If you had’ve told us a month ago that this summer’s style would be influenced by a 2006 chick flick, we’re not sure we would have believed you. But, as we barrel headlong toward the Australian silly season, Elizabeth Allen’s teen-fantasy rom-com, Aquamarine, is shaping up to be a defining inspiration for the season’s fashion.
As the beats of the Northern Hemisphere’s brat summer continue to bump, the skin-baring stylings and party-ready pieces have taken a cool turn, just in time for the party to start Down Under. And, while the aforementioned movie *did* influence it, the take-off has once again come courtesy of a young female pop star.

After Charli XCX popularised micro-mini shorts and white strappy tops, a core member of her brat-osphere has brought another look to the fore: mermaidcore.
On October 25, Addison Rae—the social media-turned-pop star who featured on the remix of Charli’s track ‘Von Dutch’—dropped a surprise single named after the movie, and its titular mermaid character. Featuring dreamy beats and Addison’s feather-light vocals, the song sounds like the soundtrack of a summer memory.
The pop star has followed its release with a healthy dose of method dressing, washing her Instagram in oceanic aesthetics and takin g style notes from sirens, courtesy of a Thom Browne get-up, at the recent CFDA Awards

Fashion false-started on the Mermaidcore trend in the early 2020s, after a plethora of sequinned pieces and oceanic motifs made their way down the runway, featuring in collections at Versace, Altuzarra, Blumarine and more.
Given the designers at our favourite houses tend to be well ahead of the curve, it’s unsurprising the aesthetic took a little while—and the push of a pop culture moment— to make its way into the mainstream.
In a take that is rather on brand for 2024—a year where fashion has reignited its love affair with sleaze and party girl fashion has reigned supreme—this brand of mermaidcore has an edge. It’s less Disney princess, more party at the bottom of the sea.
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