Harbor Light

There is a particular pleasure in taking something dressed-up somewhere unexpected. In Harbor Light, photographed and creatively directed by Anna Cousseau, a black slip dress finds its place among the parasols and sun-warmed boardwalks of La Rochelle. Model Anastasia Gormala moves between the historic harbour and the shoreline with an assured ease, her wardrobe balancing a sailor’s pragmatism with a more romantic impulse.

The clothes give familiar seaside references a spirited turn. A striped sleeveless top, worn with denim, becomes the backdrop for an oversized scarlet flower, its sculptural petals bringing drama to an otherwise understated pairing. Gold hoops and loosely pinned hair complete the look. Elsewhere, a white vest and pale pink skirt soften the frame against a stretch of rugged coastal rock. Colour feels considered throughout: flashes of red, delicate pink and deep black set against sand and Atlantic blue.

It is the textured black dress that offers the most compelling change of mood. Fine straps and an irregular, fringed surface lend it a delicacy caught by the breeze, while heeled sandals and statement earrings carry the suggestion of an evening still to come. Johanna de la Llave Ferreres’s windswept hair and Jody Jonard’s makeup move between luminous softness and a more graphic eye. Across the story, polish leaves room for spontaneity: a loose strand, a lifted hem, an arm raised against the sun.

Wardrobe: Mango, San Marina, Bonobo, Lichi, London Atelier Byproduct, Victoria Beckham and Diesel.