From the Era of Cottage Core to the Age of Dark Academia
Although Winter Solstice has just recently passed and the days will slowly begin to get brighter, the January to March stretch tends to feel like an endless night. Upon waking, it is dark - before the work day is over, the sun has set. As we get deeper into the winter months in the Northern Hemisphere, I feel a pull towards the knits and tweed trousers hanging in my closet. A dark palette to compliment the landscape.
It seems I’m not the only one. On TikTok, a subculture has been revitalized - that of Dark Academia. With over 345.8 million views on posts tagged dark academia, Gen Z has officially made the shift from the summertime ‘cottage-core aesthetic’ - that of airy, lace peasant dresses and folklore-ish rolling hills of the English countryside - to a universe with a predilection towards the mysterious, gothic, and intellectual.
It is an aesthetic derived from a scholastic lifestyle - particularly that of esteemed, gargoyle bedecked-universities or prep schools. Oxford or Trinity Dublin are the meccas, as would be Toronto’s Great Library or an independent bookshop with piles of classic, well-worn literature hiding secret notes to lost-lovers tucked in the spines. Above all, the scene of devoid of technology - the world of dark academia is an analog one. The weather outside is overcast or rainy and the palette is dark - browns, greys, maroons, forest green and navy. Taking sartorial cues from Julia Roberts’ Mona Lisa Smile, Robin William’s Dead Poets Society, or Saoirse Ronan’s Jo March, the uniform is just that - crisp button downs and tweed blazers, androgynous trousers and loafers. It it likely thrifted or vintage. All the while, Bon Iver plays softly in the background. Do you feel transported to this world of intellect, mystery, and possibility yet?
