What’s the Difference Between Farmcore and Cottagecore Fashion?
In the past few months, you’ve likely heard a lot about farmcore and cottagecore, two fashion, food, and home trends that are seemingly taking over the world recently.
Remember when everyone was baking bread? That’s cottagecore. Does it seem like you can’t take a step without coming across a dainty floral printed dress? That’s cottagecore, too! It’s a trend that celebrates a simpler time with intentional pieces of clothing or home items.
Here are what exactly each trend is and the differences between the two, very similar styles. Plus, we’ll let you know how you can incorporate these trends into your day-to-day life.
What is Cottagecore?
Good Housekeeping describes cottagecore as a trend that “embraces the charm of the English countryside (hence its name), creating an idealized representation of farm life—no matter where in the world you may live.”
What Is Farmcore?
Farmcore, while very similar to cottagecore, is a little different. My Cottagecore describes farmcore as a style that “revolves around the romanticizing ... of western agriculture and specifically farm life.”
How Did These Trends Start?
According to HuffPost, cottagecore and farmcore grew in popularity as the pandemic began. It’s a trend that leans into the wide, open spaces of the countryside—an escape many people were wishing for during the onset of the pandemic.
But, like grunge in the ‘90s, cottagecore is a trend that is “an aesthetic above all,” the article states.
What Are the Differences Between Farmcore and Cottagecore?
Cottagecore and farmcore are really similar, so it can be hard to decipher the differences. According to Wikipedia, “the aesthetic [of cottagecore] centers on traditional rural clothing, interior design, and crafts such as foraging, baking, and pottery, and is related to similar aesthetic movements such as grandmacore, farmcore, goblincore, and faeriecore.”
One of the biggest differences between cottagecore and farmcore is that the phrase cottagecore is much more commonly used than farmcore. As the Wikipedia article states above, farmcore is often bucketed into cottagecore, which makes it hard to decipher the two.
As the name suggests, farmcore does get more of its inspiration from farming culture, so, with farmcore, you can expect more farm animal-themed trends, whether that’s a farm animal figurine in a corner of a home or large seagrass baskets collecting random home items, similar to how large baskets are used to collect herbs and plants on a farm.
As far as cottagecore, picture items that would fit in well at an English countryside cottage: flowy floral cotton summer dresses, fresh bouquets, flower crowns, ruffled dresses, and crochet tunics or women’s cotton tank tops.
How Do I Incorporate Cottagecore and Farmcore Into My Wardrobe and Home?
You likely already have some cottagecore- and farmcore-inspired items in your closet or home. Do you have plant-printed gardening gloves? Or a flower garden that you planted on your own? Both of those things count as cottagecore. Do you have a skort in an earthy or floral tone? That counts as cottagecore, too!
When shopping for cottagecore fashion, look for puff-sleeved maxi dresses for women or shirts with accents like Peter Pan collars, the HuffPost article suggests. You can purchase items in earthy tones, floral prints, or country-inspired ruffled designs to achieve this aesthetic.
Even just spending time outdoors with your family is a great way to embrace the cottagecore vibe—pack a picnic in some lunch bags, and you’ll be all set to enjoy a cottagecore-inspired day outside.
In the end, look for clothing styles that you could picture wearing in a field in the English countryside—nothing restrictive like workout leggings or fitted skirts, instead, opt for flowy, loose clothing.
For your home, look to purchase gingham-printed throw pillows, plaid-themed decor, or pastel-colored throw blankets. The HuffPost article notes that pastels, particularly in “shades like eggshell, blush, lemonade, periwinkle, pistachio, lavender and cornflower blue,” are great for the cottagecore aesthetic.
All in all, farmcore and cottagecore have a lot of the same ultimate style trends: “caring for plants, frolicking in a field with animals, picnics, and baking bread in a sun-faded vintage apron,” according to WhoWhatWear.
Both trends aim to bring people back to a simpler time when emails didn’t have to be answered at all hours of the day, and families and friends spent time in nature for hours on end.