She goes by Charli XCX to break our teeth, but her real name is Charlotte Emma Aitchison. Currently, she is one of the most prominent and sought-after it-girls in worlds connecting music and fashion.
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At the Mugler spring-summer show of 2023
(photo: Victor Boyko/Getty Images For Mugler)
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At the Paris fashion week, 2023
(photo: Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images for The Business of Fashion)
Her Journey to the Top
Charli XCX is British, of Scottish and Indian descent, married to George Daniel (also a musician), and her look can be described as a less-smiley version of our own Frida Ouziel. At 33, she's on the exclusive list of those who have "survived the Justin Bieber journey": Charli started small on Myspace, was discovered, signed, and went big in the real world - which mostly means massive Instagram and TikTok presence.
Throughout her musical career, she has zigzagged between styles - from punk rock to pop, rap, electronic music, and dance. One could argue she is trendy and quick to latch onto passing fashions, but a closer look at her years of work reveals a consistent and evolving artist.
Her sixth album, "Brat", released last year, won three Grammy Awards. It also turned her into a cult singer, a hot musical phenomenon, and one of the main fashion influences of recent times. Charli XCX and the album made neon-lime green the dominant color of last summer (and also in Kamala Harris's presidential campaign, although with less success).
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Charli XCX at Yves saint Laurent's spring-summer fashion show
(photo: Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images)
The term brat - cheeky, bratty, spoiled, and pampered - became a code for desirable social behavior, especially among girls about two decades younger than the singer.
Charli XCX does everything right: she releases albums at calculated intervals and excels in the two areas that have become key to contemporary artists - a strong online presence and collaborations with everyone who matters in pop.
These collaborations include Lizzo, Troye Sivan, Taylor Swift (as an opening act on the Reputation tour), Ariana Grande, Lorde, and Addison Rae. Her participation in the Barbie soundtrack didn't hurt either. But the moment that elevated her to the "high-quality league" was the remix collaboration with Billie Eilish. Fifteen years after it all began, she's finally at the top.
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At Balenciaga's fall-winter show
(photo: Arnold Jerocki/Getty Images for Balenciaga)
Regarding her political stance on the Middle East – a topic no star can avoid – she’s not on Israel’s side. She tweets against the war and shares UN reports about Gaza, but for now, she hasn’t blocked her music on Spotify.
How Does She Dress?
Her style can be defined by three criteria: gothic-pop, moderately sexy, and black sunglasses. Her outfits are a mix of nostalgia for the rave and club culture of her youth and early 2000s fashion, amplified with lots of black and exposed leather.
At the Academy Museum gala, she wore a dress only she could pull off - a voluminous black and shiny leather Saint Laurent dress with a lowered waist, lace corset, and structured details that leave no need for imagination. Her gothic side appeared in a black, exaggerated ensemble of jacket, underwear, feathers, and boots by Ann Demeulemeester at the Metropolitan Museum gala.
The same exposed/covered combination appeared at the Brit Awards, with a black semi-sheer dress by Dilara Findikoglu, and also in her wedding dress by Vivienne Westwood – short, white, with bare shoulders and black sunglasses.
In her second Sicilian wedding photoshoot, she wore a mostly sheer white corset dress with matching white underwear by Jewish (and Israel-supporting) designer Danielle Frankel.
True to her "trendsetter" title, Charli XCX modeled for Kim Kardashian's lingerie brand Skims, positioning herself as the queen of boxer-briefs - those shorts masquerading as underwear, or vice versa.
Anyone thinking this was a one-summer gimmick was wrong. With winter approaching, she appears on the November issue cover of Vanity Fair and the Fall/Winter issue of Pop, celebrating her married status in a mesh dress with matching black underwear. Simultaneously, she’s being credited for dominating H&M’s upcoming winter campaign. She is active year-round.
Future Prospects
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Performing at a Gala event at Cannes, 2022
(photo: John Phillips/Getty Images for amfAR)
Time will tell whether Charli XCX, like the color that brought her here, will fade into the nothingness where fleeting colors and stars vanish. For now, she seems here to be staying, and if she doesn't burn herself out from overexposure, she may become one of the central figures in the industry in the coming years.
Applause or Rotten Tomatoes?
The Brat Summer as a fashion language - all credit goes to her. This stylistic reference is now recorded under her name in pop and fashion history. For this, she deserves applause.
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צ'ארלי XCX בתצוגת הוט קוטור לאביב-קיץ 2023 של ולנטינו
(צילום: Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images)
Regarding the looks she produces - on stage, in front of paparazzi, or on red carpets - she still oscillates between banal choices, over-reliance on underwear-as-pants, and inconsistent fashion flashes. For now, her style can only elicit mixed reactions.