Rococo High Tech

A scroll through TikTok reveals it: corsets paired with Beats headphones, vintage brocade jackets styled with Meta Ray-Bans, and AI-generated Versailles-inspired selfies. This isn’t historical cosplay or quiet luxury — it’s opulence with a software update. Think: Sofia Coppola’s Marie Antoinette meets a Gen Z Fenty drop.

As a Gen X’er who once believed Siouxsie Sioux was a lifestyle, not just a singer, I’m both amused and fascinated. In the ‘80s, we did our own version of excess — but it was more decay than decadence. Now, a new generation is remixing Rococo in a way that’s less ironic and more aspirational. They’re not running from indulgence — they’re uploading it.

So, what’s driving this trend? Part of it is cultural fatigue. We’ve been living in grayscale minimalism for over a decade — normcore, gorpcore, and the spiritual austerity of “clean girl” aesthetics. After a pandemic and the ongoing weight of global uncertainty, maximalism doesn’t feel like a luxury — it feels like a release.

The other driver? Tech itself. With AI, 3D printing, and virtual fashion, our fantasies are no longer limited to fabric and thread. You want a powdered wig that glows? There’s probably an app for that. What once took royal ateliers months now takes minutes on Midjourney. We’re watching the court of Versailles get digitized — and democratized.

But here’s the twist: there’s something deeply human in all of this. For all its hyper-styling and irony, Rococo Tech is also a soft rebellion — a way to reclaim beauty, emotion, and excess in an age obsessed with optimization.

If Marie Antoinette had an iPhone, she would’ve loved Instagram.

And her Stories? Immaculate.

Illustration of a young Marie Antoinette courtesy of Pozzipool / Shutterstock.