From the modernist elegance of Coco Chanel to Malcolm McLaren and Vivienne Westwoods punk-fuelled pirates, the appeal of nautical dress has cut a sartorial swathe for over two centuries. But how did garments such as the blue and white fishermans top and peacoat cross over from uniform and workwear into fashionable dress? In Nautical Chic, the first and only book to look at the history of high fashion on the high seas, fashion historian Amber Jane Butchart traces the relationship between maritime dress and the fashionable wardrobe, uncovering stories, tracking the trends, and tracing the evolution of the style back to its roots in our seafaring past.
Written in an accessible tone but grounded in years of research, Nautical Chic charts the nautical influence on fashion over five chapters, each of which considers a particular maritime profession: The Officer, The Sailor, The Fisherman, The Sportsman and The Pirate. Butchart weaves together politics, imperialism, war, leisure, trade, sport and seafaring adventure to tell the stories of garments - the duffle coat, the yellow fishermans macintosh, the yacht club blazer - loaded with historical and cultural significance.
Review
From stripes to anchors and everything maritime in-between, we all love nautical - and it'll be big for summer. To celebrate the trend, a new coffee table book has been released called Nautical Chic - it's full of seafaring style. --Sunday Mail
A must-have for any fashion-lover. --Sunday Business Post
Chart[s] the relationship between clothes and our maritime history in the recently published Nautical Chic. --dailytelegraph.co.uk
Amber Jane Butchart looks at how seafaring fashions have infiltrated everyday wardrobes down the ages, and why iconic designers such as Coco Chanel and Vivienne Westwood have adopted seafaring styles into their modern-day collections. --Coast
Evocatively illustrated with stand out archive imagery as well as inspirational contemporary fashion photography, Nautical Chic is the definitive history of coastal couture. --Time Out
A new history of fashion inspired by the sea ... the author traces the many threads linking our seafaring past with out catwalk present, charting how official navy dress, fisherman's workwear, bohemian Rivera style and the rebel pirate have become some of our most enduring looks. --Sunday Telegraph
Filled with stand-out archive imagery as well as inspirational contemporary fashion photography, Nautical Chic is the definitive history of coastal couture and a covetable accessory in its own right. --Sunday Herald (Glasgow)
A new fashion history book that covers everything you need to know about stripy T-shirts and peacoats but were afraid to ask. --Guardian
From Chanel's coastal couture and Jean-Paul Gaultier's beefcake camp to Tommy Hilfiger's preppy classics, this is the first and only book to celebrate nautical fashion and the ways in which is has cut a sartorial swathe for over two centuries. --anothermag.com
When we heard that our friend Amber Butchart was releasing a new book, Nautical Chic, we knew it would float our boat. --Tatty Devine Blog
Explore the enduring appeal of this perennially popular trend in a display that sheds light on the myths, the reality and the romance of the high seas. --All-about-London
This book is a fascinating blend of politics, leisure and marine adventure and, although a scholarly work, it is written in a friendly, accessible tone. --Fashion Bookworm
Bright and breezy ... beautifully illustrated. --Simple Things
This fabulous collection of photos tracks the trend of nautical style through the sea's most enduring characters. --Daily Mail
It's written in an accessible style, but full of historical and cultural glory. --Glamour
Illustrations of historical dress, high-fashion editorials and shots from the catwalk make this feel like a special nautical edition of Vogue. --Sailing Today
From the Back Cover
Written in an accessible tone but grou
