Everyday Halloween Chic
The nights are getting longer, the crisp chill is in the air and we are all reaching for layers over - and under – those lush pieces of lingerie of ours. This can only mean one thing – that Halloween is upon us!
We are firm believers that lingerie should not be just for the boudoir, but also to be flaunted; happily incorporated into creative and fun outerwear creations! And so, we think that the spirit of Halloween can be enjoyed throughout the year, bringing spoopy inspiration to everyone’s outfits and lingerie drawers all year around. There is just no denying the long-standing links between horror and the macabre and a dark, lustful sexuality, an aspect of Halloween that can influence your sartorial choices throughout the year.
Saimhain, with its ushering of the end of summer and summoning of winter – season of passing and marking of the day when the veil between the living and the dead is at its thinnest – can indeed seem to some as too macabre to celebrate more than once annually. But passing also means rebirth and making anew, as well as a celebration of life, most notably with Mexico's El dío de los muertes, as just one example among countless other societies celebrating a variation of the festival. In spirit of such rich and diverse celebration, it feels only natural to want to embrace an aspect of that creative artistry beyond one day.
The history of fashion inspired by the darker side of life is a long and hugely inspiring one, from Victorian mourning fashion, to the campness of Hammer Horror, to McQueen’s macabre yet beautiful "Jack The Ripper Stalks His Victims" collection among countless similar examples, fashion has never failed to draw inspiration from the macabre, reinventing itself and creating something anew. Sweeping capes, witchy wide-brimmed hats, blood-red lips or sharp tailoring of The Hunger – whether you choose to channel a classic vampire, a Universal Monster or a tragic Hollywood starlet of times gone past this Halloween, there is a way to carry a token of this inspiration with you throughout the coming months.
In opposition to the homogenised, and frequently unimaginative, high-street standard of cheap plastic horns and boring, sparkly kitty ears, Halloween inspiration does not have to be all about the tired tropes of “sexy” witches or over-done vampires. Inspiration from the darker side can be as subtle, or as dramatic, as you like.
Black lingerie beats consumer preference polls time after time, and is indeed a great nod to the dark sensuality for sure, but inspiration can also be found in rich, bejeweled velvet tones, lashings of decadent, delicious lace, sumptuous devore and playful details such as tassels, or a hint of retro glamour, as well as countless variations of everything in between. Most importantly, it can be called upon to spice up your style whatever the season.
As someone who draws style inspiration from absolutely everything around me – from modern street fashion and glamorous haute couture to the fantastical, future-noir, as well as nostalgia of bygone era vintage, films and art, and of course, the endless possibilities of lingerie styling – few things offer as much scope for creativity, artistry and self-indulgent, or over-the-top inventiveness than the myriad of possibilities offered up by the dark yet endlessly enticing celebration that is Halloween. Because who does not associate the dark with tempting, sensual allure?
