Here at PurseBlog, we’ve collectively pondered extensively (and somewhat needlessly, during slower weeks of pop-culture and fashion news) on the subject of the it-girl.
And so, dear reader, I am pleased to report that one Ms. Charlotte Emma Aitchison, better known as Charli XCX, is the newest member to be welcomed into this sisterhood of hot Internet girlhood.
In the process, she so happens to be a closer equivalent to the it-girls of their heyday than most in her category – no shade to a certain Ms. Swift, of course, whose zillionth rendition of The Tortured Poets Department dropped at a seemingly unfortunate hour for Ms. XCX’s latest album, brat (in all lowercase).
But the Brit-pop artist, a self-described “cult classic, but I still pop,” and whose breakout hit in 2012 was called I Don’t Care, I Love It, quite literally doesn’t care.
Instead, she and her sizeable assemblage of it-adjacent (and girl-adjacent) individuals, as seen in her music video for 360, are simply too busy helping you channel your inner it-person (“it’s about being hot, but in like a scary way”), serving a look with only “a pack of cigs, a Bic lighter and a strappy white top with no bra,” and singlehandedly making what is possibly the ugliest shade of slimy green hot.
Or as TikToker @kappakappatae declares, “PSA: This color is no longer called ‘lime green;’ it is brat green.”
It’s a Brat Girl Summer!
For the chronically offline crowd (or simply the uninitiated), brat Charli XCX’s sixth studio album is the official soundtrack of the summer. The Twin Peaks actor Kyle Maclachlan is a self-proclaimed brat, but so is the citrus fruit, lime.
Like babygirl, brat is the gift that keeps giving; the brainchild of a “Y2K-obsessed millennial, fashion icon, and notoriously under-appreciated pop talent using wicked meta-commentary to dare you to call her a flop,” as Pitchfork (RIP) writes of Charli.
For the chronically online crowd, please forgive any transgressions I might’ve made and will be making hereon; for now, I shall return to being a brat again.
Opening with the banger, that’s 360 – featuring no less than foundational it-girl Chloë Sevigny, as well as her modern-day NYC-exclusive counterpart, Julia Fox – it’s evident from the get-go that brat is the exact opposite to everything the clean-girl, quiet luxury aesthetic has hitherto stood for.
Instead, it’s the wild, disheveled party girl, still in last night’s makeup, slightly trashy, and infinitely fabulous.
And brat’s release coincided perfectly with author Gabriel Smith’s debut novel, Brat, hailed as the “book of the summer”, as well as Brats, the Hulu documentary on Hollywood’s OG brat pack – Andrew McCarthy, Emilio Estevez, Demi Moore, Tom Cruise and Rob Lowe – not hailed as the documentary of the summer.
There’s even a restaurant called Brat in East London, where Ms. XCX is a regular diner. Needless to say, her album serves as the soundtrack to the kitchen!
Sixty-Five Shades of Green
But as any Charli’s Angel will tell you (seriously, that’s what her fans are called), the real highlight of brat, aside from the music that teeters the line between bravado and vulnerability, is the green on the cover art.
Lime green, Shrek green, puke green, slime green; it goes by many names. Now, however, it has forever been christened brat green, adorning, or rather, defiling, the somewhat basic, lo-fi album cover, replete with an even more basic font (Arial Narrow, for the MS Word girlies) reading brat in lowercase.
Charli and her team deliberated in choosing to feature this near-radioactive, “offensive, off-trend shade of green that triggers the idea of something being wrong” out of 65 different shades of green. It’s sickly and acidic but provocative and hard to match, just like the bratty attitude central to the album.
Naturally, the fluorescent shade has struck a chord with the zeitgeist, spawning memes and manicure trends and appearing on the UK’s Green Party campaigns urging netizens to “vote green” on the 4th of July elections. It’s also a recurring sight on sticky notes, traffic cones, avocados, bathroom bins, Duolingo, Shrek, Zendaya from Challengers, the Green Witch from Wicked, and the Green Lady from Brooklyn.
It’s random in the most delightful way, and we’re here for it!
The Psychology of Bad Taste
It’s become a tradition that every time a pop-culture diva decides to drop a buzzy new album, we’ll be blessed with a seemingly never-ending onslaught of fashion industry merch and memorabilia.
Case in point, sequins-and-sparkles à la Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour and Beyoncé’s Renaissance (the latter also to blame for the uptick in Telfar sales, and with Cowboy Carter, that of denim, boots, and cow-person cosplay), cottagecore courtesy of Ms. Swift’s folklore, or even Gwen Stefani’s Harajuku Girls merchandise from way back in the early-aughts.
The idea is to neatly package the essence of said music into saleable, commodified units for fans to purchase.
Not brat though. Despite searches with the “slime green” term having surged by 17% on Lyst over the past weeks, and labels like Kate Spade, Adanola athleisure, and BeautyBay all rushing to curate their brat green edits – not to mention individual offerings from Balenciaga, Coperni, Marni and Marc Jacobs (Rihanna too was spotted with her own brat green Bottega bag and a cheeky “I’m Retired” t-shirt) – XCX herself has refrained from the temptation to develop merch of any kind.
Part of it is because she wants brat to be inclusive, to remain free to interpretation for fans in a come-as-you-are kind of way. But part of it is also because brat green, unlike Bottega green, Barbie pink, or Gucci burgundy, is simply unpalatable.
Prada SS96 versus Gucci Men’s SS25, images via Vogue UK
Surprisingly, a similar shade of chartreuse – dubbed “Miuccia sludge” -served as the basis for Prada’s “Ugly Chic” Spring 1996 collection. It’s even appeared sporadically on the runway at Gucci, Prada, and Martine Rose for Spring/Summer 2025, as well as on Seán McGirr’s Fall 2024 show for Alexander McQueen.
Because of its sheer unpalatability, brat green serves as a palate cleanser.
As Ms. Prada says: “It’s scorned in the fashion industry. Sometimes fashion focuses on fixed, narrow and limited notions of beauty, luxury and glamour.” And Ms. XCX echoes: “I’d like for us to question our expectations of pop culture. Why are some things considered good and acceptable, and some things deemed bad?”
Ultimately, brat green isn’t about being conventional; it’s about being interesting. It’s about being, as Ms. Charli chants, so Julia.
featured image via @charli_xcx
Sajid possesses a distinct writing style that I find quite provocative and niche, although it might not be everyone’s cup of tea. I always look forward to reading Sajid’s articles.
Agreed. They are thought-provoking and quirky. The variety is refreshing
Me too! I love his posts the most. Even when I don’t necessarily agree!
I can’t remember how I discovered PurseBlog; I’ve been reading for several years now.Honestly, I think I was googling the new-fiancée of a high-school crush, and she was featured in a “Many Bags Of …”.
And that’s how I found out about this whole world of designer handbags. I’ve always enjoyed following “niche area in which I have no interest, but the folks in that world are very passionate / live a very different life than my own.” Deadliest Catch- I learned about crab fishermen! Ink Master- I learned about tattoo artists! PurseBlog- I learned about luxury goods, designer purses, and the people who love them! Now I read PurseBlog almost every day, despite having zero intention of buying, like, anything featured on your site. But I usually enjoy most of the genuine enthusiasm about these items shown by writers/readers.
When Sajid started writing on the site, my interest was piqued. By his name, and what he wrote about himself- a young man from Bangladesh! who clearly spends a LOT of time thinking about designer handbags. It was just fun to read. I’m a 40-something woman, whose family left Bangladesh to go to India and hence to the U.S. I find myself rooting for Sajid; I hope he does well in college, lands a good job, and scores his dream Sac de Jour. His excitement level usually seems to be at, like, 15/10; sometimes I have a hard time following what he is writing as a result. But, if I’m not feeling it, I just click away from the article.
He’s earned my goodwill through his atypical background, and by- what I’m guessing- is his perseverance in finding his people on the internet, and carving out a little place for himself. Kudos to him.
Sajid is a very good writer. I enjoy his perspective and his “off the too beaten path” articles”. I had to comment here and after more than 10 years of reading here, this is my first comment.
Welcome to the comments section, we hope to see you again soon!
This author has the worst taste period purse blog has really declined.
Our goal is to offer different perspectives and voices. While some may not like what I have to say, maybe what a different writer shares resonates more!
We are always trying to do better – I’m sorry if you don’t feel that way about the site!
It’s true that different writer’s style appeals to different audiences. I find that your writing style is appealing because it’s sophisticated and succinct. In fact, before I look at the author I can tell who is writing it because everyone is so different. Also, while Sajid’s writing style isn’t for me many ppl seem to enjoy it. However, full disclosure I do miss reading Notorious Pink’ Hermes articles; she was extremely informative & comprehensive.
Absolutely! I will be sure we get something great from Notorious Pink soon – she is a gem of a person who also knows far more than I ever will about Hermès and covers it beautifully!
I always appreciate the feedback – truly!
He’s the very best writer—by far—who contributes to PurseBlog.
He’s my fav for sure! But I think his style and choice of topics tends to skew younger (his perspective reminds me very much of my grandaughters’ which I find delightful and really fun to read).
Yes, he’s a good writer, but his topics are bizarre.
His topics are a big upgrade compared to the asinine, repetitive, and uninspired posts we suffer through daily with some of the other contributors.
To be fair to the rest of the team who contributes to this site, remember that Sajid doesn’t write about bags/accessories daily for the site. It is mind-blowing that we’ve been able to cover this category for 20 years now, and yes, sometimes it will feel repetitive, I am sure.
I love Sajid’s voice and exciting perspectives, and we are delighted to have him here!
I also am showing my age because I had zero clue what Brat Green was even referring to until I read this piece by him 😉
I agree! Love his writing! ❤️🎒👜
Since I am aware of the backlash Sajid received for his previous article, I will again comment that I regard him, by far, as the best writer here on Purseblog. Not only he possesses a true style, but he thoroughly researches his topics and does try to offer more than the usual, superficial, USA-centered perspective that is, in my European opinion, one of the weaknesses of Purseblog. Please bear it in mind, Sajid. You’re doing nothing wrong by trying to be above average!
Finally IT’S MY TIME! I unironically LOVE neon chartreuse and have collected little things in it for years. I have a Virgil LV cardholder in neon chartreuse and acid green, a hoodie this color that’s offensively bright, LEGO earrings in the see-through variety, all kinds of things. It pairs super well with black and other bright colors for an edgy look. I’d love a bag in this color but it’d have to be the right level of neon.
what a lovely take. megs and vlad, keep up the great work. I’ve been with purseblog/forum on/off since the beginning, you’re still rocking it.
I like this color but would only have a small bag in it. And I am never going to call it brat. Lime, chartreuse, acid green, whatever, but never brat.
It’s a color you have to be wary of. A few years ago, in early June, we went to Beaune for a short break to celebrate my husband’s birthday. I wore a chartreuse linen top. For some reason, it struck tons of small insects as just a moving succulent leaf and my back was covered with dozens of them. They didn’t bite or sting, so we just laughed and had to stop and brush off my top every 15 minutes or so (esp before heading into a Michelin-starred restaurant for lunch).
You’re showing your age with your statement about “never” calling it brat. Open your mind and go with the flow! We can learn a lot from younger people!
They could learn a lot from us, too–mainly, in this context, that renaming a color, that has existed in nature since nature’s inception, for the fiftieth time does not make it ‘bold’ or ‘innovative’… just renamed.
That said, I enjoy small punches of neon/acid/lime/grass/peridot green. I won’t be racing to add (any more of) it to my wardrobe, but it is quite the statement color and I love to see pops of it in the wild.
Sajid, I echo Ess Are’s fond wishes for you. I hope your future is as bright as this color. (: