Skip to content
  • New In
  • Jewellery
  • Collections
  • Personalised
  • Gift Guides
  • Tees & Jumpers
  • Events & Workshops
  • World Of
  • View All
  • Necklaces
  • Statement Necklaces
  • Personalised Necklaces
  • Brooches
  • Earrings
  • Rings
  • Jewellery Making Kits
  • Cufflinks & Keyrings
  • Best Sellers
  • Classic
  • SS22: Wild Things
  • Misshapes: The Birthday Collection
  • Cottagecore
  • Ma Chérie
  • Recycled Acrylic
  • Last Chance
  • Tatty Devine X Royal Pavilion
  • Tatty Devine X Chawton House
  • Tatty Devine X Equality Now
  • Tatty Devine X BOWIE
  • Tatty Devine X Gemma Correll
  • Tatty Devine X Morag Myerscough
  • Tatty Devine X Peanuts
  • Tatty Devine X Fawcett Society
  • Tatty Devine X Not A Phase
  • Name Necklace
  • Speech Bubble Necklace
  • Charm Earrings
  • Personalised Name Necklace
  • Gifts under £35
  • Occasion Jewellery
  • Jewellery Making Kits
  • Gift Vouchers
  • Greeting Cards
  • Gift Wrap
  • Gifts for Feminist Friends
  • Gifts for Animal Lovers
  • Gifts for Sustainable Friends
  • Gifts for Music Lovers
  • Gifts for Rainbow Chasers
  • Gifts for Stargazers
  • Festival Jewellery
  • Please note: You'll be taken to a different website and cannot checkout with clothing and jewellery in the same cart.
  • Jewellery Making Kits
  • Workshops
  • Private Parties
  • Misshapes Exhibition
  • Collectors Coven
  • About Us
  • Blog
  • Meet The Team
  • What We Stand For
  • Sustainability Statement
  • Our Jewellery
  • Our Community
  • Our Store
  • Work For Us
  • Misshapes Exhibition
  • Instashop
New In
Classic
Best Sellers
Follow Us On
Original, Playful Jewellery Handmade In Britain
  • New In
  • Jewellery
    • View All
    • Necklaces
    • Statement Necklaces
    • Personalised Necklaces
    • Brooches
    • Earrings
    • Rings
    • Jewellery Making Kits
    • Cufflinks & Keyrings
  • Collections
    • Best Sellers
    • Classic
    • SS22: Wild Things
    • Misshapes: The Birthday Collection
    • Cottagecore
    • Ma Chérie
    • Recycled Acrylic
    • Last Chance
    • Tatty Devine X Royal Pavilion
    • Tatty Devine X Chawton House
    • Tatty Devine X Equality Now
    • Tatty Devine X BOWIE
    • Tatty Devine X Gemma Correll
    • Tatty Devine X Morag Myerscough
    • Tatty Devine X Peanuts
    • Tatty Devine X Fawcett Society
    • Tatty Devine X Not A Phase
  • Personalised
    • Name Necklace
    • Speech Bubble Necklace
    • Charm Earrings
  • Gift Guides
    • Personalised Name Necklace
    • Gifts under £35
    • Occasion Jewellery
    • Jewellery Making Kits
    • Gift Vouchers
    • Greeting Cards
    • Gift Wrap
    • Gifts for Feminist Friends
    • Gifts for Animal Lovers
    • Gifts for Sustainable Friends
    • Gifts for Music Lovers
    • Gifts for Rainbow Chasers
    • Gifts for Stargazers
    • Festival Jewellery
  • Tees & Jumpers
    • Please note: You'll be taken to a different website and cannot checkout with clothing and jewellery in the same cart.
  • Events & Workshops
    • Jewellery Making Kits
    • Workshops
    • Private Parties
    • Misshapes Exhibition
  • World Of
    • Collectors Coven
    • About Us
    • Blog
    • Meet The Team
    • What We Stand For
    • Sustainability Statement
    • Our Jewellery
    • Our Community
    • Our Store
    • Work For Us
    • Misshapes Exhibition
    • Instashop
Sign In
  • Delivery & Returns
  • FAQ
  • Stores
  • Work For Us
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
Select Currency:
Original, Playful Jewellery Handmade In Britain
© Tatty Devine 2022
FREE UK STANDARD DELIVERY OVER £50
Tatty Devine
Search Account Wishlist Cart (0)
Collaborations
Competitions
Events
Jewellery
people
We Love
Women We Watch
workshop
Added
Access Denied
IMPORTANT! If you’re a store owner, please make sure you have Customer accounts enabled in your Store Admin, as you have customer based locks set up with EasyLockdown app. Enable Customer Accounts
GET SET FOR THE HIGH SEAS WITH NAUTICAL CHIC

GET SET FOR THE HIGH SEAS WITH NAUTICAL CHIC

Charlotte Prichard, 14 April 2015

Ahoy there!

We're sure you know just how much we love all things nautical - from lobsters to anchors and cutlass swords, we have it all. When we heard that our friend Amber Butchart was releasing a new book, Nautical Chic, we knew it would float our boat.

Last week we caught up with Amber over some fish and chips (of course) to chat vintage shopping, stripes and sailors...

Hey Amber! So, tell us a little bit about your background and career?

I’ve always been fascinated by old objects and they’ve always played a big part in my life. My initial degree was in English but I was more interested in the socio-historical context to the texts we were studying than the content of the texts themselves. I subsequently worked as Head Buyer at the vintage clothing company Beyond Retro, as my other love was old clothes. I was never interested in fashion as a system when I was growing up, I didn’t read fashion magazines as a teenager, but I was an avid charity shop scavenger and always loved dressing up and creating narratives through clothing. So it was through working with the objects themselves that I became interested in the history surrounding them. I studied for a Masters degree in History and Culture of Fashion at London College of Fashion, and the rest is history!

What's a typical day like for you?

There is no real typical day as I’m always working across a number of projects. So I could spend the day lecturing at London College of Fashion, or researching in archives or libraries, then the evening DJing somewhere like the Arts Club in Mayfair. There’s a lot of variety!

What are your main inspirations in life?

I'm lucky in that all aspects of my work involves research, which is a constant source of inspiration. Whether it's researching West African textiles or Victorian mourning dress for various projects. For my latest book I've been really obsessed with how fishwives dressed when they were selling fish at markets - it doesn't sound glamorous at all but their clothing even inspired Dior and Balenciaga. It's a cliché, but inspiration is everywhere.

How do you describe your aesthetic?

I've recently settled on 'art teacher in Ghostworld meets Pat Butcher'. I could recreate outfits they've both worn with pieces in my wardrobe!

Tell us a little bit about your new book...

Nautical Chic looks at the history of high style on the high seas. A catwalk favourite, nautical styles – from the sailor collar to pirate boots – are perennial trends, and items like the striped top have become essential chic classics. So I wanted to look at how these garments crossed from uniform and workwear into fashionable dress. It’s the first book to examine our obsession with nautical style, and to trace the evolution of 21st century maritime style back to its roots in our seafaring past.

Why does nautical style appeal to you so strongly?

I grew up in a fisherman’s cottage in a seaside town, so I have always had an interest in the whole idea of fashion by the sea. I based my dissertation on the influence the sailor uniform had on Victorian women’s swimwear, so nautical fashion has been a long running research interest of mine for about ten years.

Who is your nautical icon?

One of my absolute favourite pictures in the book is of the Lowestoft fishergirls in the 1930s. I did a lot of research in Lowestoft (my home town) – at the Maritime Museum and the library, and I totally fell in love with those girls.

You touch on five maritime professions in your book - The Officer, The Sailor, The Fisherman, The Sportsman and The Pirate - which one are you?

That’s a really difficult question! I fell in love with each profession as I was working on each chapter - the tailoring and embellishment of the Officer, the cheeky sailor collar, the yellow waterproofs of the Fisherman, the aspirational sportswear from yachting and the historical romanticism of the Pirate. I think I’m a bit of all of them really!

Are there any Tatty Devine pieces you have your eyes on at the moment?

The Lobster Giant Necklace has been a longstanding maritime favourite of mine, plus the Cutlass Necklace and Parakeet Necklace are also high on my pirate wishlist!

What's on the horizon for you?

I’m in discussions with my agent and publisher about another book - it’s a bit hush-hush for now as it’s not confirmed - but fingers crossed and watch this space!

Nautical Chic is available to buy now.

Find us on: Facebook  |  Instagram  |  Twitter  |  Pinterest  | Tumblr

Share This Article

Share Share on Facebook Tweet Tweet on Twitter Pin it Pin on Pinterest
Back to blog
Invalid password
Enter

Instashop #mytattydevine

Sign up to our newsletter for £5 off

WANNA CHAT?
ART JEWELLERY HANDMADE IN BRITAIN
Shop
  • Jewellery
  • Collections
  • Instashop
  • Gift Vouchers
  • Gift Wrap
  • Our Store
Customers
  • FAQS
  • Delivery & Returns
  • Jewellery Care & Repair
  • Klarna
  • Click & Collect
Links
  • Blog
  • About Us
  • Work For Us
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
WANNA CHAT?
© Tatty Devine 2022
"Send as gift" — Fast checkout with no need for delivery address!
Instant delivery by messenger or email. Your recipient will fill in shipping address
Step 1
Buy real gift and we’ll wrap it into virtual giftbox
Step 2
Send gift in messenger, for instant delivery as easily as a sticker
Step 3
Recipient opens gift and fills in shipping address