The air has a slight chill, the leaves are turning brown, and your social media algorithms are full of videos soundtracked by the gilmore girls theme song—you know what that means: it’s time to break out you vintage sweaters and knee socks, because twee girl fall is here.
For the uninitiated, twee is a subculture/aesthetic that originally rose from the punk scene in England during the late ‘80s, mostly as a reaction to glam rock and hair metal bands as well as Margaret Thatcher’s conservative government. Original twee was a subculture that was super anti-capitalist, feminist, and DIY, and a lot of early twee bands had a ‘60s aesthetic going on—partly to rebel against the toxic masculinity perpetuated by post-punk bands, and partly because the thrift stores of the ‘80s were full of dresses from the ‘60s that no one wanted anymore.
photos of twee pop bands Heavenly and Talulah Gosh
In the ‘00s, hipsters took a liking to twee pop bands like Camera Obscura and Belle and Sebastian, which ushered in a revival of twee style (and, unsurprisingly, the subculture’s radical politics were largely overlooked). Combine that with the rise of film darlings like Zoey Deschanel and Wes Anderson and fashion brands like Modcloth and boom: “twee” style clothing was available everywhere, from high-end designers to fast fashion chains like forever21.
The Like, a ‘60s inspired girl band that were known for their twee style
Wouldn’t be a twee post without Wes Anderson
Or a Zooey Deschanel mention for that matter
Vinyls! Vintage polaroids! Bookstores! So ~hipstery twee~ I could explode
While I have…thoughts…on the late ‘00s and early ‘10s interpretation of twee, I’m going to be focusing on the aesthetics of the style for now (because it is pretty cute) and share some of my favorite fashion bloggers I’ve come across that encapsulate both the vintage-inspired and DIY/punkier sides of twee. Below, you’ll find lots of patterned tights, peter pan collars, and retro dresses to inspire your autumnal style:
Tavi needs no introduction. As a fashion blogging prodigy, her style was super unique compared to her peers, and her outfits were often full of frumpy layers (which is very twee-coded). Most of her outfits also include vintage and thrifted pieces, which helps give her that ‘60s-inspired edge that makes twee, well, twee.
As a vintage lover and clothing store owner, Francesca’s wardrobe is any twee girl’s dream come true. She had the best collection of ‘60s dresses, which she regularly showed off on her flickr and blog. I’m obsessed with that striped turtleneck on the upper right.
I’ve featured Rebecca on here before, but I couldn’t not include her in a round-up of twee bloggers. Her vintage and feminine style is super twee, but what I really love about her blog is how she also featured other vintage fashion bloggers that inspired her. You can tell that she really cared about the blogging community as a whole, and there are so many gems you can discover while browsing her blog.
I’d seen Lydia’s blog mentioned quite a few times while poking around other fashion blogs—it’s clear that their style was beloved by many in the blogging world (and it’s easy to see why!) It’s very feminine and vintage-inspired, but with a modern twist that made it more on-trend. I love how unafraid they were of bold colors and pattern mixing.
True to her blog name, Erin’s blog is full of vintage outfits mixed with a laidback California vibe. She went for a lot of simple, clean silhouettes which gave her style a truly timeless look.
Annika I think best embodies 2010’s twee. There’s a lot of retro influence in her style, as well as other dainty and quirky elements (like swallow-patterned tights à la miu miu), that, for better or for worse, were all the rage back then. Her blog definitely feels like a time capsule, but I think her outfits are still pretty cute.
Last, but not least. Emily is well-known illustrator and author these days, but she used to have a fashion blog which can still be seen on the wayback machine. Her style is vintage-inspired, quirky, and full of thrifted gems, and it reminds me a lot of what the original twee pioneers used to wear.
