Brat Girl Summer

Brat.

Charli XCX.

Ever since the pandemic, we have been coining the summers with certain terms that are based on albums released for the summer time that fit the zeitgeist of the moment (or they become the zeitgeist). So for summer (and honestly, probably fall too), it's officially been "Brat Girl Summer."

The first time I heard it wasn't until Kamala Harris became the center of attention once Biden stepped down as a candidate for the next US Election. I suddenly saw everywhere "She is so brat" referring to Kamala. So I had to research and ask some Gen Z what that meant. But once I listened to one of the songs, I immediately understood.

Now I will confess that I have not listened to the album. I only watched the video 360 to see what the reference hype was about (hence my one song listen). My first observation was the amount of influencers in the video, culture and style wise, because there were way more than a typical music video you would see right now. 

I believe the influencers styles in conjunction with the lyrics of the album are what is creating the "Brat girl summer" movement. It's more than just the Brat green (lime green, citron, highlighter green, whatever you want to call it). It's the alternative grunge vibe, the boldness, and the early 2000s Paris Hilton attitude of "I'm me, deal with it."

Looking up references for the style, all I really saw was, I'll be honest, the style of a skimpy 20 year old party girl. Think Ke$ha mixed with Avril Lavigne with Spice Girl accents. Lots of black and white, combat boots, fishnet stockings with accents of green, cheetah print and glitter. Let's not forget the spikes and chains in silver. Here are some inspiration boards I found on Pinterest.

Not to say there is anything wrong with this style, but let's be honest, where will we be going dressed like this? A rave? Nightclub? Not me!

We all can be a part of this trend without looking like a hungover 20 something year old. Here are my suggestions of what I think the trend is, and how it will develop for more mature adults and transition into fall.

-Main colors: Brat green (green in general), black, khaki/tan, white, silver

-Corsets/cinched waists

-Black denim/Black leather

-White tees/tanks

-Leopard/Cheetah animal prints

-Rhinestone/sparkle/glitter/sequins

-Fishnet dresses/skirts/stockings/shirts

-Silver (like Beyonce Renaissance/futuristic space vibes of early 2000s)

Want more Brat? Shop it here and happy Brat Girl SZN

💚 B