There’s a chill in the air, the leaves are beginning to turn, and each night is longer than the last; it’s officially the season of the witch. Fittingly, whimsigoth—a viral aesthetic that embraces romanticism and the macabre in equal measure—is taking off on TikTok, where the hashtags #whimsigoth and #whimsigothic have already racked up 25 million and 43 million views, respectively.
The term, which melds “whimsical” and “gothic,” was coined by Evan Collins, architectural designer and co-founder of the Consumer Aesthetics Research Institute. It was first used to describe decor, after Collins noticed “moody, sort of dark, but still weirdly playful” elements in late ’80s and early ’90s design—think spindly wrought iron, glass baubles, and gilded light fixtures straight out of The Cheesecake Factory. Collins began grouping the styles together as “whimsical mystical gothic celestial,” later shortened to whimsigoth. The term eventually made its way to TikTok, where users translated it to the dark, witchy, goth-adjacent fashion that was popular throughout ’80s and ’90s fashion.
With icons like Stevie Nicks, Anna Sui, and Lisa Bonet, the style isn’t exactly novel, but it now has a name—plus a massive, brand-new audience. The whimsigoth of today emphasizes rich textures (velvet, lace, leather), bold colors (ruby reds, shimmering purples, cosmic blues), and plenty of jewelry, layering each element like brushstrokes in a Millais painting. It’s luxurious without being fussy and distinctly feminine with a razor-sharp edge—exactly the brooding, slightly theatrical wardrobe you’d wear if you, too, could become a teenage witch.
