You might know Rococo as the late Baroque-period art style from 18th-century France. It's known for ornate, playful, and lighthearted qualities, often expressed through pastel colors, asymmetry, intricate curves, and shell or flower motifs. Basically, whatever makes you think, "Wow, that's whimsical."
Rococo lacks the grandeur of Baroque, instead incorporating more intimate and decorative elements without appearing too delicate. Think: the Catherine Palace in Russia, or Sabrina Carpenter.
If you're reading all of this and thinking, “That sounds a lot like 2025's most ubiquitous accessory, the Labubu,” you and I are on the same page. They're (arguably) whimsical. Their colorway is (predominantly) pastel. They are (undoubtedly) useless beyond aesthetics. They're frivolous, lighthearted, playful, and ornate. Fellas, they're Rococo.
Mashable's Christianna Silva dives deeper into the topic in their feature Rococo revival: Why pastels, whimsy, and Labubus are everywhere.
