Fashion Victim: High hopes the sun will come out to play

Aug 21 2008 by Emma Johnson, Liverpool Daily Post

"MOST places becoming dry on Friday with decent sunny spells developing, then, after a dry start, rain will arrive on Saturday."

These words, so succinctly put by the Met Office, are striking fear into my heart as you read this column. Or at least frizz into my hair. Because when – I mean if – those damned rains arrive on Saturday, I will be in the middle of a field in Daresbury.

Yes, I am joining the 45,000 or so clubbers hitting the North West this weekend to celebrate a decade of dance at Creamfields. The only problem is – as I have never tired of telling people over the years – I don’t do fields.

Restaurants? Yes. Indoor stadiums? Yes. Swanky nightclubs with banquette seating and Champagne on tap? Yes, yes, yes. I will happily get dressed up to the nines and attend.

But muddy, wet, uneven fields in the middle of what we laughingly call the great British summer? I’m sorry, not in these shoes.

If God had wanted us to party in fields, he would not have created Studio 54.

So what, you may ask, has persuaded me to brave the elements for this year’s festival.

My husband. Not to name- drop or anything (sorry, did that land on your toe?) but he has been booked to DJ at the event.

Admittedly it is in the hospitality/VIP tent, which will have its own posh toilets, not to mention Vanity Vans and the wonderful sounding pamper trailers offering hair styling, touch-ups and even spray tans, so I can’t exactly claim to be slumming it.

Oh, and then there is the small matter of Creamfields being an unrivalled opportunity to catch the likes of Fatboy Slim, Gossip, Soulwax, Kasabian, Chic and countless fabulous world-class DJs.

I feel at this point I should confess this will not be my first- ever trip to Creamfields. I teetered along there two years ago in a denim mini-skirt and four-inch stack-heeled boots. I didn’t last long.

This time, however, the plan is to embrace the festival experience for the whole two days (no, I am not camping, before you ask – baby steps... ).

So just how do you look stylish in the rain? Much like a few thousand other Liverpool ladies, my default look for Creamfields was going to be Kate Moss’s, left, Glastonbury wardrobe of microshorts and wellies (I have got a gorgeous floral pair from George at Asda) but, with the mercury not expected to top 18 Celsius, I fear I may have to rethink that one.

Still, I am loath to jump around to Le Freak and Rockerfeller Skank in full winter woollies, and I am not sure I own a cagoule.

If, in the event, the sun simply refuses to put its hat on, I could always rely on what my Geordie pal cheerily calls his "beer coat" to keep me warm.

A couple of bottles should take my body temperature up nicely (naturally, I will be drinking responsibly).

It’s just a shame that there is not such thing as a wine umbrella to go with it.