Cottagecore Is Back For Spring 2025 & It's Spicier Than Ever

Nothing gets me more excited for spring than spending a day folding thick coats and stashing them in boxes not to be seen until fall. For the main event, I dust off slinky bikinis for future beach trips and prep my cottagecore wardrobe.

Style savants know cottagecore is the season’s quintessential aesthetic. The longtime trend, which started on Tumblr in 2018, has since been co-opted by TikTok stars and chic celebrities. These days, the elements of the style encompass poofy sleeves, bows, ginghams, florals, eyelets, and doilies, among others. Think: Whatever outfit you’d want to traipse in across a field or lounge in to sip tea in a cottage is applicable.

Thanks to recent celeb fans of the look, however, the trend has swung the spicy pendulum. Olivia Rodrigo, for example, rocked a frilly mini that flaunted leg, Elsa Hosk gave it the no-pants treatment, while Emily Ratajkowski wore a see-through doily dress.

If you, too, are ready to revamp your cottagecore style and give it a dash of spice, below you’ll find some of the most daring pieces to shop for spring 2025.

1. A Bow-Clad Maxi

Bows are practically synonymous with the coquettish style, even when the rest of the dress has a skin-baring twist. Enter: this baby blue maxi from Praerie that perfectly melds sweet (with multiple bow accents) and spicy (that plunging neckline).

2. A Poofy Crop Top

Add a slinky crop top to your summer rotation that features poofy sleeves, a ruffly trim, and a teeny ribbon like this one from Helsa. Lean into the cottage-inspired aesthetic and pair with a billowy skirt or dress it down with jeans.

3. A Gingham Bustier

Gingham is the print most associated with the style and practically evokes summer afternoons spent enjoying picnics on the grass. For a spicy twist, wear one with a flouncy mini and a bustier-style bodice.

4. A Tiered Floral Mini

As a brand, LoveShackFancy is a floral, cottagecore haven. But aside from its decadent dresses, it also features slinky skirts worth adding to your warm weather rotation. This tiered ruffle option is awash in “wallpaper florals,” a big summer trend that pays homage to grandmothers’ kitschy hazy wall decor.

5. A Collarbone-Baring Maxi

For a subtly spicy take on the trend, opt for a dress with an off-the-shoulder neckline that displays collarbone and a hint of cleavage. This Abercrombie & Fitch dress also features ruching across the torso and a striking red-and-white floral pattern that you can take from day to night.

6. See-Through Eyelet

Saccharine eyelets are rarely mentioned in the same breath as “risqué,” but there is a way to seamlessly merge the two. Take this mini, for example. While the bottom half is opaque, the top half is sheer. Wear a bra underneath for an exposed-underwear style moment or ditch the brassiere altogether and free the nip. Either way, it will be saucy.

7. A Ruffly Cutout Dress

Apron-inspired dresses fit the cottagecore bill. This dress from Allina Liu is a daring take on the style with its ruffled straps, balloon skirt, and waist cutouts.

8. A Sheer Paisley

Channel your inner EmRata and wear a paisley-clad doily dress that’s completely sheer. Style it casually à la the Gone Girl star with a skin-matching bra, gilded jewelry, and bright red sneakers, or embrace the daring aesthetic with heels and nothing but visible undies.

9. A Lingerie-Coded Mini

A dress that could’ve been plucked out of the lingerie drawer? Sign me up. This silky peach mini from Rumored is exactly that.

10. Bloomer-Inspired Shorts

Teeny tiny shorts that look like bloomers aren’t for the faint of heart. The fashion-forward, however, will love the billowy hot pants with a garter trim. Even Hosk is a fan.

11. A Lacy LBD

Cottagecore isn’t relegated to florals, ginghams, or pastel hues. Black can also be part of the mix especially if it’s crafted in lace and features an airy A-line silhouette like this Maeve minidress option.

12. A Plunging Eyelet Top

Pristine whites? Dainty eyelets? Stringy bows? All these make up the perfect cottagecore clothing item. But when it comes in an uber-plunging halter number? Even better.