I’ve never been an early adopter in my life, but for the first time in my life I’ve beaten other people to the punch, because I have already had my Brat Summer. A few weeks ago I opened a bag of clothes from last summer — denim miniskirts and baby tees, strappy tops and slutty dresses. Everything smelt a bit like secondhand smoke, or damp because I’d left them in the washing machine too long.
That pile of tangled synthetic fabric is an archaeological site, the remains of my own personal Brat Summer. A summer that I have no desire — or ability — to revisit ever again. Brat Summer – if you’re not chronically online – is a viral aesthetic and lifestyle concept which espouses behaving, well, like a brat.
Brat Summer icons include Charli XCX – who released an album last month called Brat , as well as the actress Julia Fox, model-musician Gabriette, Lana del Rey – and Sarah Michelle Gellar in Cruel Intentions . Charli herself explained the concept, saying: “You’re that girl who is a bit messy and loves to party and maybe says dumb things sometimes. She’s honest, blunt, and a little bit volatile.
That’s Brat.” She went on to tell Nick Grimshaw that the Brat Summer starter pack would be “a pack of cigs, a Bic lighter and a strappy white top with no-bra”. You could be forgiven for thinking that Brat Summer was just another piece of meaningless internet jargon, and if you’ve lived through the content about Hot Girl Summer, Rodent Boy Summer, Euro S.