Cathedral-Core: Gothic Fashion’s Ode to Architecture
How gothic cathedrals inspire the runway, the wardrobe and the home
World Architecture Day (October 6) is a celebration of the structures that shape our lives and our imaginations — and in the world of fashion, few inspirations loom larger than the gothic cathedral.
Rising in popularity this season under the banner of cathedral-core, we see runway looks evoking stained glass hues as well as patterns inspired by soaring spires and ribbed ceilings.
From couture gowns traced with echoes of ornamental stone work to ready-to-wear silhouettes modelled after vaulted arches, the fashion world is turning to stone (literally) for inspiration.
From Mourning to Midnight: Goth-Coded FW25 Fashion Week Trends
Dark-souled dressers, rejoice; this year’s Fall/Winter fashion week has unveiled its fashion prophecies—many designers across Paris, Milan, London and New York integrated gothic themes into their collections with exquisite precision.
From Alexander McQueen’s hauntingly beautiful black gowns to Dolce & Gabbana’s smoldering sequin slip dresses and Thom Browne’s poetic dark academia elegy, the runways became altars of goth-coded reinvention, celebration, evolution and worship.
These otherworldly artistic portraits bled outward, guiding RTW houses—and all of us—to lace these themes into our daily wardrobes.
Below is the full Ledger — 11 gothic archetypes, each paired with designers whose FW25 collections embodied her contradictions, her strength, her spell. Below, we’ve pulled runway inspiration and tips on how to incorporate couture signatures into her closet.
For shoppable FW25 capsule wardrobes, check out part two here.