It started as a lighthearted episode of Gravity Falls, where the town celebrated Halloween in the middle of summer. Now, Summerween has evolved into a cultural phenomenon in its own right. What was once reserved for the last days of October has been pulled forward to the peak of midsummer—and it shows no signs of slowing down.
From funereal fashion (think black micro-minis, lace corset tops, and platform boots) to themed pool parties dedicated to the undead (pumpkins swapped for watermelon in centre-stage), the aesthetic has taken on a life of its own. Summerween is more than a mood—it’s a beauty and fashion moment that fuses heatwave hedonism with a gothic glam twist.
Beauty, in particular, has embraced the dark side. At the beginning of July, models at Schiaparelli Couture graced the catwalk in mournful metallics, black bias-cut gowns and a hyper-glossy, jet black lip by makeup maestro Dame Pat McGrath.
Since, there’s been a flurry of gothic makeup looks. Last week, Christina Aguilera showcased a vampy, off-black lipstick—a stark update to her usual go-to fiery red shade—and a vintage Versace dress at the premiere of Burlesque: The Musical at the Savoy Theatre. At a private screening of the remake of I Know What You Did Last Summer, star Gabbriette Bechtel embodied Summerween in a black, cut-out dress and a glamorous but gothic beauty look (a pale complexion meets bouncy blowdry).
Brands have been quick off the mark, too. In the lead-up to Season 2 of Netflix’sWednesday, NYX has launched a limited-edition Wednesday collection, tapping directly into the Summerween moodboard. There’s a colour-adjusting lip oil in macabre shades, a blush palette inspired by the iconic stained glass window in Wednesday and Enid’s dorm room, and an eyeshadow palette packed with all the pigments you need for a perfectly spooky smoky eye.
Then there are the brands that have long embraced gothic glam as part of their DNA—labels where smudged liner, dark romance, and off-kilter beauty aren’t trends, but signatures. Isamaya Beauty, with its latex-finish lipsticks, sculptural mascaras, and boundary-pushing campaigns, feels less like makeup and more like modern armour and makes the perfect match for Summerween’s softly sinister aesthetic. KVD Beauty, known for its unapologetically vampy branding and punchy pigments, also lends itself perfectly to the trend.
Beyond its surface-level glamour, Summerween taps into something more subversive—a deliberate rejection of the clean-girl aesthetic typically synonymous with summer. Now, beauty seems to fall into two camps: the barely-there, glass-skin girlies, or the unapologetic goths. And just like that, makeup once again inadvertently mirrors the mood of the world—one defined by polarity, uncertainty… and the urge to pick a side. Is beauty, once again, becoming a form of protest, a way to declare exactly where you stand? Let your lipstick answer for you.