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Styles · An idea under Avant-garde

Dark feminine for women

Black dresses, heeled back zip boots and silver crosses, in silk, velvet and leather, for the evening.

Dark feminine is a way of dressing in black and deep red that pairs soft evening fabrics like silk and velvet with leather boots and silver jewellery. The look is romantic and a little severe: a draped black dress, a heeled back zip boot, a cross on a chain.

It borrows from goth, which grew out of British post punk at the end of the seventies, and from the femme fatale of old Hollywood films. Chrome Hearts, founded in Los Angeles in the late eighties, makes the silver crosses and rings, and Emanuele Bicocchi makes its silver by hand in Tuscany. Guidi, a Tuscan tannery since the eighteen nineties, dyes its back zip boots after they are made. Coperni, the Paris label of Sébastien Meyer and Arnaud Vaillant, cuts black ruffled dresses and gowns.

Wear a long black dress or a silk top with heeled boots, and keep the silver to one pendant and a ring or two. Utopia in Toronto brings the Chrome Hearts silver, WDLT117 brings the Guidi boots and the Coperni dresses, and Due West adds Emanuele Bicocchi and Stolen Girlfriends Club silver.

Guidi 796ZI Back Zip Metal Heel Mid Boot Black, side view, at WDLT117 on within
Guidi
796ZI Back Zip Metal Heel Mid Boot Black
NZ$2,663Last one
WDLT117
Guidi R22V Back Zip Boot Full Grain Black, side view, at WDLT117 on within
Guidi
R22V Back Zip Boot Full Grain Black
NZ$2,663Last one
WDLT117
Coperni Zip Ruffle Dress Black at WDLT117 on within
Coperni
Zip Ruffle Dress Black
NZ$947NZ$2,274Last one
WDLT117
Coperni Asymmetric Flower Gown Black at WDLT117 on within
Coperni
Asymmetric Flower Gown Black
NZ$649NZ$1,293Last one
WDLT117
Chrome Hearts Triple Cross Pendant at Utopia on within
Chrome Hearts
Triple Cross Pendant
NZ$8,900
Utopia
Chrome Hearts Tiny E Necklace (20 Inches) at Utopia on within
Chrome Hearts
Tiny E Necklace (20 Inches)
NZ$9,536NZ$10,172
Utopia
MM6 Maison Margiela Anatomic Ankle Boots Black, side view, at WDLT117 on within
MM6 Maison Margiela
Anatomic Ankle Boots Black
NZ$1,754
WDLT117
Guidi NB07 Lace-up Back Zip Boot Black, side view, at WDLT117 on within
Guidi
NB07 Lace-up Back Zip Boot Black
NZ$2,436
WDLT117
Ellery Faux Leather Flared Trousers Black at WDLT117 on within
Ellery
Faux Leather Flared Trousers Black
NZ$415NZ$1,683
WDLT117
UJOH Random Hem Lace Skirt Charcoal at WDLT117 on within
UJOH
Random Hem Lace Skirt Charcoal
NZ$1,553Last one
WDLT117
Emanuele Bicocchi Multi-Cross Avelli Bracelet in Silver at Due West on within
Emanuele Bicocchi
Multi-Cross Avelli Bracelet - Silver
NZ$464
Due West
Chrome Hearts Double Cross Pendant with Bale at Utopia on within
Chrome Hearts
Double Cross Pendant with Bale
NZ$5,086
Utopia
KIMHEKIM Pearl Toe Sandals Black, side view, at WDLT117 on within
KIMHEKIM
Pearl Toe Sandals Black
NZ$428NZ$903Last one
WDLT117
Coperni Zip Flower Slanted FlipFlop Black, side view, at WDLT117 on within
Coperni
Zip Flower Slanted FlipFlop Black
NZ$454NZ$1,033Last one
WDLT117
Chrome Hearts Cemetery Ring at Utopia on within
Chrome Hearts
Cemetery Ring
NZ$6,993
Utopia
Chrome Hearts Cemetery Ring at Utopia on within
Chrome Hearts
Cemetery Ring
NZ$6,357Lightly used
Utopia
Guidi PL2WZ Mid Calf Front Zip Burgundy, side view, at WDLT117 on within
Guidi
PL2WZ Mid Calf Front Zip Burgundy
NZ$2,793
WDLT117
Nina Ricci Draped Satin Halterneck Sleeveless Blouse Black at WDLT117 on within
Nina Ricci
Draped Satin Halterneck Sleeveless Blouse Black
NZ$1,592Last one
WDLT117
Chrome Hearts Paper Chain Bracelet (6.5 inches) at Utopia on within
Chrome Hearts
Paper Chain Bracelet (6.5 inches)
NZ$3,051Lightly used
Utopia
Chrome Hearts Small Cross Pendant at Utopia on within
Chrome Hearts
Small Cross Pendant
NZ$3,814Pre-owned
Utopia
Chrome Hearts Tiny Cross Pendant at Utopia on within
Chrome Hearts
Tiny Cross Pendant
NZ$3,814
Utopia
Stolen Girlfriends Club Claw Ring - Silver/Onyx at Due West on within
Stolen Girlfriends Club
Claw Ring - Silver/Onyx
NZ$445
Due West
Chrome Hearts Black Diamond Baby Fat Pendant at Utopia on within
Chrome Hearts
Black Diamond Baby Fat Pendant
NZ$7,883
Utopia
Chrome Hearts Dagger Heart Pendant at Utopia on within
Chrome Hearts
Dagger Heart Pendant
NZ$2,543Lightly used
Utopia

Common questions

What is the dark feminine aesthetic?
A way of dressing in black and deep red that pairs silk, velvet and lace with leather boots and silver jewellery. It is romantic and a little severe, and it is made for the evening.
How do you wear dark feminine clothes?
Start with a long black dress, or a silk top and a dark skirt, and add heeled back zip boots instead of a delicate heel. Finish with one silver pendant and a ring or two.
Where does the dark feminine style come from?
It borrows from goth, which grew out of British post punk at the end of the seventies, and from the femme fatale of old Hollywood films. Victorian mourning dress, all black crape and jet, is another source.