All of the Lollapalooza Street Style

Photos by Petya Shalamanova

Style is not the number one concern for most Lollapalooza guests. Festivalgoers tend to lean toward the “safe” option, with most men opting for tight tank tops and most women in booty-grazing short shorts. This is the Midwest after all, and even in its biggest city, the most style you’ll encounter is usually ripped from your most reliable fast fashion empire. But it is possible to find a gem or two in the tens of thousands. Actually, it wasn’t that difficult for us at all. Once we stopped filtering the festival through a skeptical lens, we were able to capture stories and characters begging to be remembered.

Name: Charmayne, 24
From: California
"I love trance. I love EDM. This is my first festival in the Midwest actually."

Name: Katelyn, 24
From: Minneapolis
"I’m trying to see Lorde and hopefully Eminem. Those are my big fan favorites for the weekend. The whole weekend, I’ll be excited to see Outkast. And just have the best time I can and enjoy the weekend. I’ve been looking forward to this since last year when I last came to Lollapalooza."

Name: Edna, 28
From: Mexico
"I just came here yesterday. I went to Michigan Avenue and took a boat on the river."

Names: Holly, 29 and Tracy, 25
"We’re sisters. We borrow each other’s clothes. We live together."

Name: Nick, I go by NickG., 20
From: West Side, Chicago
"I’ve been rapping since seventh grade. I have a mixtape coming out, and I go to UIC. I’m studying psych and I’m pre-law. This is just a rosary. I’m not that big of a religion freak, but I am into religion."

Name: J’Tia, 32
From: Chicago
“I was going for a hip hop festival theme. So I have a gold, chunky necklace, my b-boy hammer pants, and, for foot protection, my Timberlands. Toes get stepped on a lot. I don’t play that. I go for the full foot protection. I don’t go with the flip flops. I tried flip flops one year, and my feet were destroyed. I love my steel-toed Timberlands, which I wear everyday. With the outfit, it doesn’t matter. I want my toes to stay in tact. It’s always protection first.”

Name: Julian, 20
“My top is Di$count Universe. I wore it for Iggy because she wore one of these in the 'Change Your Life' video.”

Name: Alex, 24
From: Beverly, Chicago
“It’s a wig. I wanted to look outrageous.”

Name: Chris, 27, nearly 28
“I’m a rugby player. We got told to just freestyle. And we’re in dress up basically.”

Name: Peter, 24
“I’m a very huge Toy Story fan. I even have Andy written on the bottom of my boots. Fuckin’ Andy. My favorite Toy Story is the first one. Well, the last one made me cry. Is that kind of fucked up? They were the same age as us!”

Name: Ebony, 26
From: California
“I had to wear this outfit because OutKast are so animated. It only felt right to do this, to do them justice.”

Name: Emily, 22
From: Evanston, IL
“I’m going to grad school in California for political science. My stuff is from Target! Bomb on a budget.”

Name: Tina, 22
From: Aurora, IL
“The tutu is colorful like me.”

Name: Jane, 20
From: West Fargo, ND
“I designed the tattoo myself. I used to have really bad insomnia, so I drew eyes. I’d just paint them.”

Name: Kat, 25
From: Chicago
“My favorite tattoo? I have a tattoo of my dad. He passed away four years ago and he was my best friend in the world.”

Name: Andrea a.k.a. Dre
From: Chicago
“This girl’s boyfriend was a DJ, and he wore it on Halloween. He was a drag queen. And she was like, 'I can’t look at this anymore' because he broke her heart. So I just said, 'I’ll take it! I’ll wear it!' The Polish ambassador or something was her boyfriend, I think.”

Name: David, 30
From: Chicago
“I just wanted to put together a festival, rave girl look in one.”

Name: Joslin, 18
From: Arizona
Excited to see: Eminem, Portugal. The Man, and Foster the People.

Names: Daryl and Adrian
From: Wisconsin and California
"Our outfits are inspired by Drag Queens."

Names: Beverly and Travis
From: West Virginia
Excited to see: Spoon and Flosstradamus

Name: Chapman, 24
From: Chicago
"My clothes are inspired by my life, me, my dreams.”

Name: Christina 30
From: California
"My outfit is inspired by Frida Khalo."

Name: Scott 23
From: Chicago
“Sharknado Chic.”

Name: Elizabeth, 21
From: Chicago
“A friend made it for me five years ago for my Woodstock sweet 16.”

Britt Julious is a writer from Chicago. She's on Twitter - @britticisms

Petya Shalamanova is a photographer based in Chicago. Find more of her work here.

--

Want more Lollapalooza?

Eminem Did the Unexpected and Gave Lollapalooza Exactly What They Wanted

I Only Learn: Lykke Li's Power Ballads Keep Getting More Powerful

Summerplayalisticadillacmuzik: Outkast is a Soundtrack for All of Us

Chance the Rapper and Vic Mensa Took Over Lollapalooza and Gave the Festival What It Needed: Chicago

The Scenes of Lollapalooza, Day One

The Scenes of Lollapalooza, Day Two

The Scenes of Lollapalooza, Day Three