Thankfully, that doesn’t stop San Francisco natives from enjoying their distinct summer season, and if you’re planning on visiting, it shouldn’t stop you either. Dressing in layers is a huge part of SF’s fashion culture and it’s an integral part of properly enjoying any summer activity — especially festival season in the Bay.
San Francisco’s bay area is the mecca of thrift stores and second hand shops and what better place to create the perfect festival outfit than SFGoodwill. We had the opportunity to collaborate with their team to style looks that anybody could wear at this years Outside Lands Music Festival. The outfits we styled all cost us under $$ to put together and the best part of all is that you don’t just get a killer outfit when you shop at Goodwill, but you’ll also be reducing your carbon footprint and contributing to job training programs for local people.
Festival culture has evolved increasingly throughout the years. Gone are the days of 1990’s underground warehouse raves. Instead we have transitioned to three day weekend festivals in the high deserts of California, or in the grand forests of Michigan and of course in beautiful man made parks like San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park. That is why, festivals today require three carefully styled outfits to not only flex throughout social media but also to be comfortable and easily transition from a day to night look.
Along with the evolution of music festivals also came the evolution of festival style. However, one festival accessory that has withstood the changing times is the flower crown. To this day, the flower crown can still be spotted in a festival crowd. But since the flower crown era many other festival fashion staples have emerged into the scene and more often than not they can be found at second hand shops.
A popular clothing staple that is almost always spotted throughout social is a utilitarian jacket that has style but is at the end of the day functional—which is a perfect festival staple for both men and women. Its versatility allows people to pair the military jacket with just about any outfit and incorporates an effortlessly chic look.
The best one of a kind outerwear is usually always found at a thrift shop. Not only will you snag a plethora of band t-shirts but you’ll also find vintage suede jackets, puffers and faux fur jackets to pair with any look.
Another must have festival item, that can also be found at a thrift store, are combat boots. With all the walking that is done at a three day festival you always want to assure your feet are protected, but also dressed in style.
Finding a middle ground between being fashionably-festival-chic and being comfortable is especially crucial when attending Bay Areas Outside Lands Music Festival because of the Bay Areas uniquely foggy summer weather.
Bay Area’s, OSL Festival starts each day at noon and ends at ten. Throughout the ten hour day, festival goers have the opportunity to experience San Francisco’s lack of commitment to temperature consistency. Instead, throughout the course of the day OSL Festival goers will experience summer, fall and winter all beautifully packaged into one single day. Picture yourself having a picnic at main stage with the sun gently beaming on your face when suddenly the summer fog starts to roll through Golden Gate Park. Experiencing the sudden change in weather does take many by surprise and if you’re not properly dressed you will be left regretting not coming better prepared.
The inconsistency in weather in San Francisco, makes attending OSL and putting together an outfit that more interesting. The key to styling any outfit is to incorporate layers.
Choosing to thrift at places like SFGoodwill, makes a big impact to not only the environment but the surrounding community. SFGoodwill has been a part of the Bay Area community since they first opened their doors in 1916 on Mission and 16th Street. Since then their philosophy of “a hand up, not a hand out” was born.
The fashion industry is one of the top three polluters in the world, but thankfully we can all take matters into our own hands and slowly revert this issue by shopping second hand. When we recycle our clothing we help eliminate resources like water and electricity from being used, and you have the opportunity of finding a unique piece of clothing.
There are many benefits that come when we decide to shop second hand. It goes without saying, that when we attend a festival – or any event for that matter – we want to be dressed to impress with a uniquely styled outfit. However, with fast fashion it’s sometimes difficult to find a unique look on a budget. When you shop second hand, the opportunity to create a uniquely styled outfit on a budget is very attainable. Many times items that are being donated to second hand shops are clothing pieces that don’t come from the fast fashion world and instead are made with quality textiles.
The outfits we styled with SFGoodwill are all perfect looks for this summers OSL festival. When you decide to buy your outfit at SFGoodwill you can assure that your outfit will not only be unique from the rest but you can also be proud that your outfit is 100 percent recycled. And if you ask us, wearing a recycled outfit is definitely something to celebrate.
// Thrift your OSL look at any of these store locations: sfgoodwill.org/shop/find-a-store/, Shop SFGoodwill online for top brands at bargain prices: sfgoodwill.org/shop/shop-online/. Photography by Maisie Leung, styled by Josie Cabrera, modeled by Alec White and Francesca Balatgas.
