This post will teach you everything you need to know about the dark academia aesthetic.

Last week I did a post on the Romantic Academia Aesthetic and today I want to shift gears and tackle the other end of the Academia spectrum, the Dark Academia Aesthetic.

If you adore the haunting beauty of Allan Edgar Poe; if Byronic heroes with their turbulence set your heart aflutter; or if your ideal afternoon includes long walks through a misty, rain-drenched moorland in anything by the Bronte sisters; then this aesthetic could be right up your alley.

All academia aesthetics are centered around learning and the accumulation of knowledge. Dark academia, unlike the other aesthetics, is melancholic, romanticizes knowledge, and has a dark brooding but oddly comforting aspect about it. It focuses on self-discovery and the importance of looking within yourself.

As you embark on your new scholarly approach to life, you may want some clothing to get into the darkly illuminating mood.

A Dark Academia wardrobe features include dark colors, lots of oversized sweaters, coats, sweater vests, loafers, and turtlenecks.

My rule of thumb is “What would a distinguished professor wear?”

Think classic, well-tailored pieces. Materials such as tweed, wool, and plaid are also staples.

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Activities and interests for dark academia include but aren’t limited to the following:

• Classic Architecture
• Science
• Philosophy
• Mythology
• Walks in the rain
• Journaling
• Watching Dark Academia shows (A Series of Unfortunate Events, Peaky Blinders, His Dark Materials, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina)
• Or movies (Dead Poets Society, The Riot Club, Good Will Hunting, Knives Out)
• Classic Novels (Wuthering Heights, Jane Eyre, Frankenstein, The Picture of Dorian Gray)
• Romantic poetry (Wordsworth, Keats, Byron. Dickenson)
• For Taylor Swift Fans, listening to Folklore and Evermore

Here are some of our suggestions to help you get into this dark aesthetic’s mood.