How to not look like a tourist on the playa.......

stoopidmonkey · Post by **stoopidmonkey** » Wed Jul 19, 2006 9:41 pm

OK, I admit I dressed up like a spectator last year....

Been trying to find some raver clothes with no luck. Found
some crazy hats at Diversions and the Berkeley Hat company
but nothin else.

Any suggestions on stores I can visit in SF/South Bay to cover me
up (me is an aging kinda-dorky skinny guy) with something worthy of the
black rock dust?

ibdave · Post by **ibdave** » Wed Jul 19, 2006 9:47 pm

Thrift Stores Hit them all and look for stuff that you would never wear in the default world Bring extra and share

phil · Post by **phil** » Wed Jul 19, 2006 10:00 pm

Louise and I give away clothes just for people like you. See
http://civex.smugmug.com/gallery/1089945
for photos of our giveaway last year. Note how no one looks like a tourist? Get clothes like theirs. :-)

See also
http://civex.smugmug.com/gallery/1262168
for photos of clothes in Reno thrift stores.

Louise maintains a list of Reno thrift shops at
http://civilizedexplorer.pbwiki.com/ind ... noSupplies
where there are links to outlet stores in addition to thrift stores.

We camp in Hushville, so stop by after two pm on Friday and try on some clothes! Look for our Civilized Explorer banner.

Post by **Eric** » Thu Jul 20, 2006 12:03 am

stoopidmonkey wrote:OK, I admit I dressed up like a spectator last year....

Been trying to find some raver clothes with no luck.

First things first- what do you want to wear? What are you comfortable in, what will you be comfortable in? Wearing something completely out of character for you can be extremely liberating and help you discover a side you never knew you had, or it can make you feel awkward and uncomfortable and very very out of place.

Personally, I would suggest you to fight the urge to dress up in any seemingly mandatory playa wear. Wear what you want because you like it- if you like jeans and a t-shirt and find it comfortable in the heat, wear it. If a cute little 60's go-go dress seems like fun then go for it. I would warn against just wearing a shirt with no pants- never a good look, sure to make you look super-spectatorish.

And I'm serious. The playa "look" is starting to take on all the traits of everything radical individuality isn't supposed to be. I mean, how many people wearing fake-fur jackets at night does it take to realize that it's as radical as ties at a business lunch?

If you want to shop for things you think will be fun, look for things that are fun to you and you alone- you're the only person you have to please (unless you're going with a Significant Other, in which case you might want to take their opinion as well. Or not). Don't feel that you have to wear a skirt or a dress or raver clothes to impress someone. Only do it because you want to. Or wear khakis & a t-shirt & say to hell with it and still have a great time. Anyone who judges you on your clothes alone is probably not worth knowing anyway.

Post by **Eric** » Thu Jul 20, 2006 12:11 am

oops- forgot to give ideas.

Head to the Mission area in SF. Thrift Town and Mission Thrift on Mission and Clothes Contact on Valencia near 16th are all good sources. There are lots of little stores to pop in & out of, so go intending to explore. Going with a friend or two makes it much more fun. You can also do Haight St., but its going to be pricier.

For hats- try the above as well as Costumes on Haight.

I don't know the East Bay as well, but Buffalo Exchange in Berkeley used to have some good stuff, I don't know how good it is now.

Just remember- dress for you, not anyone else!

geekster · Post by **geekster** » Thu Jul 20, 2006 12:20 am

Trade show swag, lots of it, particularly if you know someone who works at Yahoo!

/sarcasm

Actually, the best bet is what folks have been saying ... thrift shops. But it depends on what you are going to be doing. If you are going to be working on a large project or setting up a large camp, make sure you have plenty of comfortable clothes to work in. Also, remember that it can get COLD out there at night!

robotland · Post by **robotland** » Thu Jul 20, 2006 6:12 am

And remember- Spectators Is As Spectators Does, to paraphrase Mr. Gump. I got called a Spectator by a Burnier-Than-Thou chick for taking a picture...of David Best's temple, back in '03. Not HER, not ANYONE, without their permission...it was just that I was holding a camera. And I was wearing an orange sarong with dolphins on it, a handmade Alien Bicycle hat (difficult to describe) and altered Playa Action Vest.
Eric summed it up nicely. Don't be uncomfortable, and don't make yourself uncomfortable. But- If you make someone ELSE uncomfortable, because you don't conform to their dress code, then...GOOD. Fuck 'em. It ain't Hallowe'en out there. There's SOMEONE who'll still give you candy, even if you aren't wearing a costume.

spectabillis · Post by **spectabillis** » Thu Jul 20, 2006 7:55 am

no blinky or glowy things, and never never bright colored fur.

Silver 2 · Post by **Silver 2** » Thu Jul 20, 2006 8:33 am

Sarongs, quick, easy and cheap.

Something I wrote a long time ago:

I go to the fabric store and pick out cheap 48 inch fabric that pleases me and buy two yards, I have a 36 inch waist and am 6'4 so you may have to adjust. I take the fabric home and on the cut ends fold over about 1/2 to 1 inch, iron and then use fabric glue to keep the fabric from fraying. Done.

I don't know if you are male or female but what follows is a more or less
traditional male wrap.

Hold one end of the fabric on your left hip.
Wrap the rest all the way around your waist passing over your left hip
until you get a couple of inches from your right hip.
Pleat the fabric back to your left until it is about the same distance
from your hip as the right side. Pleat back just short of the original fold.
Fold the hem under and roll the waist band down to hold the sarong on.

You have now spent about 4-6 dollars and have an extra rag to wipe the car off on Monday.

Ugly Dougly · Post by **Ugly Dougly** » Thu Jul 20, 2006 9:29 am

Don't try to look like someone that you're not. In order to look like a participant, participate!

theCryptofishist · Post by **theCryptofishist** » Thu Jul 20, 2006 9:33 am

Yeah Phil! the spirograph Shirt!

And something else I recognize

Thrift Town (SF Mission, San Leandro, Fremont and Pinole) is having a 50% off/back to school sale TODAY .

On August 5 you can go to the Berkeley OUt of the Closet Thrift and the SF on Howard and 8th? 9th? and check out the $2 an item sale. At those prices . . .

Post by **Eric** » Thu Jul 20, 2006 12:15 pm

spectabillis wrote:no blinky or glowy things

Okay- blinky & glowy things are Highly Recommended at night. That's not a fashion issue, that's a safety issue. We'll be in the first quarter of the moon so there will be some light, but being a dark-wad is worse than being a spectator. Always make sure you can be seen front & back- even a flashlight pointed at the ground as you walk will help.

spectabillis wrote:and never never bright colored fur.

words to live by.

phil · Post by **phil** » Thu Jul 20, 2006 12:39 pm

the spirograph Shirt!

Yeah, that's the first thing _I_ notice in that photo. :->

phil · Post by **phil** » Thu Jul 20, 2006 12:49 pm

Personally, I would suggest you to fight the urge to dress up in any seemingly mandatory playa wear.

I think that's a good point (along with the rest of his comments, too).

I think there's a dichotomy and a dilemma. First, if you are walking around on the playa wearing clothes that would not get you looked at askance in any mall in America, you are not exploring the right part of yourself that you have permission to explore at Burning Man. Give yourself permission.

But don't fake a costume. There's a fine line between wearing a costume and wearing clothes that really reflect an aspect of you that you don't (or can't) express back at home. Figure out what you'd like to wear, then give yourself permission to take it and run with it. Make it you. Look at those photos - people took what they _liked_.

Well, except for this guy - we forced this outfit on him, and he ended up wearing it every day because he loved the comments he got:

theCryptofishist · Post by **theCryptofishist** » Thu Jul 20, 2006 12:59 pm

He was repeatedly mistaken for Mark Spitz?

Kinetic IV · Post by **Kinetic IV** » Thu Jul 20, 2006 1:06 pm

I wish I knew where to find a Catholic school girl uniform in a larger than normal size....

Post by **AntiM** » Thu Jul 20, 2006 1:07 pm

So do larger than normal catholic school girls.

theCryptofishist · Post by **theCryptofishist** » Thu Jul 20, 2006 1:35 pm

REally challenge yourself.
find a pregnant catholic school girl's outfit in a large size.

phil · Post by **phil** » Thu Jul 20, 2006 1:50 pm

Kinetic IV wrote:I wish I knew where to find a Catholic school girl uniform in a larger than normal size....

What size might that be?

Kinetic IV · Post by **Kinetic IV** » Thu Jul 20, 2006 2:15 pm

See Fishy's post and you'll be close. Think 3X as far as shirt sizes go.
I may have a line on one strangely enough...that and a classic prairie style dress too.

theCryptofishist · Post by **theCryptofishist** » Thu Jul 20, 2006 2:35 pm

Kinetic IV wrote:See Fishy's post and you'll be close. Think 3X as far as shirt sizes go.
I may have a line on one strangely enough...that and a classic prairie style dress too.

I didn't realize that Frank Lloyd Wright did dresses as well. Oh well, he was sure nosy enough to try.

Kinetic IV · Post by **Kinetic IV** » Thu Jul 20, 2006 3:09 pm

No, no, NO! Think Little House on the Prairie type stuff.
That is a nice looking house in the picture though.

theCryptofishist · Post by **theCryptofishist** » Thu Jul 20, 2006 3:17 pm

I'm thinking you can find a white shirt alright and a tie. What you really need is the skirt in plaid with pleats.

And I suppose the shoes that shine so the nuns can check your underwear.

Except for the pleats, skirts are probably pretty simple to sew...

Post by **Eric** » Thu Jul 20, 2006 5:03 pm

theCryptofishist wrote:Except for the pleats, skirts are probably pretty simple to sew...

buy a utilikilt & paint it plaid. TaaDaa, catholic school girl skirt in a large size!

Tiahaar · Post by **Tiahaar** » Thu Jul 20, 2006 11:28 pm

Eric wrote:
spectabillis wrote:no blinky or glowy things

spectabillis wrote:and never never bright colored fur.
words to live by.

PPPPhbhbhbhhbthtHTTT!!!

I'm bringing blinky glowy brightly colored furry ..um... socks, yes that's it, and leggings and things...

R1Z · Post by **R1Z** » Fri Jul 21, 2006 10:26 am

I didn't realize that Frank Lloyd Wright did dresses as well. Oh well, he was sure nosy enough to try.

Actually, at least once, Frank Lloyd Wright designed the gown the mistress of the house was to wear to the housewarming of her new FLW house. When he arrived, he found she had moved some of the furniture he had designed and he made her put it all back.

Can you say "Control Enthusiast?"

Also, at Taliesin, he and his wife, Olgivanna, used to "pair up" his students--decide who was to sleep with who.

It's interesting to imagine how he'd react to BM. . .

Post by **Eric** » Fri Jul 21, 2006 2:48 pm

Tiahaar wrote:
Eric wrote:
spectabillis wrote:no blinky or glowy things

spectabillis wrote:and never never bright colored fur.
words to live by.
PPPPhbhbhbhhbthtHTTT!!! :P I'm bringing blinky glowy brightly colored furry ..um... socks, yes that's it, and leggings and things...

Hey- misquote! I didn't agree with SB on the lights (and I don't think he was serious to begin with):

Okay- blinky & glowy things are Highly Recommended at night. That's not a fashion issue, that's a safety issue.

The fur?
*pthththththtp*
Tired of it. (insert gay snap here)
This means I don't wear it. Some of my best friends do, it's not like I walk around telling them how boring their fashion choices are. Wear what you will; isn't that the fun of it?

I had some fuzzy orange socks at one point, but I think they got cut-up & turned into elbow length gloves some time ago and wandered off on a cute boys arms.

theCryptofishist · Post by **theCryptofishist** » Fri Jul 21, 2006 3:00 pm

*sings in cracked voice*
Oh where oh where have my fuzzy socks gone
Oh where oh where can they be?
They've wandered off on a cute boy's arms
Oh where oh where can they be?
*clears throat and bows*

spectabillis · Post by **spectabillis** » Fri Jul 21, 2006 3:17 pm

Eric wrote:Hey- misquote! I didn't agree with SB on the lights (and I don't think he was serious to begin with)

yeah, not serious because everyone has those. well i dont, but dressing up in dark grey and stalking out people along the fringes of the trash fence isnt for everyone.

just noticed your sig btw, another piss clear guy... OH NO!

blyslv · Post by **blyslv** » Fri Jul 21, 2006 3:25 pm

Well, one year my partner and I dressed up as matching tourists, plaid pants and garish yellow shirts.

Some people even got the joke, so we had that going for us.

How to not look like a tourist on the playa.......

How to not look like a tourist on the playa.......

Re: How to not look like a tourist on the playa.......