Cottagecore Confessions: Loving a Style I'm Too Scared to Wear

I have a confession: I am a cottagecore fan who doesn’t really wear cottagecore that much.

I love it. The earthy tones and subtle pastels are a love letter to a calm, pleasing palette. The flouncy sleeves, the delicate lace, the long, flowing skirts, it all speaks to a specific, intentional vibe. It’s romantic. It’s a fairytale. It feels like an escape to an alternate, softer version of myself for a day.

But for me, that’s just it. It feels like an escape. Taking on this style doesn’t feel like stepping into my skin; it feels like trying on a beautiful, well-crafted costume. And wearing a costume to get groceries, as much as I might admire someone else who does, makes my introverted heart beat a little too fast.

This is my complicated love letter to an aesthetic I adore from a respectful distance.

The Layers of the Aesthetic (From Whispers to Shouts)

Cottagecore, like balletcore, has degrees. Individual pieces aren’t inherently costume.

A lace-trimmed linen blouse is just a beautiful top.

A long, earthy-toned skirt is a timeless staple.

A tartan pattern or a puff sleeve is just a great detail.

These elements can be sprinkled into any wardrobe. I own a couple, a square-neck midi dress in an earthy green with big, unnecessary buttons, and a white puffy-sleeved top. They’re my toe-dip into the vibe.

It’s the combination, turned all the way up, that creates the full, unabashed fantasy. And that’s what I find so breathtaking, and terrifying. Taking a style that’s by nature muted and low-key, and amplifying its most ornate facets, creates something that sticks out beautifully and abruptly in the everyday world. That requires a confidence I’m still working towards.

If You Want to Start (A Guide From an Admirer)

Even from the sidelines, I’ve picked up a few things. If you’re called to this style, here’s what to look for:

The Essentials: Start with fabrics, linen, cotton, wool. Look for colors: mossy greens, creamy ivories, wheat golds, faded floral prints. Seek out details: puff sleeves, square necks, smocking, ribbons, rows of buttons.

The Secret Source: Don’t just Google it. You’ll drown in fast-fashion copies. The best pieces aren’t designed to be “cottagecore”; they’re what the style is based on. My favorite hunting grounds are brick-and-mortar thrift stores, Etsy sellers, and resale apps like Mercari or Poshmark. Look for vintage, not viral.

How to Ground It (Because You Probably Aren't Churning Butter)

The magic is in making it work for your real life. This style isn’t fragile.

The Modern Clash: I love seeing a delicate prairie dress paired with rough cowboy boots. It keeps the look from feeling too precious. Ankle boots or even clean, classic white Keds would do the same thing.

The Single Statement: Wear that puff-sleeve blouse with modern, dark-wash jeans. Let the cottagecore piece be the star against a simple backdrop.

The Texture Mix: Pair a lace top with a tough leather jacket or a sleek denim skirt. The contrast is everything.

(Image suggestion: A flat-lay showing a puff-sleeve white blouse paired with two options: one with a long linen skirt and leather sandals, the other with classic blue jeans and white Keds.)

Where Does It Belong? (My Internal Debate)

When thinking about wearing a cottage core outfit, my mind immediately goes to, where would I be, that this doesn't seem out of place, like I need to go frolic through a botanical garden, or read some old leather books by candle light. Not like, "oh, I need laundry detergent, better go to Target." That came up because, I literally saw a girl in target wearing some cottage core stuff, and I was just like, "Damn, she looks cute as hell." 

The Only Rule That Matters

My feelings on cottagecore are nuanced, even to me. I admire it more than I participate. I wish I could bravely integrate more of its softness into my daily uniform.

But that doesn’t change my deepest fashion belief, one that applies to every style from punk to prep to prairie:

If it brings you joy to wear something, nothing should stop you.

It shouldn’t matter if you’re big, small, a girl, a boy, or anything in-between. If you want to wear a pastel pink lace dress, then put the damn thing on and show it off. If you feel good in it, I can guarantee you look incredible.

My cottagecore might live mostly in my heart and on my Pinterest board. But that doesn’t mean yours has to. Wear the whimsy. Wear the linen. Wear the joy.

Is there a style you love but feel too shy to wear?