Grace, 22, at Laneway Festival today. Photo: Serena Solomon/RNZ
The whiplash of Gen Z's style was on full display at Auckland's Laneway Festival on Thursday.
The skirts were very short. The bike pants were also very short, offering not much more coverage than underwear. The jorts - shorts cut below the knee - were baggy. Bikini tops were plentiful. There were lace and sheer dresses with underwear a key and visible part of the outfit. The leather boots were high and chunky.
"I want to be as naked as legally possible," said Grace, 22.
Like many others, she was at Laneway to see its headlining artist Charli XCX, who won three Grammys on Sunday night including for dance/electronic album. Her 2024 album Brat kickstarted a cultural phenomenon during the Western Hemisphere summer - known as Brat summer - exhorting fans to ditch the manicured life and embrace the messy.
Charli XCX's influence - chunky boots, tiny skirts that show a cheeky slice of buttocks, wearing bikinis in places that are not the beach - could be seen amongst the estimated 50,000 festivalgoers.
Some couldn't help but accent what they wore with a touch of lime green, the prominent colour of Charli XCX's album cover for Brat, her breakthrough album of 2024.
Kelsey Wilde and Shelly Liang
"Girls can wear whatever they want and she [Charli XCX] is showing that," said Liang, who wore baggy jorts with a bikini top.
Here to see: Beabadoobee and Charli XCX
Shelly Liang and Kelsey Wilde. Photo: RNZ / Serena Solomon
Jax Hag and Emma
"The idea is not to buy anything new. It's a bit brat," said Emma.
Here to see: Charli XCX
Jag Hax and Emma. Photo: RNZ / Serena Solomon
Francis McWhannell and Andy Olive
"I wanted to look gay as…" said Olive, describing his tight colour long sleeve shirt and culottes as a form of protest dressing against the threat to LGBTQ rights in the US by the Trump administration.
McWhannell said he had felt increasingly empowered in recent years to dress how he feels. "In this case it was wearing a little corset," he said, from underneath a bucket hat rimmed with faux fur.
Here to see: Charli XCX
Andy Olive, left, and Francis McWhannell. Photo: RNZ / Serena Solomon
Taylor Nobbs and Mat
Nobbs described her outfit - which was essentially swimwear - as standard dress for a rave party, but "I'm sad I don't have pockets."
Here to see: Charli XCX
Taylor Nobbs and Mat. Photo: RNZ / Serena Solomon
Sophie Hilton and Sophie Patterson
"Whatever you want to wear, you can fit in," said Patterson, who is 18. She said the chunky boots meant she couldn't feel her toes but "beauty is pain," she added.
Here to see: Beebadoobee and Charli XCX
Sophie Patterson, left, and Sophie Hilton. Photo: RNZ / Serena Solomon
Grace
"I wanted to be as naked as legally possible," she said.
"I wanted to be protected from the sun… but also project my inner Brat."
Here to see: Charli XCX
Grace, 22. Photo: Serena Solomon/RNZ
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