Kate Mosh
Johanna muses over the perils of picking that festival worthy outfit...
For a long time festival fashion
has led a life of its own. Think
crop tops, floral flowy dresses,
novelty prints, all things crochet
and a whole lot of hipster
goodness. People seem to
go cuckoo at Coachella and
Glastonbury, letting loose and
wearing outfits that vary from
beautifully bohemian to outright
ridiculous – I can’t be the only
one who has been annoyed by
the neon furry boots and bizarre
headwear. Festivals seem to offer
people some kind of a get out
of jail free card. All of a sudden
you are allowed to go for the
boho-chic look that you were
never quite sure you could pull
off. It’s almost like Halloween,
only instead of dressing to scare,
people dwell on the nostalgic
memories of a romanticized
hippy movement, that they (we)
all long to have been part of. I
mean how cool would it have
been to be taken into a trance
by Jimi Hendrix at Woodstock in
1969?
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Despite being dedicated to
music, festival season has
become a celebration of fashion.
The 1960s were the decade in
which music festivals were born:
events such as Monterey Pop,
Isle of White and Woodstock
were very much influenced by
the hippie movement. It’s no
wonder the arenas were flooded
with Marianne Faithfull and Joni
Mitchell look-alikes. Clearly the
fashion has not changed much
as these style icons still provide
plenty of inspiration for the
festival goers.
As romantic and cool as wearing
maxi dresses while walking bare
foot is, this might not be the
best way to go when you decide
to attend a three day event at
a potentially very muddy field
in the UK. The cute little tops
paired with denim cut-offs are
more suitable in the climate of
Coachella. In England you might
have to face all four seasons
in one day and anyone who’s
been to a festival knows what a
headache the minimal packing
is. This brings us to the ultimate
festival fashion dilemma – how to
look good while being practical?
Thankfully, the likes of Poppy
Delevingne and Alexa Chung
have taught us is that layering
will save your day (and night).
Having a flannel shirt in your
festival kit will not only simplify
your life, it will also be the safe
choice if you want to go for
the effortless look. Also, if you
absolutely hate the idea of wellies
,at least choose chelsea boots or
hardy trainers instead of sandals.
Cold, wet feet are a sure way
to feeling uncomfortable and
miserable, plus as far as we’re
concerned, Converse still look
pretty awesome. So do wellies for
that matter.
Festivals are the highlights of the
summer, so do attend as many
as you can and pack wisely. And
remember, as Kate Moss and
Pixie Geldof have proved, there is
a way to make big rubber boots
work.