Tis time... Autumn is faast approaching! The Autumn Equinox will fall on September 22 of this year, so we still have about a month left. However, I'm sure we've all noticed this sudden influx of Halloween decorations, alongside the August opening of Spirit Halloween. The weather is still scorching, but that won't stop me from making this Autumn 2026 Inspo Board!
We'll start with some transitional pieces during September, due to the blistering California weather! Then we will shift into more layering pieces as the weather cools down. Let's begin!
September
As you may have noticed, after looking through this blog, I have been on a 2012-14 Tumblr kick. I tend to lean into that during the summer! Doing a somersault off of that aesthetic, I will still be incorporating Tumblr inspired styles into my mood board, perfectly transitioning my summer style into my fall style. Instead of focusing on the more colorful side of Tumblr fashion, I will be honing in on the 2012 "grunge" aesthetic.
This era was greatly inspired by the 90's, much like every other Tumblr aesthetic during this time. I will also be looking at a lot of authentic 90's styles, well, as authentic as it gets! What is grunge, is it all Kurt Cobain's fault, blah blah blah!! lol. It's easy to go off of magazines and movies, so that's as good and as "authentic" as it's gonna get! I'll include the "kinderwhore" style underneath this section as well, due to obvious reasons.
Guess what else the 90's inspired... Whimsy Goth! This is where the jewel tones come in. Long intricate skirts, bell sleeve tops, chunky footwear and boots, moody make-up. And brown! You see, brown can be a very goth color. September just seems like the perfect month to wear it! Brown clothes with deep red or maroon lipstick... Those are some gorgeous colors! I also like to look back on Emilie Autumn during her "Enchant" era, when she used to dress up like a fairy with DIY wings, flower crowns, and combat boots!
I want to challenge myself to wear other colors other than pink! I love to wear pink, hence my claim on the "Perky Goth" title. I love all of the colors of the rainbow, I just have trouble wearing them! So, I will do my best to not wear any pink these upcoming months... Agh!! However, I do have this one pink blouse that I have to make an exception for. The material is too warm for the Summer, so I'm gonna have to wear it closer to Winter.
Tumblr Grunge 2011-12
Tumblr Grunge c. 2010-12 was a lot more colorful than I remembered! I think it got more colorful the closer 2013 got. 2012 was also the year "Pastel Goth" got popular, as well as "Sea Punk"? Yes, around 2011-12 is when Sea Punk started trending online. I cannot speak for IRL though! No one at my high school was wearing platform jelly sandals or black lipstick.
You see how Tumblr grunge was not quite accurate to the 90's? This happens all of the time, it's happening right now on tiktok! Everyone is saying they love 2014, but they're posting pictures from 2011-13. lol! It's funny being an old fart. Let the kids have fun. That's what these people were doing some 10-14 years ago! I think the only "90's" things about the trend were the tattoo chokers, plaid flannels and doc martens. Maybe the daisy prints and tie dye.
What I personally like about the style are the layers! A typical outfit consists of tights, knee-high socks, a skirt or high-waisted jean shorts, either a band tee or tank, a bralet, and a choice between Creepers, Converse, or Doc Marten's. If it's cold, you add a flannel, a jean jacket, or a leather jacket. You could even wear the jean or leather jacket over the flannel, over a band tee. If you wanted a more feminine touch, you'd wear a babydoll dress or a maxi dress. It's not quite kinderwhore, it's more simple/basic. Floral prints would be very prominent. Imagine a cute vintage dress with some tights, combat boots, and a big ol' leather jacket over it. Very cute!!
"90's Grunge" and 90's in General
See? A lot less colorful! The color palette of the 90's, I can't really place what years specifically, was very warm. Colors like purple, green, and blue seemed very muted as well. It's almost plain, you know? Simple and basic. Of course, I'm only showing pictures of celebrities, films, and band members! I'd have to talk to my mother about what 90's teens were actually wearing around that time, since she is in the class of '96. I do admire 90's fashion that is outside of the "alternative" style, I'm just focusing on these styles specifically for September. The 90's get a lot more cool-toned and cyber closer to the year 2000!
What I love about the 90's is all of the blue jeans and how they're paired with fishnet, flannel, dresses and leather. 90's silhouettes are very classic, tried and true. Some styles look so effortless as well. You can be casual or dressy in a leather jacket. I also love how tomboyish a lot of girls and women would dress! I love when they have short hair and wear v-neck sweaters with baggy jeans. Or when they wear clips in their short hair! Or when they wear dresses and dark lipstick. Think Drew Barrymore ;)
To me, 90's fashion is the epitome of Fall! I am a huge fan of the 90's in general, so you'll be hearing more about it in the future! Tumblr loved the 90's as well, thanks to all of the millennials and their childhood nostalgia ;) Oh!! And, shout out to my mother!!! She was the one to teach me all about the 90's and helped curate the CD's I would burn!
"Whimsy Goth"
I want to say that the term "Whimsy Goth" was coined in 2020? It was like us as netizens collectively decided to call this certain aesthetic "Whimsy Goth". Again, we were mostly referencing 90's fashion, lol. Whimsy Goth is all about soft, heavy, drapey fabrics in jewel tones and black. Embroidery is a must. Vintage and thrifted is encouraged. And you must reference the stars and celestial heavens above!
Whimsy Goth is great for people who are into 90's fashion and want to shift their style to fit into Autumn. You don't have to be alternative, specifically goth, to enjoy this aesthetic. One could tone down the darkness of the aesthetic and wear more lively colors, like orange, yellow or magenta. Brown!!
I myself do identify as goth, so I will be leaning into the darkness more heavily. Along with silver celestial jewelry, I will be wearing crosses and velvet chokers. My make-up will be dark. I will incorporate fishnet and mesh into these outfits. I will lightly touch upon "Romantic Goth" and "Medieval Goth": Whimsy Goth is not quite "Medieval Goth" (were saving that for October and November). I have a lot of flowy, silky, button-up long sleeves. It's pretty rad.
What's not to love about this aesthetic? It's really gorgeous. I get really lucky at the thrift sometimes!! I've found a long, silky black night gown, numerous velvet dresses in different colors, silky vampire tops, and I plan to find so much more!! I just wish my hair was long again :( I had to cut it because I had 2 extremely different lengths. By next year, I'll have acquired the look I want! For now, I'm gonna have to rock a Drew Barrymore Fairuza Balk.
That is how I plan to style my clothes this September! Honestly, I cycle through the same styles every year. Next Summer will be Tumblr inspired and next Autumn will be 90's inspired, and so on. The only thing that will change is the amount of clothes I will have acquired!! I'm so excited to start styling the clothes I have and I'm even more excited for Fall to begin! I'm going to Spirit Halloween tomorrow, so you'll probably see a post about it soon!
