Upcycling, unisex dressing, mix-and-match; with their wild and eclectic looks, pirates were so much ahead of the fashion curve that they can still teach us a thing or two about breaking and rewriting all the fashion rules.

When Maria Cobham saw the captain’s jacket with its shiny gold buttons and fringed epaulettes, she went blind with desire. “Take it off!”, she screamed. After making him strip naked in front of his crew and shooting him, the 18th century female pirate took the precious jacket and ceremoniously put it on. “Here’s your new captain!” she told her awestruck pirate crew. From that moment on, she wore her uniform at all times, and nobody dared to question Maria’s authority ever again. A badass example of pirate power dressing.

Pirates loved booty – of the treasure kind, that is (although I’m sure they weren’t opposed to a fine butt either). Often, the loot included clothes and finery – velvet waistcoats, gold watches, bolts of satin and silk – which would be auctioned at the mast and subsequently worn by the pirate crew. In ‘A General History of the Pyrates’ (1724), captain Bartholomew Roberts is described as being bedecked in ‘a rich crimson damask waistcoat and breeches, a red feather in his hat, a gold chain around his neck with a diamond cross’. All pilfered, of course. Even pieces of women’s clothes would be worn with a swashbuckling swagger. Shamelessly combining military coats with silk stockings and embroidered scarfs, pirates championed a unisex look three centuries before Gucci first came out with a 100% gender-free collection.

Besides unisex dressing, pirates anticipated another current trend: upcycling. Stolen tricorn hats – worn by pirates with the broad side facing front so there was less surface area for the wind to catch – would be pimped with ribbons and amulets. My personal favorite, even if it’s fictional, is captain Hook’s (Peter Pan) ‘cocked hat’ with its skull and crossbones emblem. So fierce! Pirates who preyed in Caribbean waters would add exotic decorations to their hats and jackets such as plumes, beads and jewels, Jack Sparrow style. Also trending amongst sea robbers: sashes. Especially popular were the bright red ones, since the dye used to create this color was expensive. Worn as belts, a sash would add a pop of color to any outfit, plus a warning: I rob rich people.

From Maria Cobham’s marauded military look to the Caribbean buccaneers’ bohemian outfits; when it came to style, pirates had one thing in common: they plundered looks from all over the world, then made them their own. System-breakers pur sang, pirates broke and rewrote all the fashion rules, looking bloody awesome while doing so. Perhaps, looking at our current, broken ‘fast fashion’ system, we should all be a bit more pirate! So, let’s plunder vintage stores, raid our friends’ closets, upcycle our grandmothers hat collection. Instead of mindlessly following trends, let’s choose clothes that make us feel special and empowered, like Maria’s captain jacket. Simply put: take it, adapt it, slay it! Although, unlike pirate Maria, we probably shouldn’t take the slaying too literal.

shop lingerie inspired by female pirates