Summer Festival Fashion Ideas

One easy summer shirt is the apron top. An apron top maximizes your air flow, they typically made out of breathable cotton and open down the back. The apron portion is often decorated with appliqué designs or quilt blocks. Apron tops can be as long or short as you like; I’ve seen them work as belly shirts and some that were skirt length.

Sometimes, it's even too hot outside to wear a whole t-shirt. I'll show you some clever ways to cut up your t-shirts into halter tops, dresses, tube tops and even skirts. I'll even show you how to use a scrap sleeve as a headband.

After the car is parked, the fried food is devoured and your drinks are at the ready, it’s time to boogie-down. A swishy skirt is practically protocol for dancing in a field of like-minded music fans. I’ll be honest with you; skirts also make things easier when you are trying to navigate the inside of a port-o-john, too. I’ve seen skirts of all types at music festivals, and over time, they’ve gotten shorter. I’ve got a tutorial for making a drawstring skirt, and mine is ankle-length. Feel free to cut your fabric much shorter, measuring somewhere around your knees.

Packing for the festival can sometimes take over your style prep time. If you are in a hurry for something breezy, try hacking at a pair of jeans to create a pair of old-fashioned cut-offs. But they don’t have to look like a dog got a hold of your pants. With the right hemming or fraying, your cut-offs can look like you snagged them from a designer shelf.

Once you’ve got the essentials covers (or not covered, if you’re the boob-painting type), let’s focus on the hair and makeup. A festival is a place where you can really let loose and have fun. At a music festival, you are going to see people in everything from mascot costumes to belly dancer outfits. Go crazy… hey, everyone else is, and you’ll never see most of these people again, anyhow.

Create an array of yarn hair pieces to give your ‘do some temporary pizzazz. This is an easy way to add color to your look, and if you lose them in the crowd, it was just a bit of yarn. No harm, no foul.

A corset top is like the sexy tube-top cousin of the apron top. With no ties at the shoulders, the corset top relies on the 17th century innovation of a lot of lacing up the back. With a history as an undergarment or leather dominatrix wear, the corset top instantly adds a feminine appeal to any outfit… even if it is made of bright cotton material. Technically, the corset top covers much more than the open-backed apron top, but there’s just something about the corset style that says ‘va-voom!’.

Fairy wings are something that you are going to see a lot of at a music festival. What is it about a stage that attracts these gigantic fairies? While fairy wings will probably be for sale at the festival, you can go prepared with your own set of handmade fairy or dragon wings. These are easy to make with little more than pantyhose and a hanger.

Makeup is something that you can truly have fun with at a summer music festival. Think of all the photoshoots in Vogue and Nylon that feature out-of-this-world makeup. It’s certainly not a daily look, but these fantasy makeup jobs are perfect for a music festival. Use eyeliner to create sweeping lines from your eyes, and go hog-wild with your eyeshadow colors. Remember to use an eyeshadow primer so that your look will last all day. Don’t forget the glitter.