Top Five Festival Essentials

Well oh well, it has been a while!

With a work experience placement at Which? magazine, and frantic cramming for my exams, I haven't been able to justify sparing the time for blog posts. However, my exams are officially finished now and I can return to regular posting, hooray!

With the eagerly awaited Summer months and festival season fast approaching, I thought that my first post in two months would bring you my personal top five festival fashion essentials (try saying that three times as fast.)

1. The Parka

This is one not only for fashion, but also practicality and protection. I would definitely say that a parka is the number one essential for festivals, hence retailers never failing to produce "festival parkas" every Spring/Summer. Parkas look effortlessly great thrown over almost anything at a festival, whilst simultaneously protecting you from rain, wind and splatters of beer thrown in crowds.

This Parka from Jack Wills is a little pricey, but it's in a classic Khaki and has a practical design.

2. Funky Sunglasses 



Statement sunglasses at a festival are your best friends! Although it's quite likely that by the end of the weekend your glasses will end up lost or broken, they're still an essential. Sunglasses can cover up last night's smudged mascara and hangover-revealing eyes, whilst also adding the trendy edge to your daytime festival look.

I purchased the pair on the left from Urban Outfitters, but I'm still really drawn to this sunset pink pair by Quay Australia.

3. A Jumpsuit

       

Other than the minor problem of a jumpsuit being impractical when going to the loo, a jumpsuit is a definite festival must. The aim for festival dressing is to echo the '70s, when what is now festival attire was then the day-to-day norm. Therefore, as I've stated in a previous blog post, since a jumpsuit is the piece most affiliated with that era, it would be crazy to forgo one!

4. Glitter

Glitter on your face, glitter in your hair, glitter! Instead of fussing around with make up at a festival, just throw on some glitter to distract the eye. What's more, it'll guarantee that you look super cute and special in all pictures from the weekend. 

5. Toilet roll

While you can't wear this essential (or maybe you can, who am I to rain on your creative parade?) toilet roll will be your main necessity at a festival. You'll find that other campers will beg, barter and exchange rubies for some toilet roll. It becomes a ration, a lifesaver, which is why I couldn't possibly leave it out of my top five. 

Let me know if you agree with my top five, or comment what else you think is equally as essential!  

Social media: a gateway for the inappropriate?

Considering I haven't posted in a while, rest assured that my first post in weeks not being about fashion does have me hanging my head with shame (although we've all seen the trends: a 70s takeover with a giant helping of  suede, denim and free-love movement dressing- think Jenny from Forrest Gump for inspiration.)

However, I do tend to flesh in a few non-fashion posts occasionally, and tonight I felt it was time for another.

Obviously I remember exactly what I was like when I was thirteen years old- it wasn't long ago, I'd be concerned if I didn't- and it's a hilarious contrast from who I am now. I was timid, extremely unsure and most definitely sporting the classic awaiting-puberty-so-I-stop-looking-ten appearance, but we all were! I was horrendous at applying make-up, as most tweens are- "Flicks on eyeliner?! You're kidding!"-  and I was probably on that borderline of finding your own style and still accepting your mum's advice- though I still accept my mum's advice, she's a trendy lady. Most importantly, my social media accounts were only just beginning, and it wasn't a huge part of any of our lives yet.

Most of us had barely had Facebook for that long, and were perhaps starting on Twitter, but the fascination hadn't hit the boom of simultaneously managing Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr and Snapchat- to name a few- that the world is now. With an increase in the dedication to social media came a decrease in the average age of those participating. Suddenly, I see that eleven year olds have Facebook, or ten year olds have Instagram, which then lead me to spot a different change.

A girl of say thirteen being exposed to images of young adult women, with entire faces of carefully applied make-up, perfectly styled hair and outfits that are completely acceptable for their age group, will undoubtedly begin to influence said girl. They would forget that they'll receive their time for all of this eventually, and instead begin take enormous effort in perfecting their lip liner, and dressing for an age group that they're not a part of yet. Suddenly, we find that there don't seem to be any thirteen year olds left anymore, as they all magically appear to be around eighteen now. This is where I believe it all gets a little too inappropriate. Said girl, with extraordinary, accelerated-ageing abilities, will start to post selfies on her Instagram, and with her clever sorcery- and the assistance of a good filter- she produces a picture that leaves us questioning whether we've been napping for the past five years. However, the real concern is produced when seventeen or eighteen year old boys, or even older, happen upon this picture and decide to drop it a "like".

It may sound like a minor issue, a trivial issue that isn't concerning, but in reality it really should be. Because she can make herself appear eighteen, does that alter the fact that she is still thirteen? Furthermore, if any kind of relationship there would be illegal then why shouldn't liking her pictures be entirely inappropriate? An eighteen year old male should not have the opportunity to see a thirteen year old girl in anyway but as a younger female.

Eighteen and thirteen are wildly different stages of teenage-hood. These stages involve completely different states of mind, and enormously different concepts are appropriate for the respective age groups. Despite all of this, social media has deemed it acceptable for inappropriate behaviour to occur, as a "like" on Instagram "isn't a big deal!" 

Well I would say it is, and I would urge that whether you're male or female you should be conscientious over what is appropriate behaviour on social media.

Define the Era

With the free-love and counter culture attitude of the 70s influencing current trends, it got me musing: if only one trend could define each decade, which would it be?

50s:

With the billowing, voluminous and ultra feminine full skirt being my piece of choice when thinking of 50s fashion, I dare anyone to claim they do not receive a mental image of Olivia Newton-John in Grease when picturing this era. The aim of 50s dressing for women was to fit the girl next door turns housewife demographic that exploded after the end of World War II; nothing could outline that better than the demure beauty of Sandy being complemented by a respectable full length skirt, that is then contrasted with a super cinched in waist to accentuate femininity. Really the full skirts, which were often worn over nylon petticoats to give volume to the attire, sent out echoes from the 19th century. They mimicked the style of petite, corseted waists followed by metal hoop supported skirts that were modeled by Victorian women a century before them.

60s:

In my opinon, 60s fashion varied outrageously from that of the 50s. Unsurprisingly, the first thought when hearing "60s" is always always of the spectacular mini dresses. The vibrancy of the patterns and the daring length (or lack of) completely transformed the way women were supposed to be seen. Gone was the firm visual of the angelic housewife or high-school sweetheart, to be replaced with thoughts of alluring vixens in flirty dresses. Two women who were to be particularly applauded for their hand in this transformation were the sensational Brigitte Bardot and Twiggy. Twiggy used the mini dress to her advantage in a more subtle way than Bardot, teaming it with her cropped haircut and tiny build to intrigue admirers with this fascinating, pixie-esque appearance. Bardot on the other hand (whom the Bardot top is also credited to, as she advocated the appeal of exposing the shoulders) used the power of the mini dress, teamed with her striking beauty, to completely stun admirers out of equilibrium. Two contrasting approaches to the mini dress, Pixie Vs. Pin up if you like, but both equally effective.

70s:

I like to think of 70s fashion as the lazy days, when everything was just that touch sleepy, a tad bizarre and a lot carefree, which is why my piece of choice for the 70s is the jumpsuit. The jumpsuit shouldn't have been something which made it to the trends, what with first being modeled by those in prison, but spectacularly they were adored and are still appreciated now. A jumpsuit is just that notch more formal than a top and trousers, whilst still giving women the ease to walk, sway and somersault as they please without the restrictions of a tight dress. It pushed the boundaries in a lazy way and it perfectly fits the relaxed nature of 70s culture.

80s:

What a feeling! Let's muse no further than the Flashdance look of the 80s. Leg warmers define this era obviously, but let us not forget the tutus and aerobic crop tops that were most definitely teamed with this fad. I'm going to reveal now that, joint with the 60s, the 80s were my favourite period for fashion (also one of my favourite periods for music) because, well, it looked like such fun! I mean, they got to wear tutus, come on. Again, Olivia Newton-John helped define an era as she got Physical in leg warmers for her 80s music video.

90s:

Finally, we've reached the 90s! I know I've already vocalized my favouritism of 60s and 80s, but 90's fashion does lie extremely close to my heart too, albeit completely at odds with the flirtatious femininity of the 60s. The 90s were all about the grunge, maybe even slightly the grime. The look was always a little unwashed and there was a harder edge, an edge that women had not fully explored or embraced previously, but we can all agree it was very very cool (for lack of a better word.) The leading ladies of the tomboy trend were undoubtedly Kate Moss and Winona Ryder, with Moss' 'wafish' image introducing a phenomenon in the modeling world and thus building the foundations for what was to be known as Heroine chic. Then for Ryder, she influenced my item of choice from the 90s, as I cannot picture 90s fashion without seeing shot after shot of her captured in her wonderfully worn in leather jacket. A leather jacket has the power to toughen up even the unfairly pretty face of Winona, so any woman in a leather jacket should look and feel powerful enough to take on anything.

AC for AG

It happened! Earlier this week Alexa Chung's line for Adriano Goldschmied was launched, and whilst there are obviously a few pieces I would kill to have, I do have a few criticisms.

First of all, I would desperately like to ask whether it is impossible for a celebrity to do a collaboration that does not require selling your home, car and parents to afford purchasing. I already had to face the devastation of Kate Moss' brain-frying price tags in her 2014 collaboration with Topshop, so was further heartbroken as I rapidly had to forget my dreams of owning Alexa's Kety skirt (my most beloved piece from the line.) Of course, I already knew that AG jeans come with a weighty price tag and was not naive enough to believe Alexa's line would be any different, but that doesn't dispel my disappointment that a "cool girl" with a self-proclaimed love for zero fuss, 70s style would offer us a £333.56 denim shirt.

Second of all, shockingly I am not actually as impressed with the majority of her line as I thought I would be. Maybe it's the presentation of the pieces on the AG website (awful by the way; are we supposed to just guess the fit and hope for the best?) but my first impression of the line was unfortunately "Is this it? No this can't be her line..."

Something about the first glance of the webpage just made the word "frump" appear in my brain, and I believe this could be due to The Julie shirt and The Honey top, neither of which I would ever have guessed would have been part of Alexa's "dream denim wardrobe", as she so described the innovation behind her collection.

Don't get me wrong, The Kety skirt is still a dream and truly is the perfect denim skirt; it has exactly the essential measure of 70s charm that we should all include in our lives. However, I just don't feel as strongly attached to any of the other pieces, which is something I did not expect.

If you haven't browsed Alexa's line for yourself yet then click here.

2015 Fashion Horizon

New year, new fashion trends and therefore a (kind of) good excuse to buy new clothes. Personally, I can think of no better activity to waylay those January blues than treating yourself to a new skirt or three.

And what, I hear you asking, does 2015 hold in the way of fashion prospects? Ah, well here are the predictions:

1) As usual with Spring approaching, though it has come rather early this year, denim is back on the scene. However, not just with dungarees this time (I'm fairly relieved; I was tiring of watching pair after pair of dungaree clad girls parade around town) but with classic denim shirts and skirts once more. This early onset of denim fever may be somewhat due to acclaimed 'it' girl of style, Alexa Chung, launching her Alexa Chung for AG denim collection in January 2015. As an evident denim enthusiasm herself, there are high expectations for her line, but I suspect that it will come with a hefty price tag. Therefore, as incredible as the pieces may be, I wouldn't run out and take a sledgehammer on your bank account immediately after the release, as you may have some classic denim pieces hidden in your wardrobe that will mimic the trend just fine.

2) Topshop have predicted a returning infatuation with 70s inspired trends, and I am thrilled! Who doesn't love 70s style? It was the epitome of fun- far more outrageous than anything dared today by the hoards of black and grey wearing teenagers. Topshop have also already begun to sell some of their retro inspired collection, and they're selling fast so I'd hurry!

3) I can feel it in my toes that 2015 will be the year of the shoe. Although there's no solid proof thus far that we will be seeing any radical shoe revolutions in 2015, I can't shake this sneaky feeling that there will be an emphasis on fine footwear this year, that seemed to be forgotten in 2014, where focus on body wear was largely favoured instead. Maybe this feeling is just biased to the fact that I've already got my eyes on two lovely pairs of Zara shoes, but who knows!

          

                                                                         (Left, Zara. Right, Pull&Bear.)


There will evidently be more trends to be discovered for 2015, but for now let's revel in the idea of investing in a new denim skirt or a pair of monochrome moccasins (just me?)