Horror And Haute Couture Go Hand in Hand

From jaws to claws, fashion cannot get enough of the frightfully gruesome. For an industry that orbits around aesthetics, designers sure like to brood over the ugly yet fascinating world of horror. There is something beautiful about the juxtaposition of stylish and monstrous and some of the chicest designs have been inspired by the most blood-curdling events.

Take Alexander McQueen for example, the late British designer was enthralled by twisted concepts – creating collections inspired by Victorian mental asylums and the serial killer Jack the Ripper. There is no better way to show fashion’s entwinement with horror than through McQueen’s work. His 1999 Autumn/Winter collection titled “The Overlook” was inspired by Stanley Kubrick’s iconic 1980 film The Shining. Presented in a glass box to represent a snow globe, the collection featured models ice skating down the runway in dramatic furs and “coiled” corsets constructed of handcrafted aluminium coils after casting the model’s torso in concrete to receive an exact form of her body. The brutalist design is the consummate balance between bloodshed and beauty.

Robert Wun views horror movies as poetry, providing inspiration for moody, surreal silhouettes. During his most recent collection (shown during Paris Couture Week) Wun manifested crystallized blood stains and shadowy figures hidden by structured, whimsical hats – now a staple to the brand. This reach towards the dark side isn’t a first for the London College of Fashion graduate, in previous collections we can perceive inspiration drawn from Stephen King’s phenomenon “It” through a campy, monochromatic raincoat look, influenced by one of the victims of Pennywise the clown.

There is no rulebook that states that fashion must equate to femininity and fragility, as Wun states: “If couture is only beautiful and delicate and inspired by flowers, then everyone winds up doing the same thing.”

During his Autumn/Winter show of 2023, Louis-Gabriel Nouchi touched base by exploring the taboo themes covered within Bret Easton Ellis’ novel “American Psycho.” Nouchi’s creative process is almost entirely found within books, this time models were made to wear trench coats in addition to their blood-splattered faces to mimic the iconic scene from the movie adaptation in which Christian Bale makes his first kill. The collection captures Ellis’ study of masculinity in an elegant yet sensual way.

Raf Simons made quite the splash when he showcased his Spring/Summer collection for Calvin Klein in 2019 … “An ode to Jaws.” Simons has never been one to shy away from sinister references and this catwalk was all bite. Models walked atop a blood-red carpet amongst projected clips from the Stephen Spielberg flick adorned with Jaws memorabilia and wet-look makeup.

Fashion and horror go hand in hand - the aesthetics of horror visuals are designed purposefully to achieve an element of discomfort or disgust, while the fashion industry (although perhaps not wanting to achieve complete disgust) want to provoke a reaction within consumers – especially within the couture realm. Advocating whimsy and capriciousness is a huge part of the meaning behind Haute Couture shows – people want to be entertained. Integrating psychological concepts with garments can trigger a fight or flight response within viewers, which in turn creates a theatrical masterpiece within fashion.