Now that brat summer has come and gone, girls continue to move away from the quiet-luxe-inspired aesthetic and instead embrace 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, that 2024 trends data found that requests for “dark female core” have increased exponentially this year, what we refer to as such usually consists of corset dresses, sensual lace tops and leather pants while their corresponding glam lean into a 90’s inspired grunge with smoky shadow, deep moody lips. , and nail colors of dark red wine, if not straight black.
Translation? Dark feminine energy inspired glam is essentially an elevated version of goth glam and rock star girlfriend vibes with a sexy, sultry and elegant twist, and has been all over TikTok and Pinterest – and now, the red carpet and the runway, too.
At the VMAs, Taylor Swift, Camila Cabello, Megan thee Stallion, BLACKPINK’s Lisa, Suki Waterhouse and Chappell Roan leaned into the mood swing, while Selena Gomez and Jenna Ortega channeled every dark female energy at the Festival of Toronto film and Beetlejuice 2 first, 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 shows. Then, less than a few days later, many attendees at the ‘Emmy 2024 embraced dark female glam on the red carpet, including Quinta Brunson, Ella Purnell, Laverne Cox and Mindy Kaling.
Clearly, the dark feminine energy season is not only upon us, but just beginning.
As for what inspires the move in such a whimsical direction? According to MAC Cosmetics senior makeup artist Michelle Clarkit’s just a matter of bringing balance to the universe of beauty. How appropriate, seeing as the start of Libra season marks the official start of fall.
“We’ve seen an increase over the last year in coquette, strawberry, sugar fairy and clean girl makeup, all of which include shades of pink, glowing skin and an element of girlie and ultra-feminine sweetness,” says Clark. Glamour. “It seems now that there is a need to show the duality of the feminine – that there is a light and a darkness in everything.”
And there is indeed darkness. So much so that some current femme fatale villains have served as inspiration for dark feminine glam. According to Kanako Takasethe creative director of Addiction Tokyo who oversaw the make-up at Christian Cowan’s NYFW SS25, the “cold glamor and dark elegance” look was inspired by Bette Davis’ character in Madam Sin: “A cold, evil and rich criminal mastermind.”
