Lauren Laverne on fashion: what to wear to a festival

Lauren Laverne on fashion

The first time I visited Glastonbury i used to be nineteen and it rained. The weather wasn't simply biblical: it had been testament. Specifically, the book of Job. My friends and that I was during a band at the time, and owing to play, however the stage sank into the quickly increasing mire to a lower place it, and also the gig was off.

That was 1997 – pre "festival fashion". There have been no specific rules concerning apparel in those days, except that, since having high shallowness was "in", you simply wore your Best Things, presumably with additional fairy wings (there were ample fairies within the 90s, as a result of ecstasy). Therefore we tend to arrive in carelessly impractical, rigorously elect charity-shop garb that fared thus badly within the county monsoon we tend to be forced to discard it item by item as events open. By the time we tend to drive back to London, we tend to be in knickers and bin baggage – even our tour manager, a tattooed ex-punk in his 30s.

It would not happen currently, that could be a pity: explaining why you are carrying shoes created out of gaffer tape to associate impassive very little cook night manager UN agency will not offer you the key to the rest room is character building. Of late the trickiest issue regarding competition apparel is that there is at the same time an excessive amount of selection and an excessive amount of uniformity. Thus thereupon in mind (and many expertise within the space as a punter and presenter) here's my competition wardrobe edit.

If it's Welly weather, wear the correct socks (longer than your boots, to avoid calf chafing). I favor dresses, shorts and skirts instead of jeans at festivals, paired with long socks. It's cuter, and if it's muddy all you've got to try to to be modification your socks instead of notice somewhere to stash a combine of jeans that seem like your simply mamma them up from a bog.


Even if it's the heat, leave your flip-flops reception. If the words "drop toilet" do not mean anything to you however, they'll once you are trying to tackle the world that surrounds one with naked feet.

See also Playsuits/onesies/dungarees. PORTALOOS, guys. PORTALOOS.

Layers. I once attended a T within the Park that control the dubious distinction of being the sole competition in British history to examine folks admitted to the native A&E with thermic fever and trauma on identical day. Notwithstanding its superb at 2pm, twelve hours later you may still be up, and it'll be snappy.

Don't wear what you are imagined to. High-street retailers are packed with competition fashion, however why be within the same faux-ho kit as everyone else if that is not your style? I actually have found Markus Lupfer's shimmering knits to be amazingly sensible for field-based frolics, and a leopard jacket make a welcome modification of cloth print.

If unsure, all you actually would like is shaded, a hands-free bag and wells. And perhaps many bin baggage.