As a folklorist/Literature researcher I love this SOOO MUCH! The reason we align Victorian with Vampires is due to the fact that the figure of the Vampire became a big big trend around then. The Romantics notably were alllll about it, but across Europe there was a big boom. They reflected a lot of anxieties around changes in society. In particular the female vampire is a very common one. The idea of a powerful woman who can drain the 'life' out of a man and walk away all the stronger (often also queer coded). But you also see it in art like Munch's the Vampire painting, which has these wild primal colours and textures. The female vampire almost represented this idea of the 'primal' power of women without the need for men or for creating off spring. They defy nature and their role as a woman in society. (A lot of this overlaps with the historical interpretation of witches) Whilst also being weirdly tied to the natural in odd ways. (Think of Dracula with his coffins of grave dirt), vampires are Earthly and yet distinctly not obeying human laws. Some of the earliest 'vampires' are from mythology and include things like the Lamia, a sort of snakey goddess woman who devoured children. ( Again breaking her role as the ideal caring mother) There are vampiric gods and goddess and beings in folklore/mythology across the globe, many of them even earlier than the Lamia. So I guess applying this to fashion, its the idea of the 'uncivilised' or the 'unexpected', the 'wild' or 'uncontrollable' mixed with the 'ornate' and the 'proper', so you could defo apply this to any era / style inspo. I loved your use of Akasha and Resident Evil for this! Both greater examples.

i have maybe one archetype to add: zombie/ undead. to me this is more dark grunge aesthetic, maybe more dark denim, ripped jeans, oversized sweaters, sweaters with overstretched necklines, ripped tights with tiny shorts, black flannel, messy hair, messy makeup, dark circles, short black finger nails, heavily layered flannel or oversized jackets, stacked rings, androgynous at times. like a dark emo aesthestic. earth tones with black. overall i see it as fitting in between natural and supernatural. like a little dirty, smells like tobacco and dirt lol

90s Anime is also a good example for dark aesthetic! every being that she pointed out and more an anime will have it and they do it in such beautiful way, quite glamorous but also otherworldly

This was such a cool video. I definitely have been trying to channel fairy and witchy vibes. But now this video made me want to experiment w/ the haunted doll look.

I love this theory! Growing up I was a big fan of silvermist from the pixie hollow series. Seeing this gives me inspiration to mix the dark siren with de dark fairy together to make sort of a grown up dark water fairy aesthetic. thank you!

The siren is ethereal essence , the doll is ingenue essence , the fairy is gamine essence , the vampire is romantic essence and the witch is natural essence . I love how all the styling systems connect. I have romantic , ingenue , gamine, dramatic and classic essences and I have definitely gravitated into the vampiric and also the siren and may the fairy . I love your videos. This has brought my attention to where my dark aesthetic is going and now i can be more intentional about it. Thank you x

Only Lovers Left Alive is my ultimate fashion movie. The vampire rock star aesthetic is so good

Also just wanted to mention the most recent Suspiria remake as great example of mixing different dark aesthetic elements into a character. The characters are ballerina witches in Germany in the 70s and I get so much every day (even sporty/pilates looks) inspo from it! Even the hair styling (particularly on Dakota Johnson and Mia Goth) is incredible inspo imo!

I’m glad you included siren energy in this mix

I already dress with a dark aesthetic (but still love watching this content and being inspired) and throughout the years i have found that drag artists are amazing sources of inspiration for this sort of aesthetic! They have so many references in their looks that can be applied to every day looks. My personal fave is Violet Chacki & some of the drag artists from the horror show "Dragula" for obvious reasons. Just something I thought I'd share. Reallyyyyyy loving your channel

I love your channel. It's so niche, like a unique gem

This makes so much sense to me!!! Nature and night is where I live (probably a little more nature than night) and everyone jokes about me being a trickster fairy or a "bog witch". Bog witch is my favorite compliment.

I love your take on the dark aesthetics. It's original and inspiring. I wonder how would you describe the warrior/valkyrie style. I guess it's somewhere on the nature spectrum :)

love this video sooo much!! finally a person that DEEP dives into dark aesthetics !! keep up the incredible work 🖤

im definitely leaning siren but with some alien inspo, it's so hard to explain what i want to project with this, minimalist, dark, but multi chrome eyeshadow and highlighter all over and chrome nails...super silver jewellery but i really like dark pearls. idk what im doing lol i just know the elements i want but no clue how to put them together to make sense. scificore? idk

Wonderful video! This has given me a lot of ideas and inspiration. I would like to add when you were talking about the Siren inspiration, I couldn't help but think about "drowned". It made me think of blue and cyanosis. Blend Bunny has a blue tinted lip oil that isn't bold but does give your lips a cooler tone. I also thought of flowy scraps of fabric that would emulate seaweed. Thank you so much for the video~!

Is very interesting to me that in pirates of the caribbean 4, the mermaids have fangs and is implied that they eat men like pirates and sailors and maybe it seem dumb to say it, but this concept is so similar to vampires, when I was a child and I heard that mermaids sing and that makes men go into a trance and then the mermaid kills the men, I never thought of it as sort of similar to what vampires are, maybe because I always thought mermaids would eat other marine animals or vegetation. So I personally think that we could possibly have dark mermaids be a canon thing.

in love with all your content! keep going 🖤🖤

I love the haunted doll aesthetic.. but i got to admit dolls in general especially as a child mainly porcelain dolls they creeped me out especially second hand shopping their eyes just are big they seem to follow you around the room .. but i did love the movie anabelle

I had to find this to rewatch again , i think im a siren with a grunge sense of style. I love iridescents , i mainly wear black , purple , green, blue and grey and i live for long flowy skirts , dresses and trousers. I was actually thinking of buying some baroque pearls , theyre beautiful

You are so underrated! I love your attention to detail. I’ve been experimenting with darker styles these days so this was so helpful and fun to watch! ❤️

Some other media to consider for dark aesthetic. 60s to 70s new wave spiritualism and cultism, the devil worshiper panic of the 80s early '90s, Victorian New Wave spiritualism, the TV series Castlevania, especially the new spin-off version's season. Funnily enough The matrix. Especially movies one and two. 1910s Edwardian gothic historical clothing, collections in museums- The evening wear dresses. For black ladies and ladies of afro descent African American, Southern Gothic aesthetic is really good. You could also look into dystopic afrofuturism.

I love your channel! I’m definitely subscribing

i dress like all of these depending on the day (i lean more towards doll or vampire most of the time) but im so happy someone else thinks of these vibes/entities for a dark aesthetic too loved the video!!

God, this was such a good video. Okay, to give a history of how I got here: I saw a video over a year ago or so on Kibbe, watched it and thought, "What?" Interesting but confusing. Cut to now, where I decided this could be useful for my writing/art of original characters. But, I gotta be honest, going down the rabbit hole, and opting to use my own body and face to figure out what words mean, the whole Kitchener/Kibbe thing was infuriating. Every KZfaqr going over this was like, "you have to have this this and this BUT you can have exceptions around that that and that" and it regarded soft colors, palettes and gave such a wholesome, preppy vibe that it was... boring if I can be frank. Even if it's for personal use of art and writing, it left a lot to be desired. Cut to you, where I found your video on Dark Essences | Kitchener Essences with a Dark Aesthetic and that really started to help differentiate. I found that at the start of March, and I've seen several of your videos since, but I wanted to comment on _this_ one because I feel this categorized them beautifully. I'm beginning to get the subtleties and requirements, and I think it's because a dark aesthetic is such a good foundation, but when you layer the Kitchener essence on it, you can see the differences, and when putting it through the lens of these fictional archetypes, it was chef's kiss. My characters are gonna look so good. lol As for me as a person, I'm the dreaded and confusing "wears black all the time but isn't goth," so I have only the faintest clue but I know what I'm not for sure. I tend to see dark aesthetics with a lot of makeup, and I don't wear any at all. It itches like crazy. However, I do believe I can apply these to myself if I ever felt like being a bit extra. I wanted to finally leave a comment, your videos have been helpful the last four weeks, and even if you don't see this, I subscribed a couple videos in. Your mellow and calming personality certainly adds to the appeal! I'll likely go back to lurking but I wanted to give you the compliments you deserve. ❤🖤

Jane Doe from Ride The Cyclone is a pretty good inspiration for a haunted doll ! She’s literally walking around with a headless doll while using said doll’s head, heh ^^” She’s also really cute but I would freeze if I saw her irl :|

😊❤ I just adore your content

Refreshing content , love it very much. Thank you for your work.

Great vid. I finally figured out my aesthetic after years of researching, experimenting. Your videos REALLY helped.

omg I love this so much!!

Sometimes I wanna just wear PJs all the time, sometimes I wanna wear a snappy suit, sometimes I wanna dress like a villainous weasel in a sword-mice fantasy book.

Love all your videos 🖤I feel understood 🌙

Love the topics you bring here on your channel. I'm a new subscriber ❤

ive been loving ur videos!! they truly help me find my style

You’re videos are always so helpful I want to experiment with the Haunted doll/ ghostly look this year

Nice video thanks for the content 😁😊😊

this is such a fun video

Wow, this was FASCINATING

Thank you so so much🖤🖤🖤

This is my most treasured recent discovery on YT! 🖤

Since I discovered your channel, I decided that i'm no longer following fashion trends. Instead, I will craft my wardobre with my personal preference, even if doesn't make sense for other people. I'm a Gamine and dark winter, so I decided to go with a witchy look but 60's inspired (capri pants, mary janes, mini skirts, etc.) Anyway, your content is inspiring me to express myself through fashion in a authentic way. Love from Brasil 💜

Thank you so much for all your work and for sharing with us. This was really interesting and I learn things. For myself I think I’m more like a dark elfic warrior aesthetic.

You never miss. The information is always so detailed, and it is always super appreciated back! ❤

You are amazing!

one style that i’ve been obsessing over for a while is the “horror game protagonist” look. but i want it to be even more dark and slightly more mature and watching this has made me realise how lots of the aesthetics i’m drawn to are based off of that haunted doll/supernatural look. like my dream is the look like the portrait of a woman hanging in the dining room of a haunted castle

I've always loved the haunted doll but even if i can make dolls, dolls doesn't want me to be a doll, anyways, I think the witch is something that always have come in natural, but maybe its time to play and experiment, It's time to be a shapeshifter! Thanks for this amazing content ✨️

Please make more of these - they are so inspiring! I'm in the midst of a big style reset and closet purge and your channel is my new go-to. Would love to see some dark aesthetics that incorporate alien, punk, rock, military influences!

5:34 Vampire 9:07 Witch 12:23 Siren 15:48 Haunted doll 19:03 Dark Fairy

I literally call my style goth vampire siren fairy non binary immortal. I can't believe I've found this video. Thank you so much, your channel is so cozy!

Uuh that's a gem ^^ and surely ideal for anyone interested in the aesthetics. To me personally, Underworld is another great addition to a modern vampiric look - there is some Victorian feel to the outfits of most of the vamps, but the outfits of Serena are just iconic due to their clean, urban, gothic lines. Akasha on the other hand is an ancient powerful vampire, and I just don't see myself bare that much skin 😅

Cool video. Ran to the comments when I heard there are arguments about whether or not 90s Sabrina was good😂 Cheesy or not, that was a damn good show! And it was tame but the situations Sabrina found herself in had elements of, “Wow that would be really scary or creepy if it happened to me”. She didn’t have free range fun with her magic. There were always repercussions. You just have to be thoughtful enough to see that 90s Sabrina naysayers!

You’ve basically become my stylist

Aside from the witchy vibe, I've been trying to experiment with channeling werewolf vibes in my outfits which probably sounds weird 😆 but since other myth creatures have an aesthetic I figured why not give it a try.

Great video! Love your work. I wondering what’s your toughts about industrial looks, like Matrix, Dark sci fi or post apocalyptical.

Could you make a video about how to wear these aesthetics from an age pov? I.e., I’ve always used witchy fashion, I loved to look like the witch’s apprentice kind of character, ever since I was a kid until my 20s. Now I’m older, and even if I still wear witchy outfits, it feels odd, I don’t like how it looks on me, because the witch grew up, and even if I try a more age appropriate look, keeping the aesthetic, I don’t longer feel like myself. I love the combination of wool and lace.

I'm new to your channel, I've been binge watching. I'm wondering if you may possibly do a video on 40+ women dark aesthetic. With some things I feel I end up looking like I'm " trying too hard"

I've been struggling with combining my color season pallete with my dark aesthetic

How would you categorize a look that is 1930/40s (sorta dieselpunk) inspired? I love the menswear of that time but also the fancy and street styles of the ladies. Looking at my grandmother's albums, everything is already grayscale so it has that dark-ish look already. Or dark vintage circus! Pirate meets the Matrix... or, as someone else mentioned, a Warrior style? I'm a sucker for weapon jewelry :) Lovely video 🖤

Which essences would you say fit each of these dark aesthetic or which ones do you commonly see with each of these? (i love these videos btw 🖤)

omg do you have ANY shop recommendations for the creepy haunted doll look? I've been trying to find non-lolita versions of this for everyday/work and I dont know good brands! I've tried selkie, kuose, etc. but I do just have such a hard time filling out my closet w enough garments so that im not scrambling for choice!!

What are your thoughts/theories on Catwomans aesthetic? I’d love to know!

Is there a way to dress up like fairy+siren+witch when my essences (natural-ingenue with some romantic) point more towards witch and haunted doll?

can you elaborate on which witchy aesthetics cross into spiritual practices / deity tributes?

Do you have to stick to one ? I love vampire aesthetic and I’m attracted to it but I also love siren and fairy, can you do a mix of all three?

I love this but I think you missed an opportunity to talk about different dark palettes especially in the witch section. You mentioned taking inspiration from nature when dressing 'witchy' but as in a few of your videos you only mention bringing in some kind of red to add colour. No deep greens? No deep and desaturated browns? None of the 'dark autumn' palette one would expect to associate with this. No midnight blue, no gloomy greys. I know it can be really hard and kind of daunting to look beyond black when describing dark aesthetics, but I think it's well worth it to find the right fit for many people.

If we pay for the 20 dollar a month tier would you be able to tell us what our Kitchener Essences is?

so there is no dark aesthetic for structured pieces? like no kibbe dramatic dark aesthetic? all of these 5 types feel like the same...

Dear Silkymochi, I have been researching, writing about, and painting the archetypes that you mention for almost fifty years. Yes, that probably makes me a good deal older than most of your followers. I have what you would call a dark aesthetic When was younger my hair was very red, now it is stone white yet my essence is still the same..Looking at your illustrations,I see that most of them have dark hair, except for perhaps the doll bit. Do you think that you could kindly express to your readers that it is NOT necessary to have black hair to have a "dark essence". Just one more note, costume and fashion are lovely and great fun but true practitioners rarely call attention to themselves by dressing like a storybook witch or vampire or whatever. You might find them in a Book Brothers suit. The people who need you will find their way to you. Lovely images however!

Fairies aren't always "nice" in folklore. Some people are still afraid of them.

I love how japanese people can just take the porcelan doll, rococo and victorian era fashion and create lolita and then I who lives in one of the countries where the fashion was inspired from have to be mindful of "their" culture LOL