Dark academia embraces formal clothing, dimly lit rooms, gothic architecture, and marble statues. It takes inspiration from works of fiction like The Secret History, The Dead Poets Society, and Kill Your Darlings. Meanwhile, light academia is cozier. These are often images of light streaming through windows, cafes, and old books.

Dark Academia is an internet subculture, aesthetic, and literary genre devoted to higher education. This aesthetic includes Gothic architecture, rainy weather, old libraries, and classic pieces of clothing, like tweed blazers and argyle sweaters.

Dark academia is defined by the Aesthetics wiki as an “academic aesthetic that revolves around classic literature, the pursuit of self-discovery, and a general passion for knowledge and learning”.

Dark Academia is all about embracing the intellectual, mysterious, and scholarly vibes of classic literature and academia. Think vintage blazers, tweed skirts, and earthy neutrals with a moody twist—like stepping into a candle-lit library or an ivy-covered university.