Since the first Woodstock Music & Art Fair was held back in 1969, festival fashion has become a natural segment of the fashion world. There are a few staples in your wardrobe that can be festival essentials and have, through the years, become products of a collective festival fashion history. Let’s take a walk down the memory lane and pick some of the original festival’s key pieces that return season after season.
Layered accessories and boho style: A massive trend seen at many festival scenes is the notion that ‘more is more’ especially when wearing several of your favorite accessories together, almost as if making an ironic statement on Marie Antoinette’s decadence. This trend started long before the concept of boho-chic became popular in the beginning of the 2000s. At Woodstock, in 1969, both women and men could be seen sporting this look as a sign of a bohemian laid back glamour. The bohemian hippie was all about being grounded and natural, free and peaceful, showing it by wearing natural materials and having a tendency to lose their shoes.
Leather Jacket from 100 Club Punk Special: Gaining a lot of momentum during the 70s, the punk culture, naturally, arose form a festival as well. However, don’t expect to find the serene, au naturel, bohemian Woodstock style, since studded leather jackets and heavy makeup came into use to proclaim their subcultural dominance. A leather jacket is still in play today, having become a natural accessory which both adds edge and flair to your down-time look.
Denim cut offs and oversized shirts from Lollapalooza: In the 90s, grunge was the look that became wildly popular in connection to many youth groups. Musical groups such as Nirvana put the look on the map and at the famous Lollapalooza festival you could spot a lot of distressed denim and oversized plaid shirts. The sporty laid back look of the grunge period is still very much in style, currently more as a stylish break-point to create a twist to a classic easy-going festival look.
With time, styles generated from genres seem to have blended together, be it through new types of festival music (eclectic musical vibe was created and celebrated), rather than by simply transcending the boarders of fashion. Today, we are all free to blend genres, periods and style in creating our unique festival persona.
