Ariel view: How mermaidcore fashion is making a splash

It’s a fresh look for summer, and it’s not hard to pull together, which makes it social-media friendly, adds fashion journalist and author Sujata Assomull. The trend has received a boost from the release of the live-action Disney film The Little Mermaid. “The core aesthetic is that of a party under the sea. It originally began trending in September, when the trailer for that film was released,” Assomull says.

That it celebrates inclusivity is a bonus. The versatile silhouettes embrace a range of body types, says celebrity stylist Tanya Ghavri.

Outside social media, mermaidcore looks have featured on red carpets and ramps for about two years. Versace’s Spring/Summer 2021 collection likely set a precedent with Atlantis-themed prints inspired by corals, starfish and seashells on dresses, skirts and co-ords.

In September 2022, mesh met rhinestone in a shimmering gown by Armani Privé (from that year’s Fall collection) that actor Amanda Seyfried wore to the Primetime Emmy Awards.

From Burberry’s Spring/Summer 2021 collection to the powder-blue ruffles that trailed behind fashion influencer Masoom Minawala Mehta at the recently concluded Cannes Film Festival (she wore a custom-made gown by Falguni Shane Peacock), the look has encompassed Swarovski crystals, sheer bodices, metallic skirts.

Beyond the myth of the mermaid, the ocean and underwater fantasy have inspired a range of recent collections.

Intricate 3D-embroidered fish, waves and oysters shimmer across the outfits in Indian designer Rahul Mishra’s Cosmos, his seventh showing at the prestigious Paris Haute Couture Week, in January. It was inspired by ocean life and by the American astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson’s show of the same name (Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey), he told Wknd’s Natasha Rego in an interview in March. Gaurav Gupta, who debuted at Paris Haute Couture Week in January, had a Spring/Summer 2023 collection titled Secret of Shores, featuring his signature sculpting alongside luminous fins, ripple-like ruffles and scaly metal-coil embroidery.

“In times of uncertainty, people look for grace and beauty, which mermaidcore represents,” adds Shadangule, who showed once at Paris Haute Couture Week, in 2021. That collection, Shwas (Breath), was coloured by scuba-diving experiences in the Maldives. “The beauty of the corals, manta rays and octopuses reminded me of the textured hand weaves we make — sturdy yet flexible,” she says.

The term mermaidcore, meanwhile, can be traced to the fashion retail industry and Arielle Siboni, ready-to-wear fashion director at American luxury department store chain Bloomingdale’s. Since June last year, Siboni has been archiving “maritime resort trend” looks on Instagram (@ariellesiboni), using the term as a hashtag. In an interview with Harper’s Bazaar, Siboni laid out her checklist for the aesthetic: all-day pearl jewellery, crochet separates, column dresses covered in sequins.

She is the guardian water spirit Mami Wata, in parts of Africa. Incidentally, the first African designer to be awarded the prestigious LVMH Prize (in 2019), Thebe Magugu of South Africa, has a Fall 2023 collection featuring nautical motifs on flowing silhouettes in marine hues, inspired by that legend.

Often sexualised in the modern age, the mermaid has influenced fashion in different ways for decades. “Think of fishnet stockings, fishtail gowns,” says Smmriti Dhannuka, founder of The Closets Fix, a personalised styling service. “Mermaidcore represents a fresh, DIY reimagining of this aesthetic. It’s a trend that allows women to more easily and unapologetically embrace their femininity.”

If you’d like to put together a mermaidcore look, “pair a metallic bikini with a crochet cover-up for a pool party, or a ruched skirt and bralette for a day out. Throw in seashell-shaped accessories — somehow almost every woman has some. Add luminous makeup and wet-look hair. Think scales, waves, fresh out of water,” Dhannuka says.