Now that brat summer has come and gone, the girls are continuing the move away from quiet-luxury-inspired aesthetics and instead embracing maximalism, sensuality, and “dark feminine energy” for the season. Which obviously means that it is officially dark feminine fall.
Of course, dark feminine energy (DFE) is more of a mindset than an actual aesthetic. But according to users on Pinterest, whose 2024 trends data found that “dark feminine core” queries have exponentially risen this year, what we refer to as such customarily consists of corset dresses, sultry lace tops, and leather pants, while its corresponding glam leans into ’90s inspired grunge with smoky shadow, moody deep lips, and dark red wine nail colors, if not straight black.
Translation? Dark-feminine-energy-inspired glam is essentially an elevated take on goth glam and rock-star girlfriend vibes with a sexy, sensual, and elegant edge, and it’s been all over TikTok and Pinterest—and now, the red-carpet and runway, too.
At the VMAs, Taylor Swift, Camila Cabello, Megan Thee Stallion, Blackpink’s Lisa, Suki Waterhouse, and Chappell Roan leaned into the moody movement, while Selena Gomez and Jenna Ortega channeled dark feminine energy at the Toronto International Film Festival and the Beetlejuice 2 premiere, respectively.
At New York Fashion Week, designers Luar, Wiederhoft, Kim Shui, Christian Cowan, and Jason Wu incorporated grunge goth vibes into their spring-summer 2025 runway shows. Then, less than a few days later, several 2024 Emmys attendees embraced dark feminine glam on the red carpet, including Quinta Brunson, Ella Purnell, Laverne Cox, and Mindy Kaling.
Clearly, dark feminine energy season isn’t just upon us—it’s just getting started.
As for what’s inspiring the move in such a moody direction? According to MAC Cosmetics senior makeup artist Michelle Clark, it’s simply a matter of bringing balance to the beauty universe. How appropriate, seeing as the start of Libra season marks the official beginning of fall.
“We’ve seen a rise over the last year in coquette, strawberry, sugarplum fairy, and clean-girl makeup, which all include shades of pink, glowy skin and an element of girlie and überfeminine softness,” Clark tells Glamour. “It seems now that there is a need to showcase the duality of feminine—that there is a light and a darkness to everything.”
And there is darkness indeed. So much so that some actual femme fatale villains have served as inspiration for dark feminine glam. According to Kanako Takase, Addiction Tokyo’s creative director who oversaw the makeup at Christian Cowan’s New York Fashion Week runway, the “cold glamour and dark elegance” look was inspired by Bette Davis’s character in Madame Sin: “a cold, evil, and rich criminal mastermind.”
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