Festivals are not only a great place to see the best in live music (no matter what your taste) and do some celeb spotting, but also a good place to spot some pretty unusual fashion. While for the men it is easy – jeans or shorts and a t-shirt, and, if you are really drunk, a wacky hat – for girls there seem to be looks from the whole spectrum of fashion and beyond. Of course, femfresh wipes, dry shampoo, sunglasses and sun tan lotion should all be taken along for the event, but what you should wear is often a really big decision to make.
There are the girls who somehow, despite the lack of shower facilities and mirrors, manage to look like they are going to a posh club in Chelsea (the wannabe WAGS), the girls who have decided that the best look for an outdoor event where people cram together and sweat a lot is furry moon boots and sparkly fairy wings, and the girls who have just given up and resigned themselves to looking like they raided the Blacks sale for outdoor clothing then crawled to the festival through a mud pit; browse around here.
However, if you are not committing to a certain ‘look’ and just want to look like you, while still remaining comfortable, here are some tips on what to pack.
Lightweight Summer Dresses
If the forecast is good – on those rare occasions – you want to stay cool. Light, floaty summer dresses can be perfect because not only do they look a bit cuter than the ubiquitous jeans and Arctic Monkeys t-shirts, they also let your body breathe a bit more and take up only the tiniest amount of space in your bag, so you can bring a few choices. Don’t go for anything expensive or dry clean only, because it will get dirty and may well get ripped in the moshpits, but you can pick up dresses like these pretty cheaply from anywhere on the high street at this time of year.
Tennis or Ballet Shoes
Flip flops or sandals may seem like the smartest move because they will keep your feet cool, but you will spend all the time you are watching the acts worrying about people treading on your toes. If you don’t want to wear full on trainers because you are going with dresses or skirts, flat ballet or tennis shoes can make your feet feel a bit more protected and be comfortable for walking around in without giving you that weird Lily Allen circa 2006 ‘dress and trainers’ look.
Light Jackets
It may get a bit chilly late at night, but in the peak of summer chances are you aren’t going to need what your mum might call a ‘proper coat’ even if it rains. A lightweight jacket like a denim jacket, a hoodie, or even a good cardigan is all you really need for when the temperatures drop after dark, and will take up less space in your luggage than a coat. If rain is on the cards, a waterproof lightweight jacket makes more sense than a full raincoat, and can be squished up to virtually nothing in your bag and carried around with you.
Hygiene and Beauty
Once you have sorted out what to wear, you also want to think about how you will make sure you look nice and don’t, as they say in Cockney rhyming slang, ‘pen and ink’ if you don’t get a proper shower for a couple of days. Pack a good deodorant, facial cleansing wipes (even if you don’t plan to wear make up, they will make you feel way fresher when you wake up in the morning), dry shampoo so you can keep your hair from looking greasy, and some femfresh wipes to keep your more intimate areas feeling fresh and clean (no matter what you get up to over the festival weekend)!
Looking good and feeling fresh at a festival isn’t as hard as it sounds, and you don’t have to divert completely from your usual fashion style just because you are spending a couple of days camping. Plan ahead, and there is no reason why you can’t look great at this summer’s biggest music events!
