What do you think about when you go into the woods? Amongst the decaying wood with moss and fungi growing atop, where does your imagination bring you? Although our local fairy folklore has its own version, which is the Orang Bunian, when we think of fairies, we think about The Winx Club, Tinkerbell, and other cute and friendly winged cartoon characters.
Last year, the fairycore aesthetic has grown big on Tiktok, which evolved from a mix of cottagecore and goblincore. Fairycore is enchanting and impish, and if you want to add a little bit of magic into your outfit inspired by nature and the woods, here are some Etsy sellers who might be able to fuel your fairy dream. But if you’d like, we also have DIY alternative ideas for you!
Fairy Wings
Made out of magic, fleece, wire, and organza, these iridescent Tinkerbell fairy wings are a beautiful way to instantly transform you into a fairy! Worn with adjustable elastic straps, these wings are usually comfortable, light, and easy to wear. Make sure to look at the measurements when you’re purchasing so that you’re happy with the sizings, and flutter away! If you’re thinking of making your own, use pliable but strong fencing wires to trace the shape of your fairy wings. Coat the wire with florist tape as it provides a grippy surface for the fabric, allowing it to stick to itself when you pull it tight. Stretch the sheer iridescent organza over the wire to create a little tension and cut off the excess fabric. Then, curl the raw edges over the wire and fuse them together with hot glue. Add straps and you’re done! Jan and Lesley Morritt of the Etsy username Fairytrade handmake exquisite organza fairy wings, designed to inspire and show off your true inner fairy.
Bellflowers pixie hat
Campanula, also known as bellflowers, are tiny bell-shaped flowers that come in shades of blue, purple, pink or white. For tiny pixies, they wear a peaked hat, and where else would fairies get their hats from besides beautiful bellflowers?! On Etsy, bellflower pixie hats can be made out of wool and felt or crocheted. The wool hats are usually made using the wet felting technique, which involves creating rectangular fabric made of several layers of wool, applying water and mild soap, and sponging or agitating the wool to encourage the fibres to lock together. Leva Deruma or IevaDerFantasyWool makes really beautiful felted wool bellflower hats of various colours and forms on Etsy. She uses roving wools of different colours to give the hat more dimension, and of course, a cute little green sepal (the green part that envelopes the flowers) dangled with a flower bud and leaf to top off the twisty whimsical piece.
Mushroom cap
When it’s raining, fairies hide under mushroom caps and gills so that they don’t get their wings wet! To make a mushroom cap (pun intended), you will need a thick base made out of cardboard paper. Cut a big circle with slivers of tiny interchanging long and short pizza shapes on the cardboard. When you stick the sides together, this will create a dome-like shape, similar to a mushroom cap. Add padding in the form of paper mache with PVA glue and ripped-up pieces of paper or bubble wrap. Once you wrapped cardboard strips around your head to create a comfortable headpiece and hot glue it inside the dome, your form is done. Now all that is left is to gather white fabric to make the look of gills and hot glue the outer part of the headpiece to the inner part of the dome to create a realistic look of mushroom gills and put red fabric over the top for the distinctive bright red chanterelle mushroom colour. Sew tiny pieces of white fabric or beads for the mushroom’s white spots and add some lace trims around the cap and in between the gills to add more dimension. Instead of selling the actual mushroom hats because they might be too big to be shipped, Helen McGuide, OfTheFforest sells the different patterns and tutorials you can follow to make your very own mushroom cap!
Rugged dresses
Being a lovechild of goblincore and cottagecore, fairycore also has elements of tatteredness from goblincore. To get the rugged woodland fairy look, there are repurposed tattered dresses and skirts, but you can also make your own little dress! You can start from the thrift shop or your old clothes from your closet. Start by gathering cotton or material that can be dyed easily that’s in a white or light colour. If you’re not looking into dyeing, at least get cloths in similar colours. That way, when you piece them together, they will look cohesive. You can use either beige for a light fairy look or green for the Tinkerbell look. You’ll also need a slip to start as a base. After you’ve collected enough lacey cloths, you can cut them up into strips. Instead of having clean cuts, leaving the edges frayed gives it a more rugged look. Once you’ve gathered all the pieces, you can start sewing them onto the base dress. On the bodice, you can add decorative stitches to make the whole thing come together. Pia K, the owner of RAWRAGS by PK on Etsy makes beautiful Boho wedding dresses made out of all sorts of materials and textures. Edyta of BabaYagaFashion from Manchester, United Kingdom also makes similar mini skirts out of repurposed cloths.
