Splendour Bender
It’s that fateful time of year again. The Indie and Wanna-Be Indie crowds have flocked from all over Australia to the Splendour in the Grass Festival, A.K.A Splendour in the Mud … I still have the scars from my gumboots last year to prove it.
Headliners this year include: The Cure, Flume, Matt Corby, The Strokes and Sticky Fingers. But those bands aren’t the only reason that girls here are ‘splending’ big (if you’ll pardon the pun). Any girl can tell you, planning the outfits for three days’ worth of partying can take months. Practicality is left in the backseat and heavy jewellery, short skirts and bare arms become first priority. The only smart investment festival folk seem to appreciate is the need for a solid, but cute, pair of gumboots.
Insider tip: It’s important to think ahead and buy a pair quick, especially if you live on the Gold Coast! A week before Splendour, every K-Mart, Big W and camping store in the district is sucked dry of their gumboot supplies.
When preparing your splendid wardrobe, I offer some friendly advice: don't even try to smuggle in your favourite shoes, or anything new and expensive for that matter. It doesn't matter how beautiful they are, they will get ruined. I was watching Showpo’s guide to Splendour outfits the other day and they were recommending some super cute outfits. But! On closer inspection, they were teaming them up with knee high boots which had heels… HEELS!! Take off an E, S and add an L, because that’s where you’ll be. The thought of spending $169 on a pair of boots that will survive for approximately half an hour (including travel time) makes my blood run cold.
Here is one of Showpo's videos ... do yourself a favour and read the Facebook comments below it. They corroborate my story.
Special mention to Sarah Watson for the comment, “All fun and games until its 3am, your white shirt dress is looking like Yeezy’s collection and our boobs are so cold they fell off already.” Also, warm mention to Olivia Lee for correctly identifying that “Whoever put these outfits together has clearly never actually been to Splendour before.”
As this is my second consecutive Splendour, I have a fair idea of how it works. This wisdom ranges from: figuring out how to dress for style/practicality, to sneaking in alcohol and avoiding messy boys who just want to get it on in the haystack between stage tents. It will be very cold at night, so when you aren’t rugged up in the body heat of sweaty mosh pit strangers, it’s important to have a light jacket handy that you can double as a belt during the day. Trust me, you’ll thank me when you’re stumbling back to your tent at 3am.
I’m originally from the Gold Coast but have been living in Sydney for a year and a half. For me, going to Splendour is more about coming home and catching up with my oldest friends. It’s 5 days (2 days on either side for setting up and dismantling camping equipment) of great people, great music and great vibes. If you manage to get tickets, I would recommend grabbing a group of your favourite people and heading on down. I’ll see you there!
Stay tuned to Quite Frankly’s Instagram @quitefranklyblog to see my outfits at the Festival.
And remember, don’t forget your gumboots and jacket!
Kaiya X
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