So, last year I decided to move out of the house I bought in 2013 and into another city.
Since I lived in a rural area, the home care nursing services I relied on were becoming increasingly scarce due to the pandemic driving people out of the profession. My family was getting stretched thin covering any open hours, climate disasters from other states were making my house insurance spike every year, and all of my friends and writing prospects were in the city. As scary as it was to think about leaving my beautiful first home, I knew a change needed to happen.
While I packed up the last ten years of my life, it inspired me to reflect on other things I wanted to leave behind or refresh in preparation for the move. Since entering my 30s, I hadn’t held space to think about what I wanted this new era of my life to look like going forward. When I first bought my home, I was into the Shabby Chic and Lolita styles, and my house and wardrobe reflected that. Not to mention, I still had clothes from high school hanging around. It’s not that I didn’t still like those things — and I certainly kept some of them — but it didn’t feel like it represented the majority of who I’ve grown into. So, I purged my closet and my house, enough to go from a 1600sq ft house to a condo that’s just a little under 1000sq ft. Still, the question remained. What was I going to replace it all with?
Enter: Whimsigoth.
I’m as passionate about fashion and style as I am about the literary world. The first time I saw a Whimsigoth video on my FYP page, I raced into the search bar and went down an aesthetic rabbit hole. This is what I was looking for. I made Pinterest boards, saved playlists, bookmarked everything I liked on TikTok, and when it came time to look at houses, I would take pictures and digitally color them at home to make sure they looked good with the jewel-toned palette I was planning. It was a Category 5 hyperfixation event, and I had no plans on stopping. A good chunk of my remaining clothes even matched already! (Which my wallet was very appreciative of.)
But what is Whimsigoth? As fashion accounts rush to be trendy, there is plenty of misinformation going around. Thankfully, my Category 5 hyperfixation means that you get to reap all the informational rewards without the tunnel vision! So, if you’re interested in adopting the look or just want to learn more out of curiosity, then take my hand and follow me into the mystical, magical world of Whimsigoth! (And of course, gain some new book recs along the way!)
A Star Is Born (Origins – 1980-2000s)
In order to explore the moonlit beginnings of this trend, we have to travel all the way back to the mid-80s and early ’90s. It was inspired by goth pop and rock music, as well as Tim Burton movies and the graphic design art of Margo Chase, Vrontikis, and Vaughan Oliver. Have you ever seen those metal moon statues people have in their gardens? Or a dark blue pattern adorned with golden celestial bodies, like a variation on Van Gogh’s Starry Night? Then congrats! You’ve seen the most recognizable aspects of this subculture!
For many people, this has always been a style they’ve been interested in, but they didn’t know the name for it before now (like me!). It’s by no fault of their own — there wasn’t a name for it until recently. In 2020, Evan Collins of the Consumer Aesthetic Research Institute (CARI) dubbed this intriguing look “Whimsical Mythical Gothic Celestial.” Since that’s a bit of a mouthful, the name was eventually shortened to the “Whimsigoth” we know and love today.
As noted by Collins, it was originally intended as a style for home decor, with an emphasis on jewel-toned walls, florals, and an assortment of mismatched patterns. But as more and more people became interested, celebrities started wearing crushed velvet and mixed prints, music was made with a dreamy yet melancholy air, and movies were made with the style at the forefront of the cast’s wardrobe.
These influences are some of the biggest driving forces behind the trend today, which brings us to our next section.
Celestial Influences (Whimsigoth Icons)
As mentioned above, Tim Burton’s movies had a large impact on the original trend. But since its initial glory days, Whimsigoth has gained plenty of other movie and television influences to fuel its popularity. If you were to ask any of the current fans what movies they thought of when they heard “Whimsigoth,” most would tell you titles like The Craft, Practical Magic, or the original run of Charmed. Sabrina the Teenage Witch was also a large influence, especially during the early days of the trend. Sabrina’s room is peak Whimsigoth goals, hands down!
Are you noticing a pattern here? Whimsigoth and the New Age and Wiccan movements of the ’90s went hand in hand. Many of the witchy celebrities of the time embraced the trend and blended it with their bohemian fashions. Look no further than Stevie Knicks and Lisa Bonet for the foundational influences on Whimsigoth culture.
The Current Age (2023-Now)
Whimsigoth has cemented itself back into the public eye, but has anything changed this time around? While it may be a vintage trend, modern-day influences have already emerged to embrace and add to the beloved style. All you have to decide is whether or not you’re here for the home decor, the media, or the fashion!
For music, there’s no shortage of Whimsigoth playlists filled with all the required ’90s staples. But there are plenty of modern-day artists who fit the vibes, too. Next time you’re itching for the witchy vibes of Whimsigoth, give Stevie Knicks a break and reach for Willow! I would argue that some Beyoncé songs would fit too. Can you say “Haunted”, anyone?
In the world of fashion, there are plenty of current celebrities rocking the whimsy. If you’re looking for wardrobe inspiration, check out the looks of people like FKA Twigs, Florence Welch, and even some of Chappell Roan’s looks fit the bill!
And if you’re looking for home decor, even Martha Stewart is giving advice on the style.
Of course, this wouldn’t be Bookstr if I didn’t also recommend our specialty: books! Yes, the Whimsigoth trend has even entered the literary world. Of course, I could always recommend one of the OGs that inspired the style in the first place, Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman, but this is titled the current age, and there’s no shortage of stories in this sub-genre!
If you’re looking for more of the romantic vibes from the aforementioned novel (or movie!), check out New Adult by Timothy Janovsky.
If you’re starving for more of the darker paranormal side, curb your cravings with the graphic novel Squad by Maggie Tokuda-Hall and Lisa Sterle. It’s the perfect descendant of another classic Whimsigoth media: Ginger Snaps.
Kissed by the Sun (Popularity)
So, after all this time, why has Whimsigoth made a return now? For starters, I know one of the reasons I like it is because of its accessibility. As I mentioned earlier, I already had pieces that would be considered Whimsigoth in my closet, and everything else I’ve bought so far — home decor included! — has come from secondhand communities like Depop or Facebook Marketplace. In fact, because this is a vintage trend, it’s encouraged to thrift for the items you’re looking for because that’s more likely to give you the most authenticity. Since mixed-and-matched fabrics are part of the style, it’s even DIY-friendly for those who are crafty. This makes it much more affordable and accessible to a larger audience of all ages, making the trend timeless and sustainable. As spirituality is another significant aspect of the Whimsigoth subculture, encouraging thrifting and conscious consumerism is more environmentally friendly and in harmony with the New Age and Wiccan inspirations behind the style.
But Evan Collins is quoted in an article by GUAP as having another theory behind Whimsigoth’s resurgence. During its original reign, Whimsigoth came about during a time of great social strife. Those in the design sphere were still greatly affected by the AIDS crisis. When times of trauma and uncontrollable circumstances run rampant, interest in the occult tends to skyrocket among marginalized communities. As we saw the rise in Witchtok during the first Trump administration, and with general Y2K fashion already back in the spotlight, it makes sense that the second time around, we’ve come full circle.
“You want to understand the context of the time period when certain trends were emerging,” Evans said. “We try to delve really pretty deep into various social and cultural forces that show why this aesthetic appeared in the first place; what was going on at the time, and what would have led to certain trends rising, falling, or being replaced by something else. With Whimsigoth, the aesthetic shows how people dealt with such difficult times and experiences. They tried to make something out of hard times and deal with their trauma in a visual sense; candles, moody interiors, and heavy draperies – stuff that represented collective darkness.”
FINAL THOUGHTS
At the end of the day, the reason why I like Whimsigoth is that it feels like home. Even with the darker elements — or maybe because of them — the style feels like freedom. Between the free-flowing clothes, the embracing of clashing patterns, and the empowerment of witchcraft echoing in every stitch and celestial statue, it’s a great example of how style can serve as armor against the chaos of the world.
It also feels like rebellion. We’re putting the environment first and rejecting the call of fast fashion. We’re rejecting the cynicism of our circumstances and embracing the whimsy in our lives. Whether it’s re-embracing the childhood wonder we had watching Charmed or Buffy for the first time, or extending the wonder despite the world’s best efforts to dull it. It’s making friends with our darkness and examining it instead of shutting it away.
Oftentimes, micro-trends get criticized as fads without substance. But I think Whimsigoth returned to her throne just in time to prove how they can also show the feelings of the culture.
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