Remember last year’s Cottagecore trend? Well, here comes fashion, ready to give us yet another trend with a questionable moniker. This time, it’s Dark Academia. While it absolutely sounds like a class that would be taught at Hogwarts, it’s actually much more about fashion than it sounds. The Dark Academia aesthetic takes its origins from Donna Tart’s novel The Secret History, and is, in essence, about wearing blazers and looking like you love reading. In recent years, and especially in 2021, it’s picked up speed thanks to Tik Tok. Over the past few months, the trend has been spiking on Google Trends with searches starting to go up in October 2020 and hitting a high in February this year.
From what I can gather, this look is all about a particular style. The New York Times describes it as “traditional-academic-with-a-gothic-edge” and blazers, shirts, checks and jumpers are what you need. But I think the danger with these trends is that it can end up looking a little like you’re doing Cosplay, rather than latching on to a trend that’s genuinely chic. The good news is that this look has absolutely seeped into the autumn/winter 2021 runway trends. From Dior to Cinq à Sept there are plenty of designers showcasing academic-inspired looks, including pleated skirts, oversized jumpers and blazers. To help you style this look, I’ve delved into Instagram to hunt down how to do Dark Academia without looking like you’re about to head off to Platform 9 and 3/4. Keep scrolling to see the best way to pull off this trend and then where you can find the ultimate Dark Academia items.
