Photo via Chicago Fringe Festival
If you're planning to attend the Chicago Fringe Festival in Jefferson Park—a 9-day explosion of experimental theater and performance art that began Thursday—you gotta think outside the daisy-chains-and-bellbottoms box. These kids aren't calling themselves "fringe" as in "that thing Coachella attendees wear on their crop tops"; they're calling themselves "fringe" as in "not like the rest of you."
The Fringe movement started in Scotland in 1947, and the producers of Chicago's branch define the festival as a "performance...that seeks the un-tried and the weird." Until September 7, you can catch 50 shows at 5 different venues full of both professionals and amateurs doing their untried thing. Here's how to dress the part.
Pastel Tie Dye Crop Top, $18. A crop top that shows you have an evil side.
Lee '90s Boyfriend Jeans, $24. Seriously normcore jeans, because who needs the Establishment?
Miista Lucky Mule, $225. Shoes that are so unbelievably hideous they become cool again through some odd magic.
Weed Graphic Skater Skirt, $19.50. A girly skirt that shows you're down for whatever, even if it involves flamethrowers and a light show.
Jackdaw Skull Necklace, $51.06. A freaky necklace made from real animal bone.
Neon 'Glowstick' Decorative Cow Skull, $28. Because you need to hold something, and purses are so mainstream.