How To Have the Perfect BRAT Summer

Stereotyped for its active lifestyle and culture, crowded with Denverites wearing Patagonia and North Face attire, the Colorado capital has an image painted out for itself. But, as a matter of fact, the Mile High City has a diverse set of people, fashion senses and entertainment.

READ: Charli XCX @ Ogden – Denver, CO

In fact, it’s one of the overlooked places to be blinded by the lights and be a 365 party girl. From nightlife to the best restaurants, vintage stores and designer clothes, below is your guide to making sure, “Everything is Romantic” this Brat Summer! 

1. Defining Your BRAT Summer 

Written best by philosopher (Reddit user @SighAtEvening) in the r/CharliXCX channel, “The truth is there is no one way to have a BRAT summer. Everyone must find their own way to have a BRAT summer. Once one accepts that no one else can tell them how to have a BRAT summer, only then can they start to have a BRAT summer.”

With this in mind, the first step is defining your personal BRAT summer journey.

Will you be like “Mean Girls” smoking cigarettes in a vintage Gunne Sax slip mor a chaotic but endearing soul who lives and breathes the underground nightlife? Or perhaps you are the ultimate BRAT of them all: playing between the duality of woman, of messy and put together, of chic yet Y2K, emotionally vulnerable but resilient. Act like you’re everyone’s favorite reference, or don’t. The beauty is that — it’s your choice!

2. Finding the Perfect “365” Attire 

Hex code color #8ACE00, otherwise known as BRAT green, alongside subversive basics, Von Dutch trucker hats, graphic baby tees and sunnies in the club may or may not be in your wardrobe this season. 

Again, everything is subjective. Katy Lubin, VP of Brand and Communications at Lyst told Vogue Business, “While BRAT green is trending, you can’t really buy BRAT-specific products, which makes it a more exciting and elusive fashion mood.”

So, if you see a neon green baguette or top, like this one from Garbarini, consider finding a way to style that amplifies your true hot-girl, brattitude. That being said, streetwear and vintage designer are two “cult classic” routes to take. 

Consider local designers like Killionare, Warming Worldwide, and Denver FXXX$ for more, oversized street style silhouettes. To embody a more feminine, fairy-like look, consider Garms 1 of 1 and Magg’s Rags for all your baby tee needs. For vintage and designer items, consider consignment stores like Rags Consignment in Boulder and Cherry Creek, thrift stores like Garage Sale Vintage, and designer stores like Garbarini and Lawrence Covell. 

READ: Magg’s Rags is Everyone’s Treasure

The curation of outfits should come off relaxed and comfortable, but still well-put together and innovatively stylish. Consider unconventionally wearing pieces or layering in nontraditional ways. A scarf as a skirt over jeans, mesh or crochet tops with nothing underneath, and mixing different aesthetics? Very Gabriette. 

3. Where Are The “Club Classics?”

Ditch the average night out at Improper City or Happy Camper. If you want to immerse yourself in a crowd unlike any other, consider underground clubs or event production companies that fit your preferred music taste.

As Charli XCX would prefer it, techno and electronic enthusiasts like Itchy-O and No Expectations put on visceral, unforgettable events.

READ: Preview — itchy-O’s Hallowmass Haunts Denver This Halloween Weekend

Clubs like Club Vinyl and Black Box will also present a good time to you. Don’t forget to hit a dive bar like The Horseshoe Lounge or unapologetically drink the dirtiest martini you can at a nice bar like Poka Lola before heading out from dusk ‘till dawn.  

4. Be Messy, Say something stupid, Have fun!

At the end of the day, BRAT summer is yours to take.

Date a DJ, go home at 5 a.m., max out your credit card, reminisce on old friends and lovers, go on a spontaneous picnic or vacation. The Mother herself stated in an interview with The News Movement and BBC, “It can go that way, like quiet luxury, but it can also be like, really trashy. Like a pack of cigs and a Bic lighter, and a strappy white top with no bra.” 

The music-pop-culture phenomenon by the English singer-songwriter has amassed $22.5 million in media impact value (MIV) according to Vogue Business and Launch Metrics. Charli’s iconoclastic nature, fashion sense and of course, music influenced the popularity of BRAT, but the overarching motif of playful vulnerability fascinates people.

Let your reckless abandon run rampant, wear designer clothes (or don’t) but the point of BRAT summer is to celebrate the good and bad and ugly and messy of life.

Better yet, embrace life not just for the summer, but indefinitely (that’s so Julia of you).

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