Nautical chic

From the modernist elegance of Coco Chanel to Malcolm McLaren and Vivienne Westwood's 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 fisherman's top and peacoat cross over from uniform and workwear into fashionable dress? 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. Butchart weaves together politics,…