Dark Academia Summer Outfits Guide (List Of 11+ Must-Haves For 2024)

The dark academia aesthetic is influenced by Greek mythology and existential poetry, as well as authors such as Shakespeare, the Bronte sisters, and Jane Austen. It supposes to look classical, European, romantic and tragic.

Dark academia outfits are less common for hot and warm weather. However, if you want to maintain that high-education, classy and mysterious vibe for summer, you can still embrace the dark academia aesthetic through your hair, nails, tattoos, clothing, colors, casual outfits, makeup look and accessories through today’s guide.

Summer is a time for enjoying the sun and outdoor activities. To feel comfortable in dark academia clothes in summer, remember to choose light fabrics that can flow and drape well, like cotton, satin, silk or linen. Avoid wearing the same dark color for every piece of outfit, you can also wear a black-on-black pattern such as plaid, stripes, or anything else you find. Choose a few textures to add contrast and visually break up the outfit for a lighter and more airy vibe. Also avoid wearing too much makeup or accessories, which will only make you more hot and sweaty.

Hopefully, this post will inspire you to create your own dark academia-inspired looks! Okay! Let’s get started!

Dark Academia Summer Shirt

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✅ Best Women’s Collar Ribbed Knit Tee

Absolutely adorable! – love these! They’re so cute under sweaters. Definitely wish they had bigger sizes, especially since you have bigger breasts. They’re pretty small and tight with not a lot of stretch, but really not upset about it. It does its job and looks really cute!

Dark Academia Satin Blouse

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✅ Best Women Dark Academia Satin Blouse

Yes. Worth your time and money. – This blouse actually looks more expensive than what it really cost. The color is just as seen in the ad. Pleasantly surprised with this buy! Love the feel of the material and fit.

Dark Academia Jewelry

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✅ Best Pendant Necklace For Book Lovers

Just as described, as pictured. – Perfect! Very pleased with the quality & size of the pendant, the chain was a little bit nicer- it seems to catch on itself & tangle easily. Overall, a totally awesome tribute to a beloved character.

Dark Academia Summer Top

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✅ Best Women’s Trim Ribbed Knit Short Sleeve T-Shirt

Great quality, great look! – Wife loves it, and it looks great on her! She says it’s comfortable and is very stretchy! It was a great addition to her sleep and play wardrobe and goes very well.

Dark Academia Summer Maxi Dress

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✅ Best Women’s Light Linen Simple Maxi Dress

Amazingly Comfortable and worth the money – Absolutely love this dress. It’s perfect for summer, it’s nice and flowy, exactly what you were looking for. The straps are adjustable which is great and there are pockets which is a great feature in any dress. Highly recommend this one.

Dark Academia Summer Linen Dress

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✅ Best Women’s Linen Blend Flutter-Sleeve Peasant Dress

Very comfortable – Very good quality. Impeccable construction, light fabrics, perfect length and beautiful cut. Big WOW. Bought a second one, a different color, and it’s a great decision. Very happy with this purchase.

Plaid Tennis Skirt

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✅ Best Women’s Plaid Tennis Skirt

Nice schoolgirl skirt– American Appeal skirts are infamous for being really nice knife pleat skirts, and that holds true. It’s the perfect length, with no hanging butts and no accidental flashing of anyone when being out and about. This skirt is a little stiff… but will be honest you like that about it. It still gives a flow, but if you come across a strong breeze you aren’t going to end up like an inside-out umbrella. Also, it is not see-through. Highly recommended!

Dark Academia Summer Shoes

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✅ Best Women’s Leather Perforated Lace-up Oxfords Shoes

Great Quality, Perfect fit but will be stiff for the first wear– The fit is absolutely perfect! Order your regular size. Do not be discouraged when trying to put them on for the first time. The leather is super stiff, it took me a while to put them on the first time, but once you finally got them on they’re the perfect fit. A couple more wears and they’ll be easy to get into. Very comfortable bumpy lining inside, a soft, but sturdy heel, and the quality of the work is amazing.

Dark Academia Summer Shorts

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✅ Best Women’s Casual Corduroy Shorts With Pockets

Cute comfy pants – soft nice material – Love, love, love these shorts! Got them in rust, brown, and black and wear them all the time. They are cute! And super comfy.

Dark Academia Thin Summer Vest

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✅ Best Women Teen Girl Ribbed Cami Vest

Great Shirt – Teen girl trendy crop top sleeveless crop top for women cute y2k vest crop shirt, e-girl graphic crop top, tee-shirt crop top, comfortable crewneck, fashion irregular plaid print, Y2k bodycon tank top, show your body curve and charming.

Dark Academia Plaid Summer Blazer

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✅ Best Women’s Casual Slim Fit Blazer For Business Lady

It’s a good product for the price – This is very nice and the fabric is of good quality, loved it and the measurements are very helpful.

Dark Academia Summer Outfits For Male

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✅ Best Dark Academia Summer Outfits For Male

Looks Great! – Like the way this fits. The colors are bold. Old school-like knitted shirts, very comfortable and sporty while being elegant. The opening and color are a little large. Good value for the money. Great Buy!

You should be confident when you carry your favorite dark academic aesthetics. The best way to feel confident about yourself is to have a good self-image and be comfortable with the clothes that you wear. This doesn’t mean that you have to dress up in designer clothes or wear expensive makeup, but it does mean that you need to know what looks good on you and what doesn’t.

The second thing is to look for clothing that fits your body type. If you are petite, then you should avoid wearing anything too baggy or too tight because this can make your body look bigger than it actually is. If you’re tall, then don’t shy away from wearing high heels or boots because these will help elongate your legs and make them appear longer, adopting some boyish style can also be a nice touch!

The third thing is to find an outfit that matches your personality. If you’re an introvert who likes reading books and spending time alone, then don’t go out wearing flashy clothes like sequins or neon colors because people won’t take you seriously when they see those types of things on someone who lives alone all day long! Choose something more subtle such as dark academia style with a sweater over dress pants with some cute flats instead! If you want to adopt a full lifestyle with dark academic aesthetics, you will regret missing our guide for dark aesthetic room decor!

What should you wear to look dark academia in summer?

For the top, Dark academia summer outfit can include a clean white button-up with a loose fit, a flowing linen gown in dark neutral colors, a nude color summer blazer, and a super-thin sweater vest to be worn as a shirt. For the bottom, you can pair with some checked or plaid midi skirts, corduroy or plaid shorts/cotton pants with a dark shade, then wear some oxford shoes or loafers.

What are dark academia summer outfit colors?

The dark academia summer outfit color palette consists of black, dark brown, forest green, olive, dark orange, navy blue and burgundy. But you will want to mix the dark colors with brighter neutral colors such as white, beige, cream and gold.

How do you style your hair for summer dark academia aesthetic?

You can do a lot of things with your hair to embrace the dark academia aesthetic for the summer. Long flowy hairstyles are popular among ladies who embrace this aesthetic. If you have long hair and would like to keep it that way, add a few braids and twists to create a more high-class look.

You can also go for bangs and long hair with a side part. If you want to add a bit of color to your hair, consider dyeing it burgundy or darker brown. If you have short hair, consider getting it cut in an angled bob or pixie cut. You can also curl your short hair and put it into a high bun for a sophisticated look.

If you want to add some variety to your hairstyle, consider getting braids or twist braids that are close to the head. This keeps the focus on the face and helps you achieve the desired aesthetic. Simple and classy hair accessories can be used as hair grip, think silk or velvet scrunchies or hair bows, vintage claw clip, or tiny hairpins in gold or rose gold colors(maybe decorated with pearls).

How do you do dark academia summer nails?

Dark academia summer fashion includes painting nails in dark, neutral and muted shades such as black, gray, brown, navy, burgundy and plum. You can also get acrylic or coffin nails in these tones if you prefer them over natural nails, then decorate with dark academia patterns such as plaid or elegant vintage flowers outlines.

How do you do dark academia aesthetic tattoos?

Summer is the best time to show off your aesthetic tattoo. The best dark academia aesthetic tattoos will be small and literary related, such as a stack of books with a teacup or coffee mug on top, a typewriter, a quote from your favorite classic book, a short poem, an ampersand, a semicolon, a painting, sword/knife, snake, little dragon, something in Greek or Latin, flowers, a statue of your favorite philosopher, and possibly anything art history related.

How do you do makeup for dark academia in summer?

In general, dark academic summer makeup is fairly muted, so keep your skin makeup pale while emphasizing the eyes. Some of the most popular Dark Academia makeup looks include deep eye shadows, intense lip colors, dramatic brows and a little red on the cheeks. If you don’t want to go for the bold look, the other option for a dark academia look is completely natural.

What accessories to wear with dark academia summer outfits?

Dark academia fashion accessories are decorative items that supplement the dark color summer outfit to add the classy scholar vibe. Popular items include silk or cashmere scarves, watches, monograms, dark color leather bags and belts, Ray-Bans wayfarer or tortoiseshell vintage sunglasses, hair accessories, pearl studs and lightweight gold or silver jewelry. The accessories you choose should be simple and complement the outfit. Nothing too ostentatious or flashy. The essence of dark academia is mystery and elegance. Check out the gift ideas if you want to get paired together with your loved ones!

How to dress dark academia for college in summer?

Classic pieces, such as tailored trousers, pleated jackets reminiscent of a prep school uniform, plaid or tweed separates, and a sharp pair of loafers, are driving dark academic outfits for the summer. A moody color palette of dark neutrals and deepened shades of burgundy, olive, and navy is also essential for your dark academia college style. When the fall starts to begin and leaves are falling down, don’t forget to check our winter wardrobe guide for a consistent style.

How to dress dark academia for summer street style?

To make this aesthetic for casual summer street style, you can wear a linen collared shirt, satin blouses, thin vests that give off a more academic vibe than a patterned t-shirt. Denim is also not commonly worn in dark academia, but rather a plaid skirt, corduroy shorts, dress pants, skinny pants, slacks and trousers. The whole concept of Dark Academia is very mysterious, so you need to put together your casual outfit accordingly.

Where to buy dark academia aesthetic clothes for summer?

Ralph Lauren is a fashion brand that is particularly associated with dark academia for those with a budget. Other store names that carry a lot of pieces for your dark academia summer fashion wardrobe include Nordstrom, ASOS, Anthropologie, Mango, J.Crew, Uniqlo, Urban Outfitters, Zara, Zalando, H&M and YesStyle.

For those who want to dress in dark academia for cheap, you can find a lot of dark academia clothes and fashion websites, so it is easy for you to build a dark academia wardrobe. In fact, similar items can be purchased at a cheaper price on Amazon or eBay. If you want to buy dark academia fashion items at the lowest sale price (and do not care about long-term quality or copyright issues) then you can even explore sources like Shein, AliExpress or Wish.

Another good idea to support small businesses and get quality deals is to shop from your local second-hand stores, vintage shop, flea markets, consignment stores, yard sales and Craigslist. You can even treasure hunt grandmother’s wardrobe. Delivery time is usually the fastest when ordering from Amazon or shopping locally.

If you are into handmade crafting, ethnic clothing and indie styles, you can spend some hours in our DIY session or shop from Etsy to get inspiration for dark academia sewing patterns and your other fashion needs. If you’re interested in more trendy styles, check out our website for more up-to-date information.