Brontë-core After Dark: The Halloween Costume You’ll Actually Wear Again

Not a Costume, a Mood 

Walk into any Halloween party this weekend and count the corsets. Lace sleeves, velvet chokers, a smudge of dark lipstick, maybe a pair of moth wings if someone is really committed. Half the room looks like they wandered off the Yorkshire moors, and almost none of it came from a costume store. This year, the most fashionable thing you can wear on October 31st is a look the fashion world has been building since February. 

How We Got Here 

Blame February. Emerald Fennell’s Wuthering Heights hit theatres on February 13th, with Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi as Cathy and Heathcliff, and the press tour quickly became its own event. Robbie, the reigning queen of method dressing, worked with her longtime stylist Andrew Mukamal to pull references straight from Emily Brontë’s 1847 novel. Think sculptural corsets, layers of lace, velvet chokers and the occasional feather. Even Charli xcx, who made the film’s music, arrived at the London premiere in a pale pink Erdem gown that read as a gothic bride. The internet gave the look a name: Brontë-core. 

A few weeks later, Maggie Gyllenhaal’s The Bride! kept the mood going. The film reimagines Frankenstein’s bride in 1930s Chicago, with costumes by Sandy Powell. At the London premiere, Jessie Buckley wore a sheer black Maison Margiela gown, one of the final pieces John Galliano designed for the house. Two films, two press tours, one message: dark romance.

The Runway Was Already There 

The films didn’t invent the trend; they sped it up. Couture collections from Alexander McQueen, Schiaparelli, Dior, and Chanel had already leaned into deep, moody palettes and nature-inspired details. Prada’s Fall 2026 menswear went even further, sending out shirts that looked deliberately aged, stained, and worn. When the runway and the box office point in the same direction, the rest of us tend to follow. By spring, ruffles, ribbons, and corset tops were all over store racks and outfit videos on our feeds. 

Why It Wins Halloween 

So it’s no surprise that Wuthering Heights and The Bride! are among this season’s top costume picks, with trend roundups calling gothic romance the most “fashion” costume of the year. But the real appeal is practical. Unlike a polyester costume in a plastic bag, this one is built from pieces you’ll actually wear again. 

Start with a corset or a bustier top, which works just as well over a white button-up in November. Add something lace or sheer in black, then a long dark skirt or slip dress. A velvet choker or a ribbon tied at the neck does a lot of the work, and a dark lip with slightly undone hair (think Carolyn Bessette or Serena van der Woodsen) finishes the Cathy look.

Going for The Bride! instead? Keep the same base, then add a dramatic updo, a streak of white or grey, and a few painted-on stitches. Chances are you already own half of it, and a quick thrift run covers the rest. 

Life After October 31st 

Most Halloween costumes end up in a bag at the back of the closet by November 1st. This one doesn’t have to. Gothic romance might be the rare costume trend that outlives the holiday, which makes it the smartest thing you can wear this weekend.

This Halloween, the most haunting look is the one you’ll still be wearing in December.