Your Personal Stylist: Which Festival Fashion Clichés Can I Avoid?

Each month über-stylist Cher Coulter joins us at Who What Wear UK to answer your burning fashion questions. She's already divulged the most worthwhile fashion investments a girl could make, and guided us through what shoes to wear with different pairs of jeans, but with Glastonbury (and many other music events) here, it's no wonder that the concept of dressing for festivals is in our minds.

It can be a fashion quagmire—literally and otherwise—this festival dressing lark. There are many difficulties that lie in your way, and any girl worth her style salt tries desperately to avoid the many clichés that have now become such regular stage-side attire. What you don't wear has become as important as what you do wear. So, to arm you with the right info, we've asked Cher all about it—what would a cool girl like her, or her A-list clientele, consider wearing to a festival in 2016? Keep reading to find out and shop from Cher Coulter's top festival fashion tips…

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"So you can run around! I'd suggest white simple tennis style shoes, ideally the Isabel Marant pair below. I like how simple and retro it is but comfortable—and I don’t care if it gets dirty in puddles."

Shop simple sneakers:

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"It looks so silly wearing heels on grass. If you really feel you need height, go for a boot with a sturdy block heel like a cowboy style."

Related: 9 Exact Items the Mega-Bloggers Make Sure They Instagram on Holiday

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"Choose a great sweatshirt for those chilly nights. Get it oversize and maybe tear off the hem or do something to deconstruct it and add your own twist. If you can’t afford Vetements, then go for classic skate brand like Thrasher. Alternatively, you could try and find a vintage '80s one."

Shop stage-worthy sweatshirts:

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"Done, done and done. Too obvious and therefore now a cliché—also, they never feel quite right at a rainy UK festival!"

Related: The Holiday Packing List Every Fashion Person Should Check Before Travelling

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"I want to see silver sparkle, sequins, foil—basically anything metallic—to bring the party to the field and reflect in the (let's hope) sunshine. Silver shorts and pants look über cool with white, so pack a couple of plain tees and go."

Shop for festival-friendly metallics:

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"Fringing is so done it's now totally dead. I'm sorry to report but it's actually quite old fashioned, a bit try-hard and totally impractical. This is not the sixties!"

Do you agree with Cher's advice? Let us know in the comments box below!

Opening Image: Getty/Emma McIntyre

Hannah Almassi
Editor in Chief

Hannah Almassi is the Editor in Chief of Who What Wear UK. Hannah has been part of the the Who What Wear brand since 2015, when she was headhunted to launch the UK sister site and social channels, implement a localised content strategy and build out the editorial team. She joined following a seven-year tenure at Grazia magazine, where she led front-of-book news, fashion features and shopping specials as fashion news and features editor. With experience in both print and digital across fashion and beauty, Hannah has over 16 years in the field as a journalist, editor, content strategist and brand consultant. Hannah has interviewed industry heavyweights such as designers including Marc Jacobs and Jonathan Anderson through to arbiters of taste including Katie Grand and Anna Dello Russo. A skilled moderator and lecturer specialising in the shift to digital media and e-commerce, Hannah’s opinion and work has been sought by the likes of CNBC, BBC, The Sunday Times Style, The Times, The Telegraph and MatchesFashion.com, among many others. Hannah is often called upon for her take on trends, becoming known as a person with their finger of the pulse of what’s happening in the fashion space for stylish Brits. Hannah currently resides in Eastbourne with her photographer husband, incredibly busy son and highly Instagrammable cat.