STYLE

ACL Fest's big fashion moments

This time, festival attendees show off ponchos, rain boots and umbrellas for the annual Austin music fest.

By Marques G. Harper
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Monday, October 05, 2009

And who said the annual Austin City Limits Music Festival wouldn't have major fashion moments?

Sure, Karen O of indie-rock group Yeah Yeah Yeahs gave Lady Gaga a true sartorial run for her money with a jaw-dropping costume on Friday night.

And yes, throughout the weekend, there were various rock-star looks from John Legend, the Decemberists, Alberta Cross and Kings of Leon, to name a few.

But the real fashion players were the thousands of people who attended the three-day fest.

This year, we had a Festie first: It was all about rain gear, and so much so that we heard stories about local stores having trouble keeping up with demand from out-of-towners, who likely planned for a sunny jaunt to A-Town, and Austinites, who have been rain-deprived for months.

One local store, Whole Earth Provision Co. on North Lamar Boulevard, shipped in extra rain jackets and boots from its San Antonio location for Sunday, the final day of the festival.

"We are sold out of our ponchos and most of our rain jackets. It's been crazy," said Rich Lee, the store's assistant manager. "(Saturday) was pretty much busy all day until the evening."

While we saw it all, there are several style trends to report. Poncho, whether store bought or handmade from trash bags or shower curtains, were the look for Saturday's rain. Porkpie hats were hot; straw hats, the usual ACL favorite, not so much.

Umbrellas to block the rain, not the sun, were a must-have accessory.

Bare arms and ripped muscle chests were in during sunny Friday, but largely out on Saturday because of the rain, mud and cool temperatures. Skin, covered in mud and not, was in again for Sunday afternoon's heat wave as many attendees opted to go barefoot and wear less clothing.

Sorry, gladiator sandals and flip flops. As we saw again and again, this ACL Fest belonged to the rain boots.

mharper@statesman.com; 445-3974