Lookbook: Cottagecore at Camp Milton

I am always on the lookout for outdoor locations that don’t look strictly like Florida. No matter how long I’m stuck here, Florida will never be my vibe or aesthetic. But it’s hard to find anywhere with a hill or with zero palm trees in sight. Soft grass is impossible to come by, and the color of the sky is distinctly Florida (compared to the breathtaking, almost atmospheric, deep blue of Virginia skies).

Photographer Mike Fitzgerald and I found our answer in Camp Milton, which I had visited many years before and forgotten all about. Camp Milton is far off on the other side of the city from me, nestled deep in the country.

It isn’t that Camp Milton doesn’t look like Florida; it’s that it doesn’t look specifically like Florida. These trees and tall grasses could be practically anywhere in rural America. And in some of these darker shots, they could almost even be hills in the background!

Back in 2020 and 2021, I got very into the cottagecore aesthetic on Instagram. I may not have been able to travel, but I could for darn sure dream about being in beautiful countryside locales in other parts of the world! So after finding the right location, I decided to do my own cottagecore-themed shoot.

The skirt is another Unique Vintage find, from their 1930s and ’40s category. Although the era is off, the colors and pattern felt very Downton Abbey to me. It is so soft and has nice, deep pockets!

The top was a Nordstrom Trunk Club find, made by WAYF. It is also so soft and breezy! Perfect for a winter day in Florida.

The oxfords, made by Wanted, come in lots of different colors, and I have three different pairs. (Check out my rose pink ones from another shoot!) And the ruffle socks come from Amazon.

The hat was a wonderful vintage find! I bought it from Eerily Vintage on Instagram. The stamp inside says “Henry Pollak PEACHFELT” and it seems to have been made somewhere between the ’30s and ’60s.