Sofia Coppola’s ‘Archive’ is out, and Gen Z’s ‘coquette girlies’ are obsessed
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With eight feature films under her belt and a ninth on the way, Sofia Coppola, daughter of legendary filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola, has carved out her own indelible career. And while The Virgin Suicides (1999), Lost in Translation (2003) and Marie Antoinette (2006) have surely resonated with millennials, Coppola’s films, her earlier ones especially, have captivated an audience of Gen Z-ers as well.
In fact, several creators have shared their acquisition of Coppola’s coveted first book, Archive, which was published earlier this month. Between the pale pink covers are 488 pages showcasing Coppola’s career, including artfully curated magazine clippings and photos taken on location from each of her coming-of-age creations.
“I was less excited to share my personal notes and messy handwriting with the world,” Coppola told Harper’s Bazaar about Archive. “It’s a little embarrassing, but messiness is part of the process. It’s really special to show how a scribble on a hotel notepad can become a feature film.”
Now a niche group of Gen Z fans who have embraced the pretty, pink and unapologetically feminine “coquette girlie” aesthetic believe they’ve found their “mother,” so to speak, in Coppola.
What’s a ‘coquette girlie’?
The coquette girlie aesthetic comes from “coquette,” which is defined by Merriam-Webster as a flirtatious woman who relies on her charm to “gain the attention and admiration of men.” To embrace this aesthetic is to unapologetically embrace hyper-femininity and its soft whimsy, which is characterized by dainty, gentle accessories like bow appliqués and “an angelic sort of old-school beauty.”
In fact, celebrity-favorite designer Sandy Liang looked to Coppola’s The Virgin Suicides to inspire her wistful, girlhood-celebrating spring/summer 2024 collection, which debuted at New York Fashion Week on Sept. 10.
In her essay “The New Rococo: Sofia Coppola And Fashions In Contemporary Femininity,” published in 2014, fashion journalist Rebecca Arnold further explores the feminine ideals articulated through Coppola’s use of fashion imagery in her films, and what she argues to be a “reassertion” of rococo ideals.
“Her films speak of adolescence, youth and the search for meaningful identity. Sofia Coppola’s trilogy: The Virgin Suicides (1999), Lost in Translation (2003), and, finally, Marie Antoinette (2006) are dominated by themes of feminine subjectivity, and representations of both isolation and female friendship and bonding, often depicted through scenes of consuming fashion,” Arnold wrote.
On Sept. 18, Grace O’Hanlon (@ohanlon.grace), who wore a silk-satin pink dress and Doc Martens, posted a video of herself meeting Coppola at an exclusive book signing in the West Village in New York City.
Included in her footage were other Coppola fans who appeared to have gotten the “coquette-themed” memo, having shown up in dainty dresses, lace slips, ballet flats and tons of ribbons. O’Hanlon also included the hashtag #coquetteaesthetic in the TikTok post’s caption.
TikTok user @mayakavaa wrote in response to O’Hanlon’s video, “Being there with all the girlies would be a spiritual experience.”
Added @ava_7270007, “Sofia coppola fans are beautiful.”
“Incredibly jealous, this is so girl though,” @k3nd4llr also commented.
TikTok user @pepperlovve wrote, “coquette girlies are crying right now, she was signing books at the west village!” alongside her video posted on Sept. 19 of the same event O’Hanlan attended.
Additional coquette-identifying Coppola fans have taken to the digital platform to showcase their Archive unboxing videos.
A coquettish way of life
Coppola’s films resonate so intensely with Lolita Lupita (@lolitalupita), a social media user and production student, because Coppola embraces femininity in an otherwise male-driven industry.
“Most of my classmates are boys,” she tells In The Know by Yahoo via Instagram. “I know I am very talented and have a loud voice but at times I do fear that I won’t be taken seriously as a woman. Sometimes I think I should dim down but I think about Sofia’s first film, Lick the Star, and how successful she’s been since then. Or I think about her directing The Virgin Suicides in a dress.”
The coquette aesthetic and the intrinsic femininity of it, Lupita says, are things that she finds powerful.
“I’ve always been very flamboyant and girlie and loud, and Sofia has taught me to not stop being myself; to not mask myself in a masculine way for people in the industry to take me seriously,” she added. “I always wear skirts and dresses to school. They’re more comfortable than pants, and are my second skin. They’re a representation of my power as a female in the industry.”
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