Once upon a time, festivals were all about flower crowns. There they sat, perched on the top of everyone’s lightly tousled locks from Chelmsford to Coachella. They instantly added colour to any outfit, they were whimsical enough to feel like an escape from your regular wardrobe and, fundamentally, they were pretty to look at. The one downside to flower crowns (and this is coming from someone who wore one basically every weekend from May to September 2016) is that they’d fall off your head and you’d watch them tumble, unceremoniously, into the dirt. Then get trodden on.
In 2017, you could hardly breathe for glitter. That’s not even a metaphor, so much as the brutal reality of anyone who tried to wear ‘glitter lips’ (hey, bonus exfoliator!) – but it felt worth it for that one glorious moment when the sun came out and suddenly you were a human disco ball, casting light wherever you deigned to turn your head.
But now we know glitter’s a massive ecological hazard, it’s kind of taken the shine off. And as thrilling as it was feeling like a human mermaid, it’s time to move on to greener pastures (literally and figuratively). So, how are we accessorising for 2018? What’s the party lewk du jour? We have a few ideas to put forward.
1. A bit of shimmer-shimmer
If you’re not completely ready to say goodbye to glitter yet, don’t worry, because shimmer (or metallics, depending on the brand) is this year’s replacement. It’s like glitter’s older, more sophisticated cousin who spent a summer in Paris and came back knowing how to pull off a beret and saying “Pret A Manger” rather than Pret.
The shimmer look ranges from megawatt highlighted cheekbones to crushed diamond lips to amazing, otherworldly eyes. Think: sci-fi space goddess.
2. Don't be afraid of your shadow
If you thought that eye shadow was all smoke and shimmers, your makeup bag needs an update. This summer is going to be about bold colours – and we’re not talking the weird sewerage coloured green on your palette you’ve never used. We mean blues and oranges and yellows. It’s pure Club Tropicana but without the dusty, chalky 80s, formulas. These eyeshadows are rich with pigment, so you’ll glow across a crowded field.
3. We like big baubles and we cannot lie
Statement earrings were huuuge last year, but in 2018 they’re going to be bigger than we even thought possible. Book that neck massage in preparation.
There are a million excellent things about massive earrings; they give the impression that you put an effort into your outfit even when you haven’t, they’re cheap and cheerful, and, crucially, while a lot of them are objectively gross, somehow even the ugliest of statement earrings manage to look wonderfully… well, statement-y.
Glastonbury might not be on this year, but there are still plenty of dancefloors to dominate – and plenty of time to hone your look before festival season kicks off. So grab some shimmer, some Crayola-bright shadow and some statement danglers and have yourself an outfit to remember, 2018-style.
