It’s the year of the dragon y’all! I finally understand why I kept seeing dragons in my tea cups readings now. I’m learning that this princess is saving herself! This year is all about slaying my dragons (and slaying my make up 😜). So join me on this journey of finding love and joy. I want to teach you how to face those inner demons and dragons— the coquette way! We’ll be boosting our auras, changing our aesthetics, and learning how to become more alluring overall.
So what IS coquette fashion and what does it mean? Personally, I think it’s frilly, it’s flirty, it’s the divine femme! Coquette fashion, regardless of how you gender identify, is a reminder that you deserve to be pampered, feel pretty, and wear pink! If you ask TimeOut journalist Ian Kumamoto, he describes coquette style as if “soft girl aesthetics and cottage-core had a baby, and then a unicorn bottle fed it pink steroids.” And if you look at French etymology, coquette simply means “flirtatious.” But where is the clothing style REALLY from? If y’all know me by now, I’m a BIG history buff, so before I give you any of my magical methods to slaying your dragons the coquette way, I’ll give you its historical backgrounds. Remember: knowledge is power!
(Buuuuut if you don’t want to read all that you can skip to the end I guess 🙄)
History of coquette fashion
Coquette clothing is heavily inspired by Rococo British/French aesthetic and the Victorian Era. The Rococo Era was popular in the 18th century (1700-1799). It was an architectural rebellion against King Louis XIV’s “formal and geometric” French classicism style that was influenced by Ancient Greek and Roman culture. One could argue that rococo designs facetiously mocked yet admittedly admired the 14th-16th century Renaissance allure Louis XIV was going for. Rococo gave big and dramatic twist to architecture, and it incorporated more curves and pastel colors to art. The style spread through Europe and influenced other mediums such as “sculpting, furniture, silverware, glassware, painting, music, theatre, and more.” However, the style was condemned, it died out, and it was considered “out of date” by 1820.
And why did the Rococo style die? It’s possibly because Queen Marie Antoinette, the last Queen of France (for very obvious reasons), scared people away from clothes and art that was extravagant, luxurious, and lavish. Her excessive spending habits is one of the things that lead us to the inevitable French Revolution. She took money from the proletariats pockets and left them famished, but Marie Antoinette didn’t care, as long as she was fashionable. So people refrained from big, embroidered clothes afterward in fear of personally reliving her execution fate.
By 1830, during the Victorian era, there were major changes in European fashion because of the Industrial Revolution. A mass production of sewing machines lead to changes in trends, thus marking the beginnings of “fast fashion.” Prior to the Industrial Revolution, women were expected to preform more laborious duties along their side their husbands and brothers, such as being in the field farming. However, after these technological advancements, more women were able to take on domestic/homemaking work or stop working completely. This free time allowed women to dress freely again. They went back to the big, dramatized dresses that were condemned over the last 30 years. They traded in utilitarian lifestyles for sedentary looks.
The Sedentary style was ever evolving and depended on the decade, so there’s no one look; however, the more popular dress pieces for women included: corsets over a bodice, skirts adorned in lace and embroidery, low necklines with exposed shoulders, fitted or engageantes (false) sleeves, and crinolines (a petticoat added under skirts to give them a “bee hive” shape, give the body an illusion of hourglass figure, and give the dress flare). By the 1860, the general idea of these dresses stayed the same but it had some changes. For example, necklines were raised, the size of crinolines shrunk, trains were added to the ends of dresses, and they experimented with more dress colors since synthetic dyes were invented around this time.
Victorian clothing saw a couple more changes over the decades before it completely fizzled out of style. We did see many designers pay homage to the style over the 20th and 21st century, including Christian Diors “New Look” of 1947, Vivian Westwoods “mini crini” of 1980, and Alexander McQueen crinoline line of 2005.
Coquette fashion is also believed to have inspired feminine fashion trends outside of westernized countries, including Japanese Lolita fashion. I HIGHLY recommend doing a deep dive on Lolita fashion itself because it’s so intriguing, especially if you’re also into kawaii, Alice in Wonderland, and Gothicism styles (because coquette is like punk but make it pink!). The style has returned to us once again in the 2020 decade. It started with a rising popularity on the social media blog site “tumblr” in 2020, and has garnered even more popularity on apps such as Tiktok, Twitter, and Instagram since 2022. It’s the parent style to co-aesthetics such as Ballet-core, Cottage-core, and Princess-core. My personal favorite core is princess core meets punk rock (and if you know me you know, this is how I’ve looked my whole life haha).
So again, what is coquette? It’s pretty, it’s playful, and it’s a reminder that you are in fact a princess! But in todays day and age, it’s deeper than that. It’s also daring! It defies societal norms. In the words of journalist Isabella Bilous, “it allows people to fully escape into their femininity without feeling guilty about it.” In the words of Jay (me), it’s a way to say “yes, I embrace my inner femme. I’m not afraid of being a baddie, and I’m so proud of her/them for not caring what people think.” Coquette style also eliminates the idea that empowerment = masculinization. And considering if you were part of the proletariat, you weren’t even allowed to fully participate in the style. You had to purchase cheaper, less defined garments, and only the upper/middle class were allowed to “reveal flesh/skin.” So technically, coquette fashion is also a big fuck you to European patriarchy. Every girl, regardless of financial status, deserves to feel beautiful in their clothes and skin.
So Queen Victoria? Prince Albert? I hope you’re ROLLING in your graves seeing all these baddies on a budget rocking coquette style clothing. Kisses, bitches!! All that said:
Here are 12 ways to slay your dragons, the Disney Princess/Coquette way: 👑
- No Frills, No Thrills (The Cinderella Spell) 🏰👗
Frills literally make the coquette clothing. Don’t be afraid to wear the corsette with pretty puffy sleeves. And who cares if everyone else is in a mermaid style dress, throw on your ball gown! Some people give Ariel, we give Cinderella! Layer your fit in frills, get those tabby shoes everyone is talking about, and when you’re done, spritz on your perfume and put on your pearl necklace! Go big or go home! Treat every event like you’re going to a castle and dress coquette! Who cares? Life is short. Might as well make it a fairytale with frill and thrills!
- Mirror mirror in my hand.. (The Snow White Spell) 🍎🪞
Who’s the baddest in the land? You are, duh! So get you a little coquette style mini mirror and keep it in your purse. Pull it out, look at yourself, and recite “mirror, mirror in my hand, who’s the baddest in the land?” When you’re finished reciting, add a kiss mark to the mirror as reminder to love yourself first and foremost. Do this whenever you need a reminder you’re in fact a princess! Plus, this little incantation is Snow White inspired, and she’s the original cottage core Queen! Charm your mirror even more by gluing on your own favorite personal charms from old necklaces you don’t wear anymore.
- The Sleeping Beauty Spell 💤
This one is an ode to my personal favorite princess, Aurora! This is a spell to get your beauty sleep 😴 You essentially want to make a dream pillow, but we’re going to make it coquette! Find a corset from the thrift store (or get something cheap on Amazon). You can just get a coset top, but if it’s a dress, cut the bottom off (the skirt) so that it’s just the corset. Stuff the inside with some cotton, and also add some herbs for both beauty and sleep: lavender, chamomile, blue lotus, mugwort, and of course dried rose petals (a nod to the princesses adoptive name, Briar Rose). Sleep on it every night to manifest some sweet dreams and beauty sleep 🩷
You can also just get a regular throw pillow that can zip open, add your herbs in that way, and throw a corset belt right on top of it!
- Have A Tea Party In Princess/Coquette Core (The Belle Spell) ☕📚
Speaking of herbs, get all your closest friends, dress up in your best princess core threads, and then meet at your local park for a tea party! Again, go big or go home! Have everyone bring a box of their own favorite tea, and make the rest of it a potluck. Have some people bring croissants, some people bring cupcakes, some people bring cold cuts, and have some people bring brownies. Brownie points if you’re each dressed like a Disney Princess! Buy some extra crowns from the dollar store, and if you see any young girls at the park with their parents, offer them a crown and remind them they’re a princess. You could also all turn it to a book event where you each bring a good book you love and trade with a friend. This one could be considered a group spell!
- Bow and Butterfly Beauty (The Rapunzel Spell) 🎀🦋
Use bows and butterflies to enhance your beauty!! It’s totally coquette core to add bows or butterfly clips to your hair. Do the same with your nails, clothes, make up and earrings. You can also glue some bows and butterflies on to your hair brush (or buy a brush with them already on). When you brush your hair, visualize it being as long as Rapunzels. Spray a little new moon water in your hair as well to manifest your ends being “good as new.”
- Coquette Cooking (The Tiana Spell) 🐸🍲
If you’ve been following my spells and manifestations for a while now, you should already know I’m BIG on teaching how to manifest with meals. So with this spell, you want to take your favorite cauldron (pot) and make some good old fashioned gumbo, just like our Princess Tiana. You could also cook another kind of creole or historical coquette inspired dish. Wear green as you cook to bring forth prosperity and connect you more with the herbs you’ll be cooking with. And do some color magic with your herbs as well!
To manifest more money, use green herbs: consider basil, dill weed, cilantro, or tyme.
To manifest more creativity use orange herbs: use tumeric, cumin, or orange pepper.
If you need a little optimism/sunshine in your life: use yellow herbs: lemon pepper or curry powder.
If you’ve been seeing red lately and need to keep your cool: season with paprika, cayene, chili powder, saffron, or red pepper.
You get it? Match the color to the elemental compound! And when you season your meals, say your intentions aloud! Then when you’re done, write them all on a bay leaf and let it burn next to your gumbo. (Please do not put it inside, we don’t want to eat the ink). Listen to Almost There by Princess Tiana (Princess & The Frog soundtrack) while you do this!
- Mulan Music Magic 🎵
You know I couldn’t forget the original dragon slayer (if those dragons were white men. We’d never hurt mushu!). It’s the Chinese New Year, of COURSE I’m including mulan in our coquette spell castings! Now my absolute favorite part of the movie Mulan is actually at the very beginning when she sings Honor To Us All. The part “ancestors hear my plea” has been a popular trend on apps such as Tiktok and Instagram. So we’re going to use this musical to manifest! With this spell, all you do is sing “ancestors, hear my plea” and then sing out the list of things you’re manifesting to the beat. It’s just as simple as that. Light an incense with an aroma that helps you best focus so you can connect with your ancestors, and then say this incantation.
- Read Pastel Spells by Rose Orriculum (For An Ariel Spell) 🧜🏾♀️
This book is sooooo cute! It’s totally giving coquette/princess/cottage core. So many of her spells are based on beauty and showing up as your best self, so I highly recommend this book. She has her own mermaid/Ariel inspired singing spell in this book that I personally LOVE to manifest with before I make any music. I won’t write it here since it’s not my spell, so pls support small businesses/up and coming authors and purchase the book! I promise you won’t be disappointed. I got mine for like $7 on Amazon 🥰 (This is not a paid promotion lmao. Just one princess supporting another princess!)
- Read The Princess Saves Herself by Amanda Lovelace 👸🏼
And speaking of reading, this poetry book is SO good and is completely underrated. Amanda Lovelace deserved so much more love with this book, so this Valentine’s Day/Year of the Dragon, let’s give her some! Lovelace really lets her guard down and opens us up to the fairytale that is her reality. She shows the reader vulnerability as she reveals all the tower moments she’s faced in life, but how she didn’t let these moments tower over her. This book definitely gives the same energy as the song Cinderella by the Cheetah Girls, so check it out!
- Binge Bridgerton 📺
Unless you live under a rock (or are quite literally a troll under the bridge), you’ve heard of Bridgerton. Whether you’re watching it for the first time or for the billionth time, it’s time to watch it (again). If you need some coquette core inspiration, Bridgerton is literally based during 19th century England. Now, it does seem like mainly only Queen Charolette follows coquette core fashion in the series, which makes sense considering that for a while, the style was considered unethical and disempowering unless you were the Queen. So they got the costuming in Bridgerton pretty historically accurate. The clothes were considered to be more formal, straight, covered, and fitted in contrast to the big, revealing style of coquette and Queen Charolette’s dresses. You’ll be able to see how Europeans were dressing in the 30 years post the French Revolution when coquette fashion went out of style. You can also still see the Rococo inspiration in the architecture and interior designing in this show.
- Pick your weapon ⚔️
You’ll need swords to help you slay those dragons, so it’s time to pick your weapon! Leave it on your alter as an offering to your gods. Let it represent the fact that no weapon formed against you shall prosper. Consider getting a resin sword. It’s pretty, it’s real, and the ancestors LOVE these, trust me (cause something tells me even in death they still have demons to face. I mean, seen the movie soul anyone?). A picture of a resin sword/dagger my bestie made me for my birthday is below. Isn’t it cute?? Plus she also gave me two ribbon keychains for endo and epilepsy awareness (we stan a supporting queen!).
And last but not least…. never let your crown fall down! Hold your head up high and never let your crown fall down! You can’t see those dragons coming if your head is looking down at the dirt. Pick it up and put your happiness first! The only one that should be breathing fire of desires is you. That said I hope you have a Happy Year Of The Dragon, bougiebrujas <3
Check out yesterdays article: https://www.bougiebrujas.com/2024/02/10/mood-music-for-magicians-valentines-day-playlist-♫⋆%EF%BD%A1♪˚♬/ It was a mini music playlist that is in correlation to Wednesday’s Valentine’s Day article. Anyway, I’ll talk to you guys then!