SATIN SAILS, CHIFFON SEA

This month's BTL shot on the open waters during the Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta has brought together a series of designers who share romantic wanderings with sandy summer surfs and roiling tides. Together Carasan Designs' (featured in last month's BTL) silk creations, Linda Loudermilk's Luxury Eco collection, and the delicate raindrop jewelry by Mercado Global capture romantically-charged life by the sea.

Oceans are worlds away from worlds. Their undulating tides both connect and separate us from one another. It's safe to say, however, that The Siren's salty breath has a way of taking us all in with her intoxicating whisperings. Designers who design with the sea as their textural backdrop draw inspiration through a variety of oceanic musings. Perhaps it's the way periwinkles and rockweeds cling to the back of salty tidepool crags; how the lurex sea glistens under the sun's rays; or the way seaweed stretches from the fluid caverns of ocean twilight in search for the silver slivers of moonlight. Whatever the scenario, these designers share a unique kinship with the ebb and flow of Earth's most magnificent mentor.

When living close to the heartbeat of the ocean, you tend to lose yourself among the cyclic arrival and departure of the sun. The rich colors of turquoise, fuchsia, aubergine, and black explode as the principal color palette, emulating the transitional hues of the daytime sky to sunset and nightfall. Day fades into night the same way that daywear furls into loungewear. Feminine forms give relaxed, sensual silhouettes. Silks and chiffons emulate the soft tides of the sea and the curves of ship's sails. Textured organic fabrics, adorned with vintage lace, intricate beading, and satiny ribbons, give the appearance of ocean life and found treasures.

The designers uncover the sensuality of the sea like young children uncover seashells and colored glass washed up on shore. For those of us who live close to the salty waves, the mood of the moving waters is always there for us. But for us transient beach-goers, all that is left in the end is the salt on our lips and sand between our toes. Somewhere in the middle we find ourselves craving the scent of the Siren's breath, and through sustainable sea-inspired design, we are able to capture that longing.