I KNOW, gothic sounds like a lot for a Tuesday. But hear me out. PORTER says a darkly romantic, gothic glamour began in London with Erdem, Pauline Dujancourt and Simone Rocha and became "the thread that stitched the season together." Their picture of it is Margot Robbie's Cathy Earnshaw in Wuthering Heights on a night out in 2026, which is honestly the most specific and useful mood board I have ever been handed.

The palette is bottle green, ochre, scarlet and purple, and the fabrics are lace, velvet, leather and rich brocades. None of that requires a costume. Below are two ways to wear it, lace after dark and moody florals, with three looks for each and the full edit to shop further down.

ELLE Canada put it best: lace can be slick and body-slimming, as seen at Saint Laurent and Gucci, or playful and pretty, like at Givenchy and Chloé, and it "can be as sophisticated or suggestive as you desire." PORTER adds that Saint Laurent and Tom Ford co-signed the gothic mood with latex, lace and evening dresses styled with vampy collars. So lace is not just for slips anymore. It is going out at night, and it is wearing boots.

The first look pairs Rabanne's floral lace midi skirt with a black Rixo cardigan trimmed in cream lace, tall Khaite Davis boots and a Toteme T-Lock clutch. The second is all black: Rabanne's lace crop top, Etro's velvet flares, The Frankie Shop's Leroy coat and Tom Ford's patent pump with a lace panel, so it is lace on lace. The third goes burgundy, with a Bananhot lace minidress under Nour Hammour's leather bomber and Saint Laurent's Jill boots. My tip is to pair lace with something tough, like leather, a heavy coat or a tall boot, so it reads strong rather than sweet. What I would skip is head-to-toe sheer lace with nothing structured on top. It tips into costume very fast.

Top right: Rixo Tassia Cardigan, Rabanne Lace Midi Skirt, Khaite Davis Boots, Toteme T-Lock Clutch, Jennifer Behr Justine Earrings, Saint Laurent Oval Sunnies. Bottom left: The Frankie Shop Leroy Coat, Rabanne Lace Crop Top, Etro Velvet Flares, Tom Ford Lace Pumps, Gohar World Baguette Bag, Saint Laurent Petal Earrings. Bottom right: Nour Hammour Briar Bomber, Bananhot Francisca Lace Minidress, Saint Laurent Jill Boots, Jacquemus Le Salon Bag, Saint Laurent Fetiche Earrings.

Vogue noticed that Dries Van Noten and Erdem embraced the spirit of fall with down-to-earth palettes of green and brown, "punctuated by dark floral patterns," and that intricate floral brocades showed up at Dries on everything from outerwear to midiskirts. PORTER also notes that Erdem, who celebrates his 20th anniversary this season, took fragments from past collections. This is the opposite of a sweet summer floral. Think big blooms on black, the kind of print that looks like it came off an old still life.

The fourth look is built around the Dries Van Noten floral midi skirt, with its big orange and red blooms on black, worn with a plain Leset cardigan, Toteme's Day knee-high boots and a green Bottega Veneta Lauren 1979 clutch. The fifth puts Dolce & Gabbana's rose print pencil skirt under a bottle green Max Mara velvet blazer, with Miu Miu's buckled ballerinas. The sixth turns it around, with a green Dries floral blouse over burgundy Asceno velvet trousers and Alaïa's criss-cross flats. My tip is to pull one color out of the print and repeat it in your jacket, bag or shoe, which keeps the whole look calm. What I would skip is mixing two florals at once. One dark print per outfit is plenty.

Top right: Leset James Cardigan, Dries Van Noten Floral Midi Skirt, Toteme Day Boots, Bottega Veneta Lauren 1979 Clutch, Dries Van Noten Loop Earrings. Bottom left: Max Mara Velvet Blazer, Dolce & Gabbana Floral Pencil Skirt, Miu Miu Buckle Ballerinas, Khaite Blake Clutch, Valentino Pas Plus Earrings. Bottom right: Dries Van Noten Floral Blouse, Asceno Austin Velvet Pants, Alaïa Criss-Cross Flats, Saint Laurent Nuit Blanche Bag, Cult Gaia Lucky Earrings.

My favorite way into this trend is a skirt, because it does the most work with the least effort. Erdem's pleated floral lace midi is the most romantic thing in this edit, and Rabanne's lace midi is its slightly tougher cousin. On the floral side there is the Dries Van Noten midi with those painterly blooms, a Dries silk satin slip skirt, Dolce & Gabbana's rose pencil skirt and a Saint Laurent floral skirt. For velvet, Etro's flared pants and Asceno's Austin trousers are both soft enough to wear all day. My tip is to keep the top plain and fitted so the skirt can be the whole story. What I would skip is a lace skirt with a busy lace top, unless one of the two is black and very simple.

Tall boots are what make this trend work in daylight. Khaite's Davis boots, Saint Laurent's Jill and Toteme's Day boots all come up to the knee, so a lace or floral midi gets a little edge. On the flatter side, Miu Miu's Ballerine Buckle and Alaïa's criss-cross ballet flats feel a bit Victorian, in a good way, and Tom Ford's lace pump is there for nights that call for a heel. Bags are small and dark: a Toteme T-Lock clutch, Gohar World's baguette, Jacquemus' Le Salon, the Bottega Lauren 1979, Khaite's Blake clutch and a Saint Laurent python chain bag. My tip is to match your boot to the darkest color in your outfit. What I would skip is a bright, sporty sneaker, which breaks the mood completely.

Gothic jewelry should look a little like it came from a great aunt's dresser. Jennifer Behr's Justine drops have that jewel box feel, Saint Laurent's oversized petal earrings and asymmetric Fetiche earrings are properly sculptural, and Dries Van Noten's handmade loop earrings look antique in the nicest way. Cult Gaia's Lucky earrings bring a flower, Valentino's Pas Plus earrings bring the drama, and Bottega Veneta's Flower Knot chain necklace is the one piece here for your neck. Saint Laurent's plump oval sunglasses finish it, very Wuthering Heights on a night out. My tip is that a high neckline means no necklace, so go big on earrings instead. What I would skip is anything that looks too shiny and new, like a stack of bright chains.

The fastest way to get this wrong is to wear all of it at once. Pick one romantic piece, lace or velvet or a dark floral, and build the rest from things you already own: a plain knit, good boots, a coat. Every look above has at least one ordinary piece in it, and that is what makes the drama believable on a Tuesday. Cathy Earnshaw would approve. If you want to keep browsing, I also put together The Suit Reboot and Wedding Dresses.