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Dark Academia 3 - de vestibus agamus - the conversation continues

840 replies

highlandcoo · 02/10/2024 22:17

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) Grin
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.

OP posts:
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TressiliansStone · 09/01/2026 17:04
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Jugendstiel · 09/01/2026 18:05

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You know I now have to spend the evening down a rabbithole of Georgian seaweed textiles? I bet there's a swatch book of them in that castle library...

StealthSightHound · 09/01/2026 18:16

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Arraminta · 09/01/2026 21:01

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Yes, I think the Georgians quite liked a bit of colour? Perhaps not quite the vibrant hues in Bridgerton? But definitely not the relentlessly pale pastels so beloved of BBC costume dramas either.

FeralNun · 09/01/2026 22:31

Arraminta · 09/01/2026 16:33

Oh that is so interesting and really resonates with me. Having lost 3st on WLI I'm now just maintaining on a low dose. It's rare that I feel the need to Food Soothe and when I do it's not as satisfying.

But instead I have turned to borderline compulsive thrifting in order to self soothe and satisfy. Our house is late Georgian and has always been furnished tastefully, but drearily, in various shades of off-white with very few objet d'art (I'd only ever use that term on this thread though I know that Nancy Mitford would disapprove).

But with fervent determination, I am slowly turning our house into my own private Dark Academic stage set. Both our living room and study are colour drenched in midnight blue. I've bought second hand Bukharra rugs in dark reds and lots of velvet tassled cushions. I have scoured the charity shops for quirky trinkets in dark wood and brass. I've bought heavy candlesticks, bronze bookends and a life size alabastar bust of a beautiful Greek lady (could be Aphrodite maybe?). I already owned over a thousand books but I've bought many more, all old dusty hardbacks with gilt lettering on the spines.

Our house is no longer tasteful but I absolutely love it. It's part Victorian bordello and part Lady Alchemist's Study.

Edited

Well, I just absolutely adore this!

My house could be my next project - it is an 18th century mill workers cottage, last overhauled in the 70’s. We are missing all the mod cons but have a massive granite fireplace, cloam ovens, original floorboards and apotropaic marks on beams. My wardrobe largely supports the vibe, tbh.

FeralNun · 09/01/2026 22:34

I now want a seaweed frock. I’m sure Toast did something akin a while back?

StealthSightHound · 09/01/2026 23:06

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Arraminta · 09/01/2026 23:34

FeralNun · 09/01/2026 22:31

Well, I just absolutely adore this!

My house could be my next project - it is an 18th century mill workers cottage, last overhauled in the 70’s. We are missing all the mod cons but have a massive granite fireplace, cloam ovens, original floorboards and apotropaic marks on beams. My wardrobe largely supports the vibe, tbh.

Oh it sounds utterly perfect and you must bedeck it with cross stitch samplers, antique linen cushions and vintage bone china.

FeralNun · 10/01/2026 10:11

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It’s possible! If we ever take up the floor (which we do need to do at some stage - it’s still a mix of the original slate and concrete infills) we may discover THINGS.

It’s such a gem of a place - the previous owners had it in the family for over 50 years. It had no sanitation when they bought it, and they remember the original Victorian copper was still in the tiny kitchen..

WoolTweedArtandBooks · 10/01/2026 11:12

I’m delighted with the 30-odd posts I came back to this morning, what a fabulous discussion! @StealthSightHound please do continue to update us on your narrative, and I am also now invested in the house décor!

I own 2 waistcoats, one black linen and my newer acquisition is a blue and floral silk vintage from Tie Rack (remember them!?) which I haven’t worn yet. I love them over my skin-tight boob-supporting tops from Manners London, as they obviously soften the silhouette and hide the extraneous curves. My problem is that I buy individual items that I love, but sometimes they don’t work well together. The blue is a case in point- it’s the wrong palette for the reds and olive shades in the wardrobe so it won’t work under my lovely Indigo Moon jacket. It will hopefully come into its own in the spring…

I love the scenarios for boosting dopamine. How about you are staying in Howl’s Moving Castle and need to blend into palace life and also a market town, perhaps even a hat shop, but the castle is very small and you only have three complete outfits? More from my own imagination, how about becoming an 1800s gentlewoman who is an aspiring botanist/entomologist and who collects specimens, works scientifically, writes scholarly articles, and maintains a lab and a library on the topic of interest. You need a handful of outfits which will see you through each of these types of project.

Slightly OT but in case it’s useful to share, I have lost 8kg since last spring by cutting out two milky coffees and eating less pasta and bread. The only way I could do it is by being much more relaxed at weekends and holidays, rather than trying to be strict every day. So I have vegetable and lentil soup, or a piece of salmon and some salad leaves, for lunch in the week and I try to finish eating by 7:30, so I can have a 12 hour fast before a breakfast of milky coffee and a fruit smoothie. (I have green tea to start the day as it doesn’t need milk.) At weekends I’m allowed toast, second coffee, wine etc.
I’m now back in a size 12/14 rather than a definite 16+, and it’s been easier than I thought it would be. I’m able to wear some things I thought were destined for the charity shop and that’s been great for the bank balance!

StealthSightHound · 10/01/2026 12:27

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SqueakyDinosaur · 10/01/2026 13:54

If you've read AS Byatt's Possession, @StealthSightHound , there's also an excellent decaying manor house in that, where not only are the protagonists on the trail of some priceless literary artefacts, but the female half, Maud, gets lent a silk dressing gown with a dragon on it. Imagine if they also discovered trunks and chests full of the clothes of all the people who had lived there......

If you haven't read it (it's long!) then chapters 5 and 8 here are the most relevant bits: www.unife.it/letterefilosofia/lm.lingue/insegnamenti/letteratura-inglese-ii/materiale-didattico-anno-accademico-2015-2016/A.%20S.%20Byatt-%20Possession.%20A%20Romance-%201990.pdf

Notsosecrethistory · 15/01/2026 14:09

Ooh, that's nice!

FeralNun · 22/01/2026 15:24

Oh fellows - there is a thread currently running in S&B on knitted vests over ditsy tops, and it has been pointed out that this may be a somewhat dated or difficult to wear look (although plenty of fans too). Apparently this look has a name, and there is a thread running about it. The look is ‘elderly librarian’ 😂

This has really tickled me, and I am going to embrace it entirely…

TressiliansStone · 22/01/2026 18:39

Oh I got drawn in by the title of the knitted vests thread, too.

"Elderly librarian" is a very fine look! I've been a fan for years – though I've branched out into "Doc-wearing librarian" as I've become actually old!

Darklane · 22/01/2026 19:04

FeralNun · 10/01/2026 10:11

It’s possible! If we ever take up the floor (which we do need to do at some stage - it’s still a mix of the original slate and concrete infills) we may discover THINGS.

It’s such a gem of a place - the previous owners had it in the family for over 50 years. It had no sanitation when they bought it, and they remember the original Victorian copper was still in the tiny kitchen..

Our place, an old 17th century cottage high up on the moors also has a tiny kitchen. Big dining kitchens weren’t the thing back in the day. Our floors are stone flagstones with rugs & the place is a warren of nooks & crannies. Minimalist it is definitely not as the place is filled with old mahogany furniture I inherited, squashy battered old sofas covered with lots of throws & blankets ( I have DOGS, small but very hairy ones) the few walls that aren’t covered with bookshelves are full of pictures. It’s old, not at all posh/ trendy/ whatever but I’ve lived here forever & love it. What it lacks in internal space it makes up for outside where I have a acre of cottage garden( fighting the moors & weather for survival) & some fields where I used to keep livestock before I became too decrepit.

weareallcats · 23/01/2026 17:44

I’ve missed a big chunk of excellent chat it seems! I did wonder whether recent posts would be about the demise of Joanie - I am so sad - the recent Christina Hendricks collection was like a gift to me.

weareallcats · 23/01/2026 17:53

I love hearing about everyone’s homes!

I think I’ve said before that I live in a fairly new house built in the grounds of a Victorian mental asylum (now converted into flats and houses - we viewed one but decided against as it’s very spooky and I have an overactive imagination). I’m right opposite the graveyard, which is a peaceful spot. I have one perfect DA room and am working on the rest!

weareallcats · 23/01/2026 17:54

And here’s a question…how is everyone feeling about Wuthering Heights…?

Darklane · 23/01/2026 20:01

weareallcats · 23/01/2026 17:54

And here’s a question…how is everyone feeling about Wuthering Heights…?

I live in it 😂

WoolTweedArtandBooks · 23/01/2026 20:06

@weareallcats i don’t have a telly, but wouldn’t mind watching- I read WH as a teenager but more significant to me is the Kate Bush anthem 😆

On your topic of dark academic houses, I went to a cafe today which has about 3 self contained toilet cubicles the size of small bathrooms. Each one has a loo, a sink, a combination of dark paint and floral wallpaper, and a whole wall covered in bookshelves. I love them! I really wish I had a downstairs loo that I could decorate in dark colours and bookshelves!

mightymalties · 24/01/2026 23:20

weareallcats · 23/01/2026 17:54

And here’s a question…how is everyone feeling about Wuthering Heights…?

Jacob Elordi's performance in Frankenstein was masterful, so for his casting as Heathcliff I intend to watch despite my misgivings.

It's been a while since I commented on these threads, but I found this one again yesterday and am so happy it's still being updated! You lovely ladies inspired me to "dress up" a little for a trip to town today. Brown tweed wool trousers, tan Hamble Oaks, cappucino lightweight sweater worn over a lace collar and topped off with my Joules waxed Canter jacket (the one with the little cape). All Vinted bargains, except for the jacket (for which I'd saved for months and managed to snag in the sales).

After a troublesome few months, it made me feel very nice indeed 😁

Notsosecrethistory · 25/01/2026 14:43

WoolTweedArtandBooks · 23/01/2026 20:06

@weareallcats i don’t have a telly, but wouldn’t mind watching- I read WH as a teenager but more significant to me is the Kate Bush anthem 😆

On your topic of dark academic houses, I went to a cafe today which has about 3 self contained toilet cubicles the size of small bathrooms. Each one has a loo, a sink, a combination of dark paint and floral wallpaper, and a whole wall covered in bookshelves. I love them! I really wish I had a downstairs loo that I could decorate in dark colours and bookshelves!

I have a strong 'nope' about books in bathrooms/toilets but I am with you on the dark wallpaper and colours!

Notsosecrethistory · 03/02/2026 21:50

A sartorial dilemma...
I have the opportunity to go on the (British) Orient Express for a murder mystery event in October! Right up my street!
There's no expectation to dress in 1930s gear, but I'd like to nod to it...

Honestly, from what I gather, people dress UP, like wedding guest... but I don't want to look like I'm going to a wedding, I want to look like a 1930s detective 😂

What would you wear?