Dark Academia - anyone who loves this style?

[highlandcoo]

And where to find it?

This is how I want to dress this winter. More skirts and dresses rather than trousers as my waist is not the best and the trousers can look bulky unless you have a good waistline I think.

I love tweed and wool and flannel and autumn colours. Not black! Although brown is sometimes hard to find. Love brown leather for boots and bags. I really want to get away from jeans and chunky boots for a change.

I think I can knit some jumpers and cardigans. But I would love a big tweedy coat. I have a couple of really nice brown tweed hats from a shop in Edinburgh who made the hats for Peaky Blinders. But I need the right sort of coat to go with them. My long cosy puffy coat is cosy but totally wrong.

Any aficionados out there?

Thanks helenahandcart78 I adore your clothes off to spend the rest of the day looking on Vinted for similar

That is very nice of you to say 🤗 I actually feel a bit sheepish at the number of items I have that I haven't been getting proper wear out of. My new mantra is "don't save it for a special occasion - wear it now!"

Hi @JamJimJum - glad you like it 😀. I don't know whether I have committed a cardinal sin by hi-jacking someone else's (wonderful) thread, but I'm very sorry if I have. In other news, I have been considering whether skinny jeans have any place in Dark Academic style. They are controversial (there must be a bun fight on here about them at least every other week 😆) but in my view still a staple in autumn/winter simply because you can tuck them into boots. But are they heretical because you may end up with a country casual look? Or can you pull them back with a slightly scruffy jumper and a look of insouciance? 😂 How do we take them back to the darkness?

I got a pair of boot cut mustard corduroys about 8 years ago in Sainsbury's- wore them to death and have kept a close eye out since but no repeats as yet. M&S are doing straight leg cords in mustard I think. But I am a bit miffed with M&S as their in-store offerings are so inadequate. When I ask whether they have a different size I'm just directed to the website. But I am slim of waist but "blessed (😂)" in the hip and thigh department so I really need to try on. Also their long size must be based on an Amazonian warrior? While their short size is too short for me but not in a cool cropped way. Annoying.

I live in Swindon and we have a designer outlet village, went for a mooch today and found a dress in Fat Face that I just love and then these shoes from Pavers. Now I thought Pavers were shoes for my mum, and tbf the slippers are 😂 but I really feel I have found my tribe and the DA vibe!

@Iamanunsafebuilding both wonderful choices! I've realised there's too much grey/monochrome in my wardrobe so that wine/dusky pink dress is on my wish list. Along with more navy and emerald green. The shoes are gorgeous and will go well with dresses or trousers. A productive Sunday for you - congrats 🥰

Just to add, I never rule out brands. All the stuff in my earlier photos ranges from Primark and Sainsbury's to French connection and jaeger (the latter mostly via charity shops!) I just browse with no clear idea in my head and yet looking at what I've accumulated over possibly 15 years ( and finding this wonderful thread) has made me realise there is a pattern there. I think I go more American preppy academic in summer but now at last I have a name for it. Pinterest searches galore 😁

@helenahandcart78 it's definitely wine coloured, my phone was struggling on a gloomy day and brightened it up! I'm honestly loving this thread, and it's given me some structure to a look which I've always liked. I'm definitely looking forward to buying things which fit the theme!!

Emmy design (from Sweden) is just the stuff of dreams! (Dreams only for my budget sadly...!)

Oh lord, I have had a roast dinner and a few glasses of wine. The candles are lit. You may have sent me down a dark path (of spending) 🤣🤣

What draws me to it is that it seems to be fitted at the boobs and waist? I just cannot pull off the shapeless shirts and dresses that are everywhere at the minute. Was reading another thread about bust darts (ooh er missus 😆) and had another epiphany - why aren't we getting bust darts anymore?? Or pockets? Or dresses that go in at the waist, out at the hips and in slightly at the knees? So darn flattering on almost any feminine shape. Oh god, need to log off or I may go into a rant trying to figure out what has ruined women's style (hopefully don't need to say this...but I'm being lighthearted. Kind of..)😇

I'm watching Peaky Blinders for the first time tonight (I'm slow with the zeitgeist - almost contrary. Still haven't watched Game of Thrones🤣) and lots of inspo there - mostly from the men and their neat waistcoats, cropped trousers and big boots!
I'm now musing on the 20s vibe for women's nipped in waists and low heels. See also - the Bloomsbury group. They made it look feminine but were able to stride about without teetering around like Bambi.

@JamJimJum I live in cords and the ones I have are currently available at Seasalt - lamledra trousers, White stuff - can’t remember the name and a Boden pair. I have my eyes on some from Dubarry, Schoeffel and Brax, most of which you will find on the house of bruar website.

I've just found a tailor who has turned all mine into skinny cords - I’m a solid 16 around the tummy but my legs are thin so because women’s clothing 🤷‍♀️🤦‍♀️ all the slim fit cords are still wide leg on me.

https://www.monsoon.co.uk/cord-wide-leg-suit-trousers-6403665412.html?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI7uGC2aqygQMVBu7tCh1DhwxAEAQYAiABEgKUO_D_BwE

I popped into Monsoon today (which is totally not my vibe) but they do have corduroy trousers and jackets. They may well be able to provide a puff sleeve blouse or knit too.

I am only a bit of a tourist in the DA aesthetic and I have other personas that I like to play with. I’m very definitely at the 19th Century menswear end of the spectrum though. I’ll try and share some of my pieces soon. I personally find it a bit of a balancing act. Some tweedy looks are missing the “dark” and some gothic looks are missing the “academic”. You need a strong berry lipstick or pair or cool glasses to stop it looking Miss Marple ( well on me anyway im in my 50’s )

Really good thoughts @Divebar2021 I am definitely trying to walk a line between Miss Marple, Miss Moneypenny and Helena Bonham Carter 😂

Oh meant to say, I love what you say about fierce glasses or lipstick to make it look sassy - brilliant!

@helenahandcart78 no worries at all - you haven't hijacked my thread! Go for it; it's good to see your ideas and clothes belonging to a real person. I did a little bit of that way back near the start of the thread and so did a few other posters. It would be great to continue sharing ideas.

At the moment I'm getting lots of Pinterest links which have some beautiful examples of DA but although inspirational, there's no indication of where to find them .

I'm abroad in a hot climate just now wearing cotton sundresses - not very DA - but when I get home I'll be straight into autumn clothes choices. There's a thread on AW boots I've been watching with interest ..

Can I ask .. when you take your photos of outfits you've assembled, how are you getting so many different garments in the photo? Are you perched on top of a wardrobe?? It's very effective.

Hello lovely @highlandcoo ! I can't tell you how much this thread has brought me back to the land of style! I really am so grateful to you ❤️ I am roaring at your idea of me perching on wardrobes 🤣🤣 No I am just laying them flat on my bedroom floor and going on tippy toes so you don't see my feet in the photo lol. But I am proud that I seem to have given them a "woman on the go" vibe by placing the shoes in a certain angle.
I am still working this style out and as you can see I can go off brief at times. But maybe that's good? I'm finding it so interesting how tiny things make a difference. I have a couple of silk scarves which I put in some of the outfits, but I think that sways it too much miss marple. A chunky knit scarf is more DA.
Rambling again...

Fellow Questers after DA truth, I have eaten too much of the cheese and crackers, and quaffed too much of the vino (no shit Sherlock I hear you murmur) but my garbled thoughts for tonight are these:
I have completely terrible eye sight. Long shorted in one eye, shortsighted with astigmatism in the other. Basically, I'm like Penfold without the personality 🤣 so I wear soft contacts. But (god this is long isn't it - imagine if you were actually sat here trying to maintain eye contact while yawning) point is, I'm free to get reading glasses now - on a string!!!! I'm going to embrace it and get half moons. I shall wear red lipstick and woe betide anyone who takes me for Miss Marple 🤪 Love to the Tribe xxx

For glasses I have saved a link from here

https://www.alexisamor.com/

but these are more recently priced

https://www.aceandtate.com/gb

https://cubitts.com/

no idea of branches outside London. I have men’s tortoiseshell frames for my reading specs (Raybans) but I bought some big clear glass ones in Italy - I just had to get over the feeling that I’m a complete poseur.