Whether you call it countrycore, farmcore, or cottagecore, what’s undoubtable is that this trend is sweeping the nation. Plus-size women especially have dominated the cottagecore aesthetic, and they’ve gotten a lot of buzz for it. Why is plus size cottagecore such a big trend these days?
Plus size cottagecore has big appeal for the following reasons:
- Cottagecore lets plus-size ladies look and feel like a princesses
- Lots of plus-size clothing is perfect for cottagecore
- Cottagecore makes you stand out so people focus more on your style than your weight
- The styles of cottagecore are outside of mainstream fashion, which doesn’t often cater to plus-size women
- Cottagecore is a callback to a simpler time
If this is your first time hearing of cottagecore, then you’re not going to want to miss this post. In it, we’ll talk about what cottagecore is, discuss the reasons above why lots of plus-size women love cottagecore, and even offer some cottagecore styles to try. Keep reading!
What is Cottagecore?
Okay, so an introduction is probably in order. What the heck is cottagecore?
Cottagecore is an aesthetic that encompasses a pastoral lifestyle. Those who follow cottagecore tend to dress in a fantastical way, emulating long-gone styles and wearing appealing, attention-grabbing prints. You may accessorize your cottagecore style with a flower crown (made with real flowers, of course) or a classic straw hat.
To truly get into cottagecore, you might engage in hobbies like pottery, baking, foraging, and crafts while also spending lots of time outdoors. Cottagecore is all about embracing that simple country life that many of us never had but read about in fairytales and storybooks.
You wouldn’t be alone in trying cottagecore. Marie Antoinette is said to have spent days pretending to be a milkmaid or shepherdess in her time, dressing the part as well. Even though she was a queen, she could appreciate cottagecore. Well, it wasn’t called cottagecore at the time, but you get what we mean.
The cottagecore trend first became an online sensation in 2018, but it really caught on in 2020 when much of the world spent time at home in quarantine due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Some have said it’s a counter-reaction to today’s nonstop personal branding and hustling, which has become so ingrained as part of our everyday lives.
5 Reasons Plus-Size Cottagecore Is More Fun!
Cottagecore Is a Chance for a Plus-Size Woman to Look and Feel Like a Princess
In a Refinery29 piece on plus-size cottagecore, Janna Morton, an illustrator, talked about how she used to read storybooks full of princesses in her childhood. You likely did as well. Janna also mentions how she’s not only plus-size but black. Finding a character that looked like her in these stories–let alone a princess–was impossible.
Even though it’s been a long time since Beauty and the Beast and Anastasia were converted into animated features, here we are in the 2020s and there’s still yet to be a plus-size princess. At least we got black representation through Tiana in Princess and the Frog, but we still need more.
Until that day comes when we get a cartoon or 3D plus-size princess, curvy women have jumped on the cottagecore trend. Now you can put on a flowy, flowery dress and spend a day in nature like Cinderella or Snow White. You’ll look and feel like a real princess, perhaps for the first time.
What’s great is you can do this as often as you want! Cottagecore isn’t like cosplaying, where you can’t really go to work dressed as a character. Depending on how you embody the cottagecore aesthetic, you can find pieces that are perfect for everyday wear as well as looks that are ideal for the workplace. Any day you need a little pick-me-up, you can put on your favorite cottagecore dress.
So Many Plus-Size Styles Suit Cottagecore Aesthetics
You might feel more comfortable wearing some trendy styles as a plus-size woman than you do with others. Bodycon dresses? No thanks. Darker clothing? Most definitely.
The great thing about cottagecore is that a lot of the styles are simple, relaxed, and roomy. Here are the staples of the cottagecore look as well as several style recommendations for each so you can start dressing cottagecore!
1. Puff-Sleeved Blouse
If you’re going to wear a shirt with a long skirt as part of cottagecore, then that shirt has got to be a puff-sleeved blouse. You can even style your blouse over a dress to keep your wardrobe looking vivid and interesting.
Whether you prefer your puff-sleeved blouses long-sleeved, short-sleeved, or sleeveless, longer or shorter, semi-sheer or completely opaque, any puff-sleeved blouse works for cottagecore. Here are some picks to get you started.
This Kelsey ruched blouse from Dia & Co. is the perfect embodiment of cottagecore. The yellow floral pattern will have you craving time out in nature. This blouse is ruched in all the right places with a pullover style, long sleeves, and a square-shaped neckline. This top is a smidge cropped, so wear it with a high-waisted skirt or even over a dress.
The Ellos flutter sleeve blouse from Jessica London is another cottagecore top to add to your collection ASAP. This longer rayon blouse has an A-line shape that’s nice and roomy. The straight-bottom hem gives the blouse plenty of structure.
The flutter sleeves are super adorbs, not to mention all the little details on this blouse, such as neckline shirring, self-ties with gold cords, and a small keyhole at the front. You can choose from a plum blue or red floral print, both of which are cottagecore-approved.
2. Dress
No cottagecore look is complete without a dress. We’d go so far as to say this is the most important part of creating this style at home. What kinds of dresses are you looking for if you’re going cottagecore? Maxi and midi lengths are best, as are dresses with puff sleeves, square-shaped necklines, shirred bodices, and a gingham or floral print.
Here are some examples to show you what we mean.
Although it’s a bit shorter than what’s typically cottagecore, this A New Day puff short-sleeved tiered dress from Target checks off a lot of other cottagecore boxes. Puffed sleeves? Check. Roomy fit? Check.
Made entirely of cotton, this dress has cuffs linked with elastic and tiers that start beneath the breasts and then hit again at your hips. The flattering fit and simplicity are too cute. You can get this dress in cream, burgundy, or black.
The flyaway maxi dress from Jessica London is the penultimate cottagecore dress. Measuring 57 inches long, this poly georgette dress has an empire waist with shirring, a flyaway skirt that features a dramatic slit, a front V-cut, and no sleeves. We’d recommend the Berry Bold Floral print to complete your princess look.
3. Straw Hat
Accessorizing is big in cottagecore. If you’re having a messy hair day, a wide-brimmed straw hat will finish your look and hide your unwashed strands.
The FURTALK sun hat on Amazon is a standard straw hat with a brim that’s 3.15 inches wide. If you’re looking for a moderate accessory for your cottagecore look, this hat will deliver. You can also select from several hat colors, including cream, beige, or khaki.
We also like A New Day’s floppy hat from Target. This wide-brimmed hat is 5 inches wide and comes in a sunny white with a black band.
4. Hair Accessories
When your hair is looking perf, make sure you show it off with a gorgeous floral crown or other hair accessories in the same vein. Headbands in gingham or floral patterns are great, as are large hair ribbons.
Here’s a floral crown that will never die from Floral Fall on Amazon. This pretty polyester crown looks like the real deal, plus it comes in all sorts of flower colors that can match whatever cottagecore outfit you happen to wear that day. The available colors are peachy pink, red, ivory, baby pink, white, coffee, blue, champagne, or yellow.
This Sincerely Jules by Scunchi floral headwrap from Target is another chic hair accessory. The bright blue headwrap features a floral pattern in hues like orange, white, and pink. If you’d prefer a hair ribbon, Target has those too, such as the Sincerely Jules by Scunchi scrunchie in baby pink with a darker pink floral pattern.
Cottagecore Style Makes You Stand Out So People Focus More on Your Outfit
The whimsical style of cottagecore is viewed as over-the-top to some, but that can work to your advantage. What some plus-size ladies have discovered since they incorporated cottagecore into their daily style is that people now come up to them and ask about their outfit. There are no comments on a woman’s weight, just her style.
That’s what any plus-size woman wants, to be appreciated for the clothes she’s wearing rather than what’s underneath those clothes. It’s a privilege that smaller women have and often take for granted.
Also, following the cottagecore style as a plus-size woman definitely makes you seen. There’s a tendency among some plus-size ladies to hide away into the background, dressing in dark colors that don’t make you very noticeable so people don’t pay much attention to your size.
This can make you feel like the sidekick in your own life when you should have a starring role! By dressing cottagecore, you’re not only a star, you’re the star.
The Style of Cottagecore Is Out of Mainstream Fashion
Lots of women spend their lives chasing after mainstream fashion. They revamp their wardrobe every year, sometimes every season, just to stay on-trend. The problem with mainstream fashion though is that even as our world has become more accepting of curvier bodies, fashion is a bit more unyielding.
It doesn’t take too many shopping trips to realize disappointingly that mainstream fashion only barely includes plus-size women. Maybe it won’t be that way forever, and hopefully it won’t be, but for now, that’s what it is.
The plus-size women who are taking the cottagecore trend and running with it are eschewing the idea of fitting in with mainstream fashion. Since the mainstream doesn’t cater to plus-size women, why should plus-size women cater to it?
If you’re going to pivot away from the mainstream, you might as well do it in a fun, attention-grabbing, inventive way. That’s exactly what you achieve with cottagecore.
Cottagecore Is Nostalgic and Simple
The last reason cottagecore is so great is one that a woman of any size can appreciate. It’s no secret that times are tough at the start of the 2020s. People around the world have had their lives flipped upside down and irreversibly changed. Among lots of women, there’s a yearning to return to a simpler time when the outside world wasn’t so crazy.
Cottagecore lets you live in that simpler time, even if the rest of the world isn’t there with you. You can dress like a princess, play out your pastoral fantasies, and let yourself feel nostalgic. Some experts even believe cottagecore can help with trauma and stress, so if this aesthetic works for you, make it a part of your life!
Conclusion
Cottagecore is a simple means of dressing that calls for long, flowy dresses, bold and bright patterns, and a few cute hair accessories too. This style lets plus-size women feel like princesses and awakens nostalgia. You may also find that people pay attention more to your outfit than your weight.
We hope you feel inspired to try cottagecore if it’s up your alley, as you’ll probably find it therapeutic and inspiring. Be sure to check out our other style & fashion articles.
