Fashion is getting really... weird. Here's what's going on.

Worthington's holiday style. Image: Instagram.

A glance at fashion influencer Leandra Medine Cohen's latest outfits reflects the shift, too. She's always been experimental, but her recent looks have felt especially obtuse.

Leandra Medine Cohen's eclectic style. Image: Instagram.

The question we're left with is, er, when did it become so cool to look uncool?

It didn't come out of nowhere.

For one, we're coming off the back of 'brat summer' overseas.

In case you've been hiding under a rock, brat is the name of Charli XCX's debut album, the launch of which set into motion the most iconic cultural moment of 2024 so far. 

Those four little letters started a movement, coming to represent rebellion, embracing imperfection and doing what you want. Where 'quiet luxury' was demure, brat spoke to the complete absence of polish.

Part of the appeal of brat was that it didn't ask you to try too hard. You didn't really have to try at all. You could wear whatever you wanted, unapologetically.

As Sabrina Carpenter would say, "my give a f***s are on vacation."

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If you think about it, brat represented a sort of permission for the younger generation to lean into their messiness. Faced with rising living costs and a charged political climate, Gen Z feel powerless to control the narrative coming from the institutions around them. 

But where they can rebel is with their attitude. This is coming through in their clothes — the trend for looking 'uncool' is a sort of sartorial statement against expected norms. "Conventional" beauty and standards are out.

 This attitude is also coinciding with a massive changing of the guard in the fashion world.

The two hottest designers right now according to the Lyst index, which rates the most-wanted brands on a quarterly basis, are Loewe at number one and Miu Miu coming in second. Both are known for their alternative designs and a kind of counter-culture approach to luxury fashion. 

We can tell a lot about how people want to dress by the brands that sit on top of this index. Put simply, they set the style agenda. Fifteen years ago it might've been Chanel, in a time when everyone wanted to look chic in boucle jackets and skinny jeans and dress like Alexa Chung.

Loewe is a brand known for being conceptual and intellectual. Designer Jonathan Anderson's clothes often make little sense, look intentionally unattractive or are styled in a way that is just downright bizarre. The proportions are off. And that's on purpose.

Miu Miu designer Miuccia Prada was described by the New York Times as "the master of the look of not-quite-right."

Loewe's offbeat aesthetic comes through in its campaign imagery. Image: Instagram.

Miu Miu's styling is always intentionally odd. Pictured, an image from the brand's recent advertising campaign. Image: Instagram.

The idea these brands represent is that it's much cooler to look... well, a bit wrong.

So, permission to get weird with your style this summer. Just don't try too hard, ok?

Feature image: Canva/Instagram/Mamamia.