How to: dress for success

Just like any great event, there’s a “dress code” for festivals too. The kind of fashion you see might vary a little depending on the type of event you’re attending, but one thing you can usually count on seeing at any festival is “rave wear”. Sure, if you go to an all-out rave that’ll be the standard look, but I’ve seen plenty of ravers at events where there’s only a minority of electronic music acts. In other words, rave wear is enjoying its moment in the spotlight and is here to stay. Some looks are wild, all are fun and a few may not be for the faint of heart!

Apologies to any male readers, because this one will be pretty focused on female rave wear. But don’t let that stop you from partaking in any of this fun stuff! More to come on men’s fashion soon.

Tops

If it’s mesh, shiny, or anything resembling a bralette, then it’s probably rave wear-able. Exceptions apply, but this is the most common trend among tops. Mesh tops are also popularly worn with pasties! #Freethenip has definitely had its way in the rave scene. Detail-wise, a lot of tops (and bottoms for that matter) might have some kind of fringe or chain on them too, because - why wouldn’t you? Neon colors or holographics are always popular options! Doing double duty, bodysuits are easy to wear too and can go with or without extra bottoms.

Another staple look is the baseball jersey. What?? Not only are jerseys really common at raves, but they are also usually worn as artist merch! I’ve also noticed that the artists on these jerseys are usually bass-music artists. Spot the headbangers wearing anything with Excision, Seven Lions, or Illenium on it. (There are way many more, but I happen to see those three the most!)

Bottoms

Don’t get me wrong, there are a TON of different tops, but they’re easier to generalize than the bottoms are! Rave bottoms can come in many forms: there are mini skirts, booty shorts, pants, chaps, bell bottoms, tights, flowy skirts and more, and they each come in so many different styles! The chaps are wildly popular and seem to be a regular staple for ravers. Same goes for the booty shorts! (By booty shorts, I mostly mean some kind of high-rise looking bikini bottom).

Here again, there are a lot of neons and holographics, fringe, fluff, or chain detailings, sparkles and anything strappy too. Some bottoms are also mesh, but usually worn with some of those booty shorts underneath. Leg wraps are also a thing and look exactly like you’d expect. They’re a good combo with the booty short look too!

Boots/Platforms/Chunky Shoes

What can I say, I do really love a good boot or platform shoe with whatever I’m wearing. Now, I’m not the tallest girl either so a little platform is always welcome for that reason too, but this seems to be the big trend right now. Recently, I’ve been seeing a lot of buckled/strapped boots among the rave crowd, and they’re often knee-highs too.

Last year, I found these holographic chunky/platform shoes and OBVIOUSLY I had to buy them! This works out especially well for me because since they’re holographic, they can “match with anything”. That may not be 100% true but it has not stopped me from making them the only shoes I wear to a festival now. I highly recommend buying a pair of shoes or two that are just meant for attending live events; since buying these, I haven’t had to worry about packing multiple pairs of shoes or about dirtying some of my favorite every-day-wear shoes either. Trust me, your shoes will be wrecked after a few days in dusty fields, so having dedicated shoes for these events will save you the trouble.

Accessories

Accessories are the added bit of fun to an already-fun looking outfit. There are many popular looks at festivals: face jewels, brightly colored extensions (usually braided into the hair), fluffy or bright hair ties and earrings, masks/bandanas, sunglasses (I recommend clearer-lensed ones for nighttime), and pashminas. There are many more accessories, but those are the main ones.

I’ve been digging the pashmina look especially recently; you can double it as a face mask at a dustier event, but most commonly I spot people wearing them just draped over their heads! And that screams rave, honestly. I couldn’t tell you why. Final accessory is your rave bag! If you buy a shiny one like me, it definitely counts as part of the look. There are lots of shiny, neon, clear, and holographic options for any type of bag.

Stay tuned on my Instagram if you’re interested in seeing some rave clothing brand recommendations! Will be posting soon :)