Naval gazing

IT TAKES A lot of imagination to rework, in a fresh and modern way, one of fashion’s most tried and trusted themes, the nautical look. Buyers love it and, along with safari and florals, it surfaces season after season, reinvigorated by new approaches or the flair of big brands such as D&G, Chanel or Sonia Rykiel. Karen Finnie, who styled this shoot, was thinking more about old-fashioned pirates rather than sailors and had Vivienne Westwood in mind when putting together a contemporary take on the familiar favourite. And she earns her stripes for keeping everything dashing yet affordable.

Westwood plundered history for freebooting collections that tossed stripes, eye-patches, puff-sleeved shirts and anchor patterns aboard for a neo-romantic look, while others stayed aground with blazers, stripes and matelot pants. Westwood’s buckled pirate boots are still hot items, but whatever the approach, one thing governs the look and that’s the use of just three colours – navy, white and red – with gold buttons or accessories as the accent points. A navy blazer has always been a commanding essential, a great cover-up worn with or without stripes. Even that has taken many forms.

For her naval salutes, Finnie abstracted the use of stripes with a candy-striped blouse whose flamboyant bib front peeps from a blue wrapover dress, while another flaunts the more slimming (if a bit dizzying) vertical as opposed to horizontal stripes.

She has teamed matelot-buttoned harem pants (uniting two trends) from Topshop with a puff-sleeved Marks Spencer blouse found in a second-hand store, and tied a striped cummerbund around a Westwood trench for maximum impact. Windblown hair, bright red lips and nail polish keep everything varnished and on course.

Styling:Karen Finnie

Hair/ Make-up:Billy Orr, billyorrhairandmakeup.com

Sytlist assisted by:Marina Granville

Model:Niamh, All courtesty of Morgan the Agency