Yesterday marked the kickoff of the Austin City Limits Music Festival, Bat City’s annual two-weekend bacchanalia along the banks of the Colorado River featuring art, food and, of course, live tunes galore.
If you’re free next weekend, grab a ticket — helluva lineup waitin’ for you down there.
Either way, got us thinking: dressing for an outdoor festival can be a tricky proposition — opportunities for sartorial misstep (and sometimes several accompanying physical missteps) abound.
So in honor of ACL, we tapped Ryan Smith, creative director of Austin menswear boutique By George, to curate a proper show ensemble, Austin-style.
1. Visvim Ute Moc Folk Sneaks
“Not cheap, but worth it! These suede babies are styled like a classic moccasin with hand-sewn stitched fronts, and the mesh backs street ‘em down a bit. Austin hippy meets Vibram smart. Visvim’s cult-status menswear designer, Hiroki Nakamura, produces one-of-a-kind pieces that can work as utility players in many different rock arenas.”
2. Kelly Cole Vintage Rock Tee
“I was 4 going on 5 years old when Thriller dropped, and strangely, I have fond memories of older kids on my neighborhood block in Houston flattening cardboard boxes (right on the street) and breakdancing to these songs bursting out of heavy speaker boxes. These authentic, SUPER soft rock ‘n’ roll tour T-shirts exude comfort and fun. Going to concerts and music festivals like ACL is about relaxing and letting whatever’s going to happen just do its thing.”
3. Calvin Klein Undies
“Yup, everybody needs ’em … you, me, Marty McFly. We all love that sweet CK elastic band that pokes out above a pant waistline. This time Raf Simons is in the designer’s seat as Creative Director of this season’s 205W39NYC luxury ready-to-wear line.”
4. Our Legacy Neon Nylon Cap
“Keeps the sun out but won’t make you sweat. It’s hard to reinvent the baseball cap game. Just pick one that’s nice, light and fits your dome. This Stockholm line represents season after season with impressive color stories across the board.”
5. Lemaire Single Pleat, Drawstring Baggy Short
“Don’t wear pants to an outdoor music festival. Do these. Silky, loose shorts that can draw as much or as little as you want. I think the cool print offsets a boxy, darker solid tee really well, too. Good airflow is key at the fest!”
6. GravLabs Pipes
“While sun essentials such as sunscreen and shades are super important, don’t forget these local Austin GravLabs pipes, which are blown glass for your pocket.”
Musical bonus: Smith’s creative director duties also extend to the city’s premier restaurant group, MMH, where he curates the playlists for all seven award-winning haunts. Herewith, his latest to keep your head nodyding until you’re able to make it down Austin-way in person.
Nota bene: By George is in the process of uploading all their gear to the interwebs, but in the interim they’re more than happy to fulfill orders over the phone at (877) 472 5951 or via email.
Photography by Annie Whitehead
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