Festival Fashion

This summer Felix hit up the east coast of Spain, on a mission to discover the summer styles at Benicàssim Music Festival (Festival Internacional de Benicàssim).

A summer pilgrimage to a music festival is essential and Benicàssim is the place to go. Pay no heed to worries of mud, the rain and the cold: at Benicàssim the sky is always blue, the sun always shines and the beach is at your doorstep. And without the warm coat, raincoat or wellies, there will be plenty of room in your bag for the fashion essentials of the summer.

Everything about the festival – bright skies, boho atmosphere, booming sound system – comes together in perfect harmony with an unmissable line-up that demands your attention. Benicassim sees a beautiful mix of hazy indie, feel-good pop, and euphoric electro that will suit any music buff’s taste. The likes of Bob Dylan, The Stone Roses, Ed Sheeran, Jessie J and Chase & Status attracted thousands, and were crucial for setting the fashion scene.

Jessie J surprised with not only a brilliant performance but also a great outfit. Mixing rock-chic with pretty-girl, she created a casual and original look – her shaggy denim cut-offs and baggy tee complementing her enormous stage presence. An otherwise kitsch wolf print tee was balanced with floral designs and a matching floral headband, nailing the classic festival look!

Miles Kane’s tight leopard print trouser worked alongside his flamboyant guyliner, blowing minimalistic style out of the water because the best thing about music festivals is that anything goes. As Kane himself said in an interview with Q magazine: “It is a show! You have to feel it. If you feel it’s right to wear leopard print and eyeliner, then do it.” Wise words indeed.

Katy B, an outspoken lover of playsuits, swapped her famous gold sequined one for a pretty, silk zip-up playsuit with an original Hawaiian print. Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs’ Orlando Higginbottom, on the other hand, preferred costumes, combining his brilliantly crazy electro-pop with wild beautiful dancers in dinosaur-themed outfits, making for a truly stunning show.

But let’s not forget the festival goers themselves with their well thought-out attention grabbing looks. Outfits varied from sexy, bohemian, and creative, to downright bizarre. There were treacherous troupes of nuns running wild through the festival, providing a totally new meaning to ‘sinful style’. Following the traditional meaning thereof, there were fanny packs/bum bags teamed unfortunately with speedos, their bright neon styles bringing to mind the crying toddler from which they were stolen.

Although technically there are no rules to festival fashion; a once a year occasion where you can wear whatever you want, from dinosaur costumes to simply running around in your underwear, there are still many of us who would like a little more guidance and inspiration.

So here, I give you the essential tips for mastering the art of festival fashion to find the balance between fun and fashionable while looking effortlessly sassy and chic.

So escape the humdrum of London life and dance the night away at Benicàssim, confident in what you’re wearing. This illustrious festival has simply everything going for it and will definitely be top of my list.

See you in Spain next summer!

Hair

Bring along some Batiste Dry Shampoo (£4.99 from Boots) or a sea salt spray to give you that curly beach bum look while keeping your hair manageable and deceivingly fresh. Or, if you’re feeling adventurous, try my recipe below and make some yourself!

Girls: A boho braided hairstyle will add so much to your look, whilst keeping hair off your face. Two cute plaits on each side are easy and effective, but given that extremes are in, try keeping your hair as long as possible for a hippy look or cut it all off for an edgy style if you dare.

Homemade Sea Salt Hairspray – a recipe for textured beach curls, for men and women

1. Fill an 8oz spray bottle with warm water (distilled would be best – grab some from labs)
2. Add 1 Tbsp of fine sea salt
3. Add a dab of hair gel to add styling control (I used Paul Mitchell Firm Hold gel)
4. Add 1 tsp of a deep conditioner to prevent your hair drying out (I recommend Aussie 3-minute miracle deep conditioner. Coconut oil works well too – anything with coconut will give your hair a lovely beachy scent)
5. Shake bottle well and spray generously on dry or damp hair, scrunching and twisting as you go. Let your hair air dry and enjoy your tousled locks!

Accessories

A trilby or a panama hat is a must-have for a beach holiday festival like Benicàssim that can be jazzed up a notch by tying a scarf of flowers around it. Head bands, flower garlands, head scarves, and even feathered headdresses were all the rage this summer. See Asos and Dolly Bow Bow for a brilliant range of headgear! Headgear matched with bandeau tops are the way to go, whilst using floral print scarves as belts is an easy way to save packing space.

Toiletries

Bring miniatures: your shampoo, conditioner, shaving cream, and moisturiser will only be used a few times and you don’t want to lug big bottles around. Take PLENTY of sunscreen – the summer sun on the Spanish coast is powerful, and a bad burn could ruin your weekend. The biggest fashion faux pas at Benicàssim had to be the stereotypically lobster-skinned Brits mooching around camp, regretting their decision to leave the factor-25 at home.

Clothing

Bring things that are easy to wear: getting changed in your tent can be tricky. Guys: Don’t try anything fancy, bring some trusty shorts and a few of your favourite vests and t-shirts. Roll up the sleeves and soak up the Spanish sun! Girls: Embrace the sunshine with a wispy and pretty summer dress, but don’t forget the essential denim cut-off shorts and loose vests. These are comfortable, stylish, and go with absolutely everything.

Shoes

For the gloriously hot Benicàssim festival, you really need a pair of comfy beach sandals to see you through the day (girls: don’t bother bringing heels). And if you like your moshpits, invest in some light and stylish trainers like Toms, Keds or Converses to protect your toes. Check out Dolly Bow Bow (www.dollybowbow.co.uk), an online boutique that sells affordable vintage-chic clothes and accessories. If you don’t have the time to string flowers together, you can get beautiful floral headdresses from their online store.

Photos by Marianne Teoh