A few weeks ago I was randomly wearing a fuzzy black cabbie hat when my friend said something I still quite can't get out of my head. She laughed and said, “you kind of look like a Bratz doll.” My elementary school self was screaming. Once I started thinking about it, I realized I was always a Bratz over Barbie girl. Chloe, Jade, Sasha, and Yasmin were my BFF and style goals (okay, let’s be honest, they still are). I vividly remember going to Toys "R" Us and seriously debating which stylish diva to choose.
Ever since that convo with my friend, I've been seeing the #BratzChallenge completely take over social media. This viral challenge includes people completely recreating a Bratz makeup look and posting it to their IG or Twitter feeds. Seriously every time I scroll through Insta, I see at least one person taking part in it. Even makeup guru James Charles is having fun with it. And then it clicked for me — I need to try the Bratz Challenge, but this time, with my wardrobe.
On the right of this photo I am in the second grade decked out for Halloween in a Bratz costume. Told you I’ve always been obsessed!
I mean who wouldn’t want to look like a Bratz? Even if it was just for a day or an hour. They're fierce trendsetters who don’t always follow the style status quo. They all have a slightly intimidating smize that makes you want to know more about them and become their friend. There are even Instagram accounts dedicated to showing off their one of a kind style. When I see animal prints, diamonds, and over the top fashion, I honestly think of my Bratz dolls I used to dress up.
It was finally my time to live out my 10-year-old dreams and go full Bratz glam from head-to-toe. I’ve curated pieces from my closet and completed a serious thrift shop haul to recreate five iconic Bratz looks. So come with me and follow along with my “passion for fashion” journey:
Look One
I totally love this Bratz look because I got to go full glam and channel my inner Miley Cyrus. Who doesn’t love space buns? This look was relatively easy to pull off clothing-wise. The oversized denim jacket is one of my Forever 21 denim essentials. I purchased it a few months back and don’t know how I've lived without it for so long! Luckily, I found this high neck velvet top hidden in my drawers. I LOVE finding long lost treasures! The makeup definitely took up a majority of my time. Seriously, I forgot how hard it is to blend out eyeshadow. Overall, it took a little over an hour to get the look just where I wanted it.
On this day, I met up with a friend at Starbucks and did some writing (coffee is always the move). My friend greeted me with a smiling, but slightly shocked expression. She was probably wondering why I was so dressed up to study. I quickly let her in on the secret that I was inspired by a Bratz look I saw online. At first, I definitely felt overdressed to be sipping on a caramel macchiato. But after a while, I completely forgot about what I was wearing. This is most definitely a glam outfit I would wear again.
Look Two
Before I say anything about this look, can we just appreciate how fierce Cloe is in her photo. She’s iconic! Compared to the other outfits, this one was relatively easy to recreate. It doesn’t venture too far from my actual style and I already had all of the pieces I needed stuffed in my closet. With this look, I started to realize Bratz do not mess around when it comes to makeup. They would need a daily makeup artist to achieve their staple look of perfect cat eyes, voluminous lashes, and overlined glossy lips.
I felt super comfortable out in this look and got to wear my long lost favorite top. I think a short-sleeve turtleneck is perfect for when the winter weather slowly starts to warm up. In contrast to Bratz doll style, I decided to swap out the stilettos for booties. TBH, the last time I tried to walk in heels my toes went numb for day, so can you blame me? Even a Bratz would choose comfort over style in this scenario. This is a more casual look that I can see myself trying out again.
Look Three
This was my fave look to recreate because it had so many fun elements. Plus, I love a '70s vibe and a burnt orange color palette. So, quick backstory on this jacket: I was vigorously sifting through all the wracks at Goodwill when I spotted it. I knew it was perfect for the look and with a $13 price tag, I was not about to let it go. It’s from Target’s new brand Wild Fable, which I have recently been hearing a lot of good things about. With the jacket, the rest of the outfit fell right into place.
“Your outfit is so trendy,” said my friend. Out in this look, I honestly felt just like a Bratz and instantly felt more stylish. It gave me an extra boost of confidence and sass! I definitely walked around looking like I had a “passion for fashion.” I’m really happy I recreated a style that pushed me out of my comfort zone and I’m already thinking of ways to rewear it in the near future. Also, have I become a Bratz doll at this point? Up for debate.
Look Four
Fun fact: I think I owned all of the Bratz in this Winter Wonderland collection. I was fascinated by all the pastel colors and furry leg warmers they wore. So, recreating this look gave me major nostalgic feels. I shopped my moms, my friends, and my own closet to achieve my final fit. This cozy cute style wouldn’t be complete without these amazing platform booties. My friend let me borrow them and we literally call them her Bratz doll shoes. I seriously believe if Cloe, Sasha, Jade, or Yasmin were walking around IRL, these would be their go-to booties.
In this look, I was on campus renting out a heavy-duty camera for class. I felt a little silly all dressed up lugging 20 pounds of equipment around campus. Feeling too dressed up was probably the most difficult part of this entire challenge. My everyday school style is yoga pants and an oversized hoodie, so the contrast was...definitely something. After a while, I realized that putting more effort into what I’m wearing is actually a lot of fun. Getting dressed up and taking photos of my style gave me something to look forward to everyday.
Look Five
When I saw this pic of Jade, I instantly knew what dress I wanted to wear. I’ve had this tie-dye number for years, but have worn it less than a handful of times. It was definitely under-appreciated and overdue a wear. I struggled the most with thinking about what jacket to pair it with. After a thrift shop trip left me with no answers, I looked through my closet one more time and came across this army green utility jacket. Previously I would have never thought to pair the two together. Thanks to the inspiration of Jade, I realized they were a perfect match.
Final Thoughts
This week, I pushed myself out of my comfort zone and gained some extra confidence. Next time you want to try out a new style, I dare you to go for it — you never know what you might find. I realized how many different outfits I can create with the items I already have in my closet.
Sometimes, I get wrapped up in the hype of buying clothes for the sake of buying them. Through this, I started to learn just how unnecessary impulse purchases are — if I ever feel the need to switch up my style, all I really have to do is surf the web, find images of outfit inspo, and explore my dresser. And if I’m going for a standout look, my first Google search for inspiration will be, “Bratz styles.”
