The Summer of Dark Whimsy

The Summer of Dark Whimsy

♡ STYLE + BEAUTY 
Written by Jordan Forever
Please note that by purchasing something through a link, heavenly may earn a commission.  

I found myself drawn to colors this summer. Deep, rich tones of orange, fuchsia pinks and dark purples; the sort of colors I typically veer away from, especially when dressing. I love to wear black, it's almost always more than fifty percent of my ensemble, but when curating my summer 2026 wardrobe I, for the first time, found an array of new, earthy and beautiful tones filling up my closet. It feels like a natural shift for me in the moment. To evolve slightly on from the safety of black armor (though the allure of that will never die) and build on it by adding a pop of color to top it off. This evolution has been inspired by many different things but I think my new obsession to shopping vintage designer pieces was the initial spark. 

I fell ill in the beginning of December and stayed ill until the end of February. Between endless tests and doctors appointments, the only thing I really felt good enough to do was curl up under the blankets and browse depop. It started on depop but the obsession quickly spread to The Real Real, Ebay and far beyond. I set out on a mission to acquire pieces from all my favorite designers past collections. The pieces I have saved in pinterest folders, I wanted those to be hanging in my closet. Not just hanging there but for an incredible price as well because there's only one thing I love more than finding incredible clothes and that's finding them for an incredible price (thank you Mom for teaching me to be so savvy and resourceful). 

One of the first designers I typed into the search with my new assignment was Anna Sui. The love affair between Anna Sui and I has been a long ongoing one. She's so smart, whimsical and with a touch of punk. There's this quality to her clothing that is so completely hers. She does things her own unique way, it's not the mainstream, you won't find something similar. She's quirky but not too quirky that it loses taste. She uses rich colors but not in a stiff, mature way. She has loud prints but the look is never shouting for attention. For me, she stands out among a long list of talented designers as somewhat niche and underrated. People know her name, her designs are held in high esteem, but she's not YSL or Dior. She never became too big that she lost her individualism. She became just big enough to be in the ranks of where her artistry belongs but not so big that we don't see her essence in every piece. 

Back to blog
1 6

This was the first snowflake that started the snowball of infinite searches and the development of my style theory for summer 2026 (and perhaps beyond). I find myself living between these two extremes; one being the darkness of our world at the moment and how it wants to me pull me under at every turn, and the other, opposite, this overwhelming feeling that I am becoming something more true, more bright than what was once before.

I always begin styling a look with color. I think perhaps the language I speak most fluently is first in color and second in words. I inherently know what colors to put together to create the story I am trying to tell and right now, it seems that what I want to say is both eerie and vibrant. Gloomy, gothic and yet, rebirthing itself. The flower that grows despite the destruction. It's the feeling I get when I step outside in my new vintage Anna Sui skirt and the sky is so filled with pollution that I can't see the sun. It's as if I am blooming and the world around me is dying. The juxtaposition feels wrong. It doesn't sit with me in the right way. Where there should be celebration there is instead grief. The weight of the world cloaks my shoulders and feels heavy. I put on my outfit as an act of defiance. I don't let the heaviness keep me from expressing myself, from creating beauty. I create the beauty as a way to keep going. A small act of creation when destruction is in authority.

I suppose when life has this dry, brittle feeling to it like it does right now. The only thing left to do is notice and tend to the small things. Like a plant sitting quietly in the room wishing for water, having no words to ask for it, it requires you to notice it on your own. The way to bloom in an empty place is to be the one who notices and does the small act of giving it some fresh water.

It is the tale of the human spirit, which is somehow more visible now then before. To find a way to keep growing despite unfavorable conditions. To still seek out and appreciate beauty even when we don't have peace. That is the will of the human spirit and it is mighty.

I suppose all the memes on the girlosphere algorithm are real, and you really can't make me lose my whimsy. Only this summer, I think it calls for a darker backdrop. So that we might be seen more vividly. Xx

Return to blog →