Welcome to our guide for sophisticated ghouls, sorry girls (cough) who want to nod to Halloween without crashing the spook-fest dressed as road kill.
Let’s get this clear. More restrained vixens AREN’T fun sponges. It’s just that their invite hasn’t specified fancy dress. Perhaps they need to get there straight from a meeting. Or maybe they just fancy a change from riding the Victoria line looking like Grotbags (Monday mornings not withstanding).
Naturally, you have a few invites for dinner parties already. They’re at misty crumbling castles where you’ll be drinking red champagne out of crystal goblets. Dressing the part requires a sophisticated eye. Think strong modern femme fatale rather than craggy Hammer Horror victim.
See below for a few key pieces that will knock those recycled bat motif sweats out the park…
The cobweb skirt
Unnervingly seductive. Sleek leather pencil skirts will also work their magic here.
Lace long skirt, £34.99, Mango
The gothic blouse
70s groupies meet graveyards in Lykke Li’s capsule collection for & Other Stories. This silk blouse will take decadently through the night and beyond.
Lykke Li Blouse, £65, & Other Stories
The velvet blazer
Saint Laurent and McQueen do your dream goth-luxe pieces for this season. Zadig & Voltaire also stock temptingly tactile velvet in timeless black, midnight navy and blood red.
Jacket Vero, £270, Zardig & Voltaire
The monster charm
Keep your accessories playful. You might be wearing some seriously dark garb, but that doesn’t mean you have to act like Morticia.
Ted sheepskin monster keyring, £115, Sophie Hulme at Start
The vamp boot
Bionda Castana lace pumps are your killer heels. If you fancy an ankle boot, her mesh version will knock the look pleasingly off-kilter.
Suede and mesh ankle boots, £595, Bionda Castana at Net-a-Porter
The finishing touches
Beauty-wise dark lips rule and now is the best time to experiment. Try MAC’s Cyber or Nars’ Damned shades for a seasonally acceptable statement. Keep eyes and skin glossy and fresh. AVOID canapés and check a mirror pre-late night instagramming.
If you plan to eat and drink with abandon (terrifyingly unfashion darling) then play up your eyes, obviously. On the catwalk, Dries van Noten plastered on thick black eyeliner this season and Giles did smoky undead eyes for spring, so you’ll be one zombie-like step ahead.
And if all this prepping leaves you no time for hair, channel Winona in Beetlejuice and loiter menacingly under a large hat (that you can just shove on at the door). J.W Anderson kick-started next season with oversized leather, so you never know, the least likely piece of kit might have more longevity than you think.
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