Why My Surprising Summer Fashion Inspirations Are Haunted Dolls

Those dolls, indeed. The kind whose eyes are hauntingly empty

and whose cheeks are crackled porcelain. They are the ones that stalk charity store shelves in sagging petticoats and yellowed lace, their once-precious clothing withered by humidity and time. I stayed away from all things girlish and Victorian for the majority of my life Bloomers were the stuff of childhood nightmares, and Peter Pan collars made me itch. However, something has changed. I used to swear against such tattered, delicate details, but lately I have been captivated by them.

I am not alone, either. "Haunted dollcore" has subtly evolved 

into a subversive fashion phenomenon that has spread from the Paris runways to the gritty street corners of New York. Consider: shoes that whisper more than they yell, milkmaid gowns that appear to have been dug out of an attic, and tulle sleeves on the point of breaking. Half ghost story, half historical reenactment, and part emotional exorcism, it is worn to evoke feelings more than just as a costume.

A Trend or a Reckoning: The Emergence of Haunted Doll Fashion?

This unsettling look is being enthusiastically adopted by designers. Chemena Kamali led a parade of puffed pantaloons and lace-tiered gowns down the catwalk during Chloé's Spring 2025 show, resembling ghostly ballerinas spinning through cobwebs. 

Additionally, up-and-coming designers like Zoe Gustavia Anna Whelan are creating clothing that appears to be taken directly from the rain slicked streets of a Victorian ghost story.

Mass-market brands are also becoming popular: The haunted and fashion-forward will find lace-trimmed bloomer pants from Free People to be a gateway drug.

Wearing Miss Havisham's Clothes On Purpose

Naturally, Miss Havisham Dickens' notorious bride abandoned to decay in her wedding gown is the paradigm for this style. Her disobedience has a seductive quality. She wore her grief instead of throwing it away. Helena Bonham Carter portrayed Havisham in the 2012 movie adaption, her sleeves ragged like crushed petals beneath her feet as she was wrapped in layers of organza that were falling apart. Yes, it was awful, but it was also unforgettable.

Perhaps that is the true essence of this style: accepting history, fragility, and imperfection. Dressing like a haunted doll feels radical like choosing to be seen as is in a society that is fixated on Instagram sheen and clean lines. Lace has a backstory. Scarred satin. A technique to express, without uttering a word, "I have lived through anything."

Fashion With Feeling: The Reasons We Love the Dirty

Clothes that appear worn-in have emotional potency. If your inner world is feeling a little shaky or worn, wearing frayed lace or a slightly ripped garment is like giving it shape. "I am here, and despite everything, I am still soft," it states.

In other words, I never dressed like my American Girl Doll. Now, though, I am voluntarily channeling her goth cousin, the one who spent ten years forgotten in the attic and emerged stronger (and stranger) as a result.

And truthfully? Her appearance has never been better.