When the collab mail from Debenhams landed in my inbox, I responded quicker than the letters came out of my fingers. Debenhams were taking little old me to Wireless Festival (VIP) and hooking me up with a new outfit. This is what London summer dreams are made of right?
I was asked to go a little wild and pick a festival outfit of my choice, which included some trainers. It’s almost as if Debenhams knew me because that’s all I wear. When it comes to festivals I usually dress for comfort over style but I always forget you can do both.
Trainers are a must
Trainers at a festival are an absolute must. You’re on your feet all day, and god knows what you’ll be stepping in (hello portaloos) but best of all, they pull an outfit together. From a summer dress to denim cut offs and a tee, you can’t deny trainers are the epitome of cool. Best of all, there are so many brands to suit you. I’m a Converse kinda gal and I love them when they’re box fresh and when they’re a little worn in. I chose classic low-tops in black as they go with everything and don’t cut off my ankles at an awkward point. I find the high-top ones make my legs look out of proportion but the low-tops make them look longer (not quite leaner though).
Out fitting in
I wore my Converse trainers with some black ripped jeans from Dorothy Perkins and a striped wrap blouse from Quiz clothing. I had no idea Debenhams sold so many brands but now I do and so do you! I always tend to pick pieces I can wear all year round and all occasions so I can definitely see me wear the Quiz top to brunch or on my next beach holiday as a cover-up. The jeans will become a staple in my wardrobe and I know they’ll be seeing plenty of nights out and adventures in London.
Kat Von D Beauty
I also tried some Kat Von D goodies like the fragrance ‘Saint’ which is the perfect size for travel and a festival handbag. Other goodies were the everlasting liquid lipstick also called ‘Saint’, which I am wearing here with Mac ‘Chestnut’ lip liner. I also tried a blue lip liner in ‘Satellite’ which is a little out there for me for a lip colour so I used it as a eyeliner instead. I also tried the cult tattoo liner in ‘Trooper’ which I’ve worn here too. I’ve been wearing this liner for about three years and although it’s high-end, its worth every penny.
Debenhams is the place I go to for beauty products (their beauty club is epic) as they regularly have 10% offers throughout the year, which is pretty rare for these items.
Bonus photos, 10,000 points to you if you can guess if this is glitter, my highlight or sweat!
What it’s really like being in VIP?
What you’re really itching to know is what it’s like being in VIP right? I’d been wanting to know myself my whole life. Well first of all, you don’t need to go through the ‘General Admission’ area, you queue at a separate entrance and are given a separate wristband which gets you into the VIP Village.
A quick lowdown:
- The Village itself is the perfect hideaway from the ‘stress’ of a festival and situated to the right of the mainstage
- There are flushing toilets with bearly any queues, I can’t tell you how much different your festival experience is when you don’t have to use a port-o-loo
- A manned cloakroom
- Food that doesn’t taste like cardboard (I had the bacon cheeseburger from Burger and Beyond I was beyond happy)
- Unlimited bar (I felt a little fragile the next day)
- Chillout spots
- We spotted Brooklyn Beckham and he was super happy to take a photo with us…
I’ve been attending Wireless since 2009 when it was in Hyde Park, tickets were £35 and getting to the front was a breeze. These days the festival has changed from dance and pop, to more urban and it has a new home in Finsbury Park.
Read more: Musings: A Few Reasons I’m Too Old for Wireless Festival
Rick Ross. Lil Uzi Vert. Rae Sremmurd. Giggs. Drake.
Wireless has some of the best urban artists on their line up and I was excited to see Rick Ross. His set was on around 4pm and he performed all his hits plus a new one called ‘Green Gucci Suit’.
Other artists I saw were Lil Uzi Vert who is most known for encorporating hard-rock into his music and the song ‘All My Friends Are Dead’. Ummm… okay Uzi. Next came Rae Sremmurd, Giggs and Lil Pump where I caught a few moments of ‘Gucci Gang’. These rappers really love Gucci don’t they. Fortunately, us regular folk can purchase all Gucci beauty on Debenhams.
Drake’s Plan
DJ Khaled cancelled his set in the early hours of the morning and there had been rumours floating around for a few days that UK-lover Drake would be performing. Of course he did, but his set was only 20 minutes long, but at this point, it had been such a fun day that it didn’t matter. I had made some new friends, more memories and a new-found love for festival fashion.
Blogger Squad
A special shout out to the blogger squad I attended with, I’ve honestly never met a nicer bunch of ladies. Going to a festival ‘alone’ with people you haven’t met can be daunting to some but if you’re all in the same boat you have to row together. Enough with the nautical analogy, please do check out these ladies blogs below.
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Giulia – https://giuliafsmith.com/
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Noelle – https://www.bynoelle.co.uk/
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Richael – http://www.shelllabelle.com/
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Luisa-Christie – https://luisachristie.co.uk/
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Jessi – https://wheresmytent.com/
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Martha – https://www.marthadahhling.com/
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Lucy – http://absolutelylucy.com/
A special thank you to Richa and Ellen who coordinated everything on the day too.
Char xo
This blog post is part of a Debenhams summer campaign, but all views are my own.
Lauren says
This is such an awesome experience! Love the outfit you chose, that wrap around blouse is gorgeous and suits you so well
http://www.theemeralddove.co.uk
Hunida says
Looks like so much fun! I’d love to do an outing with other bloggers!
Memoirs & Musings (Char) says
I hope you get to do one soon! They really are so much fun!
MJW says
Wow what an amazing experience! Definitely agree that trainers are a must, and it was really interesting to read about your VIP experience! 🙂
http://www.mjw.wales
Memoirs & Musings (Char) says
Thank you so much for commenting!
zaramcintoshara says
What a dreamy collab and such a lovely bunch of bloggers to attend with! I’m a trainers girl myself so definitely would’ve picked up a pair of converse too. The. VIP village sound so lovely too – yummy food, Brooklyn Beckham and flushing toilets! Great post,
Zara x
Memoirs & Musings (Char) says
Thank you so much for commenting Zara! Flushing loos make a BIG difference!
beereaderbooks says
Love that top I’m going all out for coloured stripes this year! I definitely agree about trainers, and Kat Von D make up, I haven’t tried her fragrance but I’m keen to get a tester as I love how her stuff is all cruelty free
Sophaarambles says
So Jealous that you got to see Drake!! That is literally my dream. Sounds like you had an amazing time. The Kat Von D Liquid Lipstick is such a good shout for a festival.
Memoirs & Musings (Char) says
Thanks so much for commenting Sophaa! Your link doesn’t work so I can’t comment back!?
Sophaarambles says
I have a wordpress account but it isn’t where my blog is. My blog is actually http://www.sophaarambles.blogspot.co.uk
foundationsandfairytales says
This sounds like the perfect blogger opportunity! I love the outfit you picked I practically live in Converse they’re so comfy! Debenhams is great for so many different products I always love having a look around especially their beauty department!
Jess // foundationsandfairytales.wordpress.com
xx
Memoirs & Musings (Char) says
Thanks so much Jess! You can literally spend hours in Debenhams right? xxx
foundationsandfairytales says
Definitely there’s always so much to look around!xxx
Jessi says
It was so amazing to meet you lovely! I had such a good day! Totally agree that it was daunting meeting new people but we had such a good bunch. We must meet up soon! <3