This fall, FX is bringing its most famous coven of screen witches back for a new season. Independent of that, fashion press has spent 2026 calling this "the year of the witch." WONGSO is not affiliated with or licensed by that show. But we noticed the same thing everyone else did: black, leopard print, and heavy metal hardware are back, and they were never really queer culture's problem to catch up on.
The witch, as an image, has always meant something specific to queer and trans culture: an outsider who turned being feared into being powerful. That's not a new observation, and we're not claiming to have made it first. It's just the reason this particular trend lands differently here than it does in a general fashion roundup.
Translating It Into Menswear
Most witchy fashion coverage right now is written for dresses, capes, and pointed silhouettes. None of that translates directly to menswear, and it shouldn't have to. The same energy comes through in three simpler moves.
Sheer instead of velvet. Lace does the same work that heavy velvet does in a womenswear version: dark, textured, unmistakable, without needing yards of fabric to do it.
Steel instead of delicate. A single stainless steel chain carries more presence than a pendant hidden under a shirt. It's meant to be seen.
Leopard instead of plain black. Plain black is the expected version of this trend. Leopard print carries the same weight while giving you something the rest of the room doesn't have.
The Coven Capsule
This is the thinking behind Coven: leopard print lace standing in for velvet, a single heavyweight Chain Necklace standing in for a locket, and the High Slit Lace Kimono doing the work a robe would do elsewhere, without asking you to actually dress like a costume.
Pair the kimono open over the Crop Lace Top and Wide Leg Lace Pants for the full look, or wear any one piece on its own. The point was never to look like you're in costume. It was to take a real cultural moment and translate it into something you'd actually wear twice.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is WONGSO's Coven collection officially connected to American Horror Story?
No. WONGSO is not affiliated with or licensed by American Horror Story or FX. The Coven collection takes its name and inspiration from the same broader cultural moment the show's return is part of, not from the show itself.
Why leopard print instead of plain black?
Plain black is the expected version of this trend. Leopard print carries the same dark, statement energy while giving the wearer a signature the all-black crowd doesn't have.
What if I don't want to commit to a full "witchy" look?
Start with one piece: a chain necklace or a sheer layer over something you already own. The trend works in fragments, not just full outfits.
Shop the full Coven capsule, or read the story behind it in Dissecting the Collection: Coven.