How I Started Digging into This Garden Girl Style
Okay so first thing yesterday morning, I was scrolling through my feed seeing all those cute cottagecore outfits popping up. Got super curious about this garden girl trend thing. Decided right then to raid my own closet before buying anything new.

Dug out three main things:
- That floral midi skirt I hadn’t worn since last summer
- My chunky beige cardigan with the loose knit
- Random straw tote bag hiding under my winter coats
The Messy Trial-and-Error Phase
Tried pairing the skirt with four different tops like:
- A striped tee looked terrible
- Crop top felt way too revealing
- Basic white tank was boring
Then remembered that oversized green sweater I impulse-bought last month. Threw it over the floral skirt – bam! Finally got that earthy texture mix right. Added the cardigan for layering when it got chilly.
Accessory Experiments
Had zero proper cottagecore accessories so I improvised:
- Tied my hair with embroidery thread
- Used a cloth napkin as neck scarf
- Wore grandma’s vintage brooch on the tote
Scuffed up my old white sneakers for that “gardening all day” vibe. Actually stomped around the backyard doing chores to test if it felt practical. Bonus – the comfy sneakers saved my feet.

Casual Outfit Winners
After two days testing, these three looks won:
- Cozy Champion: Floral skirt + green sweater + cardigan + sneaks
- Picnic-Ready: Overalls with frilly blouse peeking out
- Lazy Day MVP: Midi dress with apron-style waist wrap
The apron-wrap trick was genius – cinched my potato-sack dress without changing clothes. Why didn’t I try this before?
Final Takeaways
Turns out you don’t need fancy stuff for this trend. Used stuff I already owned in weird combos I’d never considered. Lesson learned: trust your grandma-core instincts. Ruffles can totally work with sneakers if you own it!