Story by Briana Thornton
Coachella may have already wrapped up its two weekends of desert fun, music festival is in full swing with quite the line-up for the upcoming summer. Music festivals have blown up over the last decade and the rush kicks off in March with South by Southwest in Austin, Texas.
The fever pitch comes a month later with Coachella, a flashy two-weekend event in Indio, California that’s known for its desert weather that calls for pretty much as little clothing as possible, its middle-of-the-day, booze-filled, fashion brand-sponsored pool parties, and its high cost that weeds out the crowd till all that’s left are a high concentration of wealthy, beautiful people, with lots of celebrities and fashion bloggers among them.
So we, at River City Fashion Uprising, have put together three outfits to inspire your style at three very different summer festivals: Coachella, EDC and Warped Tour. Because we all know, when it comes to these events, it’s all about what you wear.
Coachella
Let’s start with every fashion girl’s favorite!
Coachella practically guarantees you that you’ll see a slew of different Instagram-worthy looks, but the winning formula seems to be an ensemble that exudes both bohemian and laid-back West Coast vibes. The ensembles worn by Coachella attendees are usually reminiscent of what their parents, and in some cases grandparents, wore to Woodstock decades ago.
This year, the styles were a little different than in past years as neon tops were replaced by bralettes, bardot tops and swimsuits worn as bodysuits; gladiator sandals were tossed aside in favor of brand-name sneakers; and flower crowns have become a thing of the past having been nearly wiped out by baseball caps and fedoras.
In past years, Coachella has breathed new life into the idea of “festival fashion”. No longer are looks seen at festivals simply trendy but poorly made garments. Instead they invoke a much more fashion-forward aesthetic as we see more outfit combos that look as great in photos as they do in everyday life. You can always expect to see flowy frocks in lace, floral and fun prints, matching separates and a blinding amount of the ivory white pieces that compliment that summer glow.
Our stylist chose to the dominating hue with a lace-top bodysuit and flowy, tiered skirt. A Western style belt is the perfect piece to break up a monochromatic outfit and a denim jacket is perfect for when it gets chilly at night in the desert (yes, it happens). It’s best to opt for easy, slip-on shoes in a dark color because you will be doing a lot of walking in sand and mud and therefore, it’s best to dress for occassion!
The makeup and accessories you wear to Coachella are almost as important as the full ensemble. Coachella makeup essentially means glitter, face paint and metallic flash tattoos adorning your face so don’t be afraid to go for something that’s out of your comfort zone.
Warped Tour
Warped Tour is pretty much on the complete opposite end of the spectrum from Coachella. Let’s just say if Coachella was the music industry’s love child, Warped Tour would be its rebellious, angsty teenager.
Here are some rules you can follow to ensure that your look is Warped Tour-ready:
- Dare to go bare. Warped Tour lasts throughout the hottest summer months, not to mention all the sweaty bodies that will be packed into the venue. Dress accordingly.
- Represent your favorite artists. When in doubt, a band tee is the perfect way to go.
. Warped Tour lasts throughout the hottest summer months, not to mention all the sweaty bodies that will be packed into the venue. Dress accordingly.
. Warped Tour lasts throughout the hottest summer months, not to mention all the sweaty bodies that will be packed into the venue. Dress accordingly.
. Warped Tour lasts throughout the hottest summer months, not to mention all the sweaty bodies that will be packed into the venue. Dress accordingly.
Warped Tour lasts throughout the hottest summer months, not to mention all the sweaty bodies that will be packed into the venue. Dress accordingly.
- Support yourself. While a lot of people in the audience will be wearing bikini tops and midriff-baring crop tops, and rightfully so, make sure that yours provides you with enough support to stay on as your jumping around to the music or crowd surfing, if you dare.
While a lot of people in the audience will be wearing bikini tops and midriff-baring crop tops, and rightfully so, make sure that yours provides you with enough support to stay on as your jumping around to the music or crowd surfing,
if you dare.
if you dare.
Electric Daisy Carnival (EDC)
If you’re attending EDC, you can pretty much get away with wearing whatever you want: tutus, sequined or studded bras, fuzzy boots, hats that look like a furry animal died on your head and tons (and I mean TONS) of glitter.
