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Dark Academia 3 - de vestibus agamus - the conversation continues

915 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.

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Notsosecrethistory · 29/08/2026 17:40

Ahh it's not silk, sorry - it's more like a low sheen satin - from M&S

I cracked today... it's not september yet, but I excitedly broke out my argyle cardi this morning and a beloved autumn perfume because it was raining, so I needed no further excuse 😅

SqueakyDinosaur · 29/08/2026 17:52

Which autumn perfume? I have a couple - Timbuktu by L'Artisan Parfumeur and L'Eau de 34 by Diptque.

UnimaginableWindBird · 29/08/2026 18:44

My autumn perfume is Metamorphic by Kingdom.

FeralNun · 29/08/2026 18:49

Ooh, perfume chat - I don’t think we’ve done that before, or perhaps I missed it.

What are people’s favourites? I wear Penhaligons Duchess Rose which is divine. Going to be experimenting with Halfeti going into autumn/winter.

SqueakyDinosaur · 29/08/2026 18:52

Philosykos is the one I wear most year-round. Also Diptyque - I love a lot of theirs, though I much preferred the previous squared-off bottles to the current ones.

Arraminta · 29/08/2026 19:36

Notsosecrethistory · 29/08/2026 17:40

Ahh it's not silk, sorry - it's more like a low sheen satin - from M&S

I cracked today... it's not september yet, but I excitedly broke out my argyle cardi this morning and a beloved autumn perfume because it was raining, so I needed no further excuse 😅

Edited

Yes, I cracked today too! It's grey with mizzle here so I gleefully donned a burgundy cord mini dress from Hush with black opaque tights and black biker boots. We headed out for a pub lunch and they'd lit a real fire in the bar. I actually sighed with happiness.

To paraphrase Christina Rossetti 'The season of my life has come!'

Notsosecrethistory · 29/08/2026 19:43

Arraminta · 29/08/2026 19:36

Yes, I cracked today too! It's grey with mizzle here so I gleefully donned a burgundy cord mini dress from Hush with black opaque tights and black biker boots. We headed out for a pub lunch and they'd lit a real fire in the bar. I actually sighed with happiness.

To paraphrase Christina Rossetti 'The season of my life has come!'

I might never have left a pub with a fireplace today!

Right, perfume chat:
I adore By the Fireplace - Maison Margiela, and Eau Duelle - Diptyque. These are my go-tos.
BTF is as it sounds, and Eau Duelle is a dusty library that you walked through a forest to get to, whilst wearing a soft, expensive jumper 😂Doesn't last long on me, but I love it.

I also really like Thé Noir - Le Labo and Penhaligon - Halfeti (more for winter and Christmas though) I also like Angel's Share for Christmas, although I can't afford either of these 3, tbh. I have little samples that I use sparingly!
I would love to try Blood Spider Orchids, which sounds amazing, but hard to find in the UK

WoolTweedArtandBooks · 29/08/2026 20:01

I wear the same scents all year round, but I love the sound of those @Notsosecrethistory !

I wear Chanel Allure Sensuelle for me, Anaïs Anaïs for everyday. Often a rose geranium plus patchouli essential oil blend I make myself- it’s got a touch of ylang ylang. And sometimes, a spray of Lush Blue Skies and Fluffy White Clouds body spray. Patchouli is a base note in all of them!

weareallcats · 30/08/2026 12:09

Oh I missed the perfume chat!

I love Molton Brown Rose Dunes for autumn - it has something transitional about it.

Also Ffern Samhain layered with L’occitane neroli and orchide.

I also love Philosykos, but that feels quite summery to me. Also Jo Malone basil and neroli.

I have a Ffern subscription, which I have never once regretted.

The other thing that sprung to mind is actually a random body spray that they sprayed on the tissue in Space NK and I couldn’t stop smelling. I went back and bought it of course. It’s called Vanilla Smoke - the brand is something like Phlur, looks weird typed out, might be something else.

My dh wears Halfeti! It really suits him.

weareallcats · 30/08/2026 12:16

Gosh and I have definitely decided it’s time for autumn! Wore velvet to dinner on Thursday evening and to The Cherry Orchard yesterday (was a fan girl and waited at the stage door - Kenneth Branagh did not come out, nor Bill Pullman or Helen Hunt, or Alfred Enoch, but Guy Henry did). I am somewhat confused by nors and ors, but I’m just going to leave it as it is.

If it gets hot again I may actually shed a tear. I’m planning soup and cottage pie next week.

FeralNun · 30/08/2026 12:39

I had a Ffern subscription for a few years too, @weareallcats - really enjoyed the ritual nature of it. Only stopped when I fell madly in love with Duchess Rose and didn’t want to wear anything else! I think Ffern’s candles are wildly overpriced though..

Cottage pie! Made one this weekend and stashed it in the freezer for next weekend - it’s a definite autumn opener in this house 🍂

FeralNun · 30/08/2026 12:41

I have just scored a cotton velvet jumpsuit on Vinted that I am hoping will be as nice as it looks. So hard to find proper cotton velvet at any price now, let alone £20!

UnimaginableWindBird · 30/08/2026 17:23

I'm going to a friend's birthday party tonight and went to Mac for an eye make-up lesson as I've always been rubbish at eyeshadow and wanted rockstar eyes for the party. And I've come away with a fairly easy to achieve style and a really great eyeshadow palette (Connect in Colour Encrypted Kryptonite) which I love because it is properly cool toned and only had 6 colours but they work from barely there to full glam.

weareallcats · 30/08/2026 22:26

WoolTweedArtandBooks · 29/08/2026 09:53

I love the brooch!

@Notsosecrethistory coukd you link the silk shirt please? I do love a silk shirt and haven’t found quite the right one. I keep remembering a lovely green washed-silk one I had in the 90s as a teenager!

Your 90’s shirt sounds divine. So nostalgic for that era, although I think most people feel like that about their youthful decade/s.

weareallcats · 30/08/2026 22:27

FeralNun · 30/08/2026 12:41

I have just scored a cotton velvet jumpsuit on Vinted that I am hoping will be as nice as it looks. So hard to find proper cotton velvet at any price now, let alone £20!

Sounds lovely. Cotton velvet is such a win - so much static electricity conducting polyester about these days.

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