Grooming -- 2 days ago
The Gentleman’s guide to festival fashion
Words: Holly Macnaghten
Forget flouro jeans and patterned t-shirts in ‘retro’ fabrics. Festival fashion is not an excuse to throw away any form of style and taste. In fact, quite the opposite, it’s the perfect excuse to be the most stylish man in the field or tent when so many men consistently continue to get it wrong. If it’s fancy dress, then great – go nuts. You wear that purple wig or silver jumpsuit, but if it’s not, well then our one single tip for festival fashion is this gents: Keep. It. Simple. Got it? Good.
Think off-duty casual with a touch of biker attitude and rock ‘n roll panache. The way we see it, the less you worry about what you’re wearing, the more you can concentrate on the task in hand – having fun and listening to great music until the sun comes up. So, whether you’re heading to Wilderness or Glasto, follow our simple guide to men’s festival fashion and you’ll be set for whatever comes your way…
T SHIRTS, , Keep it simple, keep it clean – we know you want to keep your packing to a minimum, but if you have any sense, you’ll want to keep your body-odour to a minimum too. With 3 days and nights of partying, limited washing facilities and extreme changes in temperature throughout, your friends and fellow campers will thank you no end if the one thing you pack a few of is T-shirts. Go for simple colours that won’t show the dirt and good quality cotton for comfort during long wear.
ALEX MILL SLUBBED COTTON T-SHIRT ALEX MILL £50.00 – thegentlemansjournal.com // HENTSCH MAN STRIPED COTTON T-SHIRT HENTSCH MAN £50.00 – thegentlemansjournal.com // OFFICINE GENERALE MARLED-COTTON T-SHIRT OFFICINE GENERALE £70.00 – thegentlemansjournal.com
BOOTS, , Nothing screams festival virgin like the guy wading through mud in flip-flops or once white converse. It may be sunny as hell the day you set off, but we can assure you, if it’s a British festival that you’re off to, chances are it will at some point rain. So pack accordingly and channel your inner rock star with a pair of study boots in a leather that only looks better with a bit of wear and tear.
RICK OWENS TEXTURED-LEATHER COMBAT BOOTS RICK OWENS £1,100.00 – thegentlemansjournal.com // BELSTAFF TRIALMASTER LEATHER BOOTS BELSTAFF £420.00 – thegentlemansjournal.com // BERLUTI ARTISTA OILED-SUEDE BOOTS BERLUTI £1,260.00 – thegentlemansjournal.com
SHORTS, , Keep it simple when it comes to shorts – swimming trunks are for the beach, not the music tent gents. Please remember this. Also bear in mind that you’ll be sitting down on the ground at various points of your weekend, so go for darker colours that won’t show up the dirt on day three.
AMI COTTON-BLEND SHORTS AMI £120.00 – thegentlemansjournal.com // BURBERRY BRIT SLIM-FIT WOVEN-COTTON SHORTS BURBERRY BRIT £225.00 – thegentlemansjournal.com // INCOTEX SLIM-FIT LINEN AND COTTON-BLEND SHORTS INCOTEX £190.00 – thegentlemansjournal.com
JEANS, , Jeans are your best friend at festivals as when the nights get cold you’re style stripes needn’t fade. Yes, it’s a bit of a bore if they get wet, but that’s the least of your worries when the campsite becomes a quagmire. Go for a pair that have an already worn-in feel and look to them, for the perfect care-free attitude to summer festival dressing.
A.P.C. PETIT STANDARD SLIM-FIT DRY SELVEDGE DENIM JEANS A.P.C. £140.00 – thegentlemansjournal.com // ACNE STUDIOS MAX PRINCE SLIM-FIT WASHED DENIM JEANS ACNE STUDIOS £190.00 – thegentlemansjournal.com // LEVI’S MADE & CRAFTED TACK SLIM-FIT WASHED-DENIM JEANS LEVI’S MADE & CRAFTED £145.00 – thegentlemansjournal.com
SHIRTS, , Shirts and layering are your best friends when it comes to festivals – go for soft cottons, linens or denim and you’re set. Wear over t-shirts or alone for the perfect laid back festival look without even having to try.
MEN’S BLACK DENIM LONG SLEEVE SHIRT TOPMAN £30.00 – thegentlemansjournal.com // EMMA WILLIS BLUE LINEN SHIRT EMMA WILLIS £220.00 – thegentlemansjournal.com // J.CREW BUTTON-DOWN COLLAR COTTON OXFORD SHIRT J.CREW £70.00 – thegentlemansjournal.com
THE FINAL TOUCHES, , Make sure to invest in a few final touches and you’ll be good to go – keep to neutral colours so you can throw them on over anything else you’ve brought with you. A pair of Hunter wellies is an absolute must for when the ground becomes completely ruined, but an oh so cool Barbour jacket will keep any rain off you while still looking stylish. The rest of course is up to you, but we think a bates fedora, a simple ASOS backpack and these Cutler & Gross sunglasses are what you need to complete the look.
ORIGINAL TALL WELLINGTON BOOTS £95 – hunterboots.com // WASHINGTON WAXED JACKET From the Steve McQueen™ collection BARBOUR INTERNATIONAL Price: £279.00 – barbour.com // BATES ‘THE INDIE’ £195.00 – bates-hats.com // ASOS BACKPACK ASOS Oversized Backpack With Contrast Straps £25.00 – asos.com / CUTLER & GROSS 0702 HUMBLE POTATO £390 – shop.cutlerandgross.com
MEN WHO DO IT BEST
If you’re still stuck for inspiration look to a few of our favourite festival goers who’ve always got their fingers on the fashion pulse.
Become a Gentleman’s Journal Member?
Like the Gentleman’s Journal? Why not join the Clubhouse, a special kind of private club where members receive offers and experiences from hand-picked, premium brands. You will also receive invites to exclusive events, the quarterly print magazine delivered directly to your door and your own membership card.
