San Francisco’s Outside Lands is the thinking-festival-babe’s weekend of music and art. You won’t see many bikini-clad scene girls in Golden Gate Park. The venue is all-natural beauty and fog. It’s not a mud pit, and skimpy synthetic junk fashion is ill advised.
If you’re heading to Outside Lands, your outfit matters as much as the music, and you probably feel that slow fashion is the new slow food. Here I’ve highlighted a few of the local designers who are making festival wear.
First up: Tilden Yamamoto of (the eponymous) Tilden. (See photo above for examples of his work.) Tilden grew up on the edge of Wildcat Canyon, graduated from FIDM in San Francisco and has been making modern, casual clothing in selvedge denim and fun prints for almost two decades. Tilden compares himself to a welder: he’s focused and always sewing. What sets Tilden apart from other Bay Area fashion designers IMO is the thoughtfulness and intelligence he puts into every piece he cuts and sews by hand.
“The tech scene here has fostered the hoodie-centric uniform, but the Bay Area has a rich fashion history,” says Tilden. “My pieces are meant to replace the T-shirt, elevate the wearer’s appearance and still feel comfortable.”
Oakland’s Tawny Holt of Armour Sans Anguish hand-weaves one-of-a-kind pieces for a more ethereal festival look. She (re)fashions her garments from recycled materials. In Tawny’s own words, “Embracing the tension between process and product, I imagine each garment’s future life and hope they will not only continue to age and wear beautifully but perhaps also become unraveled or reconstructed yet again.” I would describe her clothing as lyrical and something to wear if you feel the emotions behind the music and want an outfit to convey your story.
“We are all very aware of our food. Fashion is the next issue we should be thinking about. Where do the clothes come from? What are they made of? We should be supporting what’s local.” — Tilden Yamamoto
Ginger Caftans, a local dressmaker that sells online and in shops around the Bay Area, was created in 2015 by two local Bay Area women, Nan Mervin and Lisa Fontaine. They were inspired by the ease and comfort of vintage caftans, which they have collected over the years in thrift stores and flea markets. They source their prints and fabrics in LA, and the caftans are sewn locally by a woman-owned sewing shop in Oakland.
According to Nanette, “Ginger was started because we wanted a kick-ass dress that was flattering and simple.” A caftan is a great look for Outside Lands because you can just throw it on effortlessly and look great (and feel cozy in the fog). Ginger’s caftans are bold and feminine, but forgiving for when you stuff yourself with donut cheeseburgers and Rauchbier.
I sat down with one of the designers, Tilden Yamamoto, to discuss his work and what to wear at Outside Lands.
Sarah: What’s the most important accessory for Outside Lands?
Tilden: You’ll need a great bag to hold all your layers and necessities. My bags are solid, come in different sizes and can hold everything you need to carry.
Sarah: How do your clothes fit with Bay Area culture?
Tilden: We are all very aware of our food. Fashion is the next issue we should be thinking about. Where do the clothes come from? What are they made of? We should be supporting what’s local.
Sarah: How do you support what’s local?
Tilden: I couldn’t do what I do without Stonemountain & Daughter Fabrics in Berkeley. Their level of quality and impressive selection of prints and fabrics allow me to get really creative. They inspire me. I get my quality denim from Pacific Blue Denims in Los Angeles.
Sarah: Which musicians performing at Outside Lands would you most want to dress, and why?
Tilden: My dream would be to make outfits for Lionel Ritchie and Grimes and then do a photo shoot with them together. I would dress Lionel in a collared shirt with a fun print tucked into some of my shorter shorts with nice shoes. I’d put Grimes in a subtle prairie-length dress with wild accessories and super-crazy hair. They embody my inspiration, past classics and modern influences.
