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The best festival outfits to see you thorough Wireless, Glastonbury, Creamfields and beyond
Come rain or shine we’ve got you covered with these fabulous looks
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Festival season is here and whether you’re going to rave with Carl Cox at Creamfields, sing your heart out with Diana Ross at the Cambridge festival or are heading to the festival champion that is Glastonbury, the right outfit can be the difference between having a great time and a nightmare.
Trust us when we say you don’t want to be stuck in flip flops surrounded by empty bottles and half-eaten burgers. Or be in shorts and a crop top when the good old British weather takes a turn for the worse.
No matter how great the lineup is, the weekend can be easily ruined thanks to soggy socks or a portable loo malfunction, so comfort is key when it comes to surviving the British festival season – sadly, we aren’t blessed with Coachella blue skies all the time.
Remember, there’s no such thing as bad weather, just bad preparation. So we’ve pulled together the festival outfit essentials to take you through every kind of event from Wireless to a Westlife concert. And we’ve got something for a range of budgets too.
From classics like denim shorts and wellies to sequin kimonos and a trusty waterproof jacket, keep reading below for our approved festival fits.
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How we tested
Festival season hadn’t quite started when we began trying out all of these essentials, so we created our own – minus the celebrities, headline acts and street food. We walked through muddy fields, danced to music outside and even voluntarily stood outside in the odd downpour too, just to make sure we had all bases covered.
The shoes were trotted in, the bags filled with festival essentials and the accessories accessorized our headline act looks to build a complete outfit ready for any event. We were looking for outfits that were comfortable, stylish, easy to wear and noted how likely we were to wear it again – a new dress isn’t just for Glastonbury after all. These are the ones worthy of a place in your rucksack.
The best festival outfits for 2022 are:
- Best overall – Urban Outfitters Bianca multi stripe knitted O-ring jumpsuit: £49, Urbanoutfitters.com
- Best for animal print and old-school style – River Island brown zebra printed flared trousers: £32, Riverisland.com and Urban Outfitters Pink Floyd baby T-shirt: £29, Urbanoutfitters.com
- Best co-ord set – Asos collusion printed one shoulder top & ruche side micro short co-ord in peach: £25.98, Asos.com
- Best dress – Warehouse square crochet knit dress: £99, now £69.30, Warehousefashion.com
- Best classic outfit – Levi’s 502 mid thigh shorts: £60, Levi.com and Lyle and Scott women’s ribbed vest: £20, Lyleandscott.com
- Best black combo – Oasis Laura Whitmore contrast stripe open stitch crop and midi skirt: £48, Oasisfashion.com
Urban Outfitters Bianca multi-stripe knitted O-ring jumpsuit: £49, Urbanoutfitters.com
Best: Overall
Rating: 10/10
This jumpsuit is giving us Abba, Jane Fonda circa 1980 and Ibizan chic all in one, which is quite the feat, but we fell in love with it. With no zips or buttons, you can quickly step into the bottom half and pull the halterneck strap over your head – trust us, it’s stretchy enough to not have to do contortionist yoga.
Pair it with the Allsaints balfern gold leather biker jacket (£319, Allsaints.com) and suddenly the whole look has a slightly harder edge and all while adding a great layer of warmth for on those colder days. The leather is buttery soft making it the most comfortable and flattering leather jacket our tester has ever worn, and it will only get more comfortable the more you wear it.
Keeping it practical, we also added the Charles and Keith – the unsung heroes when it comes to high-quality shoes without an extortionate price tag – Billie front-zip ankle boots (£89, Charleskeith.co.uk). We also donned the Eastpak orbit XS army olive (£37, Eastpak.com), a mini water-resistant backpack perfect for carrying a whole day’s worth of essentials. And, to complete our look, the H&M waterproof bucket hat (£17.99, Hm.com) should a sudden downpour occur.
River Island brown zebra printed flared trousers: £32, Riverisland.com and Urban Outfitters Pink Floyd baby T-shirt: £29, Urbanoutfitters.com
Best: For animal print and old-school style
Rating: 9/10
Screaming old-school style is this Urban Outfitters Pink Floyd baby T-shirt, which was incredibly soft. Just be sure to opt for a band you like or else you may find yourself having some embarrassing conversations. And not only are these trousers bold and bang on the Y2K trend, but they’re also incredibly comfortable, practical and all-weather approved. The zebra print trousers are super stretchy with an elasticated waistband so you can dance, sit and walk with no buttons or zips digging in while the flare fit flatteringly elongates the legs.
They were a little bit on the long side for our tester, which wasn’t a problem when pairing them with the Dr martens voss platform sandals in leather (£99, Drmartens.com) – an incredibly comfortable sandal with a trainer-like inner sole that provides a great amount of shock absorption for a bouncy walk.
To complete our ensemble, the New Look black double zip bum bag (£9.99, Newlook.com) importantly held all of our essentials safely and securely and the H&M hooded raincoat (£39.99, Hm.com) kept us dry thanks to the drawstring hood, front poppers, poppered cuffs and deep covered pockets. And, we also love the Beaches & Cream rainbow lobster earrings (£20, Beachesandcream.co.uk) added to the fun festival style with a pop of colour.
Buy now trousers, £32, Riverisland.com
Buy now top, £29, Urbanoutfitters.com
Asos collusion printed one shoulder top & ruche side micro short co-ord in peach: £25.98, Asos.com
Best: Co-ord set
Rating: 8/10
For very warm weather, a bright print short co-ord can be a great, fuss-free festival outfit. This one from Asos gives nothing but summer vibes and can be packed in the smallest of spaces in your overnight bag too. It’s stretchy, comfortable and easy to pull on and our tester loved the drawstring sides on the shorts which could make them shorter if desired. And, bonus points, you could use a portable toilet with no worry of this dragging on the floor.
The top was a great fit but be sure to opt for a strapless bra (or go without) and the bottoms were slightly see-through so we’d recommend wearing a nude thong, or layering a small pair of white bike shorts underneath.
Paired with the Next forever comfort espadrille flatform trainers (£42, Next.co.uk) it makes for a great summery outfit for dry, hot weather and the New Look brown tortoiseshell effect rectangle sunglasses (£7.49, Newlook.com) are an affordable absolute essential needed for those sunny days.
Warehouse square crochet knit dress: £79.20, Warehousefashion.com
Best: Dress
Rating: 8/10
Crotchet is one of the fastest-growing trends of the summer and this dress fits the bill perfectly. Looking just like something your nan could knit, it’s incredibly cosy and comfy but, thanks to the nature of the fabric, isn’t the most form-fitting. It’s quite warm but we’ve also added the super comfortable M&S denim jacket with stretch (£10.99, Marksandspencer.com) for those extra chilly nights.
Due to the crotchet nature, you may wish to pop a slip on underneath to cover up any holes, but they’re so small it isn’t really an issue unless you look for it. And, of course, a dress is possibly the easiest outfit to go to the bathroom in – no one wants to be faffing around in a portable loo.
We paired it with the Hunter women’s original tall wellington boots (£115, Hunterboots.com) with wellie socks (£10.50, Hj.co.uk) an absolute must-have shoe for inevitable rain. And the Allsaints evaline fringe leather crossbody bag (£159, Allsaints.com) perfectly pulled out the bright colours for an even bolder statement look while holding all our essentials.
Levi’s 502 mid thigh shorts: £60, Levi.com and Lyle and Scott women’s ribbed vest: £20, Lyleandscott.com
Best: Classic outfit
Rating: 9/10
Levi’s shorts are some of the most famous in the world and this high-waisted pair shows us why. Made from 99 per cent cotton and one per cent elastane they’re just stretchy enough to be comfortable and easy to move in yet hold their shape. The length comes down to around mid-thigh which can then be rolled up as short as you wish or left long for a more modest look, but the multiple buttons do add a good minute on to putting them on and off. Paired with a classic basic Lyle and Scott vest, it’s hard to go wrong.
The star of the show here is the Mint Velvet gold sequin longline kimono (£89, Mintvelvet.co.uk) bringing boho vibes with a touch of sparkle. And for shoes, we opted for the very fashionable Ariat round up wide square toe western boot (£145, Ariat.com) but be sure to opt for a size larger as they are quite snug to take on and off.
Buy now shorts £60, Levi.com
Buy now vest £20, Lyleandschott.com
Oasis Laura Whitmore contrast stripe open stitch crop and midi skirt: £48, Oasisfashion.com
Best: Black combo
Rating: 7/10
Another knitted option – showing just how popular the current trend is – is this co-ord set from Oasis. Definitely on the more modest side to the Asos co-ord (£25.98, Asos.com), this maxi skirt and vest set is also incredibly warm.
With the skirt being so long, there isn’t too much movement in it, don’t expect to sit on someone’s shoulders or drop down into the splits. But our tester did fall in love with the bohemian fit that gives just the right amount of Coachella vibes without looking like a fancy dress costume. We would recommend sizing down in the skirt as it does start to give and stretch around the waist after a while.
We paired it here with the Charles and Keith Billie front-zip ankle boots for added comfort (£89, Charleskeith.co.uk). And attached the Chilly’s matte black small water bottle (£7.50, Paperchase.com) with a very handy carabiner clip (£3, Chillys.com) to our favourite festival bag, the Mango flap crossbody bag (£35.99, Mango.com) – not only will you have space for all your belongings but the water bottle will help to save you money and the planet.
Buy now crop top £21, Oasisfashion.com
Buy now midi skirt £27, Oasisfashion.com
The verdict: Festival outfits
Our tester surprised themselves by falling in love with the Urban Outfitters jumpsuit (£49, Urbanoutfitters.com) but for minimal fuss while tent dressing, it was hard to beat. If you’re only buying one pair of shoes for Glastonbury this year, we’d be misleading you if we didn’t emphasises the importance of wellies (£115, Hunterboots.com) and a good leather jacket is a real investment wardrobe staple (£315, Allsaints.com).
We’ve also made our case for the need for a re-usable water bottle (£7.50, Paperchase.com) and a rain mac is another must-have essential, so why not make it a fun fashion piece too (£39.99, Hm.com ). But whatever you’re wearing, just make sure it’s comfortable and warm enough should the weather take a turn.
Voucher codes
For the latest discounts on summer outfits and other fashion buys, try the links below:
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