History’s Most Fashionable Ghosts, and Fall Pieces They Would’ve Appreciated
There’s a reason we tell ghost stories. Not to put too fine a point on it, but they’re kind of iconic. Stories about ghosts have a tendency to stick around. We remember floating figures, ghastly moans, rattling chains—and our minds cling to visuals, like trailing dresses, oblique veils, period clothing showing up in places where it doesn’t belong.
In other words, ghosts really are that bitch. They pervade our collective consciousness—and manage to make outfits work centuries after they’ve passed from the public eye. Fashions might fade, but style—specifically, haunted style—really is eternal.
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Since ghosts are basically offering us undying lessons in how to craft outfits so timeless they’ll survive long after you do, we’ve decided to do a deep dive into the ghost archives and dig up some of the most prolific style stars from centuries past.
And we’ve done you one better: We’ve hand-picked a handful of fall fashion items we think each ghost would’ve appreciated, given their carefully stylized aesthetic. We’ve got headless horsewomen in goth equestrian ensembles, silent film stars in haunted silver rings and flapper ghosts who pretty much exclusively wear green.
Why consult the now for style cues, when you could, instead, derive outfit inspiration from across the veil?
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Without further ado, let’s peruse some posh poltergeists and study some slick spectral chic. Ahead, 11 of history’s most fashionable ghosts—plus contemporary fall pieces we think they would’ve appreciated.
