If you’re an avid Tiktok fan and spend your days scrolling through the ‘For You’ page, then you might have come across the trending Coquette Dress aesthetic.

Described as a flirtatious and playful way to Dress up, it involves a lot of frills, lace, and bows to bring out your feminine side.

While the aesthetic as a whole involves various pieces of clothing and accessories, a Coquette dress stands out the most.

Coquette dresses bring out your feminine side with unique design elements that meet the aesthetic everyone is going crazy for.

Below, we’ll go over all things coquette dress, including exactly what one is, how to style one, and where you can find the best one for you.

Coquette Dress: Flirty and Fabulous

When envisioning a coquette dress, think about Lana Del Rey or Bridgerton—a lot of frills, ruffles, and lace that make you look like a feminine dream.

The term ‘coquette’ itself dates back to the 17th century, so there’s no surprise that the outfits remind us of courting and lavish balls.

The word refers to flirtatious women, and therefore, a lady who acted like a ‘coquette’ would be someone teasing or leading others on romantically.

The concept of a coquette was introduced into the fashion world almost as soon as the term was first spoken.

It refers to flirtatious and charming apparel and often likes to show off a woman’s femininity and figure. It has since evolved and become the trend we all adore today.

Features and Characteristics

Here are some of the main features that make a dress truly coquette:

Feminine silhouette

Since a coquette dress is there to embrace a woman’s femininity, it’s no surprise they like to show off your figure.

They are often tight-fitting, cinching the waist and flaring out around the skirt to create an hourglass figure that accentuates your body.

Flirty embellishments

The main characteristic of coquette dresses is the little details and embellishments added to the design.

This can be anything from lace and bows to ruffles and thrills.

They make the dress appear more flirty and playful and add an extra bit of flair compared to other aesthetics.

Attention-grabbing necklines

The whole idea of a coquette is to be flirty, therefore, you won’t find a dress with a turtle neck. Instead, they are more lower cut and alluring.

Coquette dresses often come with sweetheart necklines, deep v-necks, or are even completely off the shoulder.

Luxurious materials

Coquette dresses don’t skimp on the material, and that’s because they are made to help women feel beautiful and luxurious.

You’ll often find these types of frocks made out of fabrics like lace, satin, or silk, all of which give off a romantic and flirty appeal.

Romantic colors

It’s not typical that you’ll find a coquette dress in dark shades like black or gray. Instead, they come in feminine tones, such as pinks, purples, pastels, and soft neutrals.

You might sometimes find the dress in pretty patterns, such as floral or polka dots.

Coquette Dress Through the Ages

You’ve probably heard of Marie Antoinette, and if you have, you must remember how stylish the Queen of France was.

That’s because she was the first woman to sport a coquette dress. The royal lady was known for her voluminous skirts, elaborate details, and tons of frills.

While Marie Antoinette started the fashion trend in the 1700s, it wasn’t until the 1950s that we started to see a bit more of the coquette aesthetic.

Christian Dior decided to release a ‘New Look’ collection in 1947, which made a huge impact on the fashion of the 50s. Garments now had more cinched waists and embraced the female silhouette.

A decade later, the world started to move away from the conservative look for women.

British designer Mary Quant brought out a series of mini skirts and dresses featuring bold prints and flirty details, which reflected much of the coquette aesthetic.

In the 1980s, we started to see even more liberation for the female form, with coquette dresses now featuring even more exaggerated silhouettes, bold shoulders, and metallic fabrics.

Now, in the last few years, you may have seen coquette dresses popping up here, there, and everywhere.

Some of your favorite celebrities have become fond of these particular frocks and the aesthetic as a whole, including big names like Taylor Swift and Lana Del Rey.

The coquette aesthetic has also become particularly popular throughout the social media platform TikTok.

The style has billions of views throughout the app, and you can quickly find style ideas with a quick search yourself.

Versatility and Occasions

Every coquette dress is one of a kind, but there are so many of them out there to choose from.

Whether you want one with frills rather than lace and in pink rather than baby blue, you can no doubt find the perfect one for you and any occasion.

Here are some of the main events you might want to wear a coquette dress:

Out on the town

You can’t beat a night out with the girls, and a little black dress isn’t always going to cut it.

When you want something different an wish to show off your feminine side in restaurants and bars, you can pair your favorite coquette dress with some stunning heels.

Cocktail parties

There’s a reason that coquette and cocktail sound so similar. It’s because they are meant to be together.

If you ever find yourself attending a cocktail party, then a coquette dress is the way to go. Create the whole outfit with some statement jewelry and strappy heels.

Formal events

Finding the right outfit for a formal event like a wedding or gala can be so difficult, but it doesn’t have to be.

A coquette dress can bring out your inner Marie Antoinette and offer an air of elegance surrounding you. It’s best to stick to minimal jewelry and heeled shoes for the perfect look.

Casual events

Even casual events are a fan of the coquette dress. If you’ve been invited to a fun BBQ with friends and family or you simply need to run errands for the day, you can replace the typical jeans and a t-shirt with a fun and playful coquette dress. It will look even better with some sandals and a sun hat.

Date nights

Nothing screams flirty more than a coquette dress, which makes it the perfect addition for any date night.

Embrace your romantic side with some fun frills and lace, and show your loved one how elegant you can look. Find a flattering frock that highlights your silhouette and prepare to flirt.

Styling Tips

Once you’ve found the coquette dress you want to wear, it’s time to put the whole aesthetic together. This includes hair, makeup, accessories, and footwear.

Hair

How you style your hair with any outfit can make or break the entire aesthetic. You may be wearing a coquette dress, but you need a killer hairstyle to help really bring out the playful vibe.

Most people will opt for soft waves or loose curls when wearing a coquette dress, mainly because they exude a delicate flirty appeal.

You don’t want anything too stiff, so if you want to try something else maybe consider messy braids or half-up hairstyles.

Makeup

Choosing the right makeup to wear can enhance the flirtatiousness of the outfit.

As a rule of thumb, you want to stick to softer looks. Therefore, you should avoid big, smoky eyes or deep and bold lips.

Pinks and soft pastels are the perfect shades to add to your makeup look.

Use a natural blush for a rosy complexion, a touch of shimmer in your eyeshadow, and a tinted gloss for the ultimate romantic look.

Accessories

A coquette dress is never complete without the right accessories.

When you think about the whole aesthetic, what comes to mind?

Pearls, lace, satin gloves, and even corsets to help cinch the waist a bit more! These are all accessories you can incorporate into your coquette dress outfit.

Don’t forget to get a bit playful with your accessories, as that’s what coquette is all about. Introduce some cute hair accessories, patterned bags, or even leg warmers to complete your outfit.

Footwear

The shoes you choose to pair with your coquette dress often depend on the event or occasion. For example, when you want to dress up for a more formal event, you can match the frock with some elegant heels.

You can get away with sneakers or sandals for more casual events.

Just ensure your footwear complements the dress in terms of color and material. You don’t want the colors to clash and should ensure the material isn’t perfectly matched either.

Celebrity Influence

If you were to trace back every trend to where they started, you would most likely find a well-known celebrity who hit the red carpet with a new style.

This is because they are great at influencing, and the same thing happened with advertising the coquette dress and aesthetic.

Lana Del Rey is the queen of coquette, and almost all of her outfits reflect a fun and flirty vibe.

One of her most recent coquette dresses was shown off at the 2023 Billboard Women in Music Awards, with a beautiful pale yellow color and lace material.

Another groundbreaking coquette dress look came from White Lotus and Euphoria star Sydney Sweeney.

She hit the 2023 Met Gala red carpet with an enchanting mermaid-style Miu Miu gown, covered head to toe in sequins and two black chiffon bows (one on her head) to finish off the outfit.

And who says coquette is just for women?

Lil Nas X would definitely not agree with this, as he loves to embrace the coquette charm as well.

He notably stepped out at the 2021 BET Awards with not one, but two flirty outfits that made you think he was Marie Antoinette himself.

From the floral patterns to the cinched waist, he didn’t disappoint.

How to Choose the Perfect Coquette Dress

Coquette is all about helping you feel beautiful in your body, which is why it’s vital to ensure you find the right dress that fits your body type and own personal style.

Here are some considerations to think about before purchasing a coquette dress:

Length

Coquette dresses aren’t designed for modesty, so they are meant to show off a little bit of skin. However, you don’t always have to opt for the common mini dress version if you wish to cover up a bit more.

You can also find variations of coquette dresses that are knee-length and even maxi. They all embrace the flirty and playful vibe, while ensuring you still look elegant at the same time.

Neckline

The neckline is a big feature of the coquette dress, but there are some options you can choose from.

A sweetheart neckline is the most common, mainly because it works well with almost all body types and provides the dress with the romantic vibe it deserves.

For those with a pear-shaped figure, you can swap out the sweetheart for halter or off-the-shoulder, as it helps bring attention to your shoulders and collarbones.

Fit

The type of fit you choose for your coquette dress can also be influenced by your body type as well.

These dresses are known for creating and enhancing hourglass figures, especially when they have a fitted waist.

If this is the look you desire, then look for a dress that is tighter around your midsection and flows out.

If you wish to not bring too much attention to your waist, you can opt for an a-line or empire waist dress that brings more focus to your legs.

Where to Find Coquette Dresses

You’ve probably now fallen in love with the idea of a coquette dress and you’re ready to buy one for yourself. But where can you get one?

Don’t worry, we have you covered. Here are some of the most popular fashion brands and designers known for coquette dresses:

• Kate Spade New York
• Alice + Olivia
• Reformation
• Tory Burch
• Mara Hoffman
• ASOS
• Forever 21
• Self-Portrait

Some of these brands might be sold in a walk-in store near you, so you can go in and give the dress a spin around before you buy it. There is also the option of shopping online, but ensure you know the right size for you first.

Not all dresses will come with the same price tag, so ensure you go somewhere that meets your budget.