The coquette aesthetic is all over TikTok right now – here’s how to get the look

You might like to think that you have your finger on the pulse when it comes to fashion trends, but if you’re yet to embark on your coquette era then we simply cannot be friends. Kidding, of course, but if you want Gen Z to be convinced that you know your sartorial stuff then you need to listen up.

TikTok is no stranger to igniting a new trending aesthetic. Remember cottagecore? Which was rapidly followed by balletcore and ‘dark academia’ and, more recently, the ‘old money’ aesthetic? We hate to break it to you, but if you’re still wafting around in the romantic puffed-sleeve floral dresses and quilted coats from your cottagecore era then you’re about as cool as a side-parting in the eyes of our most critical Gen Z friends. Heartbreaking, we know.

So what is this ‘new’ look adored by TikTok (and, in turn, therefore probably Instagram too, seeing as they’re essentially the same platform right now)?

The term ‘coquette’ is defined as ‘a flirtatious woman’ so it should come as no surprise that the look draws on femininity, but the coquette aesthetic is slightly more ambiguous than its predecessors in that it actually draws on and fuses a selection of said predecessors’ key elements.

Think soft pastel pinks and delicate lace borrowed from balletcore, the frills and feminine accents of cottagecore, the exaggerated collars and scholarly-looking shoes of ‘dark academia’ and strings of luxurious pearls from your ‘old money’ era, and you’ll have your coquette aesthetic perfectly primed and ready to debut.

Need some visual inspo? Take a look at some of TikTok’s most well-executed displays of the coquette aesthetic…

Although cute, it’s hard to ignore the similarities between the coquette aesthetic and the problematic ‘lolita’ or ‘nymphet’ aesthetics which hyper-sexualised innocence and were made popular online back in the Tumblr days of the 2010s. A crucial difference to note, however, is that TikTok users appear to be entirely reinterpreting the aesthetic; not dressing for the male gaze but rather reclaiming, owning and celebrating their own femininity.

Keen to get coquett-ing? Here are ten pieces to add to your basket for full marks in achieving the coquette aesthetic…

For more from Glamour UK’s Fashion Editor Charlie Teather, follow her on Instagram @charlieteather.