Allow Storm Reid to Introduce the "Pastel Goth" Aesthetic
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Some aesthetics are born naturally on the runway. Others are made by the hive mind known as fashion TikTok. And some come from a singular person with a sense of style that's all their own, like the “pastel goth” aesthetic Storm Reid introduced me to at Coach’s Spring 2025 New York Fashion Week show yesterday.
The look, as Reid defined it through her front row outfit, mixes garden party tones like the pistachio base of her ballgown Coach skirt with tough leather and metallic hardware. She and stylist Jason Bolden specifically paired the debutant-goes-punk plaid—covered in extra-large bows—with a leather moto jacket and coordinating bra top. Makeup artist Pauly Blanch and hair stylist Jazmyn Hobdy let the outfit do the talking, sending the Euphoria star to the front row with a mauve pink lip, slightly shimmery eyes, and soft, cascading curls. Her outfit still made room for some classic Coach codes, too, in the form of a velveteen Tabby bag and a single statement earring in the shape of the Statue of Liberty.
Reid considered her outfit to be another manifestation of her personal style mantra. “It’s about taking up space and being courageous,” she tells me after the show. “It’s always just about having fun and wearing what you want to wear.”
And if “pastel goth” isn’t actually a thing, “we’ll make it a thing,” she laughs. Inventing a new aesthetic takes confidence, something Reid exudes like the sun emits light.
“I have always been taught by my mom that you wear the clothes, the clothes don't wear you,” she says. “So if you go in with that mindset, whether you're getting ready for class or a fashion show or you're going out to eat with your friends, like put on what makes you feel good? You’ll feel good.”
While Reid’s inventing a new fashion vocabulary, she’s also reinventing pieces she knows and loves. Her Stuart Vevers-designed skirt harkens back to the custom, bow-festooned piece she wore for the 2024 Met Gala. Her appreciation for a high-volume, movement-friendly skirt stretches all the way back to 2018, when she wore a tiered version for the Los Angeles Premiere of A Wrinkle in Time.
Reid’s latest rendition prepared her for an afternoon taking in Coach creative director Stuart Vever’s latest odes to downtown renegades, in the form of distressed “I Heart NY” T-shirts and charm-adorned shoes every sneakerhead in the tri-state area will want to order. She took in the show next to the likes of Lola Tung, Kathryn Newton, and Charles Melton, a dramatic switch-up from her usual Monday afternoons attending classes as a USC senior. Ballgown skirts aren’t on the hanger in her dorm closet. “I want to be cute, but I need to be comfortable because I'm running around campus all day,” she said of her everyday style. T-shirts and comfy pants are usually her M.O.
The common thread: Everything she pulls on is a piece to assist, as she says, in her mission to take up space. “I'm so glad that I have the autonomy to be able to pick and choose what I want to wear,” she adds. And maybe, pick the next aesthetic we’ll all start copying while she’s at it.
