What to wear to a proper techno rave or club
Electronic Music events are a melting pot for different people and their styles. From High Fashion to kinky to your basic hoodie. Everything can be found, but what is appropriate and what isn’t?
First of all, let’s weaken my introduction to this article. It’s not my right and not my job to tell you or someone else what cloth to wear and what to leave at home. The most important part in this article is the message:
Wear what you feel comfortable in!
This most likely will go hand in hand with a wardrobe that represents your personality. If you aren’t into bdsm why should you wear a harness or latex? And if you like your basic grey sweater why is that a “bad” piece for a night out. Unfortunately some clubs especially in Berlin have a very strict and sometimes strange door policy. In general I think that is a good thing, but often people associate that with a certain way they need to dress. A question:
If someone you are dating wouldn’t accept you the way you are and wanted you to change, would you?
Probably not, so why change for a meaningless place. Why change styles and wear clothing you don’t feel comfortable in. It doesn’t matter how cool you look in the eyes of others and or how spaced out it is. If you are uncomfortable and insecure about it, it is not worth it! Sure, go ahead, experiment, try out new fits, brands and styles but don’t try to represent someone you are not. But now let’s start with some pieces:
1. Earplugs:
Got you! An item you probably didn’t expect. But clubs and festivals are loud, think about your health. Your future self will thank you when you don’t suffer from tinnitus in your early 30s. Also some bonuses are it’s easier to stay longer at a party since your hearing won’t be exhausted that quick and it is easier to understand people. At least I feel that way when I am on the dance floor and someone is screaming in my ear.
It doesn’t matter if you are using cheap or special made ones. Just make sure they fit. Most of the time people don’t even notice them, so only advantages in utilizing them.
2. No overly expensive items
Defining what’s expensive is difficult. Everybody has a different financial standpoint. But constantly worrying that someone will step on your expensive sneakers or burn a hole in your jacket (you spend your whole savings on) is a clear indicator that those pieces are to valuable for a night out. Same things apply to unique or statement pieces you love. Going to a party comes with the risk to leave marks, holes and nasty smells in your clothing. Only dress in pieces you are ok with wrecking or potentially loosing. Dress in what you can afford.
3. Avoid big Branding
What people with expensive clothing also (!caution generalization!) often do is flexing by showing of big brands. From Gucci Logos to Off-white Stripes. Why? Nobody cares you spend $600+ on a T-shirt. Most will probably think you’re a spoiled person — section 2 — who doesn’t value money or his wardrobe.
But this Section isn’t only valid for expensive brands. In general a plain T-shirt, jacket or hoodie looks cleaner and way nicer than the logo of a fashion brand. There are clubs out there that turn down money from breweries or tobacco companies because they don’t want to advertise in their safe space. Help them and don’t wear advertisement on yourself.
4. No white shoes
This one is a personal one and I am sure some people will disagree with me. I like my shoes clean and take good care of them. In my opinion they should last a while and it always is a good first impression wearing clean stuff (including your shoes). Wearing white shoes to a club or festival is quite counterintuitive. They will get dirty, you can’t prevent it! People will step on them and you will never get them truly clean again.
I recommend you some dark-colored, comfortable sneakers. You will be dancing alot and you don’t want to worry about comfort and aesthetics. With black, grey or dark green no one will see any stains after you’re done cleaning them and you will be able to wear them after the party. Although I can only advise having a beater pair: some old kicks you don’t wear that much anymore.
An additional experience: I love thick shoes (e.g. Fila Disruptor, Balenciaga Tripple S) but wearing them while dancing is just annoying and a very unpleasant experience. Keep the weight of your shoes in mind.
5. Flare aka Accessories
Now that we’ve talked about which items to leave at home, let’s look into some stuff that can make your outfit truly unique. I personally love to see some interesting jewelry on someone. As stated before I am into basic clothing with maybe some interesting fit — but no loud prints. So adding some chains and rings can really elevate the appearance of your style. Sure it needs to be done tastefully and not like all fake diamonds with a lot of bling bling.
The fashion YouTube sangiev is a great example. His use of rings and chains is pretty bold but definitely an eye catcher. Maybe start with one or two items check if you feel comfortable and if you do so continue from there. Same goes for women. Even if you already wear rings try to mix it up a bit and maybe experiment with some bigger stuff like skull shapes.
Additionally, rings and chains are pretty cheap if you don’t go with precious metal. Try finding some shapes you like on eBay and Asos and for well under 50 bucks you’ll be able to add some flare to your outfit.
By the way, it doesn’t matter if you prefer silver or gold. Look what is most appealing to you.
6. Shoulder bags
Some love it and some hate it. I get it. This can be super hipster and there are people, that just don’t dig the aesthetic. But if you are constantly worried about stuff falling out of your pocket during a moshpit, think about a shoulder bag. Fanny packs are also great and usually smaller so they don’t influence your outfit too much. Especially not in a neutral color like black or dark green.
Women who usually don’t have pockets will love those small bags. But if you are just not feeling the aesthetics try this alternatively: Adidas Track pants with zip pockets. You won’t lose a thing.
To finalize things I want to show an example outfit. Since fashion is highly individual what’s better to show than how I go out. The picture is quite old and the pieces itself are nothing too special or to fashionable. But it’s at a good price point, has some interesting stuff going on and is very comfortable to dance for ages.
Sweater: The sweater is a bit against what I stated in Section 2 but most people can’t read Cyrillic letters so it often acts as a good conversation starter. It’s from Sputnik 1985, a small Russian brand and was around 50$. Also I adore drop shoulders.
T-shirt: I am usually wearing a black Uniqlo or Dickies T-shirt underneath the sweater. If it gets to hot just tie it around your waist and your good to go.
Jeans: Just some basic black jeans. Nothing more to say. Check if it is comfortable — brands don’t matter.
Shoes: Some Rebook Classics. Green shoes and green sweater is a nice combo. You can get the shoes for under 50$ on clearance and they are comfy as hell. Also due to the fabric they are easy to clean.
Accessories: Just imagine instead of the camera I had a fanny pack on.
So as you can see it is pretty basic as I stated before. Regardless, I love it and that’s what matters. For over a year I nearly always went clubbing in this outfit. And that is what matters. I’m sure there are tons more do’s and don’ts to discuss depending on personal preference. Those are just my two cents on the topic and maybe someone who was insecure before got some ideas out of it. To each their own and keep the spirit alive!
