Attending a special concert is a right of passage for many musicians and music fans. Everything about it is meaningful; the memories you make, the songs performed, the goofy unexpected things that happen – everything!
Your choice of clothes can make or break a great concert experience. On a practical level, badly-picked clothes can be a logistical nightmare. On a purely personal level, fashion choices can make you feel more connected with the community around you.
I’ll admit it: I’m not a huge fashion buff by any means. However, I do appreciate what fashion can represent individually, practically, and socially. In this article, I’ll look at how to pick indie- and alt-inspired outfits that are both practical and fashionable.
Table of Contents
The Practical Things
*(Otherwise Known as 6 Important Things You Might’ve Never Considered!)
No matter how fashionable you try to be, it won’t be fun if you can’t do basic things like sit, walk, and pay attention. Here are six things to consider when picking your alternative rock outfit.
Practical Thing #1: Be COMFY!
Indie and alternative cultures strive for a casual environment over anything else. They want you to be your authentic self and enjoy the experience.
With that said, there’s nothing wrong with wearing jeans and a T-shirt. While it’s fun to tinker around, this is a perfectly acceptable outfit.
At the end of the day, my motto is always “practicality over looks.” Take everything into consideration: where are you parking? How far do you have to walk? How long will you be standing? Will you be dancing?
Practical Thing #2: Don’t Dress Too Hot!
No, I don’t mean that way 😛 I mean literally hot! No matter the size of your venue, huge crowds can get sweaty, musty, and wild.
As a result, you don’t want to be sweating like a pig. Rather than wearing clothes that are inherently heavy, try layering. Even if it’s cold outside, try to wear something that you can easily take off when you get inside.
Practical Thing #3: Wear Sturdy Shoes!
Huge crowds mean foot-stomping — don’t get stomped! You don’t have to wear 100-pound boots on both feet, but at least wear closed-toed shoes. And please, please, don’t wear high heels!
Converse and Dr. Martens are both great choices for stylish yet sturdy footwear. If you really want to, you can get models with high soles to keep out of puddles and spilled drinks.
Practical Thing #4: Have Pockets!
You’d be surprised at how much you’ll need “just another pocket.”
Between tickets, car keys, wallets, and other sundry accessories, you don’t want to worry about them everywhere you go. Sturdy, deep pockets take care of all of ‘em!
Practical Thing #5: Weather!
Lastly, we come to the weather – plain and simple. If your concert is outside, then watch the forecast.
However, if you’re inside, still check. If you have to park far away from the theater, you’ll need to be ready for rain or cold temperatures.
Values of Indie and Alternative Rock, and Why They Matter In Fashion
Before diving into alternative rock outfit ideas, it’s important to know where they’re coming from.
You certainly can wear jeans and a t-shirt, but dressing with indie values in mind can help you connect better with the audience. This, of course, makes for a more meaningful experience!
Indie rock has taken on many forms and sounds through the years, but they all come back to two things; punk rock’s DIY ethic, and a rejection of mainstream music.
They intended to create music for a small, self-sustained community with their own rules. By doing this, they put a huge emphasis on individuality and consciously curating an authentic image.
Alternative rock was essentially the same, with a slight twist; rather than being united by common experiences or intellectual ideas, alt rockers created their sounds based on regional quirks.
What does this mean for clothing? It’s pretty simple actually!
By hand-picking an outfit that expresses who you are as an individual, you live out indie values of conscious individuality. If you pick an outfit that compliments where the band came from or identifies with their subculture, you can express solidarity with their identity!
Expressing yourself AND celebrating an indie band! It’s simple, but it can mean a lot!
Several Unique Alternative Rock Outfit Ideas
Of course, you’re free to do your thing – but sometimes it helps to get suggestions to get the ball rolling. Here are a few brief ideas that can inspire you!
Outfit #1: The Simple One
Maybe you appreciate a band but don’t really want to think about a special outfit. That’s not a problem! As mentioned earlier, it’s very simple to dress casual and classy!
Here’s all you need: some nice jeans, a band shirt, Converse or Dr. Martens shoes, and a spiffy hoodie or cardigan.
If it gets too hot and you need to take your hoodie/cardigan off, here’s a trick: tie it around your waist, through your beltloops – that way you won’t lose it in a crowd!
If you want to shake it up a bit, you can always get “distressed” or ripped jeans to stand apart. You can trade out a band shirt for a plain white shirt – the old jeans/white combo never gets old. Lastly, you can substitute a cardigan with a leather jacket (or pleather if you’re gonna be dancing).
Outfit #2: Blackout
It’s tricky to find a balance between over-dressing and under-dressing sometimes. You want to stand out from the crowd, but you don’t want to distract others.
Wearing all black fixes this problem. It looks stylish and classy without being distracting.
Outfit #3: Classic Grunge
If you were to name some of the most important alt-rock subgenres in history, grunge would probably be on top. Thankfully, it’s a simple style to emulate!
Born in Seattle, the grunge aesthetic thrived on thrift-store hand-me-downs, ripped jeans, and combat boots. Washingtonians tended to be chill, and all that rain made boots a necessity.
If you want inspiration, check out any ’90s grunge band. Besides thrift stores, Levi Strauss jeans are a classic.
Outfit #4: Hipster
While many so-called hipsters nowadays might be dressing hipster just to look “cool” (whatever that means), the authentic hipster mentality of anti-commercialism and individuality lives on from the 60s.
Easy ways to exude a hipster image include skinny jeans, Converse, flannel or collared shirts, leather, and a beanie. Also, anything vintage-looking will fit the bill — get creative!
But please don’t wear a big hat – it will get in the way of other audience members!
Outfit #5: Bohemian
While the “bohemian fashion movement” might be a recent phenomenon, the bohemian lifestyle is as old as mankind. Bohemians were free-spirited individuals with a deep desire to travel and explore.
Fashion-wise, this is represented in flowing clothes, multicultural accessories, and a carefree spirit. Anthropologie is known for their bohemian products, as well as companies like Raga and Free People.
Conclusion
And there you have it, a list of practical advice and several outfit ideas! Planning the clothes you wear doesn’t have to be a huge ordeal, but it certainly is a lot of fun.
No matter your budget or what you choose, the most important rule is to be you. Just you. Not what other people think you should dress like.
Just you. That’s good enough! And now – off to the thrift shop!
