Into Darkness: A Seasonal Shift in Style
Happy Thursday!
Now that fashion month has ended and October is already speeding along, I have a one-track sartorial mind: Hallowe’en! Beyond the search for a costume, this time of year is perfect for a return to darker, even gothic styles. As the nights grow longer, many of us embrace this season by lighting candles, watching spooky movies, and even dressing a bit like witches.
Today’s mood board:
Witchy style is back in season
While I really enjoyed reading about the resurgence of goth style in this essay from Vogue, I couldn’t help but laugh at how consistently cyclical this trend is. Each autumn seems to bring the same shift (see The Guardian’s 2022 article and Dior’s 2023 runway makeup). That’s far from a complaint: I’m enamored with darker styles and gothic, romantic, moody imagery. Though goth culture has a long thematic history, today’s interpretations are ever more creative and individualistic.
Try looking to style icons for ideas if you want to incorporate some darker, more gothic elements in your own outfits. Musical artists in particular demonstrate unique reincarnations of the witchy aesthetic, from Stevie Nicks to Lorde and even Billie Eilish.
Of course, another great source of visual inspiration is film: the captivating costuming in movies such as Tim Burton’s Sweeney Todd is slightly disturbing yet so beautiful. The costume designer Colleen Atwood, who has collaborated with Burton for decades, will actually be honored with a SCAD Creative Impact Award on Halloween day this year. How fitting! 🥀
Fashion’s dark side: deadstock
Meanwhile, the fashion industry’s waste problem is just as scary as any Halloween film: deadstock, aka excess product and raw material, is a massive and ever-growing issue. Hyper-fast fashion brands like Shein are particularly easy to blame, but deadstock is industry-wide. If you’re interested in solutions, I’ve found some hope in reading about these French “Deadstock Detectives” who investigate forgotten material to ensure it can be utilized!
Bonus features:
Tim Burton fans will enjoy this behind-the-scenes look at Colleen Atwood’s process for Beetlejuice Beetlejuice and the designer’s breakdown of the costumes from Wednesday!
Anyone still searching for Halloween costumes can get started with these trendy ideas. A lot of these are easy to recreate using “regular” clothes, too!
In other news, Burberry’s new celebrity-filled campaign is worth a look! The British brand, despite going through a tumultuous time lately, is coming back in full force and reopening their flagship New York City location.
Finally, for those celebrating the earlier sunsets with more movie nights, add these gothic and spooky films to your list!
That’s all for today! Chat to you soon,
Marcelle 🕸️🌙