Be a scholar and stay chic
Light academia is one of the biggest trends for fall 2023, make sure you get in on the fun. This style is all about reading, studying and keeping it real. Look like you are about to attend an Ivy League college, whether you are a student or a young professional. Female light academia outfits work in most situations, you will look put together, stylish and cute.
The difference between light academia and dark academia
Dark academia has a spooky side, think horror stories, candlelight and dark clothes. Light academia, on the other hand, uses the same materials as dark academia, but in lighter color.
The mood is more playful and joyful. You don’t need to read poetry or listen to depressing music, you can focus on being successful and skip all the darkness.
Cream mock neck + Cream coat + Plaid pants
Cream is one of the best colors for wearing female light academia outfits, it looks particularly cute with some cream accessories, like a beret or a scarf.
Plaid pants
Plaid pants are a staple when it comes to dark academia, make them lighter and less serious by wearing them with white or cream.
Grey sweater + Tweed skirt + Tweed blazer
A tweed blazer is a must both for dark academia and light academia. O particularly like it styled with a skirt and a simple jumper, just like the girl in the picture.
Light-colored blouse + Cream jeans + Plaid coat
The next item on my list would be a silk blouse in a light color (it does not have to be real silk). I would add a pair of cream jeans (one of the biggest trends for fall 2023,) to keep the outfit light and casual.
This outfit is a good canvas for adding a plaid coat.
Cream turtleneck + Black pants + Brown coat
Dark academia favors a black turtleneck, light academia is all about the white turtleneck. So make sure you get one. Create a simple outfit by combining it with black pants.
Get something brown
Brown is a big color when it comes to creating female light academia outfits. I particular like a long brown coat for that sweeping feeling of a heroine in a romantic movie.
Since coats are expensive, I recommend looking in second hand shops.
Burgundy cable knit sweater + Grey pants + Black coat
Add a dash of color with a burgundy sweater. Cable knit is a classic material in light academia. A pair of grey flannel pants will be a workhorse in you wardrobe.
If the rest of your outfit is light, you can absolutely add a black coat and get a good result.
A white shirt
A white shirt will always come in handy,you can put it under your sweaters and get the same cute look as the girl in the picture.
Cable knit cardigan + White T-shirt + Black tights
Speaking of cable knit, I’m particularly found of a ecru cable knit cardigan. It looks great with a simple white t-shirt and a pair of tights.
A perfect outfit for late night study sessions.
Cream coat + Oat cardigan + White pants
Say hello to even more nuances of ecru, oat and cream.
A luxurious cream coat will take almost any outfit into light academia territory.
A pair of white pants
Another good investment for achieving this style is a pair of white pants. Combined with a light colored cardigan they will create one of the best female light academia outfits.
Give this outfit an unexpected edge with black accessories.
Camel duffel coat + Brown vest + Brown pants + White blouse
A feminine white blouse is one of the items that’s perfect for achieving light academia style. Read poetry, listen to classic music and study a classic language, all while dressed in clothes inspired by the past.
Be inspired by the past
A vest and a pair of matching pants will give you the look of a young novelist.
A duffel coat is another nod to Ivy league colleges and students in the 70s.
Faux fur jacket + Black polo + Leather skirt
This kind of jacket is so cute and perfect when you want to create a wide variety of female light academia outfits. I particularly like to combine it with black.
A pleated leather skirt and riding boots give you that cute, preppy look.
Brown cable knit sweater + plaid pants
Another great styling idea for your plaid pants is something brown, either a brown polo as in the picture, or a brown chunky cable knit sweater.
When in doubt, just add brown.
A silk scarf to tie in your hair, on your bag or at the waist is another great idea to achieve this style.
White polo + Black skirt
Just because you are creating light academia outfits doesn’t mean you have to avoid black.
It is all in the styling. The overall feeling can still be very light, like the girl in this picture.
Get a knitted vest
I love this combination with a white polo top and a white sweater vest.
I would also add a posh grey blazer.
Long skirt + Rust sweater + Rust tweed jacket
Not everyone likes a short skirt, but not to worry; a long skirt looks equally cute and romantic.
Pick one in fall color, like purple, burgundy or brown. Add a nice tweed jacket and a rust-colored sweater. Fall is the season for light academia.
Gold accessories looks particularly good with these rich autumn colors.
Orange polo + Plaid skirt
I like a dash of orange in the autumn. Get inspired by the fall foliage.
If you want a light academia outfit, but without white, consider trying this unusual color. It looks spectacular together with tweed and plaid.
This kind of outfits are perfect for a long walk in the countryside.
Plaid pants + White turtleneck + Shearling jacket
Since you went out and bought that cream turtleneck, let me present you with yet another idea how to wear it.
A white turtleneck looks perfect combined with all kinds of different plaid pants.
Get a shearling jacket
For a rich luxurious feeling I would add a shearling coat. It can be faux shearling, if you want to keep it vegan.
Black turtleneck + Camel knitted vest + Black pleated skirt
Just because you want to wear light academia outfits doesn’t mean you cant get a black knitted turtleneck. This is a classic dark academia item. But you can make it more light academia by adding a camel knitted vest.
A black pleated skirt will still look good, regardless of which style you are aiming for.
Keep it classic
Light academia is not only about choosing light colors, it is about choosing classic items and combining them in a classic way.
Tweed blazer + White college sweater + Black pants
Anther item I strongly recommend is a college sweater. It will give your light academia outfits a casual look.
Here I combined it with two classic items; a tweed blazer and a pair of black pants.
Casual outfits
If you want ideas for more casual outfits, read my article Casual dark academia outfits perfect for fall 2023.
White knitted polo + White knitted skirt + Long coat
One of the biggest trends this fall is the matching set. especially a knitted polo matched with a knitted skirt. This outfit absolutely fall into light academia territory. Just add a long coat and you have on of the comfiest and most stylish fall fashion outfits.
This outfit is especially good for getting take away coffee, before returning to your studies.
White shirt + Plaid skirt + Long coat
Play with proportions by combining a short skirt with a long coat.
A white shirt is another staple in light academia style. When you don’t wear it with jeans or pants, do wear your with a skirt. The result is light academia perfection
Blue shirt + jeans + Tweed blazer
You can wear your jeans and still achieve a light academia style. Just combine them with a classic blue shirt and your favourite tweed blazer.
I love fall fashion. This is the season for creating the coziest most stylish outfits. If you want even more ideas how to dress this season, read my article 24 trendy and casual fall outfits for fall 2024.
A finale note on female light academia outfits
As you can see, dressing in light academia style is not complicated at all. You just need a couple of basic staples and from them you can create a wide variety of different outfits.
Your light academia clothes will work with everything you already have in your wardrobe.
Moa Ailert is the founder and editor-in-chief of Her Brilliant Friend.
She has a bachelor’s degree in philosophy and plenty of insight into human psychology from traveling and living in different places around the world.
Moa is currently based in Portugal where she has a guesthouse; Villa dos Irmaos.
She has various websites, among others Ericeira Insider, but Her brilliant friend is her true passion project.
