The Poet Aesthetic : 1 simple way to make your writing life delightful

Have you heard of the poet aesthetic? No, me neither until I dropped down a rabbit hole of research and now it’s my new favouite trend.

We can all agree there’s something deeply romantic about the image of a writer at work. The oversized turtleneck pulled up just so. A vintage blazer draped over the back of a chair. A fountain pen resting beside a leather messenger bag. A steaming cup of tea catching the afternoon light. I think I fell in love with the thought of being a writer when I was a kid, and the poet aesthetic fits in with that whole thing dreamily.

The poet aesthetic, or as you might hear Gen Z call it, poetcore, is having a full cultural moment.
Pinterest searches for “the poet aesthetic” have exploded by 175%, alongside 75% increases in “poet core” and 85% increases in “satchel bag aesthetic.” Which tells me all I need to know about how this year is shaping up to be the year of the writer.

As someone who’s spent the last 20 years writing novels whilst juggling the messy reality of publishing rejection, burnout, and the constant pressure to hustle, I’ve learned something crucial: the aesthetic doesn’t matter because Instagram engagement matters. It matters because you matter. And sometimes, having the little ritual of putting on the right sweater, sitting in the right chair, holding the right pen, that’s what gives you permission to romanticise your writing life and love every minute of being the brilliant writer that you are.

So here I am, letting you in on the biggest trend that’s about to explode, telling you what the poet aesthetic and how to embrace it to get more words down and make more connections.

The Poet Aesthetic in STYLE BABY!

Am I really writing about style? You bet I am!

But what has this got to do with writing? Everything.
Well almost everything. I am a girl who watched Sex and the City a million times over, got a laptop next to a window and imagined I was Carrie Bradshaw for a while when I was writing my first novel, so when I say there is style in writing, and helping you become the writer you want to be, then know it to be true.
For some of us anyway. If you hate anything so shallow and flimsy, look away now.

Also, I need to be completely honest with you. I still write in my PJs and jogging bottoms. I do a lot of my writing in bed!
This whole thing is totally how you feel, not how you look, BECAUSE I have found that sometimes, how you look can really effect how you feel and vice versa.
Does that make sense?
Even as I’m writing this, I’m not entirely sure to be honest. I may start to collect things that allow me to dream that I am a writer of the poet aesthetic and still go on to write in my PJs but that isn’t what this blog post is about. I just wanted to get that out of the way.

What is the Poet Aesthetic? Actually?

Basically, we can all agree on the poet aesthetic standard items. Think TV shows like Gilmore Girls mixed with Gossip Girl where characters like Blair Waldorf defined an aspirational, literary-leaning style. But it also channels the “tortured writer” archetype popularized in contemporary culture, particularly through Taylor Swift’s “The Tortured Poets Department” era. mixed with the dark academia trend that never really went away.

Oversized turtlenecks, fitted vintage blazers in tweed or corduroy, structured leather satchels or messenger bags, layered pieces, and quality accessories as the non-negotiables.

But what makes the poet aesthetic distinct from simply wearing vintage clothes or borrowing from preppy style is its underlying philosophy. The trend isn’t primarily about fashion for its own sake. Instead, it’s about using aesthetic choices to signal and reinforce an identity as someone who creates, someone who thinks, someone for whom words and ideas matter.

This connects to what researchers call “enclothed cognition” the measurable effect that clothing has on how we think and perform. When you deliberately dress in a way that signals seriousness and intentionality, your brain responds accordingly. You think differently. You take yourself more seriously. You create differently.

In this sense, the poet aesthetic isn’t frivolous. It’s a practical tool for writers, creators, and thinkers who want to embody their identity. It’s saying: “I am someone for whom words matter. I am someone who takes this seriously. This is reflected in how I present myself to the world.”

And OH MY GOODNESS I just love that!

Why Now?

The poet aesthetic rise in 2026 isn’t random. It emerges at a moment when there’s significant cultural interest in reading and literature. BookTok has transformed the publishing landscape. Television shows centered on literary ambition continue to resonate with audiences. And there’s a growing backlash against hustle culture and performative productivity, I know that I have seen many, many essays and content in general where people are shifting away from screens and back to in person events. Back to community. The poet aesthetic directly counters the hustle by centering intention and craftsmanship over quantity and speed.

The poet aesthetic says: slow down.
Dress intentionally. Choose quality over trends. Make your creative practice visible and honoured through how you present yourself. It’s fundamentally aligned with a rejection of minimalism and efficiency in favour of depth, texture, and meaning.

This is why the poet aesthetic resonates particularly strongly with writers. It offers permission to take yourself seriously. Permission to dress like someone whose words matter. Permission to romanticise your creative practice rather than treating it as a side hustle or a hobby squeezed into the margins of real life.

Romanticising Your Writing Life This Week

You don’t need to overhaul everything. That is certainly not what this post is about! But if you want a little of the poet aesthetic in your life, it’s something that you can build gradually.
This week, do one thing.

Find a vintage blazer or an oversized turtleneck that makes you feel like yourself. Go to thrift stores or charity shops and pick one out. Or, search for a fountain pen you actually want to hold.
Explore the aesthetic of vintage writer fashion by checking out second-hand shops for houndstooth blazer pieces or classic corduroy. Create one small corner that feels like a writing space. Choose one ritual that signals to your brain that writing is about to happen.

That’s it. That’s how it starts.

Because here’s what I’ve learned. When you dress like a writer, when you sit in a space designed for writing, when you hold a pen you love, when you create a ritual around your practice, something shifts. You don’t just look like someone who writes. You become someone who takes writing seriously.

You become someone for whom words are worth romanticising. Worth dressing up for. Worth sitting down at the same time every day to meet on the page.

That’s the poet aesthetic. That’s the beauty of the poet core.

Make it beautiful. Make it intentional.

And when you’re ready to join a community of writers who believe that creative joy matters more than hustle culture, that slow practice matters more than fast output, that your writing life deserves to be romanticised, join the Giddy Hygge Writing Society. A home for writers who are finally choosing themselves and their words over everything else.

The waitlist is open. Come home to your writing life.