Rom-com Core: The Latest Fashion Trend To Inspire Your Next Date Night Look
Channel your main character energy with this new fashion trend that social media falling head over heels
Remember the Rebel Wilson film, Isn’t It Romantic, where she wakes up in an alternate universe that’s life plays out like a romantic comedy movie complete with clichés and a romantic dance number? It’s about to become real, thanks to the new fashion trend that’s enamouring social media.
Called Romcom Core, it’s exactly what it is: dressing like you’re the Kate Hudson/ Sandra Bullock/ Jennifer Lopez of your story. Specifically, the trend pulls from the very best (or worst, depending on how you feel about the movie genre in general) of early ’00s rom-coms.
Think Kate Hudson in a satin slip dress from How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days, Anne Hathaway’s wardrobe of princess-perfect pastels, or Lindsay Lohan togged in light wash denim jeans in Mean Girls. How fetch.
Here’s your quick crash course on what to expect from this trend, and how to make romcom core work for you all day and all night.
As the name suggests, the style takes after the great cinematic love stories from the early aughts, with feminine details coming into the spotlight. One TikTok commenter wrote “If Reese Witherspoon would wear it, then it’s a good start” and that seems like an apt way of summing things up.
If we really had to nail it down to visual cues that can help you in picking out romcom core-approved pieces, it would be things like a wash of pastel hues, handkerchief hems and dainty little florals. You’d also be seen in strappy sandals, maybe a pair of oversized round sunglasses and a locket necklace that accompanies you as you traipse through the city set to Sixpence None The Richer.
But really, the surge in romcom core’s popularity is also likely because how this trend allows you to escape into a romanticized version of life – one where you live in a gorgeous, light-filled loft with a wardrobe that attracts envy from everyone. You always look cute, even if you’re just waking up, and when you accidentally bump into a guy in the elevator, he’s Chad Michael Murray-level hot.
That being said, we still live in 2023, so if you’re planning to take a gander at romcom core, here are a few styles and pieces you should stock up on to make this trend work for every hour of your day.
Whether it’s a pale yellow floor-sweeper that Andie wears in How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days, or Jennifer Garner’s “just woke up” mini slip in 13 Going On 30 that she layers underneath a coat, a slip dress has always been the classic go-to frock for our heroines.
Looking to turn your evening into something that feels like a Nancy Meyers movie? Slip into this ankle-grazing number. Pale colour? Check. Bareback? Check. All that’s missing from this dress is a hot date picking you up with a rose stalk.
Living in any city (even Genovia) often means that there is a risk of staining your jeans when sitting on a bench, or getting dirty water dripped onto your white shirt. But you’re not living in reality here, you’re living in romcom world, where these things happen to everyone else but you. That would probably explain why so many of our favourite romcom girls are often decked out in light pastel shades that can survive eight-hour days outside of their home and come back looking pristine as ever.
You’d actually be a romcom leading lady in this dress, given that it was worn by Lily Collins in Emily In Paris. Cut from lightweight silk cotton in pastel purple and cascading into a gorgeous waterfall of ruffles, it’s perfect for those humid date nights.
You can’t bring up Y2K romcoms without bringing up mom jeans. These trusty blues would’ve been the uniform du jour for the “non-fashionable” heroines of 10 Things I Hate About You or Notting Hill (or when they need us to believe that these love story ladies are just as down-to-earth as the rest of us).
Can’t go wrong with a pair of classic blues, and COS delivers a hit with these denim jeans made from recycled cotton. Whether you’re teaming it with loafers for the workplace or a sparkly going-out top once the sun sets, this jeans will take you everywhere.
Whether they were thrown over tees in Mean Girls or with a midi skirt like Bridget Jones, cardigans have always had an undeniable spot in romcom lore.
It doesn’t get more Y2K than a cardigan with a tie-front bow. Throw it on with a brunch ‘fit or just keep it in the office for those chilly meeting rooms.
You know the scene that usually happens in act 3 of every romcom movie, where the lead character shows up at a party in a dress, and her beau sees her like the princess that she is? You can relive that scene now in a handkerchief hemline.
Handkerchief hems had a huge moment in the 2000s, so naturally they would make their way onto films like Uptown Girls. Thanks to romcom core, they’re about to make a big comeback.
Ade asymmetric pleated hammered-satin midi skirt, $706, from Joseph at Net-A-Porter
For a more modern take, try this sage-coloured midi skirt. It gives you plenty of mileage for the workplace or after-work drinks.
Text: Aaron Kok/Her World