What To Wear in SXSW + $700 Nordstrom Giftcard Giveaway

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Outfit details: Dress (similar) | Red Sunglasses | Beige Sneakers (similar) | Fringe Earrings

Early this month, I decided to take a trip to Austin with some of my close friends! With festival season starting, I knew I wanted to start off by attending South by Southwest (SXSW). It’s one of the few times in the year I’ll go out and network with other social media professionals, and I knew it was an opportunity I didn’t want to miss (read more about my experience here). As I was chatting about all the fun activities to do during that weekend, my friend blatantly asked, “Cool, so what do you think I should wear?”It never occurred to me how overwhelming it would be to style outfits to a festival as a blogger. Although comfort is key, making your style stand out from a huge crowd can be really impressionable. With the amount of media and press around the city (aka NY Times, Refinery29, Essense, etc.), your streetstyle outfit can easily be the gateway to self-plugging your online business. So, I decided to share the top trends to wear during SXSW for that picture-perfect festival look. Just be sure to stay tuned at the end of my post for a $700 Nordstrom Gift Card Giveaway!

NO HEEL/LOW HEEL SHOES

When it comes to Downtown Austin, keep your feet close to the ground! You will inevitably be walking from place to place and it’s important to make sure your shoes are lightweight and comfortable around the arch of your foot. You’ll see most people walking around in sneakers and sandals, so make that a staple to your wardrobe when you’re attending SXSW. However, you can find all sorts of stylish shoes that have little to no heel! Some blue suede sandals or a pastel colored pair of Keds can make a huge difference to your style.

BRIGHT COLORED SHORT SUNDRESSES

Feel easy breezy with a colorful dress! When I was wearing my blue polkadot dress around SXSW, I got so many compliments + I was extremely comfortable wearing it all day. Some of my favorite dresses that are festival worthy are from American Eagle, like this red printed shift dress. What I adore about dresses is that you can easily dress them up with accessories for a day-to-night look transition, and with the Austin weather, I highly recommend choosing dresses with short or no sleeves to stay cool with the warm, humid temperatures.

DENIM SHORTS

Denim shorts are a classic item to wear for festivals, and it’s been taken to a whole new level at SXSW! With the eclectic vibe of the city, you can definitely amp up your style with finding shorts with flair! Find denim shorts with ruffle details, hemming, and unique washes for a fun look; even shorts with floral embellishments or scalloped detailing can help elevate simple clothing items. Just be sure to avoid the camel toe look, and you’re good to go!

DESIGNER BELTS

Ever since the start of the year, designer belts have been a popular trend in the changing seasons and it has transitioned into festival looks as well! Can’t afford the chic Gucci belt? No worries, I’ve found some stylish designer belts that are more affordable, like this Isabel Marant leather belt. Make your outfits have a slight western flair with a thick belt that gives your outfit extra pizzazz.

SKORTS

Skort are back in style and have come a long way since the 90’s. You can easily rock the girly, preppy look without worrying about having a “Marilyn Monroe” moment in downtown Austin. I love the different styles that are coming lately, like this adorable gingham printed skort with tassels. Opt for a bright colored skort to give a fresh spring look! Although the skorts I picked out are high end, you can find cheaper alternatives like this $9 red ruffled skort from Boohoo.

MUSIC GRAPHIC TEE

SXSW is the perfect occasion to proudly rock your fave music graphic tee! Love the Beatles? Kiss? Jimi Hendrix? Let it be known with your tee during the music festival; you might start a few conversations with other die-hard music fans as well. I personally like music tees that only have the music lyrics, like this Beatles “Cant Buy me Love” shirt from Alice + Olivia for a unique take on the standard band tee trend.

What trend would you wear to a music festival? Let me know in the comments below! For all my readers who support me and have been reading my posts for years, this giveaway is exclusively for you! I teamed up with my favorite bloggers to give away a $700 value gift card to Nordstrom and you can enter to win with the widget below my pin! This giveaway is open for 2 weeks, so be sure to enter with as many entries right away for a chance to win!