Tag / harrington jacket

by Beau H.

Curtain Call: Recapping a stylish music festival

Most of the spread for the weekend. What worked and what didn't? Read on below.

Most of the spread for the weekend. What worked and what didn’t? Read on below.

This past weekend, I had the amazing and incredibly fun opportunity to go to San Francisco for the Outside Lands music festival. Of course, I had an absolutely awesome time! Particularly because I had a great travel companion, my beautiful girlfriend Liz. The festival atmosphere was incredible, the music rocked (getting the chance to see Local Natives, Haim, and Death Cab for Cutie, back-to-back-to-back, on one stage!) and the food at the festival was equally delicious. Heading across the country was also a great chance to put my packing skills to the test. Going into the festival, I knew the weather would be chiller than New York City (in the ’60’s), yet also with the potential for some rain and wind. While not rainy (with the exception of some Saturday sprinkles), the weather ended up cloudy to partly cloudy, with some chiller-than-expected temperatures. With that in mind, check out the outfits I wore below (and for more on my daily wardrobe picks, follow @beauiswearing):

Friday

 

Chambray shirt by J. Crew. Jeans by Uniqlo. Boots by Steve Madden. Watch by Stuhrling. Glasses by Burberry.

Chambray shirt by J. Crew. Jeans by Uniqlo. Boots by Steve Madden. Watch by Stuhrling. Glasses by Burberry.

Saturday

Popover shirt by J. Crew. Charcoal cardigan by Frank & Oak. Jeans by American Apparel. Boots by Steve Madden.

Popover shirt by J. Crew. Charcoal cardigan by Frank & Oak. Jeans by American Apparel. Boots by Steve Madden. Ready to see Local Natives and Haim.

Sunday

Using the versatile chambray shirt-and-cardigan combo to stay warm at the Golden Gate Bridge.

Using the versatile chambray shirt-and-cardigan combo to stay warm at the Golden Gate Bridge.

As you can see, there were definitely certain items I returned to across the weekend (hopefully one of the signs of a versatile packing job?). I found that for both the flight there and concerts on Friday (including a fantastic show by Bleachers), my chambray shirt and dark denim more than got the job done in terms of being comfortable for the plane ride and wearable to the festival itself, although it did get slightly chilly on Friday night sans cardigan or jacket.

The tank top stayed in the bag, and the popover needed to be paired with a cardigan.

The tank top stayed in the bag, and the popover needed to be paired with a cardigan this past weekend.

 

Throughout the rest of the weekend, I was caught off-guard by how chilly it really did feel, which led me to layer my cardigan over my popover on Saturday, and again over that same chambray shirt on Sunday; however, an unexpected final-day temperature spike led to the cardigan being a bit too much. And while I hadn’t previously worn the combination, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked pairing my black jeans with my trusty brown Steve Madden boots. In fact, given the hilly terrain of Golden Gate Park and the requisite dust from trampled grass, I consistently reached for my boots again, not my white Tretorn sneakers. The chilly weather (with the exception of Sunday afternoon) also meant that my khaki shorts and blue-striped tank top stayed in my bag. But reaching for my desert boots meant that I got good wear out of the pairs of patterned socks I brought, including a red paisley pair from American Eagle (not available online). On the accessories front, I consistently wore my brown braided leather belt and brown Stuhrling watch, which I found was polished enough for both the festival and dinner afterwards. And while it was a good option to bring, the only time I wore my black Timex Weekender was on the flight home (paired with a short-sleeve gray henley, black jeans and my white Tretorn sneakers). Lastly, as a light jacket, my black Harrington jacket definitely worked as a nice extra layer for the plane.

Were I to pack for a similar climate in the future, I would change a few things up. Namely, I would bring one more long-sleeve collared shirt (probably a blue OCBD) and one additional pair of slim jeans in a slightly different wash for variety (something like this). Additionally, I would leave the tank top at home and add in another pocket T-shirt in a neutral color. I would definitely grab my cardigan and jacket again, and absolutely keep my chukka boots, brown leather watch and brown belt handy. Packing for this trip was a great exercise in putting fundamentals like versatility and function to the test, and I can’t wait to do it again.

Any experience packing for trips or festivals that you’d like to share? What to bring and wear (or what NOT to bring or wear)? Leave it below! 

by Beau H.

Show Time: Packing for a music festival in style

This weekend, I’m heading to Outside Lands music festival in San Francisco. Along with being excited to see some great music (including personal favorites like The Killers, Arctic Monkeys, Haim, CHVRCHES, Local Natives, Bleachers and Lucius) I’m also excited to get out of New York City and experience all that San Fran has to offer alongside my lovely girlfriend, Liz. This, of course, presents a pretty neat opportunity to hit the road in style! And while what I’m wearing certainly won’t be a central focus of the trip, it’s always nice to be dressed appropriately for any situation, including festival-going.

While that could quickly devolve into wearing clothes more suited for a rave than being out among real people, for instance, it’s my goal to not let that happen. That’s why I’ll be bringing the following assortment of clothing on the road with me, packed into my Navali Stowaway Weekender Bag (look for a full product review on this piece in the coming weeks).

Most of the spread for the weekend.

Most of the spread for the weekend.

Chambray shirt (J. Crew)

Short-sleeve geometric popover (J. Crew — similar here)

Striped tank top (Bonobos)

Charcoal pocket T-shirt (American Apparel)

White V-neck T-shirt (Not pictured — similar here)

Dark denim (Uniqlo)

Black denim (Not pictured — American Apparel)

Khaki shorts (Banana Republic — similar here)

Braided leather belt (Target)

White sneakers (Tretorn)

Brown desert boots (Steve Madden)

Two pairs of patterned socks (Similar styles here)

Brown leather watch (Stuhrling)

Black Timex Weekender watch with patterned strap (The Knottery)

Light charcoal cardigan (Frank and Oak) — similar here

Black Harrington jacket (Not pictured – -Ben Sherman)

Now, when packing for a trip like this, I took care of the obvious first — checking the weather. The forecast in San Francisco through the weekend calls for temperatures in the high 60’s to low 70’s, with partly cloud skies — ideal weather for escaping the sometimes-crushing heat of NYC and also a nice, temperate way to spend some time outdoors. Of course, being on the water and all, I expect it’ll get chiller at night and potentially rainy (genius thinking, right??). So with all that in mind, here’s more on what I came up with.

Blue on blue on blue.

Blue on blue on blue.

Yes, the popover, chambray shirt and tank top all feature shades of blue. Like others, I have a bit of a thing for that color — but I’m breaking away from it, or trying to, at least. I plan to wear the chambray shirt with dark denim and desert boots for travel. as the desert boot is polished and yet sturdy enough to allow me to get through the airport, and around the city, in style. And the great thing about the chambray shirt is that I can definitely see myself pairing it with black denim and sneakers to head to the festival, or wearing it with khaki shorts elsewhere.

The popover serves much the same function — if it does heat up, I can turn to a short-sleeve option and pair it equally well with black or blue denim, and sneakers or desert boots in turn. The breezy tank top is yet another option to turn to if it gets warmer than expected — the stripes are bold and bright, perfect for a summer festival without straying too far into neon territory. And in case I feel like a change of shirt in between the festival and dinner, I wanted to have a couple versatile extras on hand — the charcoal pocket tee is just different enough than a regular T-shirt, and a white V-neck is simple and straightforward.

On the accessories front, a pair of patterned socks in a relatively neutral grey or black can work interchangeably with the desert boots, blue denim and any of the tops. And because my black jeans are slim enough to wear sans belt, a braided brown leather belt will work the rest of the time with my dark denim and brown leather strap watch. The brown watch is dressy enough to wear out to dinner, but clean and minimal enough to wear at a show, while the Timex Weekender with interchangeable straps creates another set of colorful, coordinated options. To top it all off, if it gets chilly or rainy (or both), I can throw on either the black Harrington jacket or the charcoal cardigan and still look polished and crisp. At least, that’s the plan anyways.

Look for a recap next week of what worked (and what didn’t work) with this packing plan!

What’s your go-to festival get-up and what’s in your bag to get there? Leave it in the comments below.