A BRIEF HISTORY OF
Cottagecore EXPLORED
Do you yearn for an escape to a country cottage, where you can sit and stitch in your garden full of flowers and sunshine? This month we explore the history of pastoral fashions which have influenced today’s Cottagecore aesthetic
WORDS: KATE HEPPELL
Kate
WHAT IS COTTAGECORE?
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The modern aesthetic movement known as Cottagecore reached its height of popularity worldwide during the lockdowns of 2020, where the escapist appeal of an ideal rural retreat was irresistible to many. Along with baking our own bread and making our own clothes, a particular way of dressing became ever more popular, and it’s still with us today. The movement became known as Cottagecore, but although the name is new, the ideas aren’t.
At its heart, Cottagecore focuses on capturing an idealised pastoral history, celebrating nature and embracing the innate desire for a gentler lifestyle. It is intertwined with nostalgia for “simpler times” – as if those have ever really existed. As a fashion it is intrinsically linked with historical clothing styles, often taking inspiration from fashions of the past which we can associate with beautiful paintings of the (often English) countryside.
Of course, this idealisation of the rural past is just that – an ideal, not a reality. It ignores the dirt and drudgery that was daily life for working women of the past, and airbrushes over the inequities in those societies, distilling real history down to the surface image of a pastel corset, a bunch of wildflowers and a cotton sundress. However, we mustn’t be too harsh on ourselves; we’re not the first to fall into this trap.