How to dress, do your makeup, and experience a true fairy summer With pop-inspired romance and fairy-tale creatures, summer 2026 will be magical
Once upon a time, there was a generation raised on Winx, Ella Enchanted (which will soon become a Disney+ TV series produced by Anne Hathaway), blurry Tumblr photos, mushroom necklaces, imaginary tea parties in the garden, and the secret desire to find a magical portal hidden inside a tree trunk. Today, that generation has a TikTok account, compulsively creates Pinterest moodboards, and has officially decided that summer 2026 will be a Fairycore Summer, with girls chasing butterflies through fields like extras in a fantasy film directed by Sofia Coppola under the influence of pollen. Dreamy, whimsical, excessively romantic, and deliberately anti-cynical, this new obsession touches both fashion and beauty until it becomes a true state of mind. It is a collective invitation to wonder. To intelligent frivolity. To fantasy as a form of emotional resistance in an era dominated by algorithms. It is a small poetic rebellion made of sheer chiffon, rosy blush, sunlit meadows, spontaneous picnics, and loose hair moving in the wind. Because, let’s admit it, everyone wants to feel like the protagonist of a summer fairytale.
What fairycore really is
Fairycore was born as an internet aesthetic between the late 2010s and early 2020s before exploding on TikTok and Pinterest thanks to creators obsessed with fairies, folklore, English cottages, wild nature, and childhood nostalgia. But reducing it to a “coquette aesthetic with wings” would be a mistake. Fairycore aesthetic blends pastoral romanticism, fantasy imagery, Victorian references, ‘90s and Y2K silhouettes, and a deep fascination with the natural world. It is the place where antique lace, iridescent glitter, wildflowers, mushrooms, butterflies, fairy wings, dew, tulle, satin ribbons, and that specific feeling of freedom children experience when a daisy crown is enough to feel part of a Celtic legend coexist together. Online, content multiplying around small daily gestures, like touching flower petals, chasing bees through fields, or watching sunlight filter through leaves, has transformed these moments into tiny fairy performances that fuel a shared aesthetic built on spontaneity and imagination.
@chanelofficial First, transparency and muslin. The CHANEL suit as a second skin, revealing the inner life of the wearer. Then come the birds. Of all colours, shapes and horizons. With them, a simple, joyful idea: freedom. Spring Summer 2026 Haute Couture Matthieu Blazy for CHANEL See more at chanel.com #CHANELHauteCouture #CHANELShow son original - ChanelOfficial
From fashion runways to enchanted forests
If TikTok sparked the trend, fashion transformed it into the official language of the season. The definitive consecration came from the latest runway shows, which looked as though they had been designed by a secret council of nymphs, elves, and stylists obsessed with the Brothers Grimm. The Spring 2026 Haute Couture show by Chanel literally transformed the Grand Palais into a psychedelic fairytale. Candy-pink willow trees, giant mushrooms, dreamy atmospheres, and airy silhouettes created a universe suspended between childhood, dreams, and theatrical couture. It looked like the set of a fantasy film directed by Wes Anderson in woodland fairy mode. At Dior, Jonathan Anderson interpreted the fairycore aesthetic through a poetic botanical lens. Mirrored walls reflected an endless sea of flowers, while weightless veils, ivory and powder-pink fabrics, and oversized floral accessories evoked a delicate, almost Pre-Raphaelite femininity deeply connected to Christian Dior’s love for the gardens of Granville. The Spring-Summer 2026 collection by Louis Vuitton also openly embraced the enchanted aesthetic through liquid transparencies, lightweight silhouettes, and floral details. At Blumarine, meanwhile, the trend became infused with pop sensuality. Butterflies, sheer veils, visible lingerie, sorbet shades, and that intentionally dreamy Y2K aesthetic returned as though lifted from a forgotten MTV music video. The 2026 fairy listens to dream pop, wears glitter effortlessly, and still keeps mushroom charm necklaces hidden in an old teenage drawer. Anna Sui also remains one of the strongest references for this fashion narrative thanks to her blend of folklore, vintage inspirations, psychedelia, and bohemian romanticism. Meanwhile, at Valentino, Alessandro Michele pushes romanticism toward more theatrical territories, creating elven-creature silhouettes infused with decadent glamour and Renaissance-inspired imagery. The collections by Chloé feel designed for bohemian nymphs emerging from a folk festival deep in the woods, while Zimmermann amplifies the aesthetic with weightless ruffles, floral embroidery, and petal-like transparencies. Then there are the creations by ZIWU ARTEMIS, with their three-dimensional embroidery, organic constructions, and wing-inspired details.
How to dress for the perfect fairy summer
The key word is lightness. Visual, emotional, even narrative lightness. Fairycore fashion relies on soft layering, poetic transparencies, and details that seem collected during a walk through a secret garden. Dresses are fluid, often crafted from chiffon, tulle, or washed silk. Skirts feature soft ruffles and continuous movement. Lace resembles vintage lingerie forgotten in a romantic attic. The color palette resembles a meadow at sunrise and includes sage green, petal pink, dusty lilac, pale butter yellow, milky peach, ivory, chartreuse, and mushroom brown. Accessories follow the same storytelling logic. Botanical jewelry, floral details, embroidered bags, ribbons, bows, lightweight scarves, and retro-inspired shoes create an aesthetic suspended between bohemian nymph and urban fairy. Then there is the return of handmade craftsmanship. Crochet, embroidery, DIY details, imperfect cardigans, and artisanal elements become essential because fairycore fashion wants to feel discovered, preserved, and passed down.
The celebrities living their fairy era
Naturally, Hollywood could not resist the trend. Jenna Ortega perfectly embodied the aesthetic in her chiffon and lace Torlowei gown at the Marrakech Festival: a dark woodland creature suspended between gothic and botanical romanticism. Emma Chamberlain transformed fairycore style into something cool and contemporary, experimenting with platinum blonde pixie cuts and ethereal yet glamorous makeup. Remember Olivia Rodrigo as a lilac nymph at the 2022 Met Gala and Ariana Grande at the 2024 Met Gala dressed as a couture fairy in a layered green gown by Maison Margiela by John Galliano, complete with liquid transparencies and aquatic reflections? The Wicked star has demonstrated her love for enchanted aesthetics on countless occasions. Staying on the topic of the Met Gala, but the 2026 edition, it would be impossible not to mention Sunday Rose and Alexa Chung, both wearing Dior. Nicole Kidman’s daughter enchanted everyone in a pastel pink ensemble entirely embroidered with fabric flowers, while Alexa brought fairycore fashion into arty, impressionistic territory with a chartreuse Dior gown inspired by Monet’s gardens, floral details, and glowing skin illuminated by petal-pink reflections. Even Bella Hadid looked as though she had stepped out of an enchanted forest in the recent visual identity developed for the brand Orebella: wavy blonde hair, an ivory satin-and-lace mini dress by Chloé, and a bohemian nymph aura. Finally, Diane Kruger proved at Cannes that the trend can also become sophisticated and theatrical by wearing an emerald-green cape, floral embroidery, circular braids, and the allure of a decadent fairy queen.
Fairycore makeup
The season’s beauty aesthetic glows. Fairycore makeup focuses on translucent skin, natural radiance, and textures that imitate the pearlescent reflections of fairy wings. The base is lightweight and almost transparent, as though the face had just been touched by filtered sunlight passing through trees. Cheeks appear rosy and sun-kissed, like after running through a meadow. Eyeshadows embrace shimmer, pearlescent, and iridescent textures capable of recreating the ethereal luminosity TikTok has renamed “fairy dust makeup.” Champagne, lilac, pearly pink, sage green, and dew blue replace traditional neutrals. Tiny rhinestones, delicate glitter, and strategic highlights amplify the magical effect without becoming costume-like. Hair also becomes part of the fantasy: long, fluid, wavy, styled in mermaid waves or soft braids. Naturally, flowers woven into hair, satin ribbons, botanical clips, and DIY details complete the aesthetic. The goal is to look as though you have just emerged from an enchanted forest, not from an overly polished styling session. The ultimate beauty muse? Zara Larsson, who in recent months has reinterpreted the fairy-inspired look with rhinestones, abundant blush, and sparkling eyeshadow.
How to truly live a fairy fummer
To truly live a Fairycore Summer, you need to slow down. Touch grass, literally. Do useless things in the most wonderful sense of the word. Follow the slow flight of a bumblebee between flowers. Search for tiny treasures in the woods. Sketch in a notebook. Have picnics without photographing them every thirty seconds. Grow herbs on your balcony or plant lilacs in the garden. Learn crochet. Paint terracotta pots. Visit botanical gardens. Watch the clouds. It is a return to simple, almost childlike activities, from reading while lying in the grass to spending entire afternoons doing absolutely nothing without feeling guilty. The only requirement is to go offline and disappear into your own imagination, or at least try for a few hours. Because the real fairycore lifestyle is not about buying a ruffled dress. It is about recovering the ability to feel wonder again. About watching a ray of sunlight pass through leaves as though it were still something extraordinary.
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