Are We In A New Era For Coquette Core?

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From clean girls’ slicked back hair and neutral tones to the mob wife’s fur coat (fake? Us; yes, Griselda; maybe not) and excessive gold jewellery we have all been influenced by the plethora of cores and aesthetics on TikTok and Pinterest. Yet, none of these trends have sparked quite as much chatter as the coquette.

You may even be dipping your kitten heel into the coquette look without even knowing it. Off-the-shoulder sweaters, pretty white cardigans, and floral pjs, do they sound familiar?

In literal terms, the French word ‘coquette’ translates to a woman who flirts. She is everything girly from pretty pink bows to the classic Mary Janes. Think baby blue and pastel pink inspired wardrobes, ruffles, lace, and ballet core, this is the romantic feminine image associated with the coquette.

 

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The coquette aesthetic doesn’t stop with the wardrobe. The coquette should carry the core into their personality as well, reading period romantics like Tolstoy’s War and Piece or Little Women and have Lana Del Ray’s ‘Say Yes to Heaven’ playing lightly in the background as they delicately coat their cheekbones in a layer of Benefit’s dandelion pink blush.

The coquette has had many faces, from Blair Waldorf eating yogurt on the steps of the Met in a miniskirt, knee-high socks, and of course a headband, to Betty Coopers’ girl next-door take on the trend.

Even fashion designers have taken inspiration from the coquette core. Irish fashion designer Simone Rocha’s S/S 2024 collection encapsulates the heart of the coquette aesthetic with puffy tulle dresses and lacy details.

 

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Bridgerton has had no little part in amplifying the popularity of the coquette too. Elegant ball gowns, corsets, and pearls galore is what you would expect from any young debutante who wishes to find her suitor at the Ton. The coquette look even has its very own section on the PrettyLittleThing website, described as “dainty delicate fashion pieces” and “fiercely feminine feels”. The collection hosts an array of feminine summery pieces.

You might wonder why such an innocent and feminine aesthetic would be deemed controversial. Well, as we mentioned above coquette refers to a woman who flirts, basically meaning all this pink, ruffled, and innocent clothing is aimed at pleasing the male gaze. But is that really still the case in 2024?

I mean, when we were all donning the mob wife look no one was scared we were going to start taking on senior drug lord roles, so maybe the coquettes just want to look cute without mastering the art of lightly-heartedly seducing men.

 

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In an era where women are dressing to make themselves feel good, is reprising this historically seductive core putting our feminist qualities at risk? Or can we change the narrative of the coquette and allow it to escape its male-pandering past.

There is no denying a slightly predatory vibe behind the coquette core. Dressing up in girly dresses to attract men, but at the end of the day a woman should be able to dress in whatever she likes, be that a pink miniskirt and lace cami or a little black dress without the fear of being called out for being too seductive.

After going through a period where we were too scared to wear a flowery dress in fear of being ‘anti-feminist’ or simply too girly, maybe the coquette is giving us a chance to take back control of our fashion sense. Hello, we are in 2024, not the French Revolution people. Put down your weapons and take this pretty pink fan.

Words by Olivia O’Dwyer