Flag Swag: Lollapalooza's Style Was Patriotic as Shit

Photos by Petya Shalamanova

America, the Beautiful. It might not be the safest or most progressive country in the world, but America has its charms. And Lollapalooza, in stark comparison to many of the other major summer music festivals in the country, is the Most American. Chicago and Lollapalooza do not invoke the contemporary hippie aesthetic of Coachella or the Southern charm of Bonnaroo. Situated firmly in the Midwest, the city is an anchor for the rest of the country, a port between the coasts and a means of finding the pleasures of urbanity mixed with simple niceness.

This ode to Americana was in full force during the festival weekend, with many festival goers sporting their own interpretations of the American flag, whether it adorned folded headbands (a popular choice among groups of the swole, tan, tank topped bros) to adorable little fanny packs slung on the hips of barely legal former Lolitas. The winners, though, were those who recognized the flag as the best print ever created and deployed it accordingly. If you're going to sport red and white and blue, you might as well go all out.

Jackie, 19 and Gabe, 20

Noisey: Are you all from Chicago?
Jackie: I am. We go to Iowa State.
Gabe: I’m from Iowa City.

Did you all plan this outfit?
Jackie: We just imaginatively came up with it. We just happen to think alike.

Are you all patriotic?
Gabe: I love America a lot.
Jackie: We’re super frat.

We often spotted the same items of clothing on strangers in two different areas of the park. The flag tank top was a consistent, on-brand variation of the festival’s signature tank top bro look.

It’s difficult to see in the midst of that perfect Alfonso Ribero print, but this gentleman sported a full body suit with the blue and white stars serving as the sleeve for his right arm. It was a subtle surprise.

The best looks incorporated the flag in small touches: a headband here, a pair of socks there. My favorite was the flag back jort pocket. It draws attention to the eye without making you seem like a complete weirdo.

More small touches: Here, a fanny pack drives home the idea of Americana. Because really, what’s more classically American than a fanny pack in the summertime?

This gentleman kept most of the extra pieces, like his face scarf, off when we captured him in line for the photograph. But when we asked him to pose, he shouted, “Hold on, gotta give you everything!” before completing the ensemble.

With an ensemble this patriotic, it's safe to assume he's texting Barack Obama directly.

More than the flag print, this dude’s eagle T-shirt felt like the most American thing at the festival. It was subtle and smart—so not exactly American in spirit, but still clever.

And it didn’t matter about the outfit so long as the flag was a makeshift sweatband for dudes sweltering in the summer heat. We found so many that we had to let most walk by. It was almost boring, but its ubiquitousness felt even a little sweet. If the women rolled out in fierce outfits, the men remained subtle, incorporating this accessory as their moment of playfulness.

Britt Julious is a writer living in America. She's on Twitter - @britticisms

Petya Shalamanova is a photographer living in America. Find more of her work here.

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