Now that the music festivals season comes to a halt, I’m ready to look back at the creativity and variety of festival fashion gear.
But first I wanted to find out when those music festivals started.
Forerunner of the late ’60s festivals were the 1965 Newport Folk Festival with Bob Dylan.
The start of Mount Tamalpais and Monterey in 1967 built to Woodstock in 1969. Those 1960s festivals provided the possibility to be part of a liberal society.
The 1969 Woodstock Music Festival was an enormous unexpected success, attended by 450,000 people. In the UK, the Isle of Wight Festival had a record of 600,000 music fans when Jimi Hendrix performed there in 1970.
And in Sep of that year, a small unknown festival opens it doors in Pilton, Glastonbury.
So now we can understand why the hippies and power flower style is still very present in the dress code of the music festivals nowadays.
Mind you, it wasn’t always about clothes back then, as nudity was considered a political act of freedom and acceptance.
Whether I attended Coachella Festival in April or the desert Festival in October, whether I was surrounded by jumpy twenty something or rock ‘n roll 60-plussers, the hippie and flower power look was available.
Sometimes a modern touch was added with a Chloe handbag, Gianvito Rossi’s gladiator sandals or Dior sunglasses.
Seeing a greying man wearing his ever favourite black outfit (black jeans, black T-shirt, black leather biker jacket and his black rider boots) made me smile.
You’re never to old to wear what you feel like wearing ! Especially not when you’re going to the latest gig of your favourite band !
I love dressing up and changing outfits all the time when I go to a music festival. This season, out of my suitcase came : my black MiH cut off shorts, my seventies red flared legs jumpsuit covered up with a cropped flower crocheted top and my blue cowboy boots.
Yes, it’s that feeling of do what you want, wear what you want, forget about your age ( by saying this, I am giving my age away), let yourself go, liberate yourself from any prescribed dress code. And let the music do the rest !
It was inspiring to see the walking creativity clothing company in the Californian desert.
It didn’t feel like a catwalk show because there was no commercial aspect. Clothes weren’t worn to be sold. People were just themselves, wearing what they liked. It was more like watching a film across the day because there was so much to see.
I’m looking forward to the next Festival Fashion season.
Burning Man in Nevada is top of my list.
To be continued.
TeDe
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