Before Halloween Was A Costume Party, Fashion Made Darkness Beautiful

YSL Fall/Winter 2026

Fashion has always had a fascination with darkness. Not necessarily horror. Something more beautiful.

Velvet.
Lace.
Black silk.
Corsetry.
Long sleeves.
Antique jewellery.
Theatrical silhouettes.

The gothic aesthetic survives because it gives fashion something minimalism cannot always provide: mystery.

And Fall 2026 is particularly interested in it.

Recent collections have embraced romantic gothic references, while the wider “witchy” fashion conversation has moved toward capes, lace, corsetry, dramatic sleeves and darker romanticism.
But gothic fashion has never been one thing.

Victorian gothic
Think mourning jewellery, high collars, black lace and elaborate silhouettes.

Altuzarra Fall 2026 Ready-to-Wear

Romantic gothic
Less severe. More poetic.
Think flowing dresses, velvet, antique details and a slightly haunted quality.

Modern gothic
Cleaner. Sharper.Often reduced to black tailoring, unusual proportions and one dramatic detail.

The appeal is that darkness can be sophisticated. You don’t need a costume.

A black velvet jacket.
A dramatic shoe.
A vintage brooch.
A long coat.

That’s enough.
The most interesting gothic fashion doesn’t say: Look, I’m gothic.
It says: There is something you don’t know about me.