This year more than any, Practical Magic has been firmly on our collective minds, and now that fall and the Halloween season are well and truly upon us, the fashion world has slipped neatly into a deeply witchy state of mind. The dark romance trend, gothicism, medieval imagery, and bohemian styles have been a steady mainstay on our feeds, on the global runways, and out in real life for a few seasons now. Naturally, the arrival of the colder months always offers a timely, welcome opportunity to lean heavily into dark colors, dramatic witchy silhouettes, and an overwhelming feeling of tragic romanticism.
Both the recent Spring/Summer 2027 runways and the preceding Fall/Winter 2026 collections played into this dark romance trend significantly, with fully fledged, uninhibited witchy silhouettes emerging across major houses like Ann Demeulemeester, Saint Laurent, Alexander McQueen, Simone Rocha, Erdem, Matieres Fecales, and more. British brands in particular gave the trend a prominent, glowing spotlight, which is hardly surprising given that London remains the historical and spiritual birthplace of some of our most avant-garde and anti-establishment designers today.
Over at Alexander McQueen, creative director Sean McGirr has been quietly toying with various iterations of romanticism for a few seasons now. However, for the Spring/Summer 2027 season, presented at the atmospheric Lincoln’s Inn Chapel, the designer turned up the darkness element significantly. The collection was filled with a striking series of gothic, rave-influenced, and at times overtly medieval gowns that captured a hauntingly modern nocturnal energy. Meanwhile, at Simone Rocha and Erdem, the examples of the trend were kept slightly more subdued, translating into ethereal feathered and lace cocktail dresses that glided down the runway in deep, sheer blacks.
The movement extended far beyond London, finding a natural home in the capitals of European fashion. Over in Paris, Matieres Fecales incorporated a striking portion in their show featuring rich black velvets, avant-garde skirt suits complete with tattered, elongated witchy sleeves, and black sheer veils dramatically draped over classic tailoring. At Ann Demeulemeester, as has become a house signature, it was an explosive celebration of nomadic, romantic silhouettes—defined entirely by black lace, severe high collars, and delicate ribbons streaming off the garments, catching the light with every movement. Similarly, for Anthony Vaccarello’s Saint Laurent Fall/Winter 2026 show, the design team sent a mesmerizing series of black lace pannier gowns down the runway, further cementing the industry-wide embrace of the trend.
As the autumn air settles in and the darker months take hold, the fashion landscape proves that getting a little gothic with things is not merely a seasonal novelty, but a continuing evolution of contemporary romanticism.
