How Victorians are Responsible for you favorite Aesthetic

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Aesthetics like cottagecore, dark academia, goblin core, cabin core, cottagegore (dark cottagecore), fairycore, and more have exploded in popularity on tiktok, instagram, youtube, and facebook. These visually-driven subcultures can and have impacted and influenced how one dresses, the music you listen to, the books you read, and followers even identify with different ethos and lifestyle practices, like learning how to sew, cooking or baking, gardening, that are associated with different aesthetics.

But it's nothing that new, actually, in fact when you look at #aesthetics of 2020 and 2021 and Victorian Aestheticism, there are *a lot* of correlations and similarities that are fascinating to uncover - mostly because they don't seem to be intentional. at all. So, in this video, with the help of Dr. Robyne Calvert, Cultural Historian who is an expert in Victorian Aesethticism, we're going to dig into the similarities between Victorian Aestheticism and Neo-Aesethicism - from ethos, influences, their inherent "Englishness" and how this human desire to escape into a beautiful romantic world is nothing new.

And because aesthetics are so heavily invested in fashion, we're going to talk to the designer and co-founder of one of my favorite clothing lines, Voriagh, to ask her about *why* she designs aesthetic clothing, and how she came to be an aesthetic designer that is so beloved with cottagecore aesthetes.

🖼Images:

Self-Portrait, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, 1847, National Portrait Gallery,

Oscar Wilde, Library of Congress,

🥳Socials

[loujohnson]

Honestly, I feel that dark academia came from a generation that grew up with harry potter and grew as a reaction to the minimalist fashions associated with technology. With everything at hand over the Internet, people began wanting the mystique of old books and formal clothing.

[MendyLady]

Neo-aesthetic is a much fancier term than "never left my Goth phase", and actually covers all my interests. Brilliant. Thank you.

[krystelhardesty]

It's more than just the pandemic that has caused the surge in cottage core and such. I think it is because so much of our world is cold, crass and loud that we are craving warm, elegant and quite. We have also become very disconnected from nature, and a lot of the cottage core aesthetic are natural things. When looking at cottage core pictures they are usually outside in nature, or they have wooden and glass things around them. While the modern world is an amazing place we have lost a lot of what it means to be human too.

[carodeux]

Fascinating. My sister and I (in our 70s) spent thé pandemic buying and wearing linen dresses from Lithuanian sellers on Etsy, with no idea that we were part of a movement. We are now trying to figure out how to move out into the world, while retaining our newly discovered styles ( which nevertheless remind me of my hippie youth ) . It’s hard when you are old and everyone expects you to wear seasonal sweaters, clamdiggers and Fanny packs.

[VBirchwood]

I've always felt like cottagecore and dark academia have interlinked so well with Victorian fashion. For instance, I just finished making a dark academia version of a replicated 1890-91 walking suit, and you can find so many examples of walking suits from the late Victorian/early Edwardian periods that feel exactly as if they would fit into today's dark academia aesthetic. Wonderful video Abby!

[hotjanuary]

Abby, could there be another side to this? Not about escapism, but something else (when actually worn in daily life and not as an aesthetic photo shoot). I’ve always been drawn to this style. However, as this style wasn’t popular, the fashion was accessible to only those that could sew (and afford yards of comfortable fabric) or could afford niche brands that didn’t follow trends (so they’d be pricier as this wouldn’t be fast fashion). Furthermore, wearing this style would effectively put a bull’s eye on you in public for attention one may not be comfortable with.

The pandemic has evoked a new attitude: I’m stuck isolated anyways and I might as well wear what makes me happy. Thus individuals have been empowered to have courage to wear and invest in what they like regardless of what society might think of them. Everyday physical interaction in society (beyond going to grocery stores) promotes a need for social acceptance, thus a conformity to socially popular mode of dress.

[margaret_adelle]

You know I usually call myself a cottagecore hipster, but "neo-aesthete" sounds so much cooler.

[talosheeg]

Im personally trying to make my style "indiana Jones goes to LA and finds an annoying Armenian American assistant" lmao

[grizeldamayhem]

I see some feminist blossoming going on in the joyful embrace of folksy linen clothing. As a Gen X woman I've lived through a lot of eras of spandex and body-con fashion in which there was no place to hide. Big sleeves and giant wrinkly skirts take up a lot of space being fabulous, and you as the wearer get to decide what you want to present. Let's never go back.

[simandalowry]

This whole explanation just put the Portuguese word "saudade" in my head. Roughly translates to the emotion of nostalgia for a past that never really existed or longing for a future that cannot be, amongst other definitions.

[noblemily]

Yes, Liziqi is another kind of cottagecore as well.
She perfectly shows a modified, idealized Chinese countryside, which doesn't exist nether in the historical photos, nor in my grandparents's memories.
I've always regarded that sometimes fantasizing the past is dangerous, it's another way to loose historical or cultural meanings.
Although personally I feel the same nostalgia, It should be as important showing the bad, realistic side of the past.

[FrenchTheLlamaFTL]

I hadn't entirely connected the two, but I definitely used the pandemic as a space to explore dark cottagecore as an aesthetic. I've been a supporter of unique/handmade/small businesses for a while, but hadn't really converted my wardrobe yet. Now I dress dark cottagecore almost every day, and nearly everything I wear either has a story, or I can literally tell you the name of the person who made it.
A little while ago I converted my pantry into using mason jars for dry good storage over supermarket packaging for the #aesthetic of it. Now it seems ridiculous to go to the grocery store just to throw away packaging once I get home, so I'll be supporting my local co-op instead and buying dry goods package-free. Dark cottagecore is serving as a gateway to sustainability. I already save all my chicken bones to make my own bone broth, so next step is to learn canning so I don't have to take up freezer space.
Aesthetics aren't always just about dressing up, and I appreciate that you touched on that. It can leak into all parts of life. What's more cottagecore and fulfilling than biscuits and jam you made yourself?

[amandamangan]

I'm so glad you mentioned the internationality of neo-aesthetics! I know when cottagecore first came out, it looked SO much like a westernized version of Japanese Mori-kei fashion to me, I was a little put off.
Now, I think both are just branches of a neo-aesthetic tree. That mori-kei and cottagecore are aesthetic movements from different countries, with a basic look and underlying theme (return to simpler times/styles), but with slightly different focuses in details.

Great video! Much love! 💘

[robyneericacalvert]

It was an ABSOLUTE DELIGHT to do this with you my friend! And what a joy to meet Vivienne, such a fan! Really loving the thoughtful comments here too. Well done for all your hard work Abby!

[carolscables]

Much appreciate the clarification that English is different from Scottish and indeed British. Occurs to me sending Oscar Wilde to explain English concept somewhat ironic has he was Irish! Love your videos, thank you very much.

[AlyssaSteiner]

"Your bows are a sham, your sashes are delusions" DEAD hahah

[TheMetatronGirl]

Oh, to have been a fly on the wall for those conversations…this was really fascinating!! The Arts and Crafts movement (in particular), and much of “neo-aestheticism” speaks to me more so on the levels of sustainability, comfort, and self-reliance, than of a sense of beauty, but I can’t say beauty isn’t an influence. My rekindled love of knitting and the rather challenging endeavor of teaching myself the art of tatting (well, challenging nearly 30 years ago as there was no YouTube! 😁) came from the sadness I felt at watching my grandmother’s needles, shuttles, and hooks gather dust in a closet.

Thank you so much for the links as there’s a rabbit hole calling my name, now! You are a vestibule of fascinating knowledge!! Be well, have a beautiful week out of the heat (southern Idaho is feeling it, too), and Happy Juneteenth!

[RetroClaude]

I wrote my master's thesis on the Aesthetic dress movement after hearing Dr Calvert speak at the Costume Society conference on Pre-Raphaelite dress.

Some thing I think it's worth adding to the discussion is class. Most Victorian Aesthetes were nouveau riche and the British aristocracy were incredibly hostile to outsiders and new comers. Aestheticism was a rejection of the established fashionable elite and was a way for people who lived outside of traditional society and it's morals to create a respectable public persona of there own, see Oscar Wilde, Ellen Terry, Michael Field etc.

I think the class aspect of the Neo-Aesthetics (love the term btw) are incredibly similar. A new generation is rejecting a capitalist elite that they can neither access nor support. Instead they are creating a word that reflects what they believe to be important: art, literature, nature and learning.

[k_golly_g]

Gosh! What an interesting topic. I’m pretty curious what future generations will think when they look back to these days. Will this be a blip? Where are we going from here? In a year will the embroidery hoops and dreamy dresses be donated or will this keep growing and evolving for some time? Thank you for such an informative video and introducing me to Dr. Calvert! Off to deep dice that blog…

[valriedyhouse]

Oh my god! I've been 'following' both of these trends for YEARS! I'm 60, and I wear long flowing skirts, corsets and hats; I embroider, write with fountain pens, read and read and read, etc etc. My 'style' is a confluence of these two.