So you’re saying your ideal concert is several competing shows happening simultaneously along the perimeter of a large, dusty field with limited shade coverage? Happy festival weekend, y’all!
With highs in the nineties and not a single cloud to pray to, thousands bravely gathered at Zilker Park for the Austin City Limits Music Festival last weekend with plans to get scolded by Chappell Roan, witness Dua Lipa’s improved choreography firsthand, and, of course, show off their own three-day lineups of festival looks.
Before we even made it to the park this year, we reminisced about the styles of ACLs past, nostalgic for a time when “festival fashion” carried no SEO weight and a simple halter top and baseball cap did an outfit make. But while ACL’s 2024 fashion draws inspiration from the trends of twenty years ago, we spotted things this weekend we simply can’t attribute to the Y2K resurgence.
“I think the story is butts,” a friend told me as we tramped across the park. Whether their rear ends were peeking out from under a pair of frilly gingham bloomers or on full display in a glittery thong leotard, festgoers looked notably cheekier this year. When it came to shorts in general, there was a lot of playfulness with length: denim microshorts, the longest pair of jorts you’ve ever seen, and plenty in between—including of the boxer shorts variety. We also saw athletic shorts pointedly paired with nonathletic tops and shoes.
Some of the Texas festival staples we’ve come to know made their expected returns. Western touches—by way of cowboy hats, bolo ties, and shiny new boots (RIP, the backs of your ankles)—still dominated, and we can’t seem to deny the ease of a matching set, whether it be crocheted or animal-printed. Newer to the scene were the bubble skirts and dresses floating across the field and the unfortunate insistence on business casual chic, as evidenced by vest tops and tailored button-downs.
Headed to the second ACL weekend and not sure what to make of all this? Consider this: festival fashion is fun because, like the festival itself, it’s a little absurd. So opt for whatever makes you feel both most comfortable and absolutely insane. Yes, I mean glitter freckles.
An all-white look might be considered gutsy under festival law, but Jody Hopson and Humberto Rodriquez managed to pull off their completely thrifted, monochromatic looks with impressive post–Labor Day confidence.
Photograph by Darice Chavira
“Do a spin!” we told him. And spin Ty Collins did. Of his fringed look, Collins, who hails from Minnesota, said, “I enjoy dressing from the past, as that is when I feel I should have been born. I absolutely love pre-owned items that have a history and have been worn.” Collins also donned a mix of jewelry handed down from his mother and made by a friend. Although he was most excited to see Chappell Roan, he was surprised to find himself more moved by Chris Stapleton’s performance.
Photograph by Darice Chavira
Sneakers are the more comfortable option. Sandals, even. But this is Texas, y’all, and if you thought festgoers were going to pass on an opportunity to pull on and stomp around in their most impressive boots, you’d be (respectfully) wrong, wrong, wrong. Brownsville native Andrea Velazquez didn’t think twice about opting for these rhinestone boots.
Photograph by Darice Chavira
There’s nothing better than a festival friend. Especially when you coordinate your outfits as seamlessly as Californians Aimee McAfee and Ally Kroeckel, who made it out to Austin for their very first ACL. The pair thought the boxer shorts and bloomers trends made the most sense in the heat, and they said they can’t wait to return.
Photograph by Darice Chavira
Putting on a single item of clothing and calling it a day is truly the stuff of festival legend. Props to Cole Bohner from Dallas, who originally purchased his red overalls via an Instagram ad. He wore these onstage when performing with his band Willy and the Wildcards.
Photograph by Darice Chavira
Put him in, coach! Marco Solis said his sporty and edgy outfit was intended to match Dua Lipa’s vibe for the artist’s Saturday-night closing performance. Solis, who is 29 and “definitely feeling it,” said he couldn’t help notice that this year’s ACL crowd felt younger.
Photograph by Darice Chavira
Despite the heat being “an absolute killer,” El Paso native Natalie Casper said she appreciated how all out people went with their ACL ’fits this year. She paired her Western corset with a pair of earrings that resembled mini bottles of Austin’s very own Tito’s Vodka. Cheers!
Photograph by Darice Chavira
Megan Dena of Fort Worth said she loves to shop secondhand and elevated the typical Western wear look with a pair of heart chaps she found on Facebook Marketplace.
Photograph by Darice Chavira
Houstonian Rohan Agnihotri (left) landed on his “psychedelic Western” look by mixing sixties and seventies touches with standard cowboy boots. He noted that the festival seemed more friendly and welcoming this year, and he attributed the shift to artists such as Chappell Roan and Tyler the Creator who “exude authenticity and inclusivity.” His friend Daniel said he typically likes colorful clothes with looser fits that are “nineties grandpa–core.” He sourced his Looney Tunes overalls shirt from an online thrift shop.
Photograph by Darice Chavira
You might not be shocked to learn that the inspiration behind Cruz Hernandez Vasquez’s outfit was a love of butterflies. “I wanted my ACL outfit to stand out but still feel true to me, and what better way to do that than to wear a big, gorgeous butterfly?” Hernandez Vasquez relied on local thrift store Pavement for a few of the items that comprised his colorful look. It was his first ACL ever, and he told Texas Monthly it was “a blessing to have even gone,” and that he generally enjoyed watching others get excited to see their favorite artists and leave with new friends. Don’t fly off just yet, Cruz.
Photograph by Darice Chavira
