Everything You Need to Know about Dark Academia

Oh, to spend a day at Hogwarts, running through the castle’s infinite corridors at night, slow dancing at the Yule Ball with Draco Malfoy… What may be a fantasy might just come to reality. You may have started to see this aesthetic on these square mood-boards several years ago, but the answer is yes, Dark Academia is still on.

Admit it, dressing like you’re back in the 18th Century or like you’re a posh English aristocrat is somewhat appealing. To this end, you will opt for classy and warm clothes to endure the European weather. We are talking about black tailored suits, long dresses, high-neck knit sweaters, and school uniforms. Most of the clothing can be found in thrift stores, although tweed coats and Oxford shoes might get a little bit more expensive, reflecting the high-class side of Dark Academia. The palette of colors is dark, making the name of the aesthetic quite self-explanatory. Accessories are modest: an old watch on your wrist makes you look very busy (even though time doesn’t exist). Glasses are more than welcome for the endless hours you will spend reading, and makeup, well… Eye-bags are here to remind your fellows you spent last night studying the Italian Gothic Era.

And the amazing thing is, it’s not only about fashion: it’s a mindset, like a parallel universe. Dark academia is made up of black coffee, poetry, castles, and Greek statues made of marble.

Visualize yourself for a moment, wandering in the paved streets of Edinburgh on a gloomy and foggy day, you’re on your way to spend the day in a titanic library. When you walk in, the smell of wood and old books surrounds you, and you find it hard not to run your fingers over all the book covers aligned neatly on the shelves. The rain falls as you decide to sit by the gigantic windows, where you have a picturesque view of the park.

Hozier, Lord Huron, and Debussy accompany your bike-ride home. Oscar Wilde and Shakespeare are your bedside books. And if you ever want to escape, watch a movie! Maurice (1987), a story following Clive, a young aristocrat played by Hugh Grant; Dead Poets Society (1989), a classic; Pride and Prejudice (2005), if you want to fall in love with the Great Darcy again; and the fantastic Kill Your Darlings (2013) with Dean Dehan and Daniel Radcliffe. You guessed it right, otherness is nothing to be shameful about here, neither is queerness.

On another hand, you might find it easier to relate to this aesthetic as it tends to romanticize caffeine addiction and lack of sleep, which we are really familiar with…