Stone wash denim jacket, e40, Dorothy Perkins

Festivals are not about survival of the fittest, but survival ofthe most fashionable. This is proven by the festival fabulous setsuch as Kate Moss and Sienna Miller , who set the trends for what the rest of us will be wearing whenthey pop up at Glastonbury in an iconic concoction of vintage denim hot pants and PVC,finished off with a pair of Hunter wellies.
For some girls, the race season and the summer ball circuit gettheir pulses racing and will have them planning their outfits formonths in advance, but for the festival-goer, what to wear over thecoming summer months is their big style dilemma, as having a coollook has become a major part of the whole festival experience.
We got a taste of festival trends to come when the hip and cool,mixed with an A-list crowd, descended on Palm Desert , California , for the three-day extravaganza that is the Coachella Music Festival .
So festival fabulous were these music revellers, that they promptedPrince to declare that at that moment they were the coolest folk onthe planet. He was right; while the festival-goers at Coachella hadsun on their side, they also had cool, laid-back threads too.
Top of the trends from Coachella was the printed cotton bandeau ortea-dress, accessorised with a vintage belt, colourful WayfarerRayBan sunglasses and gladiator sandals. Bandeau baby doll topsworn with hot pants was another hot look as were high-waisted denimshorts, worn with a slim cut vest top tucked in.
For those who didn't dare to bare, the maxi dress was a popularchoice. Cool girls funked up their folksy maxis with well-wornleather belts fastened under the bust and floppy sun hats.
Other hot looks included the playsuit or short jumpsuit, wornlayered over a vest top, and finished off with a straw trilby andnovelty heart-shaped sunglasses. There was also a high ratio ofbikini tops, but given our unfavorable clime, I think we can countthis look out of the running for the Irish festival enthusiast.
With the above style tip-offs, how else can you rock a festivallook this summer in Ireland when heading to the Electric Picnic or Oxegen?
You can make like the Coachella crowd and pop into Harlequin,Castle Market, D2, for a vintage sundress and vintage belt comboand rest assured that you won't meet your clone on the way toseeing your favourite band. Expect to pay in the region of €60for a vintage sundress; the best styles are usually on displayaround the door.
Penney's also has an awe
some selection of cute sundresses for as little as €17. Wisewomen will make a Penney's dress their own by combining with anoriginal belt, and layering under a boyfriend cardigan. Or youcould try wearing your sundress over a vest top.
Penney's also has a fantastic selection of gladiator sandals forprices that won't make you cry if yours get trashed in the mud. Forsomething a bit more special, check out Faith in the Dundrum Town Centre for its uber-lux strappy gold gladiator sandals.
Another great festival look would be Firetrap's 'Treasure'jumpsuit, €80, worn under their cute and practical 'Cassidy'jacket, €89. Smart girls would conceal a cashmere cardiganunder the jacket to ensure they look cool while avoiding the onsetof hypothermia.
For a hip and original look, try teaming this summer's floral ra-ramini skirt -- Lipsy has great styles for €75, with a vintageinspired rock tee shirt. Topman has cool vintage music T-shirts instore at the moment with Blondie and Marc Bolan from T-Rex prints on them.
The Eager Beaver, Temple Bar, or the top floor of Harlequin aregood hunting grounds for original vintage printed T-shirts.
All of the outfits mentioned could be topped off with Dorothy Perkins stonewashed denim jacket, €40.
Thanks to London Designer, Christopher Kane , light denim is the only wash to be seen in this summer, and this1980s-inspired piece will give any look serious rock starcredentials.
Rock on!
- Roxanne Parker