At long last, someone has finally nailed the mermaidcore brief: Cate Blanchett. Today, for the Serpentine Gallery Summer Party in London, the actor wore the seashell-embellished corset from Dilara Findikoglu’s fall 2025 collection.
We’re used to mermaidcore having a Y2K, H2O: Just Add Water flavor: iridescent eyeshadow, beachy hair, paillette-covered tank tops, and flowing skirts. But with her collar of spiked shells, the corset takes on an almost menacing, armor-like meaning. She isn’t Princess Ariel, but a siren who will lure men to their deaths.
Still, Blanchett did embrace the literal, swapping the lace-up leather pants from Findikoglu’s runway for a pale purple mermaid skirt that jutted out at the knee, complete with body-contouring lines and raw seams galore. She finished her look with a pair of dusty lavender pointy-toe pumps lined with tulle that resembled seafoam after a wave breaks.
Styled by Elizabeth Stewart, Blanchett is not afraid of taking fashion risks. (See: the 102 spoons she wore as a top, from 2024 LVMH Prize winner Hodakova.) She’s also always the first in line to wear designers early in their tenures, from Haider Ackermann’s Tom Ford to Sarah Burton’s Givenchy. But after seeing her in embellished seashell armor, we instantly need another collaboration between Cate Blanchett and Dilara Findikoglu.