With the East Coast festival season finally upon us this weekend (HELLO SWEETLIFE!) we gathered some of our favorite festival insiders, musicians, A&R reps, photographers and more to weigh in on what they think is your best chance for style success.

Contributions by Jonathan Neman, Nathaniel Ru and Nic Jammet of Sweetgreen; McKee Floyd of Glassnote Records (the label for Sweetlife’s headliners PHOENIX!!!), Ryan Hunter Mitchell and Danielle Vu of Shark Week (who are playing the festival), and BYT’s own Shauna Alexander

Nicolas Jammet

Co-Founder of Sweetgreen and the Sweetlife Festival

This guys is more laid back and plans to spend lots of time in the Pit and on the lawn. He sports a more comfortable look with simple basics including tees, hoodies and shorts with Vans or converse on the bottom. He mixes this basic look up with a graphic Hat, sunglasses and some jewelry accessories including bracelets and a chain. (Bracelet – Men In Cities; Chain – Men In Cities; Hoodie – Saturday Surf; Shorts – Saturday Surf Tommy Chino; Shirt – Saturday Surf; Socks – MeUndies; Sunglasses – Garret Leight; and, Shoes – Vans)

If you’re going for a more “stylish” or dressed up festival look, start with a button-up short sleeve graphic shirt and black skinny jeans, covered with a leather jacket, sunglasses. Vans or Converse chucks with a graphic print finish this look out. This dude is more focused on meeting stylish ladies in the VIP rather than seeing all the performances. (Leather Jacket – Schott; Shoes – Converse Chucks; Shirt – McQ by Alexander McQueen; Jeans – Acne; and Hat – Durkl)

Nathaniel Ru

Co-Founder of Sweetgreen and the Sweetlife Festival

The Essentials – Festival fashion to me is pretty straightforward, wear a leather jacket or don’t. More important are the accessories that can really improve the experience. (MOPHIE – some extra (healthy) juice for your phone; Sunglasses – key for an all day festival, would go for a flatter pair to store easily in jacket pocket; Gum/Mints – sharable and needed – 10 hours no toothbrush; Footwear – closed-toed shoes WITH laces; Belt – great for a makeshift limbo-bar in dance circles)

Jonathan Neman

Co-Founder of Sweetgreen and the Sweetlife Festival

For a hot day worthy of shorts with a cool evening. All looks here courtesy of my friends over at American Two Shot.

(Shirt sleeve BD by jack Henry; Shorts by timo Weiland; Camo jacket – Vintage; Shades by Garret Leight; and, High top chucks: worn in just enough)

McKee Floyd

Marketing & PR for Glassnote Records

Prepare-for-the-worst chic** – Things always go horribly wrong at festivals. Don’t get me wrong, they are my favorite things ever, but you’ve got to come prepared for a natural disaster/blown speaker in your face/general slopfest where you lose all your friends. Its easy to craft a hot festival look when everything goes according to plan, just bring your Indian headdress/colorful mid-drift/body paint and basically you’re ready to roll. But what are you going to do when your cellphone dies at GLASTONBURY and you fall in the mud in front of R-Patz and K-Stew? Don’t worry, I gotchu.

(Shoes – LL Bean 10″ Maine Hunting Boot; Rechargable iPhone chase – (Product) RED iPhone 5 Mophie case; Hat – ModCloth Vintage Forest Stage Hat; Shirt – Madewell Silk Cargo Tank; Bottoms – Levi’s High Rise Shorts; and, last but not least, can’t forget the best earplugs out there – Howard Leight Max)

**Exception: any festival in Texas. See 2.

Dressing for festivals in Texas (also maybe Bonnaroo, but I’m getting too old for that) – There are festivals and then there are festivals with breakfast tacos. The latter usually come with a side of honky tonk and a care-free desert attitude that makes me take back everything I just said about mid-drifts. But definitely still bring your mophie, and keep your blood sugar up, you guys! Shit gets hot out there!

(Sunglasses – Madewell Hepcat Shades; Shoes – Frye’s Melissa Perf Bootie; Colorful Headband – Jolie Crown; Dress – ModCloth’s Delightfully Darling Dress; Rucksack – Baggu canvas backpack; and, Sweets – YumEarthOrganic lollipops)

Ryan Hunter Mitchell

Frontman extraordinaire of DC band, Shark Week

First Daishiki: They Breathe. They look Great, and they really give you a chance to express yourself. Second, Cord pants. Duh. Sometimes cargo shorts will work. Third Moccasins. The leather and design lend them really well for pro grade hacky sacking.Fourth, a hip bag for carrying cash, wallet, hacky sacs, drugs… blah blah. I recommend something with alcohol insignia.vFifth and most important, Beads! They look great as a replacement or with tats and body mods. Stay chill and welcome to the sweetlife.

Danielle Vu

Babely Bassist of DC Band, Shark Week

For on-stage outfits, I need to wear clothing I can move freely in which pretty much limits me to crop tops, shorts and boots.

(Shirt – Crop Top; Shorts – Urban Outfitters; Boots – NastyGal; Earrings – Fantasy Jewelry Box; Backpack – Sierra Trading Post; and, Sunglasses – Oliver Peoples at Saks Fifth Avenue)

Shauna Alexander

BYT Photographer and all around festival shooting pro

As a fashion lover and a photographer, it’s pretty hard to balance both… you’ve got to carry a ton of gear, cool shoes aren’t always comfortable and who knows what kind of position I’ll have to put myself into in order to get that.perfect.shot. (I’ve climbed trees before, okay). So with that said, my go-to non-profesh photographing outfit is perfect for festival wear too. A cool leather jacket will keep you warm if the wind picks up, but also offers pockets that the dress doesn’t have. Thigh-highs or knee-highs are crucial in case you have to kneel (and thigh highs can be rolled down to be knee highs/rolled up to keep you from being a little too exposed, ahem). Cool baubles and jewelry are a must just for personal flair and to separate you from the rest of the pack.

(Jacket – River Island; Dress – Stolen Girlfriend’s Club HISS dress (available locally at REDEEM); Knee-highs – American Apparel; Camera Bag – The Brooklyn ONA bag or Theit Bossi Bag; Boots – Sam Edelman “Petty” Bootie ; Skull Ring – Urban Outfitters)

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AND LET’S BE HONEST…. if it rains, no one is going to judge you if you just end up looking like this: