Charli XCX is entering a new sonic era with her sixth studio album Brat but her latest off-duty look has us reminiscing on her 2016 hit “Vroom Vroom.” Today in London, the singer was spotted outside of BBC Radio Studios with a very XCX-ified twist on Formula 1 fashion.
Charli was seen wearing a cropped leather jacket that featured a few grungy, edgy details—exposed stitching, a silver belt closure at the top, and black straps that went well past her waist. While many, like Hailey Bieber, prefer moto coats in multi-color leathers, Charli naturally preferred all-black for hers. From there, Charli showed off a pair of baggy, low-rise jeans that were all about a trompe l’oeil print. The distressing of her pants appeared to almost mimic the look of fingerprints, starting in a more concentrated pattern up top and then dispersing down below. Charli topped off her outfit with simple black stilettos and a sculptural top handle bag.
As is customary with singers entering a new “era,” Charli has been turning up the volume on her already lively fashion sense. Over the weekend in Spain, Charli slipped into everything from plunging LBDs to sheer maxi dresses layered with exposed sports bras while performing at the Primavera Sound music festival. On the red carpet, she’s kept up her more experimental streak in the form of gauzy avant-garde numbers and hand-painted Marni gowns.
For her latest project Brat—which she’s been teasing with singles and videos like her “It” Girl-studded “360” clip—Charli is going all in on what she’s dubbed as a “club” sound while working alongside her longtime collaborators like AG Cook and Easyfun.
“I’ve always been very blunt, I’ve taken one step forward and two steps back in terms of being secure in who I am as a person, but I think that’s just a human thing,” she told The Guardian earlier this month of the album, Right now, there’s this alchemy where I’ve somehow been drawn to making a club record—which feels intrinsically who I am—coupled with this new lyrical style. It’s very much like texts I would send to friends. I wasn’t worried about rhyme, or the traditional things; it’s really just about capturing a feeling of chaos and saying the most blunt thing that is at the top of my brain.”