Wrapped me in your armsLeaned in and whispered“Keep me in your heart”I’m so bewilderedWhat’s this new desire called?I didn’t know that much at all ’bout love beforeBut now, I think I’m learning…
This is not your parents’ notion of ‘coquette‘.
The modern-day use of coquette indicates an aesthetic based on a “2020’s fashion trend that combines sweet, romantic, and playful elements to create a prim, hyper-feminine look. It features lace, pearls, bows, pastel colors, ballet flats, corsets, puff sleeves, and gold jewelry.” Once I read that, I knew this was speaking to me on one of those planes of kismet and destiny, where something that has been inside of me all along suddenly finds expression and fruition in some parallel movement of pop culture and fashion trends. It feels good to belong to something again. And it feels good to welcome a new summer.
My niece Emi and my friend Missy’s son Cameron helped me finalize the concept for our summer theme, and here, as best as my old eyes and brain can figure, is how we are defining ‘coquette’ for the moment, and for the whole of this summer:
Coquette is pink gingham, not red and white plaid or purple damask.
Coquette is a pair of freshly-plucked cherries, perhaps with a withered leaf still attached, not those obnoxious day-glo maraschino monstrosities you find on sundaes.
Coquette is blush or bashful pink, not hot pink or magenta.
Coquette is roses, not lilies.
Coquette is whimsical and winsome, not dreary or heavy.
Coquette is chantilly lace whipped cream not rocky road ice cream.
Coquette is a tray of finger sandwiches not pigs in blankets.
Coquette is pink lemonade and raspberry rose tea, not planter’s punch or mimosas.
Coquette is style and aesthetics not substance and meaning.
Coquette is atmosphere and attitude, not setting or scenario.
Coquette is ethereal, not menial or material.
Coquette is refined ease and elegance, not forced formality or fortitude.
Coquette is effortless, not plodding.
Coquette is late spring and early summer, not fall or winter.
Finally, coquette is now, not later.
For our musical inspiration, the coquette theme is all Lana Del Rey and Laufey, with a few others sprinkled in to lend whimsy and a dreamlike quality to the rest of the sunny season. (Playlist to come in the next post.) Here, then, is Laufey with the lovely ‘Bewitched’ – a song which perfectly encapsulates the innocent longing that personifies the heart of today’s coquette.
You bewitched meFrom the first time that you kissed meWaited all nightThen we ran down the street in the late London lightThe world froze around us, you kissed me good night
You bewitch meEvery damn second you’re with meI try to think straightBut I’m falling so badly, I’m coming apartYou wrote me a note, cast a spell on my heartAnd bewitched meBewitched me
You’re not even goneI already miss youWhat’s going on?I’ve never been throughThis all-consuming fire fumingCursing at the moon and losing all control and crying‘Cause I think I’m falling
Perhaps above all else, coquette is escapism and fantasy and a whimsical refusal of the rotten things this life can throw at us. That may be why it’s speaking to me so profoundly at this particular time, for this particular summer. After last year, I feel a little emotionally shell-shocked with the advance of the summer season, and I’ve noticed a little apprehension, which is to be expected. As such, I’m wading slowly and gently into the warmer waters, testing things out and allowing myself to continue grieving as the sadness comes. An underlying sentiment of melancholy informs much of our coquette music as well – proof that romance doesn’t heal all wounds, that love can be as eternal as it is painful – and what heartbreaking beauty comes from the pain of love. This summer, let us have our coquette moments, and let them transport us to a place of stilled prettiness, suspended softness, and delicate wistfulness.
You bewitch meEvery damn second you’re with meI try to think straightBut I’m falling so badly, I’m coming apartYou wrote me a note, cast a spell on my heartAnd bewitched meBewitched
You bewitched me…
