. The undulating and shimmering lines of waves and oceans entrap the model, her hair sleek from the weight of liquid pouring over her. The light sparkling on the surface or the dark and menacing beauty of uncharted depths where discoveries and mysteries await.

The narratives of fashion,  in the end, always link to ancient beginnings, legends, tales and romances. Our Cellotape creative team know that the images they offer here will stir emotion and imagination, through centuries of mermaid stories both seen, read and told. We might also suggest that beauty emerging to the surface only to dive from view, is in many ways a definition or metaphor for the ephemeral element within fashion.