Sartorial Seascapes for Spring/Summer 2012

Once More Unto the Breach, or Water, Water, Everywhere Nor Any Drop to Drink

While New York embraced sporty minimalism, London refused to land on a coherent theme, and Milan looked to Spain, some of Paris's top designers quietly assembled some of their best collections to date. Givenchy, Chanel and Alexander McQueen might have shared an "undersea" theme, but their approach to this theme was vastly different. Ricardo Tisci, Karl Lagerfeld and Sarah Burton have proven their design genius, but when pitted against each other their abilities really shine. Arguably part of the top 7 designers in the industry (the other four being Alber Elbaz, Haider Ackermann, Marc Jacobs and Christopher Kane), these three debuted their diparate takes on what H20's influence on fashion looks like in the present day.

Givenchy's influence was subtle. Tisci used eelskin and stingray to outline loose folded jabots that ran the length of the mini-dresses on his runway, and he repeatedly used a print that resembled the skin of a Leopard Bush Fish. Some wispy tails that hung from the hems of skirts suggested tentacles, and his textured obsidian black outfits looked like dangerous, dark reefs.

Chanel created a magical undersea world, showcasing a stage made of white coral and gigantic seashell backdrops (Florence Welch emerged from one of these seashells at the end, reenacting Botticell's The Birth of Venus). This fantasy world included ensembles fit for a mermaid princess. His rainbow fishscale dress, fluttery gill details, and bunched organza (made to resemble coral polyps) was an experimental and highly couture take on the concept.

McQueen explored dark choppy waters controlled by an agitated sea goddess. These looks reflected beautiful decay. Masks worn by the models resembled fishing nets or layers of barnacles. One dress imitated bloodstained waters, post shark-attack. Another look recalls the pleated ruffles of an undulating sea anemone. This collection is, perhaps, the most imaginative of them all, but it is also intimidatingly ferocious.