T

he popular fashion trend that took over Instagram and TikTok can be described as outfits with a specific color scheme of shades of gray, brown, navy, burgundy, and green colors. The types of clothes for the style of dark academia with these colors are turtlenecks, oversize jackets, and long trench coats. If you’re unsure where to buy them this blog is perfect for you! It’ll show you many different shopping destinations to choose from for your perfect outfit! And since he aesthetic traditional European boarding school style of clothing gained more relevance during the pandemic, it’s the perfect time to start looking at what to buy and where! But first we’ll start with the basics. 

What Exactly Is Dark Academia?

Where It Generated From And How It Became So Popular 

The aspect of dark academia is influenced by European cultures. Though there is a 1992 novel, The Secret History by Donna Tartt, that made dark academia truly come to life. In the book, a tight group of classics students gets ruptured by a brutal murder. It’s believed that because of this, the novel was the start of all dark academia books. After this book, many came up with similar themes of mystery and moodiness that usually resides in an esteemed boarding school or university. 

This theme of dark academia became relevant to TikTok and Instagram users when many users seemed to embrace the lifestyle and found it comforting and relatable. This lifestyle can refer to the idea of living a privileged academic life with access to knowledge. It has turned from a community to a whole new lifestyle for those who relate to the themes as well. 

A bookshelf full of dark-colored books 
Image courtesy of Bookshop.  

The dark academia style has become more popular through social media even though the first books with this type of theme came out during the 1990s. This just shows the overall growth of the theme and aspect, which has become huge over the past few years and is continuing to grow. It gained a lot of people when it was shown to look towards self-discovery which is what was starting to happen in the world at and around that time.

Dark Academia Clothing Style 

What This Type Of Clothing Style Consists Of 

Types of dark academia outfits can typically be described as preppy. Wearers of these outfits tend to have blazers, trench coats, Chelsea boots, glasses, skirts and knee-high socks. Not only do they wear these styles of clothing but all of the colors they use also tend to be darker like different shades of black, dark brown, and forest green. 

When it comes to accessories for the outfit, you’ll want to wear things like round shaped glasses, a dark colored backpack or bag, and some jewelry like a small necklace or small gold earrings. By tying all of the accessories together along with the outfit, you’ll have yourself the perfect dark academia style for your day! 

Two women walking in dark academia outfits 
Image courtesy of  Instyle. Anything seen here in this picture will help you figure out what you need for your dark academia outfits to fully emerge. Layering is also a great idea for your outfit as well. It’ll allow for more warmth in the winter and can be more stylish for anytime anywhere! 

Where To Buy?

How To Put The Perfect Dark Academia Outfit Together 

Since the clothing trend is more popular now because of social media, there are many different places to shop for your perfect dark academia outfits. Some of these key places you’ll want to shop at can include:

  • Urban Outfitters. Known for their alternative fashion and hipster subculture, this is one of the perfect places to shop for any dark academia outfits. Since their store is mostly targeted towards young adults aged 18 to 30 as well, it’s a great place to shop! They have a large variety of dark academia trending outfits including the dark colors and accessories. They’re always on the latest fashion trends so of course they hopped on this one! 
  • Forever 21. If you’re looking for cheaper yet still amazing outfits then here is the exact place for you. They have every type of dark academia pieces of clothing ranging from trench coats to sweater vests. They typically target young adults as well which just shows another perfect option for outfit ideas! 
  • Nordstrom. Just like both of the stores above, Nordstrom has a large variety of dark outfits with a dark academia style. These items will last a long time with their quality and will suit anyone who wants to join or is already in on the trend! 
  • H&M. Although this is another department store listed it has an amazing variety of all the clothes you’ll need to make the perfect dark academia fit. They have lots of dark colored oversized sweaters and an amazing array of accessories to choose from! 
  • Zara. Zara’s fantastic ability to keep up with any new trend makes it’s place on the dark academia shopping list. They have lots of different dark clothing options to choose from on their popular site so go check it out for new stale pieces in your dark academia closet! 
  • PacSun. Although they’re typically known for their skater and surfer-like outfits, they’ve went with the trend and are selling cute dark academia staple pieces like sweaters and corsets. 
  • American Eagle. Just like some of the other stores listed above, this is a great place to get good prices on skirts and sweaters to match any of your dark outfit themes! 
  • Banana Republic. If you’re in need of a trench coat to make your outfit pop, this is the place for you! They have a wide variety of different blazers and dark academia classics to choose from at a good price too! 
  • Target. The store that has it all has even more! Here you’ll be able to find a lot of dark coats and oversized sweaters that’ll match the fit you desire! 

By choosing any of these options you’re sure to have a great dark academia fit waiting for you to wear!

A store with dark colored clothes. 
Although you may not think of retail places like Target or H&M when you first think about putting together a dark academia outfit, they actually will surprise you with their abundance of dark clothing and pieces. With a wide variety of different styles to choose from, any of the clothing destinations mentioned above will help you put together the theme outfit of your dreams. Now it’s time to go read a book at a quiet coffee shop wearing your brand new outfit! 

If you’re thinking about joining the dark academia outfit trend but didn’t know where to buy the perfect outfit, this blog will hopefully help lead the way to that perfect style you’ve always wanted and more!

Posted 
Jul 28, 2022
 in 
Fashion
 category