What is Cottagecore Aesthetic?
Cottagecore aesthetic, which is also known as farmcore and countrycore, is a dreamy, cozy, idealized way of life, romanticizing simple rural life, appreciating nature, animals, flowers, gardening and rustic homemaking. Imagine wearing flowy peasant dresses, baking your own bread, which you eat with the herbs grown in your garden, while frolicking in a field with flowers in your hair. The movement embraces living in harmony with nature, appreciating rustic living and the farm lifestyle, and practicing sustainability in a romantic, nostalgic and magical way.
Where Did Cottagecore Come From?
The term cottagecore goes back to about 2017, stemming from social media (Instagram and Tumblr) romanticizing the ideals of cottagecore. It gained popularity and kept growing, being globally recognized in 2019. Then the pandemic hit and really escalated everyone’s love of this romanticized way of thinking. With all of the uncertainty going on, cottagecore was a way of going back to what matters — creating things from nature for yourself, while looking cute in a ruffled peasant dress.
Why is it Called Cottagecore?
If we break down the word, cottage refers to a house or dwelling in the countryside, with connotations of a cozy and rustic ambiance. And core refers to a genre or classification or type of something. Hence, cottagecore! 🍄
What is the Cottagecore Fashion Aesthetic?
The best part is that sewing your own clothes isn’t required to get the cottagecore fashion aesthetic. Here are some of the signature cottagecore style themes and our favorite looks.
Oversized Bib Collars
Also called Pilgrim collars, they are as their name would suggest…quite large. And usually with a ruffle around the edges, the collars can be attached to the shirt/dress. Or it can come as a separate piece that ties or buttons, so you can layer it over any blouse or dress to transform it. As a long time lover of fantastic collars, I fully love this trend. Erica at Tiny Acorn has incredible style and pulls off the big collar, expertly mixing vintage with modern style. One of my absolute favorite style bloggers, every single thing she puts together is inspirational. I highly recommend following her!
I’m also loving this shirt from Piaf Vintage Store. It has it all — the puff sleeves, big scalloped collar and eyelet detail. Fully embracing the cottagecore aesthetic.
Cottagecore Aesthetic Romantic Shirts & Floral Embroidery
Another cottagecore style hallmark are the romantic shirts full of ruffles and gathers. Adorned with floral embroidery, or strawberries or mushrooms. We love this sweet style blouse with embroidered flowers around the collar. The gathered sleeves add more romantic detail, and we love the soft, wispy hair styling to match.
Another romantic blouse option is this 60s silk shirt with a peter pan collar and gathered short sleeves. But the most amazing thing is the embroidered pineapples around the collar! This makes me want to start embroidering all of my vintage shirts.
Floral Midi & Maxi Dresses
Another fun cottagecore trend is the long floral dresses. Modest in their coverage, and completely cute with their floral designs. Here are 3 that we are loving. We love the shirt dress maxi dress. The slim pointed collar and high leg slit gives it an edge in contrast to the sweet floral print and modest length. The romantic pastel floral midi dress is another super romantic option. And finally, we love the flowy florals and tie neck of the black and white floral dress.
Cottagecore Aesthetic Mushroom Jewelry
And no outfit would be complete without jewelry! Mushrooms are a core part of the cottagecore style, and maybe we’re a bit biased but these mushrooms are the best balance of cute cottagecore + chic elegance. Starting with the earrings, these offer 2 different styles. The abstract mushroom hoop earrings are formed by a coral bead and pearl, aligned to make the perfect mushroom. The lampwork glass red mushroom earrings dangle long and are paired with 2 perfectly irregular pearls.
Other mushroom jewelry options include a lampwork glass mushroom necklace strung on a 14k gold filled chain, a tiny gold mushroom necklace, a red mushroom lariat necklace, and a chunky brass mushroom bracelet.
Overalls & Coveralls
And finally, workwear at its best — overalls. No one does overalls better than Erica at Tiny Acorn. She talks about the importance of getting the fit of overalls right, and I can’t agree more. She’s a wizard at styling up these overalls with a ruffle top, and again with an oversized collar.
What Aesthetics are Similar to Cottagecore?
Cottagecore is just the beginning! Similar variations and alternate subgenres have popped up. Grandmacore, Fairycore, Goblincore and Dark Academia are just a few similar aesthetics with slightly different twists.
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Sources: Aesthetics Wiki, Architectural Digest, The Vou
