This year more than any, Practical Magic has been on our minds, and now that Fall (and Halloween) is well and truly upon us, we're in a witchy state of mind. The dark romance trend, gothicism, medieval imagery, and bohemian styles have been a mainstay on our feeds, on the runways, and in real life for a few seasons now, and the colder months are always an opportunity to lean into dark colors, witchy silhouettes, and a feeling of tragic romanticism.
Both the recent Spring/Summer 2027 runways and the Fall/Winter 2026 collections played into the dark romance trend significantly, with fully fledged witchy silhouettes emerging at Ann Demeulemeester, Saint Laurent, Alexander McQueen, Simone Rocha, Erdem, Matieres Fecales, and more. British brands gave the trend a particularly bright spotlight, London being the birthplace of some of our most avant-garde and anti-establishment designers today.
Ann Demeulemeester SS27 // Spotlight Launchmetrics
Dreaming Eli SS27 // Spotlight Launchmetrics
Erdem SS27 // Spotlight Launchmetrics
Alexander McQueen SS27 // Spotlight LaunchmetricsSean McGirr at Alexander McQueen has been toying with romanticism for a few seasons now, but for Spring/Summer 2027, at Lincoln's Inn Chapel, the designer turned up the darkness element. The collection was filled with a series of gothic, rave-y, and at times medieval gowns. At Simone Rocha and Erdem, examples were slightly more subdued, with feathered and lace cocktail dresses that came down the runway in sheer blacks.
Matieres Fecales SS27 // Spotlight Launchmetrics
Chloe SS27 // Spotlight LaunchmetricsOver in Paris, Matieres Fecales included a portion of their show with rich black velvets, skirt suits with tattered elongated witchy sleeves and black sheer veils draped over classic suiting, while at Ann Demeulemeester, as always, it was an explosion of nomadic, romantic silhouettes—all black lace and high collars and ribbons streaming off pieces. For Anthony Vaccarello's Saint Laurent Fall/Winter 2026 show, the designers sent a series of black lace pannier gowns down the runway, also playing into the trend.
Fall is the time to get a little gothic with things, so shop our dark romance picks, below.
