From the depths of the seas to the catwalks 2023

The year 2023 is the year of the return of the mermaids. The fascination with sea creatures and the depths of the ocean has already captured the pop culture imagination with films like Avatar: The Way of Water, series like Tim Burton's Wednesday, in which the "scaly" Bianca Barclay stood out among the outcasts of Nevermore, and the highly anticipated The Little Mermaid, the live-action version of the Disney classic starring Halle Bailey, which will hit cinemas on 24 May. That's when the Mermaidcore aesthetic will explode, invading our wardrobe and makeup bag from TikTok (where it has more than 67 million views). Let us get ready to wear tight-fitting dresses, trapeze silhouettes, sequins, beads, nets, patterns, materials and fabrics that mimic seaweed, anemones, shells, scales that evoke the sparkle of the sun on the surface of the sea, the iridescence of fish tails or the pearlescent sheen of seashells.

Ludovic de Saint Sernin

Blumarine

Courreges

Bottega Veneta

Victoria Beckham

Rahul Mishra

LaQuan Smith

David Koma

Bevza

Dries Van Noten

Di Petsa

Chloé

Dilara Findikoglu

Genny

Gucci

Alaïa

The mermaid silhouette was created in the 1930s by Marcel Rochas and then popularised by Jean Patou, whose water-inspired dress appeared in a 1933 issue of Vogue. Since then, the mermaid style has taken various forms. It returned to the mainstream with Versace's spring/summer 2021 collection, which featured dresses printed with shells and starfish, and later with the resort 2022 collection, which saw the triumph of scaly sequins in sea tones. The trend returned to the catwalk in the SS23 season. Di Petsa's creations seemed made for a modern Venus emerging from the waves, with dresses that mimicked the wet effect. Courréges showed a range of dresses designed for modern-day naiads on a sandy surface, including a model made of silicone coral and diver-style leotards. At LaQuan Smith, jumpsuits and mesh dresses alternated with sequined gowns and chrome shell bras, paired with wrap-around maxi skirts that draped over the models' bodies as if they had just taken a dip in the water, similar to the designs of David Koma and Bevza. Ludovic de Saint Sernin seemed to draw inspiration from sexy castaways, while Nicola Brognano even cited The Little Mermaid from 1989 as a reference, calling his collection for Blumarine a "fascinating and sexy, less poppy, dirtier" version of the popular fairy tale. Dilara Findikoglu evoked the unsettling and beguiling spirit of the dark mermaid, playing not only with clothes but also with wet hair and make-up, much as Dion Lee did with the fish scale effect recreated by Isamaya Ffrench, or the twins with iridescent skin by Gucci. And what about the fashion also revived for FW23, combining micro bras and long skirts? It looks perfect for a modern little mermaid.

Upcycling, crochet, sequins, ruffles, iridescent dresses, accessories inspired by beads and shells, draping and shades from purple to deep blue, from azure to sea green are not the only ways to transform into fascinating mythical creatures. As so many celebrities have shown us in recent months, from Megan Fox to Bella Hadid, Dua Lipa to Julia Fox (remember her in the mermaid version at NYFW in an outfit by Weiran?), the other option is to play with hairstyle and make-up. If in the early 2000s, in the era of Tumbr, the inspiration was extreme and drowned in a cartoon version of pastel colours, mermaidcore 2023, on the other hand, is more wearable and eclectic, with a mood that moves towards darkness. The hallmarks of the mermaid aesthetic are pearlescent accents, shaded eyeshadows, but most importantly wet hair and wet, shiny skin. The goal is to look like you have just come out of the water and are made up with sand crystals, pearls and shell powder. Siren eyes, with their sharp shape that sublimates the classic smokey effect and exaggerates the normal cat eye, are now a must, but to achieve a greater sea creature mood, it's best to add a shimmery eyeshadow with a shimmery, pearlescent finish, preferably in oceanic shades such as blue, purple, green and silver. The glossy effect sets the tone for both lips and skin, shimmering and glistening to the extreme. And how? Thank you to toners, gels, gloss pots, iridescent powders for eyes and cheeks. For hair, on the other hand, you have the choice between the famous mermaid hair, i.e. wavy hair with a frisé-like frizz that we have seen so often on Gigi Hadid, or the curls with a wet effect. The choice is yours!