Festival Fashion - key trends

Summer festivals are a time for letting your hair down and enjoying yourself in the sun with drinks, friends and great music. What better place to show off your relaxed but fun summer style?

Prints

Teresa Palmer (left) and Nicole Richie show us how it's done at Coachella 2011

Prints capture the essence of a festival: loud, fun and carefree. Loose dresses provide the perfect base for a hot summers day, and when the evening comes you can throw on a cardigan or a light blazer to complete the look. Mixing print with denim, ala Nicole Richie, adds just the right amount of style to an otherwise basic outfit. Whether tribal, animal, floral or graphic, prints can be as detailed or simple as you like. Here's a few of my favourites...

From left: Floral print silk dress, £220 Tucker. Bird print shift dress, £29.99 River Island. Print shorts, £32.00 Motel.
Animal print dress, £62.00 Dahlia at asos.com

Hats

Whether you opt for a big and floppy sun hat, a fedora or a trilby, the hat has long been a fashion staple of festivals. Useful for covering up unwashed hair or just keeping out of the sun, it has multiple purposes and keeps you looking chic in the sunshine.

From left: Straw trilby, £32.00 French Connection. Flower-embellished, £320 Lanvin.
Navy stripe boater hat, £16.99 River Island. Black tie sun hat, £7.99 H&M.

Denim shorts

Shorts are both stylish and practical for jumping around in a festival crowd. They also give you the opportunity to flash your legs in the (hopefully) sunny weather and can be teamed with almost anything to dress them up or down. Whilst blue denim is a classic, don't be afraid to mix it up with ripped, embellished, printed or bright colour denim.

From left: Studded denim shorts, £75 Topshop. Distressed purple hotpants, £25 ASOS.
Posy print hotpants, £19.99 New Look. High-waisted red short, £110 Net-a-porter.

Playsuits

Never underestimate the power of a good playsuit. Whilst everyone else is struggling with seperates, you can pack lighter and be dressed in a flash with a playsuit. Prints are the way to go, but block colours can be brought to life with some bold accessories. Team with a hat or sunglasses, some tribal jewellery and a pair of gladiators for the ultimate in festival chic.

From left: Royal blue printed playsuit, £49.90 Mango. 2-in-1 playsuit, £32 Next.
Printed playsuit, £56 by Goldie at Topshop. Frill front playsuit, £39.99 River Island at ASOS.