I’ve never really understood the urge some adults have to dress like their childhood dolls. Frilly Peter Pan collars and lace trim just don’t do it for me; and even when I was well within the age bracket to dress like I was heading to my First Communion, I didn’t want to.
Recently, though, I’ve noticed a shift. Over the past couple of months, I’ve been itching to incorporate into my wardrobe the exact details that once repelled me. But instead of dressing like a pristinely kept Madame Alexander, I’m taking inspiration from haunted-looking thrift store dolls. You know the ones: eyes glassy and vaguely menacing, their dresses yellowed and tattered, worn down by time. The imperfect, weathered fashions sit in opposition to their purpose as collectibles, meant to be preserved.
I’m not the only one bewitched by their freaky charm: haunted doll fashions have been ever-present in recent seasons. (Lest we forget the bloomer shorts craze that began a couple of years ago.) Chemena Kamali’s Chloé sent tiers of lace and billowing pantaloons down the runway for spring 2025, and Seàn McGirr’s McQueen offered operatic collars and shredded hems that same season. Here in New York, Zoe Gustavia Anna Whelan’s deconstructed styles remind me of a discarded doll left to the elements, while Colleen Allen’s Victorian silhouettes mimic old underpinnings. The look has even hit the mass market: Free People sells a pair of lace-trimmed bloomer pants that serve as a budget-friendly alternative to luxury offerings.
Perhaps there is no better example of someone who dresses like a haunted doll than Miss Havisham from Great Expectations. Jilted at the altar, Charles Dickens imagines her spending the rest of her life wearing her wedding dress to shreds, her banquet left untouched on the table, covered in cobwebs. Yet, I can’t help but find that kind of fabulous. Helena Bonham Carter’s interpretation of the role for the 2012 film saw Miss Havisham swallowed up by a voluminous wedding gown, its skirt of swirling organza, and its bell sleeves bedraggled.
Clothes hold so much emotional power and reflect how we want to be seen in the world. Dressing in clothes that are feminine, yet weathered, feels like wearing your heart on your sleeve. It’s a nice reminder that not everything needs to be polished and perfect all of the time to still be beautiful and worth wearing. So, while I was never one to don matching outfits with my American Girl Doll, now as an adult, I’ll be looking to hanted dolls for style inspiration.