Fashion in Forks: Twilight’s Sad Girl Autumn
Image Courtesy: Instagram
As soon as October hits, I have the Twilight series on a loop on the TV. Something about a slight shift in the weather and a pumpkin on the porch calls for vampire romance and “Eyes on Fire” by Life of a Ghost. With strong characterizations comes an array of fashion inspiration, and since autumn is among us, diving into Twilight's closet seems only fitting.
As 2000s fashion makes its comeback, so are popular movies from the period, though I suspect Twilight never truly went out of fashion in the first place. The first movie was released in 2008, while the first book by Stephenie Meyer came out in 2005.
Image Courtesy: Instagram
What I find so interesting about the clothes in the movies is that they are approachable. Before the pop culture phenomena of Twilight, vampires were often thought of in capes, corsets, and extravagant numbers that are visually appealing, but not necessarily relatable from an audience perspective. Bella Swan and Edward Cullen’s fashion is not the focus of the movie, as their emotions and plotlines are far more dramatic than anything they might be wearing. However, Bella Swan did become an “It girl” in a sense. Her style consists of slouching jeans and T-shirts with buttoned flannels and has the perfect combination of edgy and relaxed. Her outfits mirror the dreariness of Forks, the small sunless town the story takes place in. She is not the typical damsel-in-distress wearing tight corsets and gowns, she is a relatable forlorn teenage girl with an (enviable) knack for seducing vampires. Her layers are practical in the sense that Forks is always cold and rainy, but also, they allow Bella the opportunity to be fidgety and restless with her clothes. Like so many teenagers, Bella Swan has the urge to constantly hide, improving her relatability to the audience.
Though Edward Cullen’s style is definitely more sophisticated than the average high school boy, his style doesn’t scream the dramatic archetype of the sexy vampire. Again, the focus is more on Edward’s feelings and backstory, not his fashion. Despite the film's intentional lack of focus on fashion, Twihards (superfans) are convinced that the iconic characters are actually fashion icons.
Image Courtesy: Instagram
“Sad Girl Autumn” is a style that can only be described as composed of desaturated shades, Phoebe Bridgers fans, cardigans, crumpled prairie skirts, and Bella Swan is the poster girl. Depop– a social e-commerce platform for buying and selling clothes– offers bundles of Twilight fashion, and there are numerous accounts on social media platforms dedicated to finding pieces from the movie. If you find yourself yearning by the window this fall and watching the months pass with Bon Iver playing in the background, you may consider dressing accordingly– vampire boyfriend or not.
Strike Out,
Indigo Carter
Saint Augustine
Editor: Maya Kayyal
Indigo Carter is the creative writing copy editor for Strike Magazine. She loves Hello Kitty and reading books about fairies. You can find her at indigocarterr@gmail.com or on Instagram @prettypretty.princesss.
