Introduction by Sophie Coombs

As we are in the full swing of festival season, here at Quench Fashion we are sharing your festival fashion looks throughout the month of August. Our very own section editor, Emily, is starting off our miniseries with her looks from Truck Festival (26th-28th July, 2019).

By Emily Ricalton

Day One – Friday 26th July

For this day, obviously, I had chosen to wear two outfits. After previous experience at three other festivals, excluding Truck itself, I found it always important to wear one outfit whilst travelling and another later on in the evening for the music event. Yes, this may include a bit of extra packing, but you must always prioritise your comfort over your looks, especially when you have to carry bags and bags of stuff through a random field.

For this occasion, I decided to pair a simple over-sized t-shirt, worn as a dress of course, with a pair of iconic, grungy fishnets ÔÇô a staple piece to any festival season. Not only did this provide an element of comfort for me whilst taking on my hoursÔÇÖ drive to the small working farm in Oxford, but it also gave me a slight nineties vibe that was perfect for the festivalÔÇÖs indie setting. The top itself was bought from Urban Outfitters for ┬ú26.00, the haven of all things hipster. The design of this oversized piece featured a black, white and orange tie-dye design, something that reminds of the grunge era. Without a doubt, I was expressing my inner Courtney Love and loving every moment of it. For the fishnets, well, they were bought wherever I was able to find them. Some ideal places that I can suggest for unique and edgy tights, especially in terms of fishnets, can either be ASOS or Accessorize, with both places ranging at around ┬ú5 per pair. A bargain, if I donÔÇÖt say so myself.

After staying in this stylish, yet extremely comfortable outfit for a few hours, I then decided to do an outfit swap. This time, I paired a sparkly gold top with basic black shorts. The top, which is now sold out online and in stores, was from Topshop. The piece features a cowl neck design, a shape that definitely fits the nineties style that I was heavily inspired by throughout my festival outfits. And, considering as my favourite band, Wolf Alice, were headlining the Friday night, gold had to be worn to symbolise their signature colour. Even though the top is now not available to purchase, I have managed to find a replacement for the piece ÔÇô a similar gold cowl neck, now in the sale for ┬ú10.00, that is also from the same high-street store.

The shorts, that were also bought from Topshop, were priced at ┬ú29.00. These suitable festival bottoms featured a distressed fabric pattern at the bottom of their shape, cutting perfectly around the shape of your legs to allow for this design to be purposely made for hot summer days ÔÇô or, in other words, sweaty, muggy and humid British festivals. Their acid wash colouring also makes the piece symbolic of the grunge subculture, adding a vibrant touch that makes them stand out within huge festival crowds.

 

Day Two – Saturday 27th July

The Saturday night saw Foals, an Oxford band, return home to headline the festival, and seeing as this was a huge event, a unique outfit had to come out and be shown to the world of music.

With many years of festival attending under my belt, I always found myself following a stupid, yet slightly hilarious outfit requirement taking place at each of the campsites I stay at. Almost like a ritual that can ruin your outfit choices. Sounds fun, right? Well, this year saw the return of a bright orange and yellow shirt that I became quite fond of. Even though I did in fact borrow the shirt off of a friend, these numbers are extremely easy to find. Just go to your local vintage shop and IÔÇÖm sure youÔÇÖll find one for a cheap price there. The majority of shopping districts in Cardiff, such as Sobeys Vintage Clothing, tend to be ideal places to buy essential pieces like this, so why not go and check them out to help you find your next festival piece! Not only does buying vintage and second-hand clothing come at a cheaper price, but it can also help to save our environment by reducing the demand of fast fashion choices that are increasingly popular throughout the duration of festival season.

As well as wearing this loud, yet kind of entertaining shirt, I also paired the look with blue denim shorts, identical to the previous pair mentioned before. This was as well as pairing these with a black, jewelled bodysuit. The shorts, which obviously come from Topshop and are priced the same as the previous pair, were worn due to their casual, yet fashionable style. I mean, what can beat blue denim shorts? Nothing, literally nothing. They matched every outfit I had styled for the event and were overall just staple piece to my festival fashion designs. If you havenÔÇÖt, then you must, get yourself a pair on blue denim shorts for any festival that you plan on attending.

Continuing onwards, this casual and simple aesthetic helped to calm down the enthusiasm of my crazy shirt, meaning that it was quite a funky outfit to wear throughout this warm Saturday. I loved it and it certainly suited the indie vibes that Truck Festival promotes throughout their yearly line ups. Even though, Topshop have now sold out of the darker blue denim shorts as pictured in the image shown, you are still able to buy a lighter denim version or even the black shorts if you wish to.

As for the black bodysuit, well, to me, it just screamed festival attire. This piece is at the higher end of our price spectrum, costing a sum of £45. Even though this can seem quite expensive for a bodysuit, the piece itself is of definite high quality. It consists of a velvet material and small beads that dangle from the strap of the body, making it an elegant, yet extremely fun piece to wear, especially when at a festival where glitter and jewels is all that matters. This bodysuit can be found in the Los Angeles section of the shop & Other Stories, making it the perfect bohemian match to the hippie setting of all festivals.

Day Three – Sunday 28th July

The last day, always the best day, in my opinion; I decided to stick to an outfit that was purely for comfort than for style. But, obviously, it was still fashionable and quirky – in my eyes, anyway.

On this day, I chose a plain, simple and block colour bodysuit that I paired with a nineties mesh skirt ÔÇô as you can tell, yes, I dress in a way thatÔÇÖs inspired by a particular decade. The skirt featured a unique and sweet cherub design upon it, allowing it to follow this hipster aesthetic so iconic of the followers and lovers of Truck Festival. After all, the festival did start in 1988, the uprising decade of 1990s grunge. Even though Urban Outfitters, the shop as to where I bought this skirt from, have now sold out of this simple design, they still sell a range of mesh skirts that are all priced at ┬ú26.00 each. This may seem a bit of an expensive price at first, but I highly recommend you check these designs out. They are modest, durable and extremely versatile. These skirts can make a simple top pop, and there is nothing better than a specific bold item that can always help to pump up a basic design. TheyÔÇÖre also extremely comfortable. Now, what more could you want to wear to a festival than this? I personally believe that there isnÔÇÖt anything else, but youÔÇÖre more than welcome to prove me wrong, if you can.

Like mentioned before, I paired this eccentric skirt with a basic red bodysuit. This piece was bought from Brandy Melville and priced at a slightly high £18. Even though I would recommend buying this bodysuit due to its durability and flattering shape, I will also suggest that you look around for other options. There are definitely cheaper prices out there, ones of which will be identical to the link shown below. Not only will this be saving you money, but it can also allow you to purchase other essential items that will be extremely useful whilst attending these weekend events, such as a tent, possibly.

Everyday Festival Essentials

As seen in the images attached to this article, there were a range of specific items that I wore everyday whilst attending the festival. Examples of this may include my black denim jacket, bought from Brandy Melville for a minor £38, and my Doc Marten shoes that were priced at around £100. However, this is dependent on the shape that you like the most. There are many Dr Marten designs out there, so be wise with the style that you wish to buy.

Having said that, these two clothing items are definitely an essential to any festival that you attend this summer. Nothing only do they help to protect you from the harsh conditions that these rough gigs or unexpected weather changes throw at you, but they can also be extremely fashionable and stylish, depending on the aesthetic you wish to achieve. For Truck Festival, however, they were perfect. They promoted this grunge theme that I was hoping to represent through my clothing, as well as demonstrating an element of high fashion that is symbolic of both the hipster and indie subcultures that dominate the lands of this small Oxfordshire Festival.

As for the sunglasses? Well, take a look around the festival stores whilst attending your treasured music even. ┬áIÔÇÖm sure youÔÇÖll be able to find a few whacky items at the festival for a reasonable price if youÔÇÖre missing out on anything mentioned above.