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UNITED KINGDOM - Glastonbury Festival, the world's biggest green field arts and music festival, is a challenge for any self-respecting rock fashionista.
Set in rural southwest England, torrential downpours and mud throughout the Glastonbury weekend meant any rocker's outfit had to be flexible for the most extreme weather conditions.
The "festival chic" of combining practicality and stylishness proved elusive for most festival-goers who sacrificed any pretence of glamour and trudged around in ponchos, rubber Wellington boots and mud-sodden jeans.
At the last Glastonbury in 2005, British supermodel Kate Moss grabbed fashion headlines with a gold lame micro-dress and black Hunter Wellingtons, the ultimate festival chic outfit.
This year, Moss wore an entirely black ensemble to her partner Pete Doherty's Babyshambles set, including calf-length, high-heeled black boots with leather trousers, a black and gold belt, and a black, shimmery top.
Moss joined the stage briefly to sing alongside Doherty.
This year, minidresses, skirts and shorts have all proved practical for women as muddy legs wipe clean a lot more easily than washing jeans or tights.
Sunglasses hide most signs of tiredness or hangover and immediately inject glamour into any outfit despite the rain, one festival-goer pointed out.
But a significant number of revellers opted for fancy dress.
Men in ball gowns, children with fairy wings and men in Borat-style thongs are all common sights as well as revellers wearing face paint, Chinese hats, and masks.
One particular favourite costume at the festival was the wedding dress.
More than 700 wedding dresses were be sold over the weekend to be worn both for fun and as an accessory for the "weddings" carried out in the Chapel of Love and Loathing in the Lost Vagueness Arena.
Three best friends from Bedfordshire, Annie, Sharon and Milly, were all wearing wedding dresses.
Milly and Sharon were both wearing wedding dresses from Sharon's previous marriages, a phenomena Milly told Reuters was simply "modern life".
The boots which have proved the most popular at the festival are plain, dark ones. Although there are many floral and patterned pairs about.
Arcade Fire singer Regine Chassagne wore Wellington boots on stage.
Charity fashion has also been big at the festival.
Designers Katharine Hamnett and Stella McCartney have both designed special edition t-shirt and vests for the event.
Hamnett designed a t-shirt for Youth Music with the slogan REVOLTING YOUTH on the front and advice about how to be politically active and to contact your member of parliament on the back.
McCartney produced a psychadelic rainbow vest for Oxfam.
On-stage fashion has also been interesting, with the Guillemot's lead singer Fyfe Dangerfield wearing a purple suit, The Killers' Brandon Flowers sporting a silver lame suit, singer Lily Allen donning a pink maxidress and Iggy Pop going topless with jeans.
- REUTERS
