With the weather mixed on the first day at Glastonbury festival, and the mood sombre following the EU referendum result, it’s a small mercy the style has improved a notch this year. An athleisure, sportswear and hikingwear aesthetic – one of the year’s sleeper trends – has taken over. Most significantly, this has resulted in a distinct lack of flower crowns.
Once a festival essential, the identikit accessory is seemingly – and thankfully – on the wane. One wearer we spoke to en route to the Pyramid stage admitted to recycling hers from last year, suggesting the trend is now practically retro.
The same can not be said of denim cutoffs and Hunter wellies, which have dominated the site so far. However, this year it feels as if practicality has trumped high fashion. The vintage stalls here – and there are plenty – are empty.
Instead, revellers seem to be taking subtler cues from athleisure, a stylish take on the loucher side of sportswear (think logo tees, monochrome tracksuits and, sometimes, cashmere loungewear) popularised by Chloé on the catwalk and sports brands on the high street.
It has become fashion’s most rebellious trend. This year, sales are expected to reach £6bn. If Glastonbury is anything to go by, this trend has shifted from sleeper hit to mainstream. It makes sense – in the run up to the festival, poor weather conditions meant people were more prepared. And, by happy accident, brands such as North Face and Patagonia, alongside sportswear labels including Reebok, Adidas and Nike, are now on point in both menswear and womenswear.
“This year is all about retro 1990 sports and indie references,” explains Jo Hunt, head womenswear buyer at Asos, one of the busiest retailers during the festival season. She cited Adidas gazelles, sports bras worn as tops with printed leggings, wind breakers and oversized logo hoodies as some of the best-selling festival trends.
Another throwback trend that remains is face glitter, a favourite of the Glastonbury bacchanal. In a new twist, it has morphed into women (and, indeed, men) glueing sequins under their eyes in lieu of highlighter (one of the season’s biggest beauty trends), again suggesting people are better prepared for a damp, showerless weekend.
In other dismal news, there are still plenty of bindis and feather headdresses – and so the debate about cultural appropriation rattles on.
