Barbiecore? Mermaidcore? A Grown-Up’s Guide to Summer’s Viral Trends

Barbiecore isn’t the first such feverish fad (the “core,” a la “hard-core,” connotes extreme) to dominate social media. It’s not even the latest (see the photo collage at right). Over the past few years, various “cores” and weirdly specific aesthetics (Cottagecore, Regencycore, Coastal Grandma) have infiltrated Instagram feeds and seeped into the style lexicon. “Cores, or micro trends, often occur at the intersection of content creation, organic timing and pop culture, and resonate in a way that encourages engagement, sharing and ultimately shopping,” said Jodi Kahn, Neiman Marcus’s vice president of luxury fashion. The first, Normcore—the embrace of utterly average, boring clothes—became a knowing form of chic when it entered the style sphere circa 2013.

Labeling a trend a “core” in a TikTok-friendly way makes it sound significant, said Casey Lewis,a New York trend analyst whose newsletter, After School, chronicles youth consumer behavior. “Today, TikTok is making cores happen faster and more forcefully,” she said. But you needn’t become a social-media addict or be an internet-savvy Gen Zer to master summer’s top “core” categories. Here, we explain four key viral trends. Plus, expert advice on how to pull them off in a sophisticated, ungimmicky manner in real life.

Mermaidcore

’s live-action remake of “The Little Mermaid” has netted more than $325 million at the box office worldwide, and star Halle Bailey has mirrored her character’s looks on the red carpet with seafoam and clamshell ensembles by Gucci and Off-White. Predictably, social media is drowning in #Mermaidcore hype, with the hashtag earning over 250 million TikTok views. Neiman Marcus’s Kahn said shoppers are riding the wave with sequins and netted textures (like Missoni’s scale-effect maxi dress). Austin, Texas stylist Laura Zapata advocates fishing for “iridescent and pearlized tones.” The key, she said, is embracing just one oceanic element so your outfit is “a reference and not a costume.” Lewis added that manicures are an easy way to “test a ‘core’ without [buying] a whole new outfit.” Mooncat’s Mermaid Tales iridescent nail lacquers offer a low-risk way to make your look seaworthy.

Balletcore

If Barbiecore whispered instead of giggling maniacally, it would be Balletcore, an ode to the measured prettiness of Balanchine acolytes at work. “Growing up, so many of us did some kind of dance,” said Lucy Weisner, 28, the co-founder of the downtown Manhattan boutique Café Forgot. “As little girls, we thought it was so beautiful, so graceful…. Now we get to wear a little hint of it, but as ourselves.” Weisner said popular Balletcore items in her shop come from Lithuanian designer Urte Katiliute, who makes baby-pink bodice shirts, while Zapata recommends “body-skimming black knitwear or bodysuits” to conjure everyday dancewear. Comfort is a hallmark of the trend, said Kahn, citing classic ballet flats that mold to your feet by brands like Miu Miu. The trend also gives you a pass to throw your hair in a bun, pin it with a Gigi Burris satin ribbon and call the ’do a viral sensation instead of an excuse to avoid washing your hair.

Coastal Cowgirl

Basically, Coastal Cowgirl takes the gleeful “yeehaw” of Nashville bachelorette parties and Dolly Parton fangirls and merges it with the skin-baring luxury of a beach day in Malibu. The trend has been seen on Riley Keough in the breakout rock ’n’ roll drama “Daisy Jones & the Six,” and on the runways of Ralph Lauren and Alice + Olivia. “The best way to do it and still look like an adult is to go for a clean, architectural pair of cowboy boots in black, white or metallic,” said Zapata. “If you’re wearing denim with them, make it very clean—dark, no rips—or consider a really structured dress” to keep it grown-up and grounded.

Light Academia

No, it’s not a pass-fail semester at Yale. This trend is an aesthetic obsession that began on the image-blogging site Tumblr. “It’s a reaction to Dark Academia, a goth-influenced trend that intersects with Wednesday Addams and Slytherin [from ‘Harry Potter’],” said Lewis, who calls the look a “fantastical extension of the prep resurgence.” It’s surprisingly simple to adapt for adult life thanks to its reliance on easy, year-round favorites such as ivory cable-knit sweater vests, crisp, striped shirt dresses and vintage-inspired leather satchels that conveniently fit a modern laptop. For a more advanced approach (and extra credit), consider runway pieces from Thom Browne, Gucci and Tory Burch, or stock up on JW Anderson’s collaboration with Uniqlo to keep your budget as light as your palette.

Corpcore (aka Successioncore)

“I think we can all agree that Gwyneth Paltrow did this trend best at her ski trial,” said New York stylist Mohar Chaudhuri. But while Corpcore may embrace subtle, quiet luxury-ish colors like Ms. Paltrow’s ivory cashmere sweater and the taupe business suits worn by the character Shiv Roy on “Succession,” it isn’t about being to the manor born—it’s about seizing that manor in a hostile takeover by any means necessary. “In the West Village on Friday night, I saw these three girls walking toward me wearing big, long, pleated shorts [that looked like they were] from ‘Working Girl,’” laughed Lewis. “It wasn’t even business casual. They were pretending to be ’80s Wall Street power players. They think it’s fun.” To channel the trend’s “soft power,” Kantor said her VIPs are reaching for monochrome neutrals from “Akris, Loro Piana… and a new generation of designers sharing their viewpoint, including Toteme, Armarium and Loulou Studio.