'Girl queen and a bit of skin': The thrifted and homemade outfits of Laneway

Thrift it, borrow it or make it was the motto for this year’s Laneway festival -goers.

Some wore cowboy hats and sparkly clothes that paid tribute to headliner Chappell Roan, known for her album The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess.

Others, who were more thrilled to see artists such as Lucy Dacus and Geese, ignored the cowboy princess theme and opted to prioritise their comfort, favourite colour schemes and sun safety. 

No matter the vibe of the outfit the shared attitude was simple: you don’t need to feed the fast fashion machine to rock a 'fit that would turn heads at a festival.

20-year-old Gizelle Paige was beyond eager and proud to show off a crocheted top she had made.

“I made this,” she said. “I’m really excited. If anybody asked me about my outfit, I’m so excited.”

Rata and Sophia’s outfits where thrifted as part of their efforts to remain sustainable while still looking their best.

“I think people buy whole new outfits. Sustainability is important,” Rata said.

Aside from sustainability, ‘not overheating, and sparkling’ were also a priority.

The group, from Auckland and Wellington, were there for a few artist but Lucy Dacus was at the top of their list.

Shae Lawrence and Maddy Brown had chosen to represent the artist they were most excited to see with cowboy hats and sparkly shorts.

Chapell Roan’s Midwest Princess theme was clearly the inspiration behind the fit.

“We’re wearing glitter and cowboy fits for Chapell Roan” Maddy said. “Sparkly midwestern cowboy princess.”

24-year-old Sahil Takin had taken a slightly different approach admitting that his outfit was not entirely his choice.

“My mother basically bought my whole outfit for me,’ he said. “She buys clothes for me, and she always gets it right.”

“I’m cosplaying the boyfriend who wears the most basic clothes because that’s what his girlfriend wants him to wear."

23-year-old Nat Rennett was the mastermind behind not only her own outfit but those of the whole group.

Nat's own dress was a collection of brightly coloured fabric cut out to look like Post It notes.

“This is all recycled I got the fabric second hand and it's on a second-hand dress and I did it all myself and the drawings are from my friends” 

Nat also had her must-see artist on a Post It stitched to the dress.

The idea was to get people to write on the notes so that the outfit can then become a festival keepsake.

Robyn Derecourt had a mix of old and thrifted clothes. The pants were an old pair that did not fit anymore, and Robyn had commissioned Nat to fix the problem by adding a ribbon to the sides.

“I paid someone to make them,” Robyn said pointing to Nat. 

“I wanted something fun in my usual colours of black and white”

Mereana Nihoniho’s creative vision was to turn a collection of thrifted items into a stylish skirt, also with the help of her friend Nat.

“These are just op shop ties from different stores” Mereana said. “I did the start of it and then I messed up... and then I had to go to work so Nat finished it.”

The group was collectively excited to see Lucy Dacus.

20-year-old Georgie from Christchurch had a fully thrifted and borrowed outfit.

“It’s all thrifted, these are from a guy at a party, my new rocks” she said pointing at her boots.

The rest of her outfit was either thrifted or borrowed from her sister.

“I’m a thrifted girl, I love to thrift,” she exclaimed proudly. “I don’t want to buy first hand because its expensive and it's bad for the environment.’

She was excited to see a variety of artists including Young Lean and Baldee as well as Geese.

20-year-old Charlie Spawn and her group of friends where all University students from Dunedin who had made the trip to see Chappell Roan, Pink Panther and Lucy Dacus.

Their outfits were a mix of thrifted, bought and borrowed from each other.

The vibe they were going for was powerful “girl queen and a little bit of skin”, not far from Chappell Roan’s sense of style.

19 year old Cobyrn from Albany had a mixed outfit, most of which was either thrifted or had been in his wardrobe for a while.

His shirt was an old purchase, originally with long sleeves which he had cut out to make it more summer festival friendly.

“I bought these new, you should not do that they suck,” he said pointing at his shoes.

19-year-old Sophie Ray and her friend Holly Webb from the North Shore had originally come to the festival as a pair but ran into Zara Morgan and Abby Ballinger while waiting in line to get in.

“We just met today,” Holly said. “We met in the line”

Their outfits were either thrifted or bought from Cotton On or Shien, something that Holly said was ‘unfortunate’ as they were fast fashion brands.