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Here ye, here ye! Gather round, for I have a wondrous tale of magic and mysticism to weave, of chivalry, of adventure, of romance… and of fall fashion. This season, we’re not looking forward for style inspiration, nor even to the very recent past — the trend cycle is turning to the Dark Ages, literally; we’re all going medieval.
I noticed the trend first taking shape at Rabanne. The brand’s spring/summer 2024 collection — a veritable feast of fringed, chainmail hoods — was an homage to the brand’s founder, Paco Rabanne, and the space age chainmail he first introduced in 1966.
Following suit, the fall/winter ‘24 runways eagerly took up the mantle. Consider, the armour-like corsets at Di Petsa, tunic-style dresses at Aniye Records, a chainmail headpiece made with keys at Dilara Findikoglu, and an ancient tapestry-inspired dress at Loewe. But it was Dior’s Resort ‘25 show that took it to the next level. Set at Drummond Castle in Perthshire, Scotland, models stalked through the gardens in lace-up corsets, cloaks, gothic-style gowns, chainmail knit dresses, leather arm braces, studded harnesses, and very literal Joan of Arc-style breastplates. It felt almost like Dior’s Creative Director, Maria Grazia Chiuri, was assembling her models for battle.
It’s not just the fashion world that’s obsessed. Pop culture is riding hard for all things medieval lately, too. Just take a look at the 2024 VMAs, where one pop megastar (ahem, Taylor Swift) donned one of Dior’s plaid, corseted high-low gowns, complete with lace-up leather arm braces and thigh-high boots, whilst another (Chappell Roan) dedicated her entire night to an array of medieval looks. Starting with a sheer, flowy Y/Project gown, Roan accessorised with a 300-year-old velvet robe, a massive crucifix pendant, dagger-like nails, fingerless chainmail gloves, gauntlet-style cuffs, and an actual sword. And, just to complete the fantasy, she was accompanied by an actual medieval-style bodyguard and a 600-year-old rug to walk on. (Because of course, why not? Chappell Roan doesn’t do anything by halves when it comes to fashion.)
Roan then took to the stage and took things up a notch, donning a full suit of armour to shoot a flaming crossbow and perform her hit, “Good Luck Babe”, with an assortment of armoured dancers. (She followed it by accepting an award for Best New Artist in a Rabanne chainmail dress and matching veil.)
Since all this is happening in the year 2024, the aesthetic has — of course — been granted a handy-dandy, social media-friendly nickname: You’ll see this trend referenced as either medievalcore, medieval weird core, or ‘weirdeval’ over on TikTok, popularised by accounts like @nichefashiongirl and @lauralaurachova. But, like most “cores,” it’s not a new sensation. There have been several resurgences. In the late ‘90s, there was the witchy …read more
Source:: Refinery29
