In case you missed it, it’s festival season in Australia.
That’s if the barrage of glitter-covered boobs (yes, really), sequin-emblazoned festival pictures on your Instagram feed over the last week hadn’t given the game away.
Yes, people have voluntarily given up a warm bed, proper toilet and WiFi to camp in a field with hundreds of thousands of strangers. Oh, and listen to some music.
But over the last few years or so, the tunes have been overtaken by something even flashier – the outfits.
While fashion has always been a big part of festivals since their inception in 1969 with Woodstock, the last decade has seen it explode. You no longer just go to a festival – you meticulously source, plan and dress for it. There’s the ‘you’ in real life, and then the wilder, more carefree and hippy festival ‘you’.
Music festivals provide an opportunity to experiment with fashion, a place where the normal rules of dressing no longer apply. The results? Bright, bold, barely there and probably not suitable for the office.
But while some may look at festival fashion in 2017 and see little more cloth than you would on a tea towel, it’s got nothing to do with modern dressing. In fact, festival style in the last few years has more in common with the original festivals in the 1960s than most other decades, with a move back to the free spirit mode of where it all began.
Back then, the free-flowing (or non-existent) clothing was a counterculture statement, a political stand against the strict and prim mainstream society in power. Now, it's a highly profitable trend, with many brands solely producing festival garb and major retailers regularly bringing out festival collections just in time for events like Coachella.
These days you'll see the crop tops, printed trousers, flowing skirts and flowers in the hair that wouldn't look out of place at Woodstock, as well as outfits that take the free spirit up a level or 12. Here are the out-there trends we can't stop looking at.
1. Glitter boobs.
If there was one defining festival trend in 2017, it would be glitter boobs, which are exactly what they sound like - glitter all over your boobs. However, these are more like works of art than a primary school craft project, with colourful glitter artfully applied in designs that bring sparkle but protect modesty.
2. Skirts that aren't really skirts.
Another item frequently spotted on festival grounds worldwide last year was skirts that aren't really skirts. Translation? Items of clothing that theoretically are classified as skirts but in sheer materials. The idea here is to show off what's underneath. Teamed with boots or sneakers, these are skirts you can actually dance and move around in.
3. Sheer tops.
If glitter boobs are a step too far for you, why not try a sheer mesh top? Festival-goers are playing around with nipple covers, tassels, sequins or strategically placed embellishments.
3. The new hotpants.
The new hotpants are so hot they're actually just pants. Underpants, that is. These won't keep you warm when the nights get cold, but again they're perfect for freely being able to move around. These aren't your Bridget Jones style Grandma undies though - these are specially designed leotards, bikini bottoms or just very high cut shorts.
4. Fishnet stockings.
The perfect layer over said undies? Fishnet stockings. If you've tried to buy them recently and been unable to find a pair, this is why. As well as giving an edgy, kind-of-rocker look, the extra layer provides a little bit more warmth and coverage. Bonus points for turning yourself into a human stocking with a bodysuit.
5. Sequin tops.
Party on the top and erm, party on the bottom with this fashion trend. From bralets to crop tops to full-on kimonos, turns out there's no such thing as too many sequins when you're in a field surrounded by tents.
What are your favourite festival trends? Tell us in the comments below.
Top Comments
Some of those glitter boob ones aren't too bad. I think in a festival atmosphere it might be comfortable as hell to go around with no top on.
When I attended Confest (an outdoor hippie type festival) in 2000 there was a good proportion of people going around either completely naked or semi naked. I started doing it, too, and it's so enjoyable!
I seriously hope that by the time my daughter is old enough to attend concerts that young women realise you don’t have to dress like a streetwalker to show you are comfortable with your body. And that males start dressing like men without their genitals in display.
Young women showing off their bodies has always and will always happen, so I woudn't hold your breath!
I remember woodstock with all the nudity etc.That makes me an old geezer
Fingers crossed you're right.