Brat was the word of the Summer. And as we say farewell to summer this week, we’ve been thinking about whether one of Summer’s hottest trends is here to stay. The British artist Charli XCX released her sixth studio album, “Brat,” on June 7th. Shortly after, the shades of neon green, lime, and that particular shade of chartreuse that graced the album’s cover seemed to take the fashion world by storm suddenly. The choice of this particular green was an interesting one – according to an interview with Vogue, Charli felt that the color green had oversaturated media and fashion, and she intentionally wanted a color that would seem jarring – almost to the point of being off-putting. The result has been a lime-fashion revolution – with this typical accent color taking center stage.
What we love about this trend is that it takes typical fashion expectations of complimenting one’s coloring or flattering one’s figure and turns it on its head. The goal isn’t to blend in but to stand out. Rather than flatter and fade – to be brilliantly unique. By breaking the mold of expectation – the “brat” look opens up fashion to its essence of trying to be unique, choosing an aesthetic from love, and ultimately having fun with color and clothing – something that makers are all about.
When it comes to hand-made, we tend to be slightly outside of trendy, as our makes are in it for the long haul. We want them to last season after season, after all. Not all of us can sit down and whip up a sweater (or scarf, or hat, or tank, or mitts) in a weekend, which means we want to be able to wear it months (and even years) after we first dream of gathering yarn and making a swatch. This is why we think that the “brat” fashion movement and makers are a perfect pairing. While the artist has declared brat summer “officially over” we think there’s room for Brat Fall, Winter, and heck – even Spring.
As noted on NPR’s all things considered, they summarized the intended spirit of “brat” well – “There’s no one right way to be a brat as long as you’re sort of living your life and you just don’t care what other people think.” So embrace the awkward colors that make your heart sing. Worry less about whether things “match” your whole aesthetic and more about whether they make you happy. Pick comfortable over correct. And, above all, enjoy the neons while they’re back.