V Fest Survival
So you’re off to V, one of the few places you can wear Wellies and Waterproofs and not look like an extra from Country File but still that's no excuse to go all feral on me. Oversize ray bans (or the £2 aviators from Primark for the rest of us) and some kind of festival inspired head gear are obviously a must, oh and face paint is always a good idea so be sure to let out your inner 3 year old and go wild. With V Fest being a celebrity hotspot (understatement of the year right there) it’s only right you look absolutely fabulous.
Fashion
- Dry Shampoo and Topknots are your friend! Throwing your hair into a messy topknot is ideal, this festival season I plan on relying on pretty floral headbands to distract fromthe greasy birds nest that I like to call my second day hair. Also hats are life savers just be sure not to stand in front of someone really short, it may not go down too well.
- Pack a mac, it doesn’t have to be from Millets or resemble something your dad would wear on a family holiday to the Cotswolds, Primark do plenty of printed macs to keep you dry and rainproof. Don’t be forced to wear a bin bag to keep you dry – dumpster chic is not on trend this year guys.
- Whatever you do, do not wear a playsuit, last thing you need is to be standing half naked and vulnerable in a portaloo when all you wanted was to pee, not a good look.
- Wellies are not only perfect for a spot of welly wanging whilst you wait in line but are even better for wading around in the mud. Practical and perfect for when it chucks it down with rain which let’s be honest is a rather likely possibility.
- And finally don’t take it too seriously. If you still look like a 10/10 by the end of the day without so much as a trace of mud on your face or a single hair out of place then I applaud you and I will raise a glass to you. A glass of Pimms that is - obviously.
Survival
You won’t need to go all Bear Grills and start eating leaves or spider’s legs you’re only staying in a tent for the night but I do think that a little preparation is key to making your festival experience as pleasant as possible.
- A tent is a must unless you fancy lying on the cold hard ground like Taylor Swift. Chances are 99.9% of all the tents will look exactly the same so please don't buy a khaki green one from Argos; buy something weird and wacky, stand out in the crowd, you will thank me at 1am.
- Pack light, you’re not going abroad for 2 weeks, you’re sleeping in a field for a night so be real about this. Oh and whatever you do don’t bring a suitcase, people will laugh at you.
- Keep yourself hydrated, and no beer does not count! This is super important, we all love a jolly good knees up but you still need to be sensible and drinking plenty of water is the best way to avoid headaches and feeling groggy. You need to be on top form to get to the front of that crowd!
- Take only what you need in terms of valuables, your kindle, your IPod and your Ipad are probably not going to come in handy, just hazarding a guess with that one.
- Mum does generally know best, all those boring so called `essentials` can actually come in pretty handy. Plasters, wet wipes, sun cream, antibacterial gel, tissues, trust me on this one.
- And my final tip, the ultimate key to survival during the festival period – Stay away from the Portaloos, just stay away.
By Sophie Black