It may be spring, but actually it's the season of the witch

Telegraph

28-03-2025

Spring: a season of optimism, fluffy lambs and daffodils nodding gently in the breeze. Though not for everyone. For a growing number of people, March is less about gambolling through meadows in a floral dress, and more about trudging through forests in a long cape, heavy boots and a maxi dress.
Yellow? Pink? A hex on them. Black is the only colour to wear this month – for it's the season of the witch.
Witchery, it seems, is the new black – or certainly the newest take on it. At last month's London Fashion Week, Turkish-British designer Dilara Findikoglu showed a witch-coded collection that featured hair twined around models' bodies, as well as feather and shell adornments that looked deliberately primitive and pagan. Comme des Garçons and Gabriela Hearst also mined a witchy seam, while Rick Owens was as gothic as he's ever been.
It's a trend reflected by the wider culture. Lady Gaga's new album, Mayhem, utilises witchy iconography in its artwork and 'Mother Monster' herself, who just announced her upcoming tour in imagery that's straight from covens of Salem, has been wearing a series of dark, sweeping gowns. The same goes for – predictably – the new trailer for season two of Wednesday, the hit Netflix show starring Jenna Ortega (in which Gaga also has a forthcoming role).
See the rise in tarot in recent years; incorporated into the Dior catwalk – Monsieur Dior lived his life by the rules of the tarot cards – and subject of a recent exhibition. JD Vance's dismissal of 'childless cat ladies' during the US election galvanised a whole section of women who are happier with their felines and single lifestyle than they are with felons in government. And that's before you even consider the ever-increasing number of British women who seem to be developing a hitherto undiscovered passion for witchcraft. In coffee shops across the land, hormonal midlifers are busy debating the merits of burning sage vs palo santo, and which moon phase is most optimal for manifesting a government U-turn on Henry's spiralling school fees.
Christian Dior's 2017 Tarot Pouch
Even if you scoff at witchcraft and think the equinox is a chain of gyms, there's still much to love about fashion's witchy ways; the spring equinox actually occurred last week, as it happens. At the very least, they're an excellent reason to embrace black, a shade that most women would likely admit to being their favourite.
For the author and Vogue contributing editor Tish Weinstock, black is less a trend than a way of life: so much so that she wrote a book about it (How To Be A Goth: Notes on Undead Style).
'Despite its perceived singularity, black contains a multitude of meanings,' says Weinstock, whose whimsi-gothic look is so in demand that she recently found herself modelling in the Chloé show. 'It's dark and romantic, which allows me to convey a sense of strength and power but also still be soft and feminine at the same time. It acts as both armour and uniform, a front that I can hide behind but also use as a vehicle through which to express something true and authentic about myself. It allows me to stand out and blend in, depending on my mood.'
As the colour of death and mystery, black might have a reputation for being foreboding, but for those who wear it habitually, the opposite is true. As a teenage goth, I always took comfort in scanning the crowd and immediately recognising my people. 'There's something very tribal about women who gravitate towards black, like we're some big coven of witchy misfits,' Weinstock agrees.
While you may, with some justification, be cackling at the notion that the witchy look can be incorporated into everyday life, don't throw the baby (or frog) out with the bathwater just yet. No one is suggesting you venture out dressed as Wicked 's Elphaba: the trick is to concoct a sartorial potion that works for you. Rather than the extreme silhouette afforded by a long cape, for example, look for a shorter version; a surprisingly versatile garment that can be worn with dresses or jeans.
'A black cape thrown over an evening look instantly updates it, as well as adding a dose of gothic romance,' advises the stylist Shelly Vella. 'But it can equally add a touch of quirkiness to a pair of jeans and a blouse.' Vella also suggests swapping stiffer, more foreboding black fabrics for soft and fluid ones. 'Long black chiffon skirts are super flattering and easy to wear, and certainly lend your look a witchy aesthetic, especially when paired with a fitted black body. I also think Schiaparelli 's black brocade opera-style coat ticks all the right boxes – I anticipate a slew of high street lookalikes.'
As for the idea that black is draining/ageing/downright unflattering on women past a certain age, it's nonsense. Vella agrees. 'If you've traditionally swerved wearing black, think again – true black really sets off grey, blonde and red hair. Far from draining a complexion, with a slick of bright lipstick, it enhances and draws the eye to your face. It's also slimming, easy to accessorise and the perfect base colour in a capsule wardrobe.'
Witchery is also enjoying a moment in the interiors world. The homeware company Witch and Watchman (the name originates from a Victorian magic show) has designed a new wallpaper print, Nocturne, featuring snakes, bats and spiders – not the first creatures that might spring to mind upon cheering up the living room, yet the result is surprisingly uplifting. 'It's my take on Gothic chinoiserie, weaving elements of fantasy and nature,' says founder Helen Wilson.
The homeware designer Bell Hutley became interested in witchcraft eight years ago, and soon found forest imagery creeping into her aesthetic. 'I grew up surrounded by bogs, valleys and moss-covered woodlands brimming with mysticism,' says Hutley, whose clients include the model Daisy Lowe and Lady Amelia Windsor. 'The reality is that a cheery design aesthetic is much more sellable, but I've always been drawn to a darker, moodier colour palette.'
Like many drawn to witchcraft, Hutley relishes feeling part of something bigger. 'From the rise of Wicca to the 'Witchtok' subcategory on TikTok, witchery is definitely seeping into the culture. There are also so many witchcraft and folklorist podcasters out there forming micro-communities, meaning that the modern day witch has a wide online web presence fostering connections through shared lore and rituals. It feels less like a niche and more like a cultural coven that you want to be part of.'
Politically, you could argue that there's never been a better time to celebrate subversive women – or better still, become one.
Says Weinstock: 'In the era of toxic masculinity, where women are being silenced and our autonomy over our own bodies is being questioned, it's never been so vital to platform those who are willing to stand up and speak out. There is strength in the coven. It's time to send in the witches.' Or failing that, it's time to dress like one.
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