Dark Academia 3 - de vestibus agamus - 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!

Now that the season of mists and mellow fruitfulness is upon us, it might be time to start considering our autumn and winter wardrobes.

Last year as well as discussing leather lace-up boots, vintage handbags, antique brooches and many other desirable items, we pondered how to successfully pursue a DA aesthetic at work, at the theatre and generally out and about (without straying into Carry On Librarian territory, as one PP memorably commented)
I learned about the Wrong Shoe Concept, and the Third Thing Rule .. every day is a school day!

However DA is much more than clothes, and we also shared our favourite childhood books .. memories of robins leading us through gates into secret gardens, the fiery red-haired independence of Anne of Green Gables, and our longing to go to boarding school, get into scrapes and partake in midnight feasts.

Thanks to our erudite posters, we learned about romantic Scottish history exploits recorded in 18th century documents, and considered the injustice of male family members being able to lock up women whose emotions became inconvenient, as well as discussing many inspiring women both in RL and in film.

And we debated the most DA place we've ever visited .. Oxford and Edinburgh featured strongly; in fact there was a suggestion that a perfect place for our DA AGM would be The Witchery in Edinburgh ..

If curling up in a wing-backed chair in front of a log fire, with candles flickering, sipping tea from a china mug while reading Pride and Prejudice or A Room of One's Own sounds appealing, this thread might be for you. Or if you just like the clothes, that works too.

Oh yes, that is a shame to miss out on sharing with other Dark Appreciators.

I have discovered a kindred spirit in my neighbour's adult son, who has been known to borrow my silver-topped cane...

Oh bloody hell sorry @weareallcats but by all means keep the glory @TressiliansStone 😆

😘 to all.

I just watched an aquatic light show that has been going since the 1970s whilst drinking wine from Oregon and laughing at my (quarter south Asian) dh shivering in Florida (whilst I, an early 40’s celt/viking was perfectly comfortable). I actually rather love it here.

Hello darklings!

What are we wearing? I’m quite pleased with my clothes today, hence the post!

A dark green and navy tartan brushed cotton dress from Sainsbury’s(!), dark green tights, oxblood lace up boots, dark green cord jacket from Seasalt. I’d had my eye on this and it went into the sale for I think 40% off - bargain. Buttons were nasty plastic though, so I replaced them with MOP ones. I can see this lasting me years!

Oh that sounds fab. Those cord jackets from Seasalt are lovely, aren't they?

I'm in dark green cords with my gold skinny rollneck and a maroon wool zipneck top. Very cosy!

I like the sound of all that cord! And I find the Sainsbury Tu range surprisingly good, I have a couple of pinafore dresses from there.

Shopping my wardrobe today. Found a lovely dark aubergine coloured knitted maxi skirt which was almost a perfect colour match to my Disturbia jumper with embroidered foxgloves and moths.
The whole outfit was giving 1940s vibes and I felt like I should be sipping sherry in the drawing room of an Agatha Christie novel!😁

Oh my!

All your clothes sound brilliant! Love the idea of changing rubbish buttons - I’ve got a few things I could do that too.

I’m still in Florida and have never had so many compliments on my clothes! Particularly two checked dresses - one from Fat Face and one from Toast.

Ooh, @henlake7 , I think I can picture that exactly!

I agree about Tu - particularly 100% cotton dresses. I have a lovely yellow and black check brushed cotton number from them. Really wearable and gets compliments. Cost £25. Looks miles more expensive. Once it wears out, I’d like to get a copy made.

@weareallcats , it’s such an easy, quick fix that elevates clothes I think. And cheap.

This is making me muse about relative expense of clothes. I don’t mind spending lots on the right thing, and I generally notice a difference in quality when I do that, but not as much as you might expect (and certainly not as much as there used to be, as quality has gone down the pan across the board).
Having said that, the last really expensive thing I got was a blouse by Yavi, and the workmanship is lovely. French seams and everything. A pleasure to wear.

Loving all the outfit and shopping descriptions. Think seasalt is good for cord FeralNun. Have got a couple of wide legged cord trousers and they have washed, worn and lasted well.

Haven't got out of bed yet sipping tea with my cat whilst contemplating this. My nightwear might be Dark Academia, brushed cotton tartan nightshirt in dark berry shades.

I like Seasalt corduroy but I do find it creases and the creases don't drop out, so I feel it looks too rumpled.

Another fan of TU here. I have a dark denim pinafore from there which is excellent quality (it's heavy). I have a similar one from Boden and it feels far more flimsy.

Oh, I didn’t know canes were DA.
I need a stick, mobility problems from a damaged spine, & have several but not a silver topped one. Perhaps I should start trawling the antique auctions for one.
I love dark green, my favourite colour along with navy. Where do you get your nice buttons? The little haberdashery shop in my small local market town closed down years ago & the wool shop I drive miles to only stocks the ubiquitous, boring plastic ones.

My cane is for real use too, and like you I have workaday canes... but the silver topped one is lovely.

I ordered it a little longer than my usual height so I can use it with heels.

I have a walking stick for everyday dog walks - steep hills here - and I use an elm wood stick with a white metal spiral top. Lovely, and v reasonable at a craft fair.

I got my buttons on Etsy - just search by material or colour, I think mine were less than a fiver for 10.

I also have some lovely horn ones from
the Dartmoor Shepherd - I get a few every time I go in their shop and squirrel them away..

Hey darklings, just swinging by to let you know that the Seasalt cord jackets are further reduced in the sale - I scored the Merlot colour last night for £34.36 down from £99! Not that I needed another jacket, but at the price it’s an utter bargain!

What are we all wearing today?

Morning FeralNun. I was in a charity shop yesterday and gleefully picked up a Seasalt corduroy pinafore dress in navy for £3.50! I don't think it's even been worn as it still feels slightly stiff.

Today, I am wearing a long, navy, fitted dress from Cos with a long zip up the front, with black opaque tights and chunky black ankle boots from H&M. I love wearing navy and black!

Ooh nice @Arraminta

Hello all!

Can anyone recommend me an excellent book of short stories - ideally ghost stories, but am open to anything dark leaning. Currently reading Shirley Jackson’s Dark Tales and finding them ok, but every single one has an ambiguous end, which I’m starting to find irritating! I’d like a satisfying conclusion at least some of the time 😂.

What are we wearing today?

I’ve started using Whering, which is good fun!

Picture did not post! Trying again.

I'll have a think about the short stories. I loved Sharon Blackie's Foxfire, Wolfskin but it's more Celtic Myth and shapeshifting than spooky stuff. Ditto Wise Women by the same author.

I'm totally in love with that checked coat you've shown here❤Cabbages and Roses I presume?

So today I'm in a Disturbia mid-calf tartan dress in bottle green/navy, worn over navy linen trousers which are tucked into Indigo blue calf length lace up boots, and I have a midnight blue handknit lace shawl tied as a hap over the dress bodice. My Doctor (female) told me I looked lovely this morning 😊Not sure if it quite fits the DA ethos, however...🤔

Sounds gorgeous!

Yes, cost is C&R - it’s divine - trying to wear it more as it cost almost as much as my wedding dress 😬.

Those stories sound great - will check them out - love myth and folklore, as well as fantasy and ghost stories! Plus I am a total Celt (with a dash of Viking).

Stop it. I did not need to know that. I have slapped my hands over my eyes and am typing with my nose.

My neighbour is badgering me to read this, probs not in the niche you’re after @weareallcats, to quote his review he said, ‘you should read it, you will think “fuck me, that’s well weird”.

The Lady in the Bay Window, A True Story of a Haunted Sheffield Home, William C Grave (appropriate name).

Gosh.

More about it here: Ghost tales book raises £20k for Sheffield charity
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-south-yorkshire-67968901