ONCE upon a time when going to a concert or festival, practicality was the top priority when dressing.
How much it has all changed! Today it’s all about the wellies or to be exact The Hunters!
My late Grandad would laugh at me today if he were alive to see me don the pink pair I wear to outdoor gigs. He would laugh even louder at the fact that I paid over €100 for them.
If I am honest there is no practical reason for me wearing them, they are most definitely a fashion fix. If you have ever tried walking miles in wellington boots, you will realize that they are far from comfortable but what the heck they look good.
Kate Moss, the dirty (wellied) thing!
Teamed with shorts and a trilby and you have the required festival look perfected by Kate Moss and Sienna Miller. So where did the wearing of wellies begin for gigs? Glastonbury of course, because let’s face it, it always rains at Glastonbury.
Designers such as Hunter were quick off the mark and made them in attractive colours rather than the usual black or green. Walsh Brothers here in Tralee have an über-cool range of both the Hunter boots and socks.
Wearing shorts or a short skirt is also imperative as, if the promised downpours happen then it is easier to clean and dry bare legs than become mummified in a pair of denims.
Wearing a waterproof tan goes without saying! My TraleeToday.ie colleague Mary O’Donnell has given great tanning advice in a previous post.
Layers of clothing are always a good idea as you can’t rely on what good old Jean Byrne tells us on RTE Weather and at least with layers you can put on or peel off as the temperature dictates.
An extra jumper or jacket always comes in handy doubling up as a picnic mat for the obligatory curry chips washed down with very expensive beer (it’s always expensive)
As there is no Oxegen this year, there will be an even bigger demand for tickets to Body and Soul in June and Electric Picnic at the end of August and I have no doubt that there will be lots of festival fashion on show.
The key to getting the look right is to make sure that you don’t look as though you have tried too hard. This is rather difficult as perfecting that look is more time consuming and more difficult than our usual weekend “going out” look.
Crikey sometimes it’s hard being the fairer sex, guys can get away with a spare pair of socks and jocks! We on the other hand, pack like we are going away for a week to both the sun and a ski resort or maybe that is just me.
Until next time folks!
Stay stylish
Orlagh xx
