OxStu on… festival chic
By Raffaella Tomassi
By Arpita Ashok
Mud, music and making love (in the artistic sense, of course…): festival season is upon us.
This might seem like a look that doesn’t have its foundations in fashion. Firmly rooted in the cheap and cheerful and sometimes the completely unfashionable, it may seem difficult to find catwalk inspiration.
However, take a closer look and you will see that festival fashion is actually about embracing fashion trends, but all at once. Eclectic is the word of the day. A denim bralet (see Prada’s Vintage Americana) paired with statement trousers (echoing Mary Kantranzou’s loud prints) and a studded or metallic jacket (day-time luxe – see Dolce and Gabbanna’s embellished raincoat) is a classic festival look that channels three major trends. Pile on some heavy jewellery, adorn your hair with flowers and you are good to go.
For cheap deals look to ASOS, where for 24 hours beginning on Sunday morning they are offering up to 60% off all Motel clothing: a festival-goers staple outfitter.
The great thing about this look is how effortless it is. In fact, the less preparation you put in, the better it will be! This is the only time where fashion accidents are to be embraced, so stuff all of these clothes into a bag and have fun with faux-pas!
1. Weather-proof
Winning the battle with mud and rain is a must if you want to keep up appearances. For the discerning fashionista, digging out the old raincoat from your heady DofE days is a nauseous thought, and so should it be. Luckily the gods of fashion have given some pretty durable numbers their blessing.
Fashion slaves will know that for weather-proof festival footwear, Hunters are the only option. They have a whole collection devoted to festival goers (inspiringly named Festival Wellies: who says originality is dead…) featuring bright neons, magnified logos and even a converse-esque style to cater to those who don’t want to go knee high.
2. Casual
In some ways, there really are no rules when it comes to festival dressing, but there are some key trends which come round every year.
For this season, printed denim is a must-have. Topshop has tie-died jeans, studded shorts and jackets adorned with prints ranging from Aztec to candy stripes. A welcome relief for double-denim haters.
Prints rule the roost this season. Choose from busy florals to loud tribal prints (see Michael Kors SS12). For the fashion-forward, prints should be clashed. For the less brave, wear a pair of statement trousers (à la Salvatore Ferragamo – see River Island for cheaper homages) with a plain tee.
3. OTT
Go big or stay home! Despite all the high street has to offer in casual dressing, festivals are all about expression, so be an extrovert! For the luxe look, go the length with midi skirts and dresses – they have all the luxury of a maxi number but avoid the potential mud-material mix. Check out vintage shops for silky numbers and don’t be afraid to wear underwear as outerwear – a vintage nightie can obviously double up as nightwear – very efficient packing.
Finally, this may be the only situation in which you can wear vaguely tribal headdress and get away with it. Topshop has a great selection and my favourite piece is the ‘Mini Disc Feather Head Band’ (fashion description has really gone down the drain hasn’t it…) at £18.50. I would explain what it looks like, but luckily the name does that for us.
