Wilderkind Outfits for a Forest-Inspired Look

The Wilderkind trend is similar to fairycore, cottagecore, and dark academia. It is a combination of forest and rustic tactile fabrics in natural colors, and it has a slightly romantic feel.

Here are 25 Wilderkind outfits that feel forest inspired but are completely wearable.

1. Forest Green Knit Sweater, Corduroy Skirt, and Lace-Up Boots

Here we have very soft textures that feel durable and natural. She has a knit sweater that is draping beautifully in a forest green color. We have a sturdy corduroy midi skirt, which is somewhat fitted but not so tight that she can’t move in it. This outfit feels somewhat dramatic because of the corduroy skirt, but definitely natural and romantic.

The lace-up leather boots feel like she could go walking in the forest, and the length of the midi skirt definitely feels like she might have a picnic somewhere and have no problem sitting down on the ground.

2. Cream Cable Cardigan, Prairie Dress, and Ankle Boots

The Wilderkind trend is definitely somewhat similar to the prairiecore and cottagecore trends that we have seen, especially with the resurgence of Little House on the Prairie. This prairie dress can be seen walking through the forest. She could be going to a farmer’s market. It feels modern but timeless at the same time.

I love a longer floral dress, a prairie dress, combined with a knit sweater or knit cardigan. It can be oversized like in this situation, or a cropped version is also cute if you want to give a little bit of accentuation to your waist.

The leather boots are a nice addition. Really, she could have any shoes here. Sneakers would be cute. She could dress it up with heels. A longer leather boot would look nice. I appreciate the block heel here. The block heel feels a little bit more practical than maybe a thinner heel would, which is more in keeping with the Wilderkind aesthetic. You feel like you could go walking through the woods in a block heel rather than a stiletto.

3. Brown Suede Jacket, Ribbed Turtleneck, and Wide Leg Cords

Here we have a very warm color palette that is still bright rather than reading dark. The cream sweater is light and bright. The other colors in this outfit are warm. They feel natural.

The textures here are very soft but still somewhat durable. They feel not too structured, but structured enough that you could be walking through the forest, or maybe sitting on the ground gardening.

4. Moss Green Cape Coat, Sweater, and Boots

A cape is such a statement piece. I like that this one is in a green. We often see beige, black, or gray, which can be easier to wear and to combine with other pieces. This green is stunning. I think it goes very nicely with the chocolate brown pants and the leather riding boots.

I really like the cape combined with the riding boots here. It feels very old-timey and otherworldly. The colors are definitely reading forest and natural, while her cape is giving a modern-day Little Red Riding Hood.

5. Oatmeal Fisherman Sweater, Plaid Skirt, and Tights

The colors here are definitely leaning Wilderkind forestcore rather than academic. We do have the plaid. Plaid is such a classic pattern, definitely one of the most timeless patterns you can have.

When choosing patterns for the Wilderkind aesthetic, definitely go with something classic, almost vintage feeling, but not in a super bright, overt way. This plaid is in natural colors. It’s not too dark, but it definitely feels foresty.

6. Rust Corduroy Pinafore, Cream Blouse, and Boots

The pinafore here feels very vintage. I really like it combined with the peasant blouse that she has. The little ruffles of the collar are so delicate, but the pinafore gives this more of a utility feel while still being very romantic and feminine.

I often see a pinafore dress in more of a tweed or a wool. The corduroy here is very on brand for the Wilderkind aesthetic, as is the burnt orange rust color. It feels natural and almost like a fall temperature. When I see this color, it feels like fall.

7. Tiered Prairie Maxi Dress, Cardigan, and Lace-Up Boots

Again, we have a prairie dress, or a floral dress, with a cardigan. I love a tiered dress, and I think that a flowy fabric like this is a great way to have a tier in a piece. The buttons on the top of the torso of the dress give a little bit of detailing, while the cardigan is pretty simple.

Together with the lace-up boots, this feels like a prairiecore, cottagecore, Wilderkind aesthetic outfit that is romantic but definitely heavy duty enough to take a walk in the woods.

8. Faux Shearling Jacket, Turtleneck, and Straight Jeans

The faux shearling jacket gives the impression of animal skin giving you a hug. It feels rustic and warm and cozy. We use the animal skin references in the Wilderkind aesthetic not so overtly as to use animal print, but we use animal furs and more natural fabrics in general to give a natural feeling.

Here we have cotton denim, a sturdy material. We have the lace-up leather boots, which are sturdy. Then we have the faux shearling jacket, which feels like there is an animal here with us.

9. Olive Utility Dress, Tights, and Chelsea Boots

The olive dress is the perfect forest olive green color. It feels like the grass and the plants, combined with just the simple accents of brown and black. It really is a great color palette to use when thinking of the Wilderkind aesthetic.

I love the canvas and leather accented bag that she has. Canvas is definitely a natural fiber that feels natural and rustic. It feels like you could take it camping, like you could take it to forage, like you could go gather some flowers or some acorns in the woods.

10. Brown Knit Vest, White Blouse, and Wide Leg Trousers

This color palette is a great way to incorporate the Wilderkind aesthetic into your workwear. I love that it’s not a complete color wash of brown, but it’s more of a neutrals outfit with a natural-leaning palette.

This outfit uses chocolate brown, a natural leather brown, and a near-taupe alongside white. Together they cover a full range of browns. It looks relaxed but chic.

11. Forest Plaid Wool Coat, Sweater, and Cords

Again, the plaid here has a little bit of a vintage feel. The long wool coat is a good length, because I think any longer might not make sense for the Wilderkind aesthetic, but at this length it feels very usable and walkable for outdoor activities.

I love the color of her olive wool scarf, and the little pop of white underneath is really adding. I think that we need that pop of white in her sweater to brighten up this outfit.

The corduroy is a nice addition, and it adds coziness to the outfit, but the brown is definitely somewhat heavy, which is great for the Wilderkind aesthetic, but it is nice to even that out with the little white earrings and the little white sweater.

12. Cream Puff Sleeve Blouse, Brown Skirt, and Boots

This is a very romantic outfit. Again, we have almost a peasant blouse, a puffy, romantic, vintage, timeless-feeling blouse, with a midi skirt.

The colors here are natural. There are no bright or neon colors. They are definitely colors that you can find in nature, and not even the brightest colors that you can find in nature.

13. Chunky Knit Poncho, Leggings, and Tall Boots

This is a natural color palette, but it’s also a horseback riding reference. Rather than being a preppy horseback riding outfit, the poncho brings this towards a Wilderkind aesthetic. This feels a little bit more bohemian than preppy because of the oversized poncho.

I like that she has a long white shirt underneath. It actually is a turtleneck, which is a nice accent on the neckline with the white and the camel color together, but it also serves a purpose, because the poncho being this oversized could get a little bit breezy in cooler weather.

14. Rust Sweater Dress, Tights, and Knee Boots

I love a sweater dress. I think it is so practical to wear and forgiving. I like the darker tights in this situation. Usually with a darker tight like this, I would say go for a black boot, but since we’re looking for a forestcore Wilderkind aesthetic, the brown boots really push us in that direction.

The rust color with the brown and the dark, almost black tights together make up the perfect color palette. Otherwise, this would read a little bit more modern if she was wearing maybe a black shoe or a loafer.

15. Waxed Barn Jacket, Fair Isle Sweater, and Jeans

Here the aesthetic is all in the color palette. We have a natural color palette with a blue jean. These are all very rustic, outdoorsy pieces together.

The Fair Isle sweater is a little bit wintery and European, while the waxed barn jacket feels a little farmer-ish, and the lace-up boots definitely seem like we could be taking a walk through a park or in the woods, having a picnic.

16. Mushroom Brown Midi Dress, Cardigan, and Boots

Again, we have our favorite lace-up leather boots. A long, oversized, comfortable knit cardigan like this is a great addition to any capsule wardrobe. It can fit into many different aesthetics, but this oversized coziness definitely can go with the Wilderkind aesthetic.

Here she has a neutral dress rather than the florals or maybe the knit dresses that we’ve seen. This is a good one if the weather is a little bit warmer but you would still like the option that the sweater allows. If she took off the sweater, this would be very appropriate for warm temperatures.

17. Green Velvet Blazer, Cream Knit, and Cords

The velvet and the corduroy would not usually be the first inclination, but both of these rich, very textured pieces do go together despite not being exactly the same in color or texture.

I think that the ribbed knit is a great way to go with this. A rib knit has a little bit more textural appeal than a flatter knit, or maybe a t-shirt or a cotton button-up would. The knit helps us to balance the other strong textures that are going on in this outfit, the velvet, the corduroy, and the rib knit. These are all equally heavy textures.

18. Cable Knit Sweater, Denim Pinafore, and Boots

We are seeing more and more denim, or more and more pinafores in general. I think that they are so cute, vintage-seeming, classic pieces, but we actually don’t see them used that often. It is such a great way to layer. A pinafore works so easily under and over layers. It feels feminine while still being structured.

In this situation, it almost looks like overalls. I think that we could almost call this an overall dress, especially since it is in denim.

What’s nice about this outfit is she’s warm while she doesn’t necessarily have to wear a coat. I think that it can be hard to wear a skirt in cooler temperatures, but since this is an extra layer on top, it traps in the heat throughout the whole torso and the lower part of the body, rather than a normal skirt just trapping in heat in the lower part of the body.

19. Layered Slip Dress, Chunky Cardigan, and Combat Boots

A slip dress is very delicate and romantic. It is sometimes used more as a going-out, sexy, sleek, modern piece, but in a natural green color like this, it feels very Wilderkind, especially paired with the chunky oversized knit cardigan like we’re seeing here.

I like the lace-up leather boots that she has. They almost feel like a slight platform. I think that helps to give a little bit of edge to this outfit rather than it feeling completely forestcore, or maybe prairie cottagecore, because of the dress, cardigan, and lace-up boots combination. It feels like a modern take on that with the chunky combat boot and the sleek silk slip dress.

20. Tweed Blazer, Turtleneck, and Wide Leg Trousers

The wide leg trousers are very flattering in this material. I like that she has them paired with a tweed blazer that gives a little bit more structure.

These trousers do have a lot of volume, so it’s important to wear a shoe that does not get completely lost underneath. If she were to wear maybe a ballet flat, we would not be able to see much of it. I think that this big sole on the bottom of the loafer is not overpowering. It’s not like a combat boot or a platform, but it’s just enough shoe to be seen from underneath this wide, baggy leg pant.

21. Forest Green Maxi Skirt, Fitted Knit, and Boots

This is a little bit bolder of a color than the more toned-down, natural olive green that we often see with the Wilderkind aesthetic, but it still is very foresty, especially combined with the leather boot and then the natural cream shirt that she has on top.

This fitted knit feels a little bit more modern and lightweight than some of the chunkier knits that we have. The lightweight fabric of the skirt matches well with the airiness of the knit. I would not pair this skirt with anything too overpowering on top, because it does seem like a pretty breezy material.

22. Camel Wrap Coat, Sweater Dress, and Tall Boots

This feels a little bit like a rich mom, clean girl version of the Wilderkind aesthetic. It’s definitely sleek and modern, while when you look at the color palette, it feels like a nod to something more natural and foresty. She has the natural fibers going with the woolen knits and then the leather accents overall.

This does feel like the most modern take on our forestcore aesthetic. It is natural and soft and feminine while still being modern.

23. Brown Faux Leather Skirt, Fisherman Sweater, and Boots

I love the contradiction of the modern faux leather skirt with the thick cable knit sweater. I think there is something about a cable knit in this chunky wool combined with the faux leather, which is way more structured than the knit. It’s very elegant and fashionable. It feels very intentional.

Both of these pieces are somewhat of statements by themselves. Definitely the leather skirt is. The cable knit feels a little bit more timeless and vintage, while the midi skirt is making a statement.

Her boots are almost like a cowboy boot, but in a subdued way. There’s a little bit of an arch there, which is reminiscent of a cowboy boot and lends itself well to the Wilderkind aesthetic, because we are thinking outdoorsy and foresty while not full western.

24. Cream Wool Cape, Turtleneck, and Trousers

Again, a cape. Capes are so nice and so underused. We should all grab one while we can. I love that it is in a natural wool and that these are neutral colors being layered. This cape looks so cozy and comfortable while definitely being useful in the fall and not too cumbersome. It’s not a huge cape, but it is big enough to keep you warm.

The brown base on bottom is very flattering. Again, we have a pointed toe and almost a rounded block heel on the back. It almost feels like a cowboy boot, but it is not a cowboy boot. It’s like the smallest nod toward a western boot, but it feels more like a forest walking boot, not fully western.

25. Earth-Tone Floral Dress, Cardigan, and Lace-Up Boots

Here is our prairiecore, forestcore model. We have the long floral dress with the oversized cardigan. That is a classic silhouette that is not going anywhere. The lace-up boots with the low heel are very practical, and they add a little bit of utility to an otherwise very romantic, very feminine outfit.

This feels more like an everyday look when it’s toned down with the oversized cardigan and then the utility boot here. It feels like something that you can wear every day, but it definitely has its own personality. It’s very romantic.

Wardrobe Staples From This Post

Basics that let the earthy pieces in these outfits shine.

• PRETTYGARDEN Open Front Oversized Cardigan. A soft cardigan for the prairie maxi in #7 or the floral dress in #25.
• Amazon Essentials Low Heel Ankle Boots. An ankle boot for the mushroom brown midi dress in #16.
• Mulberry Silk Square Scarf. A printed scarf to tie at the neck of the cream blouse in #12.