Dark Academia 2 - the conversation continues..

[highlandcoo]

Hello again to everyone from the last thread and welcome to anyone who enjoys talking about this aesthetic .. and if you have photos to share even better!

We've been discussing woollen jumpers, tweed skirts and jackets (with and without elbow patches), flannel trousers, fair isle tank tops, leather boots, culottes, berets and many other appealing garments, and more recently novels, poetry, libraries in general and even home decor with a DA vibe. Plus tortoiseshell spectacles and lorgnettes. I don't think we've touched on DA hairstyles yet although I've been giving that some thought ..

A DA quote I came across the other day: "I declare after all, there is no enjoyment like reading! How much sooner one tires of any thing than of a book! When I have a house of my own, I shall be miserable if I have not an excellent library." (P&P of course)

If curling up in a wing-backed armchair in front of a log fire, with candles flickering, sipping tea from a china mug while reading your Jane Austen or Bronte novel sounds appealing, this thread might be for you. Or if you just like the clothes - that works too.

Our first thread below:

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/style_and_beauty/4861009-dark-academia-anyone-who-loves-this-style?page=39&reply=129785046

Yes! Well, Lanx brogues. I bought them in the Whalley store rather than online, but I think these are the ones:

https://lanxshoes.com/collections/womens-outlet/products/whitewell-umber?_pos=11&_fid=7d11cbe84&_ss=c&variant=44762061766894

Do you have any Lanx shoes? I've heard mixed reviews about what they're like to break in. Planning on wearing them around the house for a few days before venturing far in them!

Lanx are lovely but just a shade too narrow for my bunions feet unfortunately. I do much better with Ten Points, a Swedish brand, however the import charges are extortionate. I can't do a link on this new laptop annoyingly but do have a look.

@Justkoko I've knitted that very hat for my sister! You don't have to use double-pointed needles; a circular needle does exactly the same job and is so much easier to use. I can explain further if you want to PM me.

I do, mine are the boot version of yours. They have been tough to break in, tbh. But someone put me on to these and they are an absolute godsend.

Try not to be put off be their overt sexiness 😆they go under socks...

They do move your foot forward slightly, so best for shoes where you have a little space in the toe.

www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0B5HCKFS2/?encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B0B5HCKFS2&ref=sbx_be_s_sparkle_ssd_tt&qid=1727088518&pd_rd_w=RxxOY&content-id=amzn1.sym.25f7c301-a223-4ff8-91c9-accfeab9fda8%3Aamzn1.sym.25f7c301-a223-4ff8-91c9-accfeab9fda8&pf_rd_p=25f7c301-a223-4ff8-91c9-accfeab9fda8&pf_rd_r=8HNFKYW01P2MNMH1EH0D&pd_rd_wg=IwQrc&pd_rd_r=17b1a073-3bce-4007-be66-e18cd44742b2&pd_rd_plhdr=t

@highlandcoo I've dm'd you. It's a lovely hat. I also like one I found on ravelry, the Pasha hat which is a bit more of a lace design but in dk yarn which us what I have. I've been sitting staring at it afraid to start.😂 It's a bit slouchy which is how I like a beanie. I've so many thick woolly hats that pop up like a pyramid cone on top of my head, and I've only got a small head!
https://janerichmond.com/en-gb/products/pasha-hat?srsltid=AfmBOoq0pqVadPebrTLGoySLLiJio6a8mUwjfYOizJglqDjU8iMtlmss

Ravelry have lots that are knitted flat. Like these.
To find them just go into search, then click the “ advanced search” underneath the search box. You can then filter the search from the box on the left. On the “construction” link tick the boxes that say, seamed+ worked flat. I always click the “free” box in the availability box ( tight…me?????). Then it will bring up the ones that you don’t need circular or four double pointed needles to work . Incidentally the Drops

brand patterns are almost always worked flat.

Hi; I've just been enjoying reading the "older lady on the train" thread above. Quite a bit of overlap with what we've been discussing

Really? Going off for a nose...
Had a looong day at work today.
Help me decompress by planning my two (very short) trips to Oxford and Edinburgh.

I started a thread for my Edinburgh trip, and got some great suggestions, plus I had a read back through this thread and booked myself in at the Witchery.

Any Oxford recs gratefully received. I'll be there just less than 24 hours, so want to pack things in...

Edinburgh, you say?

I am teetering on asking whether you fancy making your suggestion of an AGM at the Witchery (drinking tea, not staying) come true?

But I dare say you will be frantically busy as it is such a short trip...

Sadly (not sadly, but y'know!) I will be meeting family as we head off elsewhere, otherwise that would have been very exciting!
But never say never, I'm sure I will return :)

Ooh, have a wonderful trip. And indeed a wonderful flying visit to the Athens of the North.

🥂to another time!

@highlandcoo I love your username :)

Hopping over from the older lady on the train thread & declaring my flame for Dark Academia.

@Notsosecrethistory My Oxford rec would be the Ashmolean if you have enough time to enjoy it.

Welcome @DuskyBlueDepartingLight !

@Notsosecrethistory I love Oxford. The Ashmolean is a good shout; I also like Blackwell's bookshop in Broad Street, the (original) Oxfam bookshop in St Giles (near the Ashmolean) and - a bit niche but I am a knitter - the Oxfam Yarn Store in North Parade Avenue.
Objects of Use in Market Street is lovely. Household items made with integrity, by craftspeople, and not a bit of plastic in sight. I bought a pair of beautiful engraved Japanese scissors there. Very pleasing.
And Scriptum Fine Stationery in Turl Street is amazing .. and about as DA as you can get!

Those are stellar suggestions, thank you @highlandcoo!

Welcome @DuskyBlueDepartingLight! :)

Thanks for the rec, the Ashmolean is definitely on my list, although I will be short on time... how much time do you think I should allow it?

I can't believe I've been to Oxford several times and done none of these!

I'm going to Edinburgh soon, can anyone recommend suitably Dark Academic things to do?

DOH! Should have read the last few posts first.

@Notsosecrethistory

I've only been once myself & didn't have much time there. Accepted I wouldn't see everything but did really enjoy it.

Maybe 1-2 hours?

@notsosecrethistory I went to Oxford, in the mid-2000s. Barely been back since. In terms of colleges to explore, I've always loved New and Worcester far more than the more famous ones - Worcester has the most incredible grounds and a real mix of architectural styles, and New just feels so incredibly ancient. I should really go back to visit, but like most alumnae, my feelings about my college and the wider university are fairly complex!

@Arraminta For Edinburgh, I suggest the Writer's Museum, Gladstone's Land (17th century merchant's house on the Royal Mile), and either Mary King's Close (underground streets shut down after the plague) or the Vaults tour under South Bridge.
I'd also have a wander off the Royal MIle (which is touristy in parts but with some interesting closes and stairways to explore) down past the independent shops of Victoria Street .. especially this one:
https://www.walkerslater.com/store-locator
to the Grassmarket, where there's a fantastic shop called Fabhatrix
www.fabhatrix.com/
(they made the hats for Peaky Blinders and other TV shows and films) then up Candlemaker Row to have a wander in Greyfriar's churchyard.
I really like the National Portrait Gallery, and nearby is Toppings bookshop with its rolling library ladders.
Still at the east end of the New Town, I also love Broughton Street with its small independent shops and a fab Swedish bakery. And Valvona and Crolla, the famous Italian deli on Leith Walk. (I may have drifted away from DA here, but even those of us wafting about Edinburgh need sustenance occasionally)

I have the Tay hat from Fabhatrix but it's almost always raining where I live so I rarely have the chance to wear it!
https://www.fabhatrix.com/tay-771

That's absolutely brilliant, thank you so much x

@Notsosecrethistory
Hope you had a fantastic time, please let us know how it went/any highlights! I keep meaning to visit, but I've a feeling it'll turn into a family trip instead of my ideal plan, which is to mooch about solo pretending I'm writing a book.

---

Realised there's a collage tool on Pinterest, so I've tested it out (poorly, look at those edges!) with some recent images of clothing/outfits I like.

Love the hat.

Have to say I've found my niche with vintage shopping this year. Having trawled some of the many brilliant shops in Brighton and Lincolnshire, as well as a couple of online finds, I've emerged with the following jacket and coat haul:

Beautiful, soot-black, velvet blazer.
Wool and cashmere blend black overcoat, voluminous enough to wear blazers underneath but without looking as though I'm wearing a parachute. Feels beautiful and has a lovely velvet trim.
Ankle-length black wool coat with fake fur collar and cuffs: very 'witchy'.
Brown tweed cape with velvet collar.
90% wool, 10% cashmere camel coloured coat. An ebay find that looks barely worn.

I've been looking for a camel coat for ages but haven't liked many of the styles or fabrics available from the high street. The only one did find was a Saint and Sofia 80% Wool 20% polyamide blend, at the ludicrous cost of £400. The five beautiful vintage items I found above - not a man-made fibre among them excepting the linings - came in at a total cost of £275. One of them was only £20!

There's something so satisfying about tracking down something a bit more unique, and of a quality that seems to be dying a death on the high street. I've also only belatedly come to realise the harm fast fashion causes to the environment, so there's an added sense of satisfaction coming from that.

The one thing I wouldn't buy vintage is shoes. My former favourite Doc Martens have gone the way of the rest of the high street: the quality these days is so disappointing. A good pair of Solovair boots is next on my list!

A hat shop!!

Thanks @highlandcoo
I love hats like that (and already have too many of them)

@SerafinasGoose those all sound amazing! You are inspiring me to make more effort to search out fabulous clothes this autumn.