Sponsored: 10 Fashion Trends That Ruled Lollapalooza 2013 + Win A $150 Converse Gift Card

Sponsored: 10 Fashion Trends That Ruled Lollapalooza 2013 + Win A $150 Converse Gift Card

Lolla fest style, in some ways, mirrors other fest styles: ill-advised headdresses, giant circle hats, teeny-tiny shorts, all variances of neon. In other ways, though, this year’s annual fete in Chicago was tethered to the bands that played — whether the slew of goths, old and new, repping proto-goths the Cure, or the 19 million variations on the “Bitch Don’t Kill My Vibe” logo T we saw (whose wearers were presumably Kendrick fans, but you never know these days), all fest style is, in some ways, unique. Here are ten types of looks we saw, and felt, among the rippling sea of tank tops and — like, more tank tops. The countdown starts here.

This feature is sponsored by Converse. Sweepstakes for the Converse gift card is now closed.

Julianne Escobedo Shepherd
It's really heartening to know how consistent the Cure fan aesthetic has remained for more than 30 years. On the one hand, you have this woman with the Cure shirt, a black maxiskirt and carrying a Morticia Addams umbrella who was really sweet about having her picture taken. She probably has a really respectable day job, something smart, like lawyer or urban development. And on the other hand, there's the younger woman in the classic quasi-schoolgirl/Emily The Strange motif that would have been bangin' in 1984, and still looks bangin' today. The best part about this look is, no matter who you are or when you wear it, you are not going to look like you're going for a subculture that is specifically OF a retro era, like certain rockabilly pin-ups tend to be pristinely '50s, because goth is perennially in-style: Just look at the amount of fashion editors who are presently wearing $1600 copies of a pointy buckle boot that London Underground has been selling for $150 since, like, 1962. Yet at the same time these ladies are nailing the look with low-maintenance accessories, somewhere between the aforementioned fashion editors and late-'80s street goths in Eye Of Horus makeup. All kudos to those who have made it their lifestyle!
Julianne Escobedo Shepherd
Alternately, looks from the early days of Lolla have cycled back into cultural prominence, and while it can look too throwbacky if overdone, these ladies modernized it with accessories: the Boy London hat with the sheer plaid duster; the baby backpack with the gartered thigh highs; the matching socks and sunnies that contrast with hot pink ombre hair. 1993 Perry Farrell would have been proud (and maybe would have tried to wife one of these ladies), but they look just as chill in 2013.
Julianne Escobedo Shepherd
Cats have been a major motif over the past few years owing to Tyler, The Creator's obsession with them (which resulted in a cache of very popular, cat-related Golf Wang merch, and subsequent knock-offs reaching from the runways of Shaun Samson to the hallowed halls of Forever 21). But this year's Lolla had a lot of people taking the cat theme to its next, post-Odd Future extreme: why wear the cat, if you can be the cat? The simplest way to transform a look you could probably be OK donning at Comic-Con is to add a simple accessory — cat-ear headband, cat-ear sunglasses (a cheeky variation on the presently-ubiquitous cat-eye). Or just go full-on costume, like this woman in a Lazy Oaf cat bodysuit (the flipside emblazoned with a tail) and cat-print sneakers. It should also be noted that Robert Smith's onstage ensemble was a black hoodie lined with cheetah-print fur. LOVECAT!
Julianne Escobedo Shepherd
For the past few seasons the pajama pant has been back and even seen as high fashion, a development we can fully appreciate for obvious reasons. Who doesn't want to essentially go to work in their extra-comfortable jammies and still be seen as appropriate? (Note: Do not try this with footies or anything flannel with a cartoon print on it. We're talking Don Draper silks here exclusively.) We saw tons of pajama pants on the mean streets of Lolla, but our favorite variation on that was the onesie that looked pajama-ish, but still had a modicum of shape to it, like a waistline. Word of advice to all: Milk this trend while you can.
Julianne Escobedo Shepherd
Style tip for 2014: wear the same thing your best friend wears. Granted, you might associate coordinated dressing with 4-year-old twins or Little League teammates, but with this you wanna go more The Warriors; think ill-tailored street toughs united (but no violence, thanks). Icona Pop's stage look was perfect for this: They wore the same plate-metal shift dress in contrasting hues and looked like a really chic cheerleading squad, and it turns out they weren't the only fest attendees with the same idea. The two ladies in contrasting black and chartreuse had the perfect idea (and the bright looks meant they could potentially find each other in the throngs if they got separated), while the woman in the super-cute striped shorts said she changed her outfit to match when her homie came over in the shirt. That's the spirit!
Julianne Escobedo Shepherd
Friday night was the only time it rained all weekend, imploring everyone to whip out their best raingear. There must be some kind of discount on the sheer, multicolored plastic rain poncho in Chicago, somewhere, because a good 3/4 of the Icona Pop crowd was wearing variations on the same, so that their audience looked like a field of human-sized, off-brand prophylactics in the "party shades." These two looked great with their pink and black and white, though, and while every third girl was wearing a flower crown a la Lana Del Rey, this one was our favorite. We also took photos of a group holding a giant tarp above them and a super cute lady wearing her New Orleans fleur de lis poncho, but the camera ate them.
Julianne Escobedo Shepherd
Jessie Ware was destroying in a black (leather?) croptop and flowing kimono jacket, an excellent way to go belly-out without looking like you're auditioning for a supporting role in Flashdance. Because of the generally nice weather (and, you know, TRENDZ), the crop-top and bralette were in high demand this Lolla; here are several classy examples of how to rock the outtie (or innie) with no "maniac on the floor" allowed.
Erika Goldring/Getty
Sometimes, man, you just wanna wear a cool button-down. Like, um, Thomas Mars, who is one of the masters of wearing a simple button-down and looking extremely polished yet wild chill. Wear it with a hat or a bowtie, the world is yours.
Julianne Escobedo Shepherd
Similarly, there is a way to be punk and also casual without getting all in your face about either thing. Emeli Sande, gorgeous-voiced and fashionably dressed, illustrated this by accessorizing a slouchy T with peace-sign creepers and acid-green hair. Alternately, camouflage homegirl was all about layering: two T-shirts and, um, bike shorts under denim cut-offs, giving Freaks & Geeks realness. Don't give a damn about her bad reputation.
Julianne Escobedo Shepherd
Hands down, the most popular look for men at this year's Lollapalooza was the Hawaiian shirt, or variation on the Hawaiian shirt. Dudes were going Hawaiian crazy. This is not a problem, but it becomes one when the Hawaiian shirt is paired with basketball shorts, as was seen on maybe 5,000 - 6,000 dudes over the course of three days. That is, as we say on the web, NAGL. However! That doesn't mean dudes cannot go festival-tropical: Just wear some shorts that are not made of workout lycra, like these guys! If you're feeling really bold, you can pair it with a contrasting print, like Chicago native Latham here, rocking the Hawaiian shorts and rose sweatshirt (and beer). Seriously, you can do it! Just pretend to yourself you are leaving your house when you get dressed, okay? Ask yourself, "What Would My Mom Say About This Outfit, Bro? (WWMMSATOB?)" You know the answer, bro.

more from Giveaway