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Summer concert fashion

DIY designs and store-bought secrets to keep you from melting at outdoor fests

By Lori Finkel & Carlye Wisel
Published: July 5th, 2007 | 3:17pm

Spending all your money on shows this summer doesn’t have to mean skimping on comely concert clothing. We’ve got a few easy-to-make ideas to show you how to whip up your own threads. And, of course, the best part about crafting your own clothes is that your homemade pieces will always be deliciously original.

Vintage shops sell dainty half aprons, but what do you actually do with them? They’re often too pretty to cook in, for fear of permanent stains on your frilly frock. So make it into a shirt.

• an apron

1. Scrounge up a half apron from a thrift store or suave vintage shop if that’s within your budget. I got mine for $1.50 at Salvation Army. 2. Wrap the apron around your chest. Cross the apron strings in back, pull strings around to your front, and knot the strings under your boobs. The knot creates a support shelf — you may not even have to wear a bra! Tips: You can also layer a tank top under the apron shirt. Whatever you’re comfortable with. You can also find aprons with pockets for storage.

Where should you keep your money at a concert when you're only wearing a dress and you don’t want to be bothered with a purse? If you've got enough cleavage to comfortably wedge a $20 bill, then good for you. But if the two boulders are as far apart as the shores of the Mississippi and you're bouncing up and down for Mickey Avalon at Lolla, make yourself a bra pocket. The Bra-ket is also good for keeping other summertime concert necessities such as aspirin, condoms, Hangover Helper, etc. We recommend using bathing-suit material because it’s made for absorbing water, and while you’re getting sweaty and sunburned, your cash doesn’t have to stick to your chest.

• a needle and thread • an old bathing suit (I found one at a thrift store for 60 cents) • your favorite concert-going bra

1. Start at the bottom hem of the suit. Cut a square with the hem as one of the sides. Make the square slightly larger (about a quarter of an inch) than you want the pocket to be, since you’ll need the extra room to sew a hem on the three other sides. 2. Pick a thread color that will go well with your pocket and bra. I used black because that’s all that the corner drug store offered, and come on, black looks awesome with everything! 3. Fold the sides over about a quarter of an inch — or however long you think the hem should be. Thread the needle. Knot the end. Sew the hem. 4. Lay the pocket down into one of the bra cups. Angle the pocket slightly toward your cleavage so that you can reach in comfortably. Now, with the natural hem at the top, sew the other three sides to the cup.

Overall skirts can be cute, but ones that actually look good are hard to come by unless you’re still petite enough to frequent OshKosh B’Gosh. Make your own so you can control the fit (and save money). Make it as long or as short as you want. Overalls are the ultimate utilitarian design — you’ll never run out of pockets.

• a pair of overalls • sharp scissors that can cut denim • needle and thread

1. Grab a pair of overalls that are about your size. Lay them flat and spread out the legs. 2. Cut along the seam that separates the legs so that you will no longer have shorts but just an open bottom. 3. Cut up toward the zipper in front, following the curve, but leave at least an inch before the zipper. Don’t cut too close or you’ll be all up in that zipper’s grill, messing up its flavor. 4. Cut along the curved seam in the back as well, making sure you cut about the same length as the front curved seam. 5. Fold the flap with the curved seam over the other side and sew accordingly. Make sure the bottom hem lines up. Do this for both sides. 6. Now you have an overall skirt (hopefully)! You can adjust the straps so that it hangs lower, and cut the skirt shorter like the pre-cut shredded ones they sell at the mall. Throw leggings on under it. Throw it over a bathing suit. Dang, girl (or guy. Person. Whatev.), you look good.

Not one of those people who loves it when cut-offs fit like clingy spandex undies? Make your own Bermuda shorts so you can cut them suitable to what feels comfortable. Frustrated at the number of jeans I went through to make shorts that weren’t too short — they’d end up jagged and lopsided, and by the time I was done evening them out, might as well have Paris Hilton market ’em as the season’s hottest thong — I researched and found the simplest way to make denim shorts you won’t fall out of.

• a pair of jeans that fit (Try to find a pair with the least percentage of spandex. Most jeans are now made with “stretch” capabilities, meaning at least 1% or more of the blend being spandex, the rest cotton. If you can find jeans that are 100% cotton and fit well, perfect! If not, just remember that in the dryer, the edge of the shorts will shred into elastic threads. Try to avoid the dryer.] • scissors that can cut denim • a ballpoint pen that will show up on denim fabric (dark blue or black)

1. Put the jeans on. In the mirror, figure out how short or long you’d like the shorts to be. When you’ve got an idea, take the ballpoint pen and mark a straight line about 2 inches below that. Remember, you can always cut shorter, but you can’t cut longer. If they flare slightly, try to cut just at the place at the knee where the leg begins to flare out again 2. Lay them flat and cut straight across where the mark is. Try them on again. Now mark how short you want them and actually. Now you have four pieces that you can mix with anything — pair with solid tees and tanks, or if you’re daring enough to be that person, try mixing stripes, plaids, and polka dots. Think your apron is too plain? Jean shorts too generic? Take a trip to your local craft store and grab a stencil, paintbrush, some acrylic paint, and paint yourself original!

— photography by Kara Hayes

In typical hippie-chic fashion, breathable materials and flowy styles will ensure that you savor a 10-second gust of wind, if any.

Available at alloy.com

Comes in sizes XS–XXL, so ladies of all sizes can rock it. Also, they knock a few bucks off if you buy more than one.

$15.50–$17.50 each; two or more: $12.50–$15.50 each

pink, light pink, ocean blue, green, and white

Available at nordstrom.com

It can convert between a tube top and a halter, so no matter how much you dance, it’ll stay up.

$28

navy, blue floral

Available at alloy.com

A white, breezy, all-cotton tank is possibly the closest you can get to being naked while still wearing a shirt.

$22.50

white

Available at urbanoutfitters.com

So many patterns, so little time.

$28

A variety of patterns, check the Web site to see them all.

Available at supermaggie.com

Hate tank tops? You can choose from a variety of beautifully busy designs that blow the term “plain cotton T-shirt” out of the water. Our favorite? Cigar Dahlias.

$24–$44

various colors and patterns

Miniskirts aren’t the best idea (for obvious reasons), and skorts are a lame hybrid of the two. Regardless of pattern or style, you’ll look cooler than Tobias Fünke (the Arrested Development psychiatrist who swears by jeans shorts) — we guarantee it.

Available at alloy.com

Patchwork shorts contain more colors than regular plaid shorts, which makes matching easier. Oh, and did I mention they come in 13 sizes?

$22.50–$24.50

multi

Available at abercrombie.com

You’re no longer a high-school student, so Abercrombie & Fitch probably isn’t your scene. But, basics are basics. The rolled cuffs make these a little more J.Crew than Hollister, and the deep pockets are great for hands of music fans that would prefer to rock out internally.

$39.50

green, white, stone, yellow, brown, and gray

Available at builtbywendy.com

You should choo-choose these because they have all the fun of overalls mixed with the quirkiness of suspenders

$120

Indigo stripe

Available at urbanoutfitters.com

With their long-or-short cuff capabilities, they’re boyish and girlish at the same time.

$68

2nd hand blue, midnight cloud, and sunworn (denim washes)

The easiest way to feel loose and comfortable at a festival is by wearing a dress. It doesn’t matter if the last one you sported was a sundress on Tuesday, a puffy-sleeved mess on prom night, or a white bed sheet on Halloween 1983 as part of your ghost costume, there’s always room in your closet for a free-flowing fashion wonder.

Available at delias.com

If there’s one dress that will channel your inner flower child, this is it.

$39.50

multi

Available at alloy.com

Pockets, people. Pockets. You can drink a beer, keep track of your money, and still be a quick second away from grabbing a camera in case Of Montreal’s Kevin Barnes decides to put on another — ahem — peepshow.

$39.50–$41.50

gold, turquoise, and white

Available at fredflare.com

You’re never too old to look young! The full-coverage top makes this sunshine-colored dress a great pick for ladies with bigger busts, not to mention it comes with a free CD. (If that’s not a sign of its outdoor concert perfection, I don’t know what is.)

$39.99

yellow

Available at forever21.com

What’s black and white with red spots? A zebra eating a messy hot dog. Or this dress.

$22.80

multi

Nothing can ruin Spoon’s set like a piece of glass getting wedged in your foot, so make sure to keep those feetsies covered.

Available at urbanoutfitters.com

It’s hard to tell from the photo how comfy they are, but hey — they’re crazy cute.

$28

gold metallic and brown

Available at delias.com

Futuristic small-heeled flats with an ’80s edge. Fantastic.

$32

blue multi, multi (metallic)

Available at alloy.com

If listening to music in the sun will make you as tan and bronze as a Greek god, you’re totally allowed to steal their footwear, too.

$29.50

gold and beige

Check out these little extras to help you rock out in style:

Available at fredflare.com

The closest you can get to a pair of RayBan Wayfarers without a triple-digit price tag.

$9

black

Available at forever21.com

Tinted clear futuristic plastic glasses — they practically scream Daft Punk.

$5.80

light green and clear

Available at kailochic.com

If you’re planning on smuggling anything into a fest you’re attending, meet your new best friend.

$62

various patterns available at the Web site

Available at stitchpixie.com under “tasty”

If your wallet is stuffed with business cards, checkbooks, and buy-five-get-one-free punch cards, downsize your monetary essentials into this delectable pouch.

$16

multi

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