The HSF: Challenge #8: By the Sea

Everyone loves a day at the beach, and the sea has inspired and influenced fashion for millennia.

Nautical fashions could include BC pallas and stola to wear at a Roman seaside resort town like Pompeii, something for Cleopatra to lounge in as she barged down the Nile (rivers count as nautical), an outfit for a Viking to keep them warm on a longboat as they explored Newfoundland, a ship to perch on a towering 1770s hairdo, a chemise to be worn in a Regency bathing vehicle, mid-Victorian seaside promenade dresses, late Victorian woolen bathers, or 1930s beach pajamas to wear on the sands of the Cote d’Azure.

The By The Sea challenge (due April 22) is all about nautical fashions, whether you make something to wear on the sea, by the sea, or in the sea (or lake or river).

Woman on the beach, Maude Stumm, 1904 NYPL Digital Collection

In the past I’ve made 1930s sailor playsuits and beach pajamas, and while I long for something more elaborate, my stash and sewing schedule demand I stick to that decade. I’ll be making a 1930s sea inspired evening dress to wear to a wedding, and (hopefully) the 1930s knit swimsuit I’ve had on my sewing to-do list for over a year.

Need some inspiration? Here is a whole post of my favourite nautical fashions, and if that isn’t enough, an entire pinterest page with hundreds of nautical ideas.

Happy sewing!