Groove in style: From new boho to utility chic, diversity in festival fashions

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A woman attends the Glastonbury Festival in England in this undated handout image. THE CANADIAN PRESS/ho-Alistair Guy

TORONTO – As music lovers flock to festivals, a growing contingent of concertgoers are transforming outdoor venues into makeshift runways with eye-catching ensembles worthy of their own spotlight.

Coachella and Bonnaroo may be in the books, but images from the recent music festivals endure online, with galleries showcasing attendees in boho- and hippie-inspired styles like tie-dyed tanks, free-flowing maxi skirts, denim cutoffs and woven headbands.

“In terms of festival fashion, I’ve seen both men and women becoming more adventurous,” said Toronto-based Fiona Green, who has styled high-profile stars like Oscar winner Jennifer Lawrence and pop star Katy Perry.

“I think people are experimenting with their look more, whether it’s their clothes or their beauty look.”

The freelance stylist said vintage or vintage-inspired pieces tend to be among the staples in assembling a festival ensemble, whether it’s a girly baby-doll dress or classic rocker tee.

Green recently teamed with Winners to create festival-ready looks highlighting fashionable must-haves and exploring how famous concert attendees are also helping to shape or reflect trendy styles.

Kate Moss has been a longtime fixture at the Glastonbury Festival with muddied wellington boots an essential part of her ensembles. Green said she was inspired by photos of the British supermodel and style icon attending the English fest, where Moss is seen mixing lingerie and vintage-inspired pieces with more utility chic garments.

Want to borrow a page out of Moss’s festival style playbook? Green suggests teaming a pair of dainty shorts with a romantic printed top, such as a floral patterned tank. An anorak jacket and a pair of wellington boots can come in handy in the event of a sudden downpour or muddy conditions, she noted.

For a fresh take on bohemian chic, Green suggests infusing a western-inspired style — and a touch of Canadiana — by teaming a denim vest with a plaid shirt and a graphic print tee. A studded skirt adds a bit of edge to the ensemble, she noted.

“I think what’s so great about this mix of prints is that you have something that’s quite traditional with the plaid, but it’s a little bit washed out so it isn’t like a super punchy graphic print. And then the more feminine bohemian-type print underneath just kind of works nicely together as a whole vintage-inspired message.”

To round out the boho-western-inspired ensemble, Green suggests a wide-brimmed sun hat — which she describes as a festival staple — in addition to a cross-body woven bag and western-inspired boots.

To channel a ’60s retro vibe with festival style, Green recommends teaming a dressier, psychedelic print top with another more casual fest essential — the cutoff denim short.

But it’s not just Woodstock-era styles that are making a splash. The ’90s style resurgence continues to loom large, and is also translating to women embracing iconic slipdresses and sundresses reminiscent of the era, Green noted.

In addition to the cross-body bag, Green said the knapsack is another great hands-free alternative, one which is being injected with a “grunge punk element” with models featuring studded detailing.

“It’s great if you want to invest in a cool statement accessory, but you want to make sure it’s something that will take you through a variety of different looks,” said Green. “I think by choosing neutrals … (with) one detail or element that’s a little bit more unexpected, that’s a good purchase for you for the entire summer season.”

For individuals opting to add a single key piece to their existing wardrobe, Green suggests choosing new footwear.

Women seeking to shake up their shoe style while staying comfortable may want to consider a gladiator sandal.

“It’s so essential to have a flat shoe, and I think that item translates through a lot of different personal styles,” Green said. “Whether you’re a girly girl or you’re into more of a tomboy look, there’s some flexibility there.”

For men, Green said footwear is the easiest place to be experimental especially when it comes to colour, like sporting a pair of bright yellow runners.

“It’s just physically a little more separated from your look,” said Green. “Also, just in terms of what’s on the market, the statement sneaker is so huge across the board, all the way across from fast fashion to luxury.”

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Red, black and white for Cebu in the Bag

WILLIAM Manahan

WE’VE chalked up airline miles for the Great Singapore Sale, our neighboring city state’s annual shopping event that has become such an institution we’ve planned our holidays around it.

Hoping to replicate the Great Singapore Sale’s success in Cebu, the folks at Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI) have come up with their own weekend sale called Cebu in the Bag: Island Madness Sale, which takes place in June every year, in line with Cebu Business Month (CBM).

And while we in Cebu can’t offer discounts on last season’s Prada or those now-iconic pieces when Saint Laurent Paris was still YSL, we can hold our own in the field of design—whether it’s fashion, accessories, furniture, or home décor. Which means Cebu is well worth a visit, too.

Camille Aldeguer, the event chairperson for the second year in a row, knew that few things would draw a crowd like a fashion show could; to launch Cebu in the Bag: Island Madness Sale Year 2, she enlisted Cebu’s top designers to each showcase a three-piece collection in the CBM colors of red, black and white.

There were the fashion enthusiasts and front-row regulars Amparito Lhuillier, Teresin Mendezona and Carmen Campbell, but also in attendance were CCCI members, including its first female president Tess Chan, and CBM 2014 chair Felix “Boy” Tiukinhoy Jr., who are more often seen in power lunches than at cocktail hour.

Sensual dressing

Despite the corporate nature of the fashion event, the collections were all about sensuality—perhaps because of the chosen color palette. Some designers were unapologetic, while others merely hinted at it.

Jun Escario skimmed and hugged the woman’s figure with his collection of long black-and-white dresses that are the perfect canvas to accessorize and make your own.

PHILIP Rodriguez

Oj Hofer showed his fluid take on men’s jackets and trousers and gave us two perfectly slinky evening dresses—one in vibrant red and the other in black lace.

Treading the line between hard and soft, and showcasing his mastery of both structure and draping, Cary Santiago showed three pieces in red, black, and white satin, completely ladylike in go-to 1950s silhouette, save for sheer lace panels that provided a hint of skin.

Marichu Tan-Geson, meanwhile, was all about sheerness, showing some skin with her waist-defining gowns in illusion tulle with acrylic stones and Swarovski crystals.

Giving sensuality a different face was Protacio, who said of his collection: “I wanted to bring out sensuality without showing too much skin, so I worked with mid-calf lengths and full sleeves. Except for one sheer number in tulle, the others were modestly covered. What made it sensual lies in the color—black.”

In the same vein was Philip Rodriguez’s collection, which served as the show finale and featured a metallic men’s tuxedo and two long-sleeve gowns with lace appliqués, both in flaming red and seemingly inspired by the designer’s continuing fascination with Mexican artist Frida Kahlo.

Juxtaposed themes

Edwin Ao’s collection was also a juxtaposition between what was covered up and what was revealed.

He said, “My collection was done mostly in acetate lining material and is based on the concept of protection, thus the hoods, windbreakers and jackets.”

OJ Hofer

While his men were covered up, his one female piece offered just the right amount of skin.

Some designers opted for the middle way, choosing neither to cover up nor reveal.

Yvonne Quisumbing said, “Gravity is the common factor of the black pieces in my collection. The emphasis is on the fall and flow of the fabrics. While they cling to the body, they’re still comfortably sexy.”

Save for one sheer top, Ren Manabat’s cocktail pieces, inspired by his fascination with bows, were quite modest in their silhouettes. The hint of sensuality came in a pencil skirt with an oversized floral detail that called to mind American artist Georgia O’Keefe, and red floral embellishments peeking out from under an oversized bow that lent his dress a peplum shape.

Albert Arriba also showed short cocktail pieces that were different degrees of sexy—from a red strapless number and a lingerie-inspired LBD to a pristine white shift.

Another take on sensuality was the juxtaposition of the masculine and the feminine.

Androgynous chic

A preview of androgynous dressing was seen in Arcy Gayatin’s collection, which opened with a pinstriped jumpsuit with a low, beaded neckline that you’d want to wear to your next cocktail party. She turned down the volume with a leather cocktail dress with tweed details that you can strut to work in, and then turned it up again with a red gown that was an ode to the scene-stealer that Vivian (Julia Roberts) wore to the opera in the movie “Pretty Woman.”

Continuing the narrative of sensual androgynous dressing was William Manahan, who presented an all-trousers collection. He said, “I kept it feminine by using crepe silk, American tulle and Mikado silk, and finished the look with minimal accessories like strands of pearls and brooches.”

For all the women-who-run-the-world types in the crowd that evening, that was probably the brand of sensuality that hit closest to home.

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