You know when you find an outfit that you just love and want to wear all the time? This is one of those outfits for me but unfortunately I don't have many upcoming occasions where this would be suitable! Nevertheless it was perfect for the Secret Garden Party teamed with a hella load of glitter and sequins on my face.
I've had this embellished smock dress for a while and love the flowy sleeves for a bohemian festival vibe. Teamed with some leather tan boots, bag and jewellery, you're good to go as the dress does the rest. It's effortlessly stylish and super comfy which is what you want if you're a little curvier and aren't so confident about baring flesh at a festival.
Have you been embracing festival fashion this year?
Shall I let you into the worst kept secret of Cambridgeshire? Every July on the outskirts of Huntingdon, there's a four day party like no other... That party is of course The Secret Garden Party.
If you're a long time reader you'll know this isn't my first year in the garden, in fact this year marked my 8th consecutive year of attending which just goes to show how marvellous this place is. You can never get bored of this festival with its ever changing themes and frolicking.
The theme for 2016 was TheGardeners Guide to the Galaxy, bringing Sci Fi art and expression to the festival which a lot of gardeners embraced wholeheartedly with silver costumes, psychedelic head dresses and much much more. The festival is a spectacle of gloriously adorned human beings who have come to the garden to escape the realities of the rat race and everyday life.
If you're new to the garden or haven't had time to get some glad rags, fear not as the festival has many a garment you can purchase to bring out you inner gardener. A particular favourite of mine is Rosa Bloom. The sequins entice my inner magpie.
You can also have festival face paint and make-up done whilst you're here by the talented artists like It's In Your Dreams and the like or you adorn your own face with glitter. The choice is yours.
The music at SGP is an eclectic mix ranging from Drum n Bass, Soul, Dance, Indie, Acoustic, Cheese and much much more. Acts such as Air, Temper Trap, Maribou State, Stanton Warriors and Caribou were just some of the artists to grace the various stages of the garden. I was particularly stoked to see Box of Light performing at the Where the Wild Things Are stage on the Friday with Helen looking dreamy as ever and belting out some awesome tunes with the band.
There's not just bands at this festival, oh no. There's beautiful dancers, mobile discos and sing a longs for everyone to get involved with and remember - you're not here as a spectator, you're here to get involved no matter how weird and wonderful it may be... As well as music there are craft areas, mazes, races, paint fights, yoga, spa sanctuaries, talks.... I could go on but every year it changes. There's lots of hidden places around the festival so keep your eyes peeled for the mysteries and enchanted areas.
Where else will you find a field of people on space hoppers jumping around to House of Pain? Expect the unexpected in the garden and be prepared to unleash your inner child. This is one of the main reasons I love the garden. It takes you away for the rig-moral of normal life and reminds you not to stress so much. It's a place to unwind and let off some well earnt steam.
Everyone is super friendly and ready to party. Having bumped into fellow gardeners from previous years, it's like greeting and old friend that you'll inevitably have a dance and a warm beer with. You'll easily make friends with your dancing neighbour or next to the couple in the crowd at the front. Don't be afraid to say hello to strangers. We don't bite!
Another aspect of the festival I love is the food. I think about food at the best of times but when you're surrounded by tents, campers and stalls selling such delicious grub, you can't help but be mesmerised - there is just SO MUCH CHOICE! From afternoon tea to Mac n Cheese, burgers to desserts there are so many taste sensations. This year I indulged with ostrich burger, pulled pork and of course pie and mash. All the carbs! The cocktails are pretty sweet too, as well as highly alcoholic. A couple of them blew my socks off and that's saying a lot coming from a seasoned drinker.
The atmosphere in the garden is something really special. Having attended a variety of festivals in my time from Glastonbury to V Festival, there's none quite like the Secret Garden Party. The vibe is a friendly and welcoming one with plenty of silliness to make you laugh. Sitting in amongst the crowd watching acts on the main stage, you can easily get lost in watching other gardeners with their bizarre attire, amusing props and daft dancing.
I love this festival and I've not even touched the tip of the iceberg with what you can do here. I for one have partaken in naked knitting, mud wrestling, sonic yoga and much more over the years but that is another story... To experience SGP you need to go for yourself and even then your experience won't be the same as anyone else's which I think is pretty special. What I can guarantee you though is a sense of euphoria over the four days and the feeling of freedom - something that nowadays as adults I don't think we get to experience as much as we should. You will come away from this magical place feeling revived and mentally cleansed. Exhausted? Yes - but worth it? F*ck yeah!
I have major festival blues this week. Sunday marked another year of The Secret Garden Party and every year I feel a little lost once it's over. What do I do now? Do I really have to return to adulting?
Whilst I wonder what the bloody f*ck I'm doing with my life, I do love that SGP is a place you can fully express your style and individuality. You can be a glam festival gal or wear the most garish thing you own - it doesn't matter and I can guarantee you that you look cool as f*ck regardless of your style and taste. Normal clothes are just boring in the garden.
I love these sunglasses. They're like marmite and most people I've asked think I either look like a martian or John Lennon wearing them. Either way I like them and that's the main thing. They're a quirky style and fun - what is not to love?
As for my dress, this is a DIY ensemble by yours truly. Fashioned from a maxi, this dress has been re-invented into a bardot and how could I not add some pom pom tasselling? That ruffle was screaming out for some pom pom-ness.
And of course no festival get up is complete without some sequin make-up am I right? I actually did this myself and I'm tempted to do a tutorial for you savvy festival goers. It's shockingly easy and a lot cheaper than having it done by somebody else.
So, my point with this post is to turn and face the strange. Look it in the eye and embrace it. Whats the worst that could happen? Your style is fabulous so don't follow the crowd and be happy in what you wear.
It has been too long since I've put together a crafty post but in all honesty I haven't felt inspired or been making anything worth doing a DIY post on. Today however I have a super simple DIY for festival feet. May I present to you embellished espadrilles!
Pom poms and embellishment on shoesies has been a big trend this year, one I have loved to embrace but sometimes it's fun to pimp your shoe yourself and can save you some dollar too!
I've had these espadrilles for a few years just tucked in a cupboard waiting to be worn but the green colour on its own was underwhelming and did nothing for me so I took to my sewing box to find some bits to jazz them up.
From beads to buttons, there's so many ways you can decorate your espadrilles to make them a one offunique pair as well as showcasing your personal style. I opted for some purple pom pom trim and some large disc sequins in complimenting colours to give my footwear some pizzazz.
So to affix your embellishment, you will need no more than a needle and thread. I opted to hand sew as it felt easier for me and went for a similar matching colour cotton.
To attach the pom pom trim to the edge of the front seam of the espadrille I followed it right round to each edge and over stitched it into place. Next up were the sequins which I dotted in between each pom pom and again secured with thread, leaving the stitch loose so there's some movement to the sequins when the espadrilles are worn.
And voila! That is literally all I did!
I'm so chuffed with how these turned out as not only are my espadrilles super comfy, they're now fun to wear and the perfect festival/holiday footwear too!
To see me actually doing a spot of sewing, you can watch the video I've made on these embellished espadrilles too. I had quite a lot of fun with this video and was trying to be creative so let me know your thoughts.
Anyway I hope you like this DIY post. Have you been inspired to embellish your espadrilles?
