Every year, Valentine’s Day reliably brings an abundance of visual delight in the form of brilliant reds and pinks. But did you know this charming aesthetic isn’t just a holiday colour scheme, but is also its own year-round style? Meet lovecore fashion, the perfectly feminine aesthetic that embraces pinks, reds, and all things lovely. It embodies the commercialization of love, the way we ‘picture’ love in the media. Think of hearts, flowers, romantic dates, and pampering.
Far from the empty superficiality of commercialism alone, though, lovecore promotes a genuine and innocent love, full of sweetness and tenderness. There are several subgenres that tease out unique stylistic nuances, but here we will focus on how to embrace the fun and playfulness of lovecore in adulthood. This has less to do with actual age and more to do with living in a matured or professional life stage in which we confidently express our personal style.
Lovecore Fashion’s Colour Pillars: Pink and Red
Though lovecore isn’t limited to pink and red alone, these are the predominant colours (and colour combo) of this style. Bright jungle red and lipstick pink provide a bold pop of fun. But if you’re less enthusiastic about that colour volume, you can find many lovely in-between shades of pink and red that sync very nicely. And the shades vary drastically, from neon red and magenta (think 80s), maroon and baby pink (think elegant tea room), or dusty rose pink and burgundy for an even subtler look.
Lovecore Style for the Grown Woman
If you love the look of lovecore but your age doesn’t quite lend itself to some of its more girly looks (such as wearing large bows in your hair), check out this fun list of fashion items that more readily translate for a young professional or middle-aged woman’s wardrobe. I say this loosely because, of course, everyone’s taste varies and some items may or may not be within your range of wearable apparel – but they are all fun eye candy at the very least! Read on to see which ones you may love.
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Dresses and Tops
For a Date or Cocktail Party
You don’t have to make any sort of announcement when you arrive at a party (or at a date, for that matter) while wearing this classy red wrap-style dress. It speaks for you, declaring: ‘I am sophisticated, confident and competent!’ With an infinity design, its flowy style is comfortable and figure-flattering. Not your flavour? Not to worry. Check out plenty of other bolder and brighter red dresses to find one that suits your unique style.
This absolutely beautiful pink and red satin wrap dress is just the sort of thing you’d see Carrie Bradshaw wearing. Honestly you could find an excuse to wear it anywhere, but it will certainly win you the best dressed award at any social event. This glamorous midi-length dress could make an appearance on a fun shopping day with friends or at a fancy gala.
For a more casual vibe, this two-toned pink and red tank dress is a fun way to don pink on one side of your body and red on the other. The simple, clean edge between the two colours is refreshingly minimalist. It’s edgy enough to pack a fun punch at a social occasion, yet basic enough to wear anywhere you want!
Straight outa the 60s, this midcentury silk and satin red cocktail dress with a pink sash is a stunning and unique find. It’s the biggest splurge in this list, but possibly the only one of its kind this side of the millennium. And it’s certainly the lovecore cocktail dress of the century! Find more pink and red midcentury cocktail dresses in other styles, too.
Lovecore Fashion for Everyday Wear
For comfy tops you can wear around the house or out and about, choose from a variety of casual red and pink shirts in stripes, hearts, and more. This pink sweatshirt with a sparkly red heart (with additional colour options) embodies lovecore at its purest. Look no further for a basic pullover with a bold lovey vibe. A similarly playful everyday item is this sweatshirt with XOXO in pinks. It also comes as a short or long-sleeved T-shirt, so you can wear it comfortably in any climate!
This oversized, distressed pink sweater with rich red hearts also comes in multiple other colours, all of which look super cute (light pink and gray, red and white, etc.). It’s a great rustic chic, ‘girl next door’ look.
Lovecore Fashion Accessories
For Your Neck
While not exactly a functional scarf to keep your neck warm, this one of a kind pink and red crocheted heart scarf is super cute and hangs from your neck like a playful and creative necklace. You could even wrap it around your waist as a belt. If you like this style, the Turkey-based seller crochets dozens of beautiful scarf necklaces in all kinds of floral patterns and every colour you can imagine.
For demure feminine adornment, don a red velvet ribbon choker. Also available in an array of perfectly lovecore hues, it’s perfect for anyone who loves old-fashioned or Victorian beauty (with a nod to the more recent 90s).
For Your Stuff
While women’s pants remain sadly inept with either no pockets or extremely insufficient pockets, we continue to rely on purses and clutches for our belongings. If you love hearts, find a playful heart purse that suits your style. While I prefer purses over clutches because the strap frees our hands, clutches are easy when going out to dinner where you don’t have to hold it the entire time and can set it on the table. A pink and red vegan suede clutch serves a classy and fashionable look.
Earrings
There is a vast selection of fantastic lovecore earrings people are creating. We’re going to cover only a small portion of them for the sake of brevity, but hopefully you will find a favourite pair!
A Few Fun Favourites
These yin yang heart earrings are casual and fun. Available in two different styles, the dots inside each half are in fact cute little hearts. While they’re dreamily reminiscent of the mid-90s when yin yangs were everywhere, the hearts are a fresh alternative to traditional circles.
These very fashionable, very catchy metallic red and hot pink leather strap earrings are big, bold and fabulous. The light reflecting off the leather texture creates a sparkling pizazz.
For an edgier art deco-inspired look, these earrings with a red and pink circle, gold triangle and purple tassel are fabulously unique. Though I love them, I usually wear earrings just as bright but smaller and more subdued. These pink and red mini tassel fringe earrings are a fitting alternative. They are small and cute but also bright and cheerful! And you won’t have to worry about them snagging on a scarf or coat collar.
Flashback: remember an old Nickelodeon show circa 1990 called Eureeka’s Castle? There were two characters called Bog and Quagmire: one a bright orangey red and the other a bright pink.
I remember little of that show except for vague images of those two characters – whose colour duo I’d always loved. It might have been the inspiration that grew into my love of pink with red. Anyway, those characters are exactly who these pink beaded red feather earrings remind me of. They are purely fun, playful ear candy ready to stand out in any crowd!
Hearts, Hearts, and More Hearts
The heart most adequately symbolizes lovecore. And there are so many heart earrings! These rich red heart and gold sunburst earrings offer a bold and brilliant depth without being especially loud. In contrast, these soft pink and red leather heart earrings come in a strand of either two or three hearts.
Or don this this triple-strand of pink, red and glittery red heart earrings from the UK. There are many other varieties (with or without glitter) from which you can choose. And the top heart (the stud) is the smallest, with the bottom heart the largest. Very fun eye candy!
If you love hearts and springtime charm, this list is far from exhaustive! Explore more fun handmade earrings from this Ireland-based earring shop or from any of the other many heart earring options.
The Takeaway: Lovecore Fashion is for All Ages and Lifestyles
Hopefully you’ve gotten a good glimpse into the hearts and glam that is lovecore fashion! While some of these items are still deliciously girly, I hope plenty appeal even to the most sophisticated taste. Because we should never feel too ‘old’ to wear looks that bring us pure delight. We need simply to find ways to express our love for romance, frills and loads of pink that best suit our lifestyle. It’s about style and aesthetics and finding ways to express our own personal tastes that feel delightful while embracing exactly who we are at this time. The pink and red palate isn’t only for Valentine’s Day. Make every day a lovecore day!
XOXO
