Is Festival Style Still Relevant?

It's less than 2 weeks to my delayed "FortyFest" party so I am fully submerged in Pinterest inspo, ordering sustainable glitter, checking out what @Sincerelyjules @themumlife_styled @rocky_barnes & co. have been wearing recently & fully embracing the ”Festival Style"vibes!

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Post pandemic & the absence of festivals, it's time to reimagine a declining genre of fashion with predictions that this years festival season is due to see a rush of risqué dresses, barely-there tops, & sheer clothing (definitely not on me I must add). With the aim being creating maximum drama, while letting you dance to your heart's content! The delight of dressing up fills me with such joy and excitement, and I think its rubbed off on my daughter who is counting down to us heading to The Big Feastival (highly recommend @thebigfeastival especially for festival lovers with young families) & what she is going to wear. Festival fashion for me evokes strong feelings of freedom; I can push my style just a little bit more, it’s all about fun & dancing & I get to wear glitter what's not to love, maybe re-living our inner child, that’s certainly the case now I get to play “dress up” alongside my daughter.

© The Charlotte Edit

But am I the only one who loves this style of dressing? The dangerously disposable nature of festival fashion (wear cheap synthetic pieces once, get muddy, chuck them away) ignores the fact that 70 per cent of our clothing ends up in landfill each year. Getting cheap items from companies such as Shein or Boohoo thinking “its only for a weekend” or “I need a weekend’s worth of new outfits to party in” is something I am definitely not on board with, nor do I think it necessary when most of us own the holy trinity of festival gear (waterproof, wellies & wet wipes). Just add glitter & style up accordingly right? And, though it still adorns the sites of many retailers, is "festival style" even a relevant concept anymore? The brands encourage consumers with “festival wear” purely to entice you in & make you feel you need new items just for that festival (which is fine occasionally of course if done sustainably).

Searches for Gucci spiked by 101 per cent after Harry Styles’s sequinned Gucci jumpsuit stole fashion headlines at Coachella, but does that mean we’ll all be shimmying through summer in rainbow palettes (not going to lie I really hope so & have made this request to some of my party guests). The “Harry Styles effect” is just one factor we’ll see playing out in the festival fashion of 2022, using festivals as opportunities to really shine, quite literally. Hence the liberal sprinkling of sequins we saw on the recent runways. Just as they did during other admittedly rough times — the 20s, the 30s, the 70s — sequins are making a sparkly comeback.

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For me, Kate Moss, the supermodel who single-handedly invented festival fashion back in the days when I began heading to festivals, has always been an icon of festival fashion, followed by Poppy Delevigne, Alexa Cheung & Sienna Miller. From cut-offs to waistcoats to scarf belts to sequins, where Moss went, every other music fan followed, and she’s the reason ticket-holders now curate their festival wardrobes with the same care once reserved for a two-week holiday.

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One thing we'll likely see less of: the problematic use of motifs like Native American headdresses that sullied the earlier days of festival fashion. Gen Z are more aware of cultural appropriation, whereas I wore an Indian headdress to Wireless way back when & was given a lot of abuse over my Instagram for being racist - something I had never ever realised & was merely influenced by Poppy Delevigne & meant no malice of offence.

© The Charlotte Edit

Here are some of my top tips if you’ve not been to one before:

If your festival outfit styling skills are a little rusty, or it's your first time partaking in such festivities, don't panic. Dressing up is part of the fun, and you don't need to be up to date on haute couture trends to fit the festival vibe. Sure, being knowledgeable about the season's hottest styles can be helpful, but your personal taste should take precedence.

• Don’t wear heels, do you really want to be restricted when dancing at a festival? I still see people time & time again tottering in heels & feeling relived at my flat boots

• Take a bum bag, the whole experience is better when you can be “hands free”

• Do glitter yourself to the max; we all love a bit of sparkle at a festival, glitter is just a festival ‘go to’. No explanation needed ( although please go for a sustainable glitter)

• Definitely pack that oversized jacket or shirt ( I tend to borrow my husbands); denim, camo, or checked– it will 100% work! Tie round you waist & save for when the sun goes down

• Do dress for comfort & practicality - you’ll thank me!

• Crochet may too optimistic for the great British weather forecast, unless mid heatwave?

• Sunglasses chains, phone case straps & beaded bags all add the colour pops to your looks (plus adding a touch of “festival” to you look without the designer price tags)

• Second-hand shopping & the focus on styling will be huge this summer; think less festival uniform ( eg flower crowns & denim cut offs), more focused on individuality. It's time to move beyond boho & rock statement-making outfit ideas instead.

• If you absolutely can’t resist the allure of newness, commit to timeless pieces that you’ll be packing for years to come.

• If you're short on time, go with a simple look (the LBD is back!) & concentrate on accessories instead e.g dramatic long earrings that cascade past your bust line to combine free-spirited style & flower-child elegance. An even more daring & eye- catching choice is opting to wear just one drop, while rocking a stud earring on the other earlobe.

• Embrace a bolder colour palette - save the earth tones & neutrals for your work uniform. Music festivals are about breaking out of your everyday routine and experimenting with colour. This year, the brighter the better, plus bonus points for mismatching patterns & daring to do cutouts

• Jeans are getting a colourful makeover for festival season, include lilac-tinted & mint green options that feel more exciting than your average blue pairs.

© The Charlotte Edit

In reality the only style brief you need to remember for festivals is "you do you”. At the end of the day, the best festival outfits are the ones that make you feel your best, happiest self, and do not — in any way, shape, or form — prevent you from having the time of your life.

So yes I feel festival fashion IS still relevant but I believe by celebrating clothes that make you smile & you want to have fun in, that really is the antidote to what we might be seeing on our phones or our computers or advertised to us as “must-have’ festival wear!