How to Dress for a Concert

In light of Canadian Music Week, continuing this weekend, today’s Fashion Friday post is looking at what to wear to a concert.

Before you concert junkies scoff and assert your hipster-status by claiming “Who cares! I just throw on whatever is on the floor”, don’t lie, we all know you care. It’s obvious the careful thought that goes into the sufficiently well worn Converse and the bands last tour T-shirt proving you knew about them before everyone else did.

As for those who admit to the concern of looking good while enjoying a live show, good concert-wear combines fashion with practicality. You want to look good but you want to be comfortable and safe too. Sure, your new open-toed BCBG stilettos are needing a debut, but after a night of standing, sweating, being stepped on, pushed, pulled, and landed on, your once fabulous outfit is ruined.

If you ladies are attending one of the incredible punk/rock/folk shows on this weekend or in the future, here is what I suggest:

Skinny jeans
Skirts should be an obvious mistake. You are at a serious risk of an up-skirt, not to mention the wandering hands of a stranger pressed up besides you. You also don’t want a lot of skin exposed; sweating and rubbing into randoms is much more uncomfortable when it is skin-to-skin. Leave that for the bedroom. You also don’t want baggy clothes that can be pulled from you and can soak up other peoples sweat. Skinny jeans look good, quickly alert you to potential groping, and keep the transfer of other peoples sweat and potential rips to a minimum.

Minimal jewellery
Long, dangling jewellery will fall off, or worse, pulled out. So leave your grandmothers ring and that necklace your boyfriend just bought you at home.

 T-shirt
Long sleeves, or worse, a hoodie, are way too hot for a show. You will faint of dehydration before the headliners hit the stage. Boob tops are completely unacceptable. Don’t do it unless you are a groupie. (Look for those girls at the front, on the side closest to the bands door). Graphics and logos on the T’s should be representative of the scene, or better, reflect your style and interests. In a mass of everyone wearing the same style of clothes, what’s on your t-shirt sets you apart. 

No purse
There are no room for purses at a show. Not only do they take up unnecessary room and weigh you down, but you are at a huge risk to have stuff stolen from it while you’re not looking. I put my car key, some bills and my ID in my sock (because again, shoes can fall off).

Sneakers
The most important part is to have comfy shoes. No heels, sandals, open toed, leather, suede; basically nothing that would be ruined or physically hurt you when stepped on. Laces are a good idea too, as after every show there is usually a random shoe left, so tie them tight!

Low ponytail
As a taller person, there is nothing more annoying than being at a show and having some shorter girl flick her high ponytail in my face. Long hair that is not tied back is disgusting because it ends up resting on someone’s shoulder or stray strands hanging off of their clothes. So please, for tall girls like me, tie it back and tie it low.

Depending on the venue, the music, the scene and your location within the crowd, your experience will differ; but these suggestions all apply.

And remember that you can be fashionable and enjoy live music; deluded, criticizing hipsters be damned.

 (Pictures from http://www.cloggs.co.uk/content/ebiz/cloggs/invt/490/blackhi_m.jpg, http://headlessshirts.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/august3rd09-collage1.jpg, http://frnxchge.blogspot.com/2008/01/cheap-monday-womens-skinny-jeans.html, and http://www.the-fed.org/media/volume22/issue0/carter_hipster.png)