Marchesa creates underwater fantasy frocks

NEW YORK — Marchesa used the mermaid as its muse for a spring collection that marked the runway debut of the red-carpet favorite at New York Fashion Week.

The result, held in the luxe Palm Court of the Plaza Hotel, was one fantasy frock after another — all befitting a princess of the sea.

Some of the gowns — and eveningwear is pretty much all Georgina Chapman and Keren Craig do — only borrowed the mermaid silhouette, with its tight bodice and flared hemline, but other looks recreated underwater sights and sounds.

A hand-embroidered cocktail dress had “fish threadwork and oyster silk cording,” while another dress covered in silver beads also had a sculpted “fin” at the hip.

Dresses with long feathers captured the movement of plants in the water, and sheer illusion fabrics allowed embellishment to float, seemingly unattached to anything. There was scalloped edges, of course, and some looks had an outerlayer of chiffon that made it seem as if you were looking at the beaded underneath through a dreamlike filter.

“It’s all got a watery, magical feel,” said Chapman in an interview earlier this week.

The inspiration was a painting by Ilya Repin called “Sadko in the Underwater Kingdom.” They both loved the ethereal feeling that came from it, and how it meshed with the Marchesa look, Chapman said.

The designers needed to make a handful of adaptations to that look since this type of fashion show requires models to move instead of stand on pedestals as they did in past presentations. They needed to adjust some hemlines to make them shorter, and the shoes — a wedge instead of stiletto — was a key factor.

Still, each model had the arm of two doormen as they emerged from backstage and descended just a few steps onto the catwalk.

“It’s a good thing we don’t want a fast-paced show,” Chapman said.