From Dead Poets Society, a Transcendental film that embodies the Dark Academia aesthetic and is included in the 10th grade curriculum at the high school where I’ve been teaching for 13 years (and it’s the same high school I attended).

Even though it’s hard for me to believe, tomorrow will be the first day of my thirteenth year of teaching.

I’m excited for this year; I’m teaching Creative Writing again, and I’m teaching English 11, which focuses on British and Irish Literature. My time spent living in Ireland and earning my Master’s degree in Creative Writing are being put to good use in the classroom.

With this new teaching schedule, I’m eager to try other new things, like maybe changing up my personal style. I think that for this academic year, I want to embrace a “Dark Academia” style.

What is Dark Academia?

Probably because of the internet furor that accompanied the film Saltburn, Dark Academia is an aesthetic that became popular on TikTok not too long ago. According to Wikipedia, Dark Academia is “is an internet aesthetic and subculture concerned with higher education, the arts, and literature, or an idealised version thereof.” This aesthetic was also captured in films like Dead Poets Society, Cruel Intentions, and Never Let Me Go, and in books like Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro, The Secret History by Donna Tartt, and One of Us Is Lying by Karen M. McManus. I love those movies and books, and I love higher education and the arts and literature, so I became extremely interested and wanted to learn more. That’s when I discovered it wasn’t just an entertainment trend, but it also applies to fashion.

The look is classic and intellectual, and it should emphasize the image of a refined, studious individual; it’s timeless and scholarly. To build a Dark Academia wardrobe, key pieces are needed. Because it’s heavily influenced by higher education, wardrobe staples for this trend include tweed blazers, chunky knit sweaters, tailored trousers, and turtlenecks in neutral tones. This trend is suited for colder weather, so that gives me time to complied a few outfits to try out during the school year.

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I’m also hoping the change in season and aesthetic will help facilitate a change in my writing, from being nonexistent to being done. It’s long been said that people should dress for the jobs they want, and how you present yourself indicates not only personal style, but the respect you feel for yourself and your endeavors. Check back here as the school year progresses for some Creative Writing lessons and exercises, and to see how Dark Academia worked out for me.

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