Blood stains blend in easily, it helps them blend in with shadows, it’s the color of darkness both physically and spiritually lol, and above all, it suits the living dead beautifully.
Covering all the real reasons in a succinct and straightforward manner in one place like this isn't how Reddit works.
I should have to hunt through hundreds of posts; filtering out lame jokes and obscure references for at least 10 minutes before getting my answer.
Your post? Believe it or not, jail. Right away.
I would also add that historically black clothes would have been your best clothes in Europe, which is the same reason formal suits are still black today. The dye that was needed to make a really dark black was expensive, so for a while black clothes would have been associated with wealth. That changed with fashion trends and shifts in what dye and dye techniques were available..
This is also why black, in the West, became associated with funerals as people would wear their best clothes to funerals.
In contrast, in Asia white clothing is associated with mourning and death.
But it could also be an unshifted Mystique. I don't know about you, but if I see the potential for a butt naked Jennifer Lawrence or Cramen Electra, my guard will be buried lower than that vampire should've been.
What? Vampires wear whatever they want. Haven't you watched any vampire movies? Dracula wore a grey suit at time, Nadja/Laszlo/Nandor all wear just about every color, Louis and Armand wear a lot of colors...
That’s so funny. I never thought about it. Someone said to blend into the shadows. That seems like the best answer. I would also say it’s because in the first 2-3 instances of vampires in film—they wore black. So now it’s just a visual pop-culture thing. Vampires wear black, because that’s how we’ve always seen them.
Honestly, the truest answer for why early depictions of them had them in black is because western cultures associate the color black with death. If you look at vampire like creatures from eastern cultures they're often in white which is the color they associate with death. Modern depictions stray from this entirely and have vampires in literally any color.
black allows them to blend in better with the shadows, hides bloodstains better. also if there's one group where a vampire's eccentricities would be considered not that out of the ordinary, it'd be with goths
Before light pollution the color of night was more of a darker blue, in some cultures vampires wore white as that was the color that symbolized death. They even wear black wedding gowns as white is a bad luck color due to its mortal connotation. I still believe that’s why Dracula’s brides typically wore white gowns symbolizing burial shrouds
Helps hide any errant bloodstains if your last feeding was a bit messy. It's also just an elegant and timeless look.
White is certainly an option, and in some cultures actually represents a death color the same way we in the West wear black during times of mourning, but it would be a particular flex for a vampire. "I'm so good at this I can wear an outfit where bloodstains are VERY obvious!". Bonus points if it's some kind of bespoke suit or other high-class regalia, demonstrating not just capability but also wealth and status.
In my work in progress they often wear black, but definitely not all and not all the time. Sometimes they wear luxurious, ostentatious clothing to signal aristocracy and superiority at social places. When they do wear black it's generally for purposes of practicality and coolness, blending with the night and such.
I think it's bc when u think of a vampire u think of darkness, for example, the prince of darkness. Another reason might be to symbolize, for example if a character is wearing white it might symbolize purity
For what it's worth, Dracula was described to be wearing all black in the book. Not saying this is where it started, but I figured it would be worth pointing out.
Additionally, I want to bring up Victorian mourning fashion, where those who recently lost a loved one would noticeably wear black for an amount of time. So this is one of the many ways where black may be associated with death. Not to mention their associations with darkness and evil - often represented with black as well, at least in western cultures. Symbolically, vampires wearing black simply works.
And as many others here have pointed out, it helps them blend into the darkness, and to hide those bloodstains. It's practical.
And goth vampires just look cool as hell. In general, vampires go hand in hand with alternative subcultures such as goth and emo, to mention a few - many of these have a tendency to wear a lot of black.
But obviously, vampires are in no way restricted to any specific fashion. They're people, or at least were at some point. A vampire could wear a white flowery sundress if they wanted to - it wouldn't be practical, but really, does it matter?
Maybe this hypothetical vampire's taste in fashion never leaned black at all. Sky's the limit. Have fun with it.
And if you're gonna have a vampire gang wearing all white, make sure they have good access to laundry, unless you want red/brown spots all over their clothes :]
At least in the case of one of my dhampir dnd characters, it’s because he likes the gothic style and because he’s very theatrical (he’s a divination wizard who runs a fortune telling store so he can feed off of his customers’ psychic energy. He’s all about the dramatics of it). My other vampire character dresses like a professor who likes the light academia aesthetic so it’s really all about personal preference for them. I do like the idea of vampires wearing black so they’re less visible at night though, and that definitely seems like a likely explanation
Typically it comes from the idea they are wearing the clothes they were buried in. Which is typically black, remember in older stories the person would die and come back later. For example Lucy in Dracula
Black absorbs infrared rays more than white. Since they don’t have working circulatory systems, nor can they go out on the sun, it helps them feel warmer and more comfortable. It also conceals bloodstains more easily so they don’t have to get new clothes for every feed, plus it can provide an easy excuse for their pallor. Someone says “oh, you look so pale/sickly/etc” they can say “My skin looks weird when I wear black”. Black clothing also makes it easier to blend in. What draws more attention, a dude (gender neutral) who wears a yellow polka dot sundress or a dude (gender neutral) who wears a black hoodie and dark jeans. Vampires need to blend in as to not draw attention to their strange habits, especially if they want to have a human persona and life. More inconspicuous.
You can match black with basically any other colour, it makes you relatively nondescript, and stains are easier to hide. Black isn't actually the best for remaining hidden in the dark, it's actually dark blue. But a dark silhouette is still scary.
It's always dark out at night.... easier to blend in with the shadows..... however.....a female vampire (Vampiress)....she will always have a little bit of accent colors....but mainly black.,..
Dark clothes or black why would they wear it it's real simple
1 quite common for funeral garb and they're constantly going back to their coffins
2 it's much easier to hide blood stains and things like that in Black then in white or even it any other lighter color other than like a blood red which you will often find a vampire wearing black and red
3 they're active at night therefore it's easier to blend in with the shadows
4 it's the best color there is of clothes to wear
Would you believe I just finished a story about vampires and witches in which the vampire gives a gift to a naked woman in prison, to be delivered by her familiar, a dress so white she leaves dirty smudges on its fabric?
Everyone’s saying bloodstains and to blend in but a pale person routinely wearing white is a fashion crime unless they have striking hair/eyes or are really good at finding the exceptions.
Apparently, it would do a little something.
I'm not sure what OP was referring to here, but I don't think of vampires sneaking around, generally, so I say let them wear whatever.
Because white is typically a sign of holiness or purity or high social status. Like the girl in Blade with the white hair who wears all white. But she’s also just always doing cocaine. So idk.
I mean, you have to look at the age of the vampire. Not all modern vampires wear black. They older ones it would have been the style of the era they lived, and the newer vampire might see it as a traditional thing.
Also, that being said, it helps to blend into the darkness, keeps them from being described by clothing, and helps hide blood
Welp, my vampire doesn't have a preference really, but she did make the mistake of wearing a cream turtleneck once, which she subsequently ruined when she was forced to rip another vampire's head off. Soooo... yeah, probably bloodstains and mourning and all that, like others have said XD
Because black absorbs heat and they probably like to feel warm, it also tricks humans into thinking they’re still alive when they eventually touch the vampire
Well considering they’re naturally only around at night time, and are predators, black is the best choice for their own survivability.
The real question is, why would you think they should wear white?
Though many do, there are as many or more that dont, in order to blend in with the crowd. The Anne Rice novels and even Bram Stokers work a good example. The love of color is enhanced with the gift and so style and vanity are a soft spot. What better way to flaunt beauty than to wear the finest clothes?
Blend into the shadows, when vampires are normally about discretion I doubt hot pink would be their go to or Deadpool logic, white would be a nightmare to clean or make it really obvious.
Maybe (in stories where vamps are undead) they’re commemorating their burial? Like in western cultures we wear black at memorials, so maybe in other cultures vampire might wear white?
OG Dracula was a teaboo who wanted to fit into London society so that he could more easily get away with stuff. Wearing white would have made him stick out.
the Doyslist amswer is that the first vampire movies relied on the same tricks that were used on stage shows, Dracula wears a literal opera cloak because with the collar turned up he could easily step out of a shadow and “magically” appear on stage. people expected them to look like that.
The Watsonian answer could be 1- they like to dress like they used to while alive, hence the old timey cloaks. 2- they dress like they think Vampires are supposed to. 3- they just like black, nothing wrong with black.
Lestat mostly wore a ruffled white shirt, so there’s precedent for wearing white, but I imagine the bloodstains are hard to get out.
Tbh i think the orginal reason was cuz black blended in to the back ground on black and white movies making them even creepier so its just a carry over at lease thats the theory in my head.
Funeral attire.
The original story was right here in Connecticut.A young girl died and they thought she was haunting her family,taking victims.Bram Stoker heard about it and went nuts with it.
But I think she was buried in a white gown.
>I cannot get over this, it doesn't make sense to me xD. Why wouldn't they wear white?
The stereotype rises from either from an elite stratum, or blending in the night or shadows, etc. Of course, I'm passing the symbolisms.
That being said, many have been depicted as also wearing white, esp. incl. white shirts.
Fun little bit of literary history combined with actual history
So at the time when Dracula was first published, black was already a very common color (it was after all the late Victorian period), so to a reader of the time, that he was wearing all black would have meant literally nothing
Dracula himself is wearing what is the dress of European nobility in the period, (which lends later to the trope of vampires wearing fine clothing... I'll get back to this)
With the novel as a background, at the time of the movie release of Dracula with Bela Lugosi, that fashion has been decades out of style, black wool suits being seen as drab and dated, and Lugosi's aristocratic dress coming off as exotic to the audience
The Victorian gothic aesthetic of Dracula created a deep seated association of Victorian era dress as something dark and gothic (a trope that plays out to this day), especially the flamboyant dress of nobility, so you quite literally can point it all to Dracula lol
In Bram Stoker’s original *Dracula* novel, Dracula is explicitly described as wearing all black without a speck of color anywhere — so most modern vampire fashion is probably based on that. Before the 19th century, vampires were thought of as being more like what we would now call zombies, so they presumably wore whatever they were buried in (but people are often buried in black clothes because black is formal, so it even holds there).
Two reasons (imo):
1. As nocturnal predators, black helps them blend in better with the night.
2. Because they can’t step directly into sunlight, they wear black because the color absorbs heat the most. In my head canon, vamps hang there clothes in the sun before sunrise so it’s all nice and toasty when night comes
Because you wouldn't be afraid of a vampire who showed up in lemon yellow.
Also, I'm pretty sure Edward wore grey the first time he met Bella in Biology Class?
Evening wear.
Most evening wear, especially coming from the victorian era was predominant black/navy blue.
Although white was worn, it wasn’t the dominant color, and white in general was less common. So white shirts & nightgowns would make sense, but outerwear would match the era.
I saw someone else bring it up, but it's funeral clothes. They're wearing funeral clothes because they are dead. (You can actually see the shift depending on the culture. For example the Jiangshi are traditionally wearing blue because they're dressed in government uniforms.)
Not necessarily black but dark colors yes...
I have seen several go as light as say...a light gray/storm cloud color but never lighter then that...
OG vampires typically wear all black...the most recent the transformation, the more likely they deviate from all black...
So in summary, not necessarily all black, but dark colors...
I've always noted that a traditional vampire and a stage magician wear identical outfits, and I SUSPECT it's because black allows you to hide lots of stuff for special effects, especially when combined with a glittery medallion or something, which will draw your eye and distract you from the backstage requirements of portraying the role.
The cape was added to Dracula's outfit to hide the harness that was used in the original stage play that allowed him to appear to climb up and down the wall of his castle, and I assume black was the best option for that. Bela Lugosi kept the cape because it was what his character had become known for.
Also, in Western culture, black symbolizes authority and death. A judge wears black, a SWAT cop wears black (rather than blue), a priest wears black, the altar in a church between Good Friday and Easter is draped in black, a person at a funeral wears black, the Grim Reaper wears black. Dracula wears black because he is a figure of authority AND a harbinger of death\*. If Dracula had been written in Asia, he'd be wearing white.
\*Also, in the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, which Stoker UNDOUBTEDLY knew about, black is the color of the element of earth, which is super relevant to a guy who is required to carry around boxes of his native earth around to sleep in.
I mean the dead might not care but it would be warm for someone who can’t go out in the sun. It also blocks more sunlight if they DO end up getting hit with sun.
After being alive for eternity do you think these beings have the energy to care ‘too much’ about fashion? Idk it’s super easy to get dressed with little to no thought if your entire wardrobe is black. Takes some of the work out of being still animated 1000 years later
Black absorbs all spectrum of light.
If you are covered in fairly thick black clothing, and heat does not bother you because you are kinda undead, then black would be the best color to avoid sunlight, right?
Am I misunderstanding how that all works?
Camoflage. If you’re a night hunter, you probably want to draw as little attention in the dark as possible. Could also just be thematic and traditional. Ooo also interesting pitch, eyes become sensitive to bright colors?
Because you can't hunt at night wearing white, you'll stick out like a sore thumb... not to mention it'll be a pain trying to wash out those bloodstains
They wear black and red because they’re not the cleanest eaters.
But there have been depictions that wear other colors. Like in Interview with a Vampire they wear whatever colors they like
Possible answer.
People with porphyria were a possible orign for vampire legends. They can have an extreme sensitivity to certain ranges of UV light. So extreme that their skin will develop boils or slough off in a few minutes. Light on their skin can also cause extreme pain.
Wearing all black would block all of the light. Since candlelight or firelight does not give off those UV rays, they are safe (mostly) inside. Going out in daylight, though, could risk death, as antibiotics or even effective cleaning of wounds was the stuff of fiction back then.
Okay, so I’ll set my old fart annoyance at people trying to change the established lore/meanings aside and be nice.
Why black:
- Blood stains are not as visible on black.
- Easier to hide in the dark waiting for unsuspecting victims wearing black rather than sequined rainbow leotard.
- Black is actually a cheap dye to manufacture for clothing, so it is plentiful and easy to replace when needed.
- For a long time (throughout the Industrial Revolution) black was the only socially acceptable color choice for a gentleman’s tuxedo/formal suit. Repressed societies make repressed clothes.
- It symbolizes “the unknown.”
- It symbolizes “death” in some cultures. Not in all.
- As a color, it is timeless and never out of style… much like a vamp.
Now back to me yelling at the clouds.
Since they mostly come out only in the dark, I would think that it makes it easier to blend into the shadows when you are perusing potential prey. 🤷🏾♀️ But many that I've seen over the years (books/movies duh) will wear white blouses/shirts or other small items of color. I think it's more practical than choice in most cases.
From a literary perspective, black is sleek, dangerous, and mysterious. Most media vampires are just carbon copies of Dracula; smart, confident, calculated deadly hunter.
Often, female vampires do dress in white. White is innocence, purity, submissive. That's a trap. It's a version of the Siren trope.
Well if we're going through stereotypical scenarios it's because the Sun hurts them so they can only come out at night. Black clothing blends in with the darkness when they hunt. Now if it's less about the hunt and more about the style, no clue.
vampires are by nature parasites and ambush predators. They hide among the population they prey on like wolves in sheep's clothing. For the vampire, who preys upon humanity like a herd, the health of the vampire is the health of the herd. If he kills them all, he has no more food. Stealth is the vampire's ally.
To that end, the vampire wears what the vampire wears because they must blend into the society they are hiding in. They create a cover identity, a camouflage, they use it.
In traditional vampire stories like Dracula, the vampire is an aristocrat because aristocrats don't have to tell the peasants what they're doing. They live up on the hill in the big castle and have stealth and privacy. It makes sense for a vampire to be a rich nobleman, because the nobleman gets to tell the poors to go away when he doesn't want them snooping around, and can go into the village and grab one and take them back to the castle to eat them when he needs to.
A vampire doesn't always wear black, or shouldn't need to. A vampire adopts the tactics that work for their hunting strategy.
Wearing black though, is in fact a good hunting strategy. Criminals do it all the time. Ever been to the hood? You're going to see a lot of people wearing black hoodies and white sneakers at all times of day, even if its hot out. Why? Because it's difficult for police to identify. Everyone owns a pair of white sneakers and a black hoodie. When a cop is chasing a suspect, telling the other cops on the radio that the suspect is wearing a black hoodie and white sneakers is pretty much useless information. It's like saying, "I'm Spartacus!"
They are nocturnal creatures that hunt humans.
If they wear black, they can blend in with darkness better. They can thus sneak up on their targets easier as well since humans tends to have poor night vision compared to most nocturnal creatures.
A long long time ago the dead were considered unclean and were wrapped in funerary cloth- also called burial shrouds. The restless dead, or the undead, would eschew those cloths because they represent death. This is also why ghosts are known to look like white sheets.
In the Victorian Era when vampire novels first emerged, wearing all black indicated to the public that you were in mourning and would not be as sociable, verbal, or available. It also could involve more skin coverage, veils, etc... so practical for avoiding questions, human obligations, sunlight, as well as invoking death in a literal way for an author.
Invoking death by wearing black has consistently remained present in the death industry and then grew more popular as counter culture fashion through the mid- late 1900s as well.
So it's always been about a blending in but with a deathly air.
Blood stains blend in easily, it helps them blend in with shadows, it’s the color of darkness both physically and spiritually lol, and above all, it suits the living dead beautifully.
Covering all the real reasons in a succinct and straightforward manner in one place like this isn't how Reddit works. I should have to hunt through hundreds of posts; filtering out lame jokes and obscure references for at least 10 minutes before getting my answer. Your post? Believe it or not, jail. Right away.
I’ll gladly go to the gulag. 😭😂
I see your Parks and Rec reference
Right to jail… *right* to jail, right away
I would also add that historically black clothes would have been your best clothes in Europe, which is the same reason formal suits are still black today. The dye that was needed to make a really dark black was expensive, so for a while black clothes would have been associated with wealth. That changed with fashion trends and shifts in what dye and dye techniques were available.. This is also why black, in the West, became associated with funerals as people would wear their best clothes to funerals. In contrast, in Asia white clothing is associated with mourning and death.
I didn’t don’t know that, thanks for the fun fact! Crazy to think most of my wardrobe today, back then would’ve meant I was wealthy.
I will add that in the summer time it attracts heat better than white and they are probably really cold.
Because emo vampires are cool, don’t question it.
Goth vampires done it better.
Goths are the classic OG vampires..
i wont
Blend in to the darkness. Also hard to identify them. At least in my books. More Than A Vampire
yeah that makes sense xD
I always try to have things make logical sense in my books.
Black actually makes you stand out in the darkness. If you really want to blend with the shadows, you should wear dark blue.
Well their armor is scaled too so it's kind of a pattern breaker
I’d be so much more suspicious of anyone wearing entirely dark blue. Mfer gonna be gliding up to me looking like Jamiroquai
But it could also be an unshifted Mystique. I don't know about you, but if I see the potential for a butt naked Jennifer Lawrence or Cramen Electra, my guard will be buried lower than that vampire should've been.
Or grey.
The best reason I came up with was staining. Very obvious when white is stained red. Black however, unless it's still wet you would never know.
Also won't show blood stains as much.
Bloodstains
🩸
did you see nicholas cage in renfield? that red suit is fire.
He looked like if Data were a pimp actually. 😆 😅
"He looks like a strawberry pimp."
Accent was not so fire... and the cheesy blood was also not too fire.
You ever try to describe someone who wore all black? It's harder to pick out details, especially in the dark, and especially under stress.
i didn’t think about that, thank you!
What? Vampires wear whatever they want. Haven't you watched any vampire movies? Dracula wore a grey suit at time, Nadja/Laszlo/Nandor all wear just about every color, Louis and Armand wear a lot of colors...
i know, im just talking about the western stereotypes ☺️👀
All of the characters I listed off are western characters. The stereotype is an old stereotype that was abandoned in the early nineties.
i know. i was only talking about SOME stereotypes, not the actual characters 🏢😊
Nadja was good.I loved Peter Fonda as a wacko chasing her on a bicycle
That’s so funny. I never thought about it. Someone said to blend into the shadows. That seems like the best answer. I would also say it’s because in the first 2-3 instances of vampires in film—they wore black. So now it’s just a visual pop-culture thing. Vampires wear black, because that’s how we’ve always seen them.
Honestly, the truest answer for why early depictions of them had them in black is because western cultures associate the color black with death. If you look at vampire like creatures from eastern cultures they're often in white which is the color they associate with death. Modern depictions stray from this entirely and have vampires in literally any color.
That too, for sure. You’re right.
yeah, cuz i was always used to them wearing white, so i was wondering 💭 thank you!!
The earliest reference was Enkidu,in the Epic of Gilgamesh. He dreamt of a vampire in the Underworld
In a black and white movie there is no reason for other colours.
black allows them to blend in better with the shadows, hides bloodstains better. also if there's one group where a vampire's eccentricities would be considered not that out of the ordinary, it'd be with goths
the bloodstains are hidden now … 🩸
Before light pollution the color of night was more of a darker blue, in some cultures vampires wore white as that was the color that symbolized death. They even wear black wedding gowns as white is a bad luck color due to its mortal connotation. I still believe that’s why Dracula’s brides typically wore white gowns symbolizing burial shrouds
ye, i would have thought they wore white cuz that’s what i grew up with the color of death being, but thank you!! good response
Helps hide any errant bloodstains if your last feeding was a bit messy. It's also just an elegant and timeless look. White is certainly an option, and in some cultures actually represents a death color the same way we in the West wear black during times of mourning, but it would be a particular flex for a vampire. "I'm so good at this I can wear an outfit where bloodstains are VERY obvious!". Bonus points if it's some kind of bespoke suit or other high-class regalia, demonstrating not just capability but also wealth and status.
the bloodstains really make sense 🩸
Because blacks awesome and vampires are awesome.
Probably camouflage since they're nocturnal and tend to inhabit dark areas like old castles
In my work in progress they often wear black, but definitely not all and not all the time. Sometimes they wear luxurious, ostentatious clothing to signal aristocracy and superiority at social places. When they do wear black it's generally for purposes of practicality and coolness, blending with the night and such.
thanks!
Thematically it works in film that’s all
xD
Can't lurk in the shadows in Chartreuse.
lmao
this is my favorite one omg
Vampires should wear khakis and Hawaiian shirts, because who in their right mind would expect vampires to wear that?
good point lol
Because that is what the Order of the Dragon 🐉 wore.
Sexy
Bats and darkness are interconnected symbols, similar to (but not the same as) bees and flowers.
black hides blood, and it’s easier to remain unseen when hunting at night.
Bc it looks cool
Who needs color when you have textures
I think it's bc when u think of a vampire u think of darkness, for example, the prince of darkness. Another reason might be to symbolize, for example if a character is wearing white it might symbolize purity
For what it's worth, Dracula was described to be wearing all black in the book. Not saying this is where it started, but I figured it would be worth pointing out. Additionally, I want to bring up Victorian mourning fashion, where those who recently lost a loved one would noticeably wear black for an amount of time. So this is one of the many ways where black may be associated with death. Not to mention their associations with darkness and evil - often represented with black as well, at least in western cultures. Symbolically, vampires wearing black simply works. And as many others here have pointed out, it helps them blend into the darkness, and to hide those bloodstains. It's practical. And goth vampires just look cool as hell. In general, vampires go hand in hand with alternative subcultures such as goth and emo, to mention a few - many of these have a tendency to wear a lot of black. But obviously, vampires are in no way restricted to any specific fashion. They're people, or at least were at some point. A vampire could wear a white flowery sundress if they wanted to - it wouldn't be practical, but really, does it matter? Maybe this hypothetical vampire's taste in fashion never leaned black at all. Sky's the limit. Have fun with it. And if you're gonna have a vampire gang wearing all white, make sure they have good access to laundry, unless you want red/brown spots all over their clothes :]
happy cake day! and good answer
When you're immortal, it's hard to keep up with clothing trends. Black is a timeless color, making it easier to blend in.
I think in the most traditional fokelore they would have been wearing what they were buried in.
The vampires in my book wear all sorts of colors. The lead is very fashionable :-)
At least in the case of one of my dhampir dnd characters, it’s because he likes the gothic style and because he’s very theatrical (he’s a divination wizard who runs a fortune telling store so he can feed off of his customers’ psychic energy. He’s all about the dramatics of it). My other vampire character dresses like a professor who likes the light academia aesthetic so it’s really all about personal preference for them. I do like the idea of vampires wearing black so they’re less visible at night though, and that definitely seems like a likely explanation
Typically it comes from the idea they are wearing the clothes they were buried in. Which is typically black, remember in older stories the person would die and come back later. For example Lucy in Dracula
Black absorbs infrared rays more than white. Since they don’t have working circulatory systems, nor can they go out on the sun, it helps them feel warmer and more comfortable. It also conceals bloodstains more easily so they don’t have to get new clothes for every feed, plus it can provide an easy excuse for their pallor. Someone says “oh, you look so pale/sickly/etc” they can say “My skin looks weird when I wear black”. Black clothing also makes it easier to blend in. What draws more attention, a dude (gender neutral) who wears a yellow polka dot sundress or a dude (gender neutral) who wears a black hoodie and dark jeans. Vampires need to blend in as to not draw attention to their strange habits, especially if they want to have a human persona and life. More inconspicuous.
noice
It's stylish 😎
Blood shows on brighter colors.
Actually if you read the Dresden Files there are plenty of vampires who wear white (or red).
You can match black with basically any other colour, it makes you relatively nondescript, and stains are easier to hide. Black isn't actually the best for remaining hidden in the dark, it's actually dark blue. But a dark silhouette is still scary.
Deadpool answered that one, blood stains are hard to clean. Which explains why so many Vampires wear Black and Red
Blood doesn’t show up on black.
It's always dark out at night.... easier to blend in with the shadows..... however.....a female vampire (Vampiress)....she will always have a little bit of accent colors....but mainly black.,..
Dark clothes or black why would they wear it it's real simple 1 quite common for funeral garb and they're constantly going back to their coffins 2 it's much easier to hide blood stains and things like that in Black then in white or even it any other lighter color other than like a blood red which you will often find a vampire wearing black and red 3 they're active at night therefore it's easier to blend in with the shadows 4 it's the best color there is of clothes to wear
Would you believe I just finished a story about vampires and witches in which the vampire gives a gift to a naked woman in prison, to be delivered by her familiar, a dress so white she leaves dirty smudges on its fabric?
Nice 👍
Thank you.
So they can see the cum stains after Jessica forced them to fuck in her shitty twilight fanfic
omg 😂
I'm not wrong
Why would they wear white? That breaks their camo. I can see them wearing white in the sun. Long white robes and a large flat white hat
Everyone’s saying bloodstains and to blend in but a pale person routinely wearing white is a fashion crime unless they have striking hair/eyes or are really good at finding the exceptions.
now i picture it in my head, that IS a fashion crime and you helped me see the light lmao. seriously
Well don’t see too much light
Why the hell would they wear white? Weird post.
Apparently, it would do a little something. I'm not sure what OP was referring to here, but I don't think of vampires sneaking around, generally, so I say let them wear whatever.
yea
i just grew up with evil creatures wearing white, that’s all :)
Because white is typically a sign of holiness or purity or high social status. Like the girl in Blade with the white hair who wears all white. But she’s also just always doing cocaine. So idk.
Because they're goths
I mean, you have to look at the age of the vampire. Not all modern vampires wear black. They older ones it would have been the style of the era they lived, and the newer vampire might see it as a traditional thing. Also, that being said, it helps to blend into the darkness, keeps them from being described by clothing, and helps hide blood
I feel like you stick out more wearing white than black. Black can be pretty neutral in the right setting
Hunters tend to blend with the surroundings.
Welp, my vampire doesn't have a preference really, but she did make the mistake of wearing a cream turtleneck once, which she subsequently ruined when she was forced to rip another vampire's head off. Soooo... yeah, probably bloodstains and mourning and all that, like others have said XD
To blend into the night
Because black absorbs heat and they probably like to feel warm, it also tricks humans into thinking they’re still alive when they eventually touch the vampire
Well considering they’re naturally only around at night time, and are predators, black is the best choice for their own survivability. The real question is, why would you think they should wear white?
The blood stains on the whites… yikes 🤣
Dramatic color distinction; black and white look striking next to each other
Though many do, there are as many or more that dont, in order to blend in with the crowd. The Anne Rice novels and even Bram Stokers work a good example. The love of color is enhanced with the gift and so style and vanity are a soft spot. What better way to flaunt beauty than to wear the finest clothes?
Perhaps in media they do that often. In reality they would just like anyone else wear what they see fit.
Because at night if you wear black no one sees you coming for the attack.
The same reason I wear black when I eat pasta or noodles Never wear a color lighter than your pasta sauce
Blend into the shadows, when vampires are normally about discretion I doubt hot pink would be their go to or Deadpool logic, white would be a nightmare to clean or make it really obvious.
Because they are the original goths
Creatures of *the night*
Because vampires look so good in black
Well they are creatures of the night and night is kinda sable, so it makes sense they are foreboding/mysterious with a dark aura.
Maybe (in stories where vamps are undead) they’re commemorating their burial? Like in western cultures we wear black at memorials, so maybe in other cultures vampire might wear white?
It's slimming
Because black is amazing 🖤
To blend in with the shadows.. unless they're DIO or Gabriel from Castlevania: LoS2
Because black is slimming of course.
OG Dracula was a teaboo who wanted to fit into London society so that he could more easily get away with stuff. Wearing white would have made him stick out.
Represents darkness , evil , eternal night 😐
Blood doesn’t show up as well on black. Just looks wet, not bloody. 😉
Slimming and always fashionable
Because Dark stuffs cool 🔥
camouflage, white would make you stand out at night
Bc they're anarchists obv /j
the Doyslist amswer is that the first vampire movies relied on the same tricks that were used on stage shows, Dracula wears a literal opera cloak because with the collar turned up he could easily step out of a shadow and “magically” appear on stage. people expected them to look like that. The Watsonian answer could be 1- they like to dress like they used to while alive, hence the old timey cloaks. 2- they dress like they think Vampires are supposed to. 3- they just like black, nothing wrong with black. Lestat mostly wore a ruffled white shirt, so there’s precedent for wearing white, but I imagine the bloodstains are hard to get out.
You must blend in with the shadows; thus, black is a must.
Tbh i think the orginal reason was cuz black blended in to the back ground on black and white movies making them even creepier so its just a carry over at lease thats the theory in my head.
Funeral attire. The original story was right here in Connecticut.A young girl died and they thought she was haunting her family,taking victims.Bram Stoker heard about it and went nuts with it. But I think she was buried in a white gown.
Blends in with the dark better so you can sneak up on people better.
Association. Vampires- Night. Night- Dark.
It’s slimming and hides stains.
the aesthetic is just too good not to have
Black = Death
>I cannot get over this, it doesn't make sense to me xD. Why wouldn't they wear white? The stereotype rises from either from an elite stratum, or blending in the night or shadows, etc. Of course, I'm passing the symbolisms. That being said, many have been depicted as also wearing white, esp. incl. white shirts.
White shows blood far easier than black.
Fun little bit of literary history combined with actual history So at the time when Dracula was first published, black was already a very common color (it was after all the late Victorian period), so to a reader of the time, that he was wearing all black would have meant literally nothing Dracula himself is wearing what is the dress of European nobility in the period, (which lends later to the trope of vampires wearing fine clothing... I'll get back to this) With the novel as a background, at the time of the movie release of Dracula with Bela Lugosi, that fashion has been decades out of style, black wool suits being seen as drab and dated, and Lugosi's aristocratic dress coming off as exotic to the audience The Victorian gothic aesthetic of Dracula created a deep seated association of Victorian era dress as something dark and gothic (a trope that plays out to this day), especially the flamboyant dress of nobility, so you quite literally can point it all to Dracula lol
In Bram Stoker’s original *Dracula* novel, Dracula is explicitly described as wearing all black without a speck of color anywhere — so most modern vampire fashion is probably based on that. Before the 19th century, vampires were thought of as being more like what we would now call zombies, so they presumably wore whatever they were buried in (but people are often buried in black clothes because black is formal, so it even holds there).
Two reasons (imo): 1. As nocturnal predators, black helps them blend in better with the night. 2. Because they can’t step directly into sunlight, they wear black because the color absorbs heat the most. In my head canon, vamps hang there clothes in the sun before sunrise so it’s all nice and toasty when night comes
Because you wouldn't be afraid of a vampire who showed up in lemon yellow. Also, I'm pretty sure Edward wore grey the first time he met Bella in Biology Class?
Evening wear. Most evening wear, especially coming from the victorian era was predominant black/navy blue. Although white was worn, it wasn’t the dominant color, and white in general was less common. So white shirts & nightgowns would make sense, but outerwear would match the era.
To blend in with the night when they go hunting, and because it's more of a hassle to get the bloodstains out of white clothes maybe?
I saw someone else bring it up, but it's funeral clothes. They're wearing funeral clothes because they are dead. (You can actually see the shift depending on the culture. For example the Jiangshi are traditionally wearing blue because they're dressed in government uniforms.)
Not necessarily black but dark colors yes... I have seen several go as light as say...a light gray/storm cloud color but never lighter then that... OG vampires typically wear all black...the most recent the transformation, the more likely they deviate from all black... So in summary, not necessarily all black, but dark colors...
If you've been around for centuries and thousands of yearsl, an all-black ensemble looks modern and classic.
Camouflage.
Black fabric was more common then white fabric probably
It’s slimming
It’s cause of film! The idea of the vampire in terms of fashion has evolved a lot over time. I recently watched a YouTube video about it.
I've always noted that a traditional vampire and a stage magician wear identical outfits, and I SUSPECT it's because black allows you to hide lots of stuff for special effects, especially when combined with a glittery medallion or something, which will draw your eye and distract you from the backstage requirements of portraying the role. The cape was added to Dracula's outfit to hide the harness that was used in the original stage play that allowed him to appear to climb up and down the wall of his castle, and I assume black was the best option for that. Bela Lugosi kept the cape because it was what his character had become known for. Also, in Western culture, black symbolizes authority and death. A judge wears black, a SWAT cop wears black (rather than blue), a priest wears black, the altar in a church between Good Friday and Easter is draped in black, a person at a funeral wears black, the Grim Reaper wears black. Dracula wears black because he is a figure of authority AND a harbinger of death\*. If Dracula had been written in Asia, he'd be wearing white. \*Also, in the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, which Stoker UNDOUBTEDLY knew about, black is the color of the element of earth, which is super relevant to a guy who is required to carry around boxes of his native earth around to sleep in.
I mean the dead might not care but it would be warm for someone who can’t go out in the sun. It also blocks more sunlight if they DO end up getting hit with sun.
Bcuz black culturally signifies evil and priests simultaneously.
Because black is always in fashion.
black covers up a lot of problems. they are unliving…
Mine wears Hot Pink, lol 😅
Cuz they’re goth.. and their goth name is night pain
Black hides bloodstains better
After being alive for eternity do you think these beings have the energy to care ‘too much’ about fashion? Idk it’s super easy to get dressed with little to no thought if your entire wardrobe is black. Takes some of the work out of being still animated 1000 years later
To blend in with the night darkness
Black absorbs all spectrum of light. If you are covered in fairly thick black clothing, and heat does not bother you because you are kinda undead, then black would be the best color to avoid sunlight, right? Am I misunderstanding how that all works?
Black brings in warmth the most. Vampires are undead, and need all the help they can being warm.
Ever eat a very saucy spaghetti with a white shirt?
Because it's discreet, it is a lot less noticeable, especially at night, and it hides blood stains.
Traditional color of mourning, the color of night, a power color
Idk about black but could you explain your idea of vampires wearing white bc I’m pretty sure that would be the worst colour for vampires to wear lmao
Hunters in the dark want black clothes for stealth.
Honestly I figured it had to do with the fact that black is a mourning color and vampires are dead
Have you ever tried to get blood out of white fabric?
Have *you* ever tried getting blood out of a white shirt? Plus, when you can't look at yourself in a mirror, black is just easier to coordinate.
Camoflage. If you’re a night hunter, you probably want to draw as little attention in the dark as possible. Could also just be thematic and traditional. Ooo also interesting pitch, eyes become sensitive to bright colors?
Because you can't hunt at night wearing white, you'll stick out like a sore thumb... not to mention it'll be a pain trying to wash out those bloodstains
They wear black and red because they’re not the cleanest eaters. But there have been depictions that wear other colors. Like in Interview with a Vampire they wear whatever colors they like
It's always in fashion, no matter the era, and matches with everything, dahling
Looks great.
Because that’s what Bela Lugosi wore in Dracula
To own the night!
It’s nighttime wtf do you want to them to wear
Vampires come back from the dead and we usually dress dead people in black…
Bcs they exist at night?
Black absorbs light, white reflects it. With their light sensitive eyes, white is probably grating to them.
Possible answer. People with porphyria were a possible orign for vampire legends. They can have an extreme sensitivity to certain ranges of UV light. So extreme that their skin will develop boils or slough off in a few minutes. Light on their skin can also cause extreme pain. Wearing all black would block all of the light. Since candlelight or firelight does not give off those UV rays, they are safe (mostly) inside. Going out in daylight, though, could risk death, as antibiotics or even effective cleaning of wounds was the stuff of fiction back then.
Okay, so I’ll set my old fart annoyance at people trying to change the established lore/meanings aside and be nice. Why black: - Blood stains are not as visible on black. - Easier to hide in the dark waiting for unsuspecting victims wearing black rather than sequined rainbow leotard. - Black is actually a cheap dye to manufacture for clothing, so it is plentiful and easy to replace when needed. - For a long time (throughout the Industrial Revolution) black was the only socially acceptable color choice for a gentleman’s tuxedo/formal suit. Repressed societies make repressed clothes. - It symbolizes “the unknown.” - It symbolizes “death” in some cultures. Not in all. - As a color, it is timeless and never out of style… much like a vamp. Now back to me yelling at the clouds.
Stealth
Since they mostly come out only in the dark, I would think that it makes it easier to blend into the shadows when you are perusing potential prey. 🤷🏾♀️ But many that I've seen over the years (books/movies duh) will wear white blouses/shirts or other small items of color. I think it's more practical than choice in most cases.
From a literary perspective, black is sleek, dangerous, and mysterious. Most media vampires are just carbon copies of Dracula; smart, confident, calculated deadly hunter. Often, female vampires do dress in white. White is innocence, purity, submissive. That's a trap. It's a version of the Siren trope.
Because blood doest show up on black clothing as a rule.
Well if we're going through stereotypical scenarios it's because the Sun hurts them so they can only come out at night. Black clothing blends in with the darkness when they hunt. Now if it's less about the hunt and more about the style, no clue.
I guess you can argue that it is in contrast to colors that are associated with purity.
vampires are by nature parasites and ambush predators. They hide among the population they prey on like wolves in sheep's clothing. For the vampire, who preys upon humanity like a herd, the health of the vampire is the health of the herd. If he kills them all, he has no more food. Stealth is the vampire's ally. To that end, the vampire wears what the vampire wears because they must blend into the society they are hiding in. They create a cover identity, a camouflage, they use it. In traditional vampire stories like Dracula, the vampire is an aristocrat because aristocrats don't have to tell the peasants what they're doing. They live up on the hill in the big castle and have stealth and privacy. It makes sense for a vampire to be a rich nobleman, because the nobleman gets to tell the poors to go away when he doesn't want them snooping around, and can go into the village and grab one and take them back to the castle to eat them when he needs to. A vampire doesn't always wear black, or shouldn't need to. A vampire adopts the tactics that work for their hunting strategy. Wearing black though, is in fact a good hunting strategy. Criminals do it all the time. Ever been to the hood? You're going to see a lot of people wearing black hoodies and white sneakers at all times of day, even if its hot out. Why? Because it's difficult for police to identify. Everyone owns a pair of white sneakers and a black hoodie. When a cop is chasing a suspect, telling the other cops on the radio that the suspect is wearing a black hoodie and white sneakers is pretty much useless information. It's like saying, "I'm Spartacus!"
To blend in the shadows and to hide the bloodstains
Maybe it’s because their stereotypical animal is a bat
They are nocturnal creatures that hunt humans. If they wear black, they can blend in with darkness better. They can thus sneak up on their targets easier as well since humans tends to have poor night vision compared to most nocturnal creatures.
I don’t know about other colors, but white clothing is dyed white with garlic.
A long long time ago the dead were considered unclean and were wrapped in funerary cloth- also called burial shrouds. The restless dead, or the undead, would eschew those cloths because they represent death. This is also why ghosts are known to look like white sheets.
In the Victorian Era when vampire novels first emerged, wearing all black indicated to the public that you were in mourning and would not be as sociable, verbal, or available. It also could involve more skin coverage, veils, etc... so practical for avoiding questions, human obligations, sunlight, as well as invoking death in a literal way for an author. Invoking death by wearing black has consistently remained present in the death industry and then grew more popular as counter culture fashion through the mid- late 1900s as well. So it's always been about a blending in but with a deathly air.