Tie-Dye & Bluegrass

This weekend I spent my few days away from work down in Winfield, Kansas with my boyfriend at the Walnut Valley Bluegrass Festival. This was its 42nd year of operation, but only my 2nd time of attendance. I really decided to make a go of it with packing and erecting a tent, using a camp stove, and living without a mirror or running water for 2 days. We had a blast listening to the bluegrass music from multi-talented singers, songwriters, and musicians that all seemed to know more than one instrument. As is the custom with festivals, we saw all types of people in all kinds of outfits. Yet the one trend that filled Walnut Valley was tie-dye.

Interestingly, tie-dye doesn’t originate from the iconic 1960s hippie-fest that we all think of today. It began in the sixth century in India using the technique called Bandhani, creating a colorfully dotted design on cloth. Japan also had a similar method called Shabori, which primarily incorporated indigo dyes and is very similar to what we see today. These traditions were largely disregarded by western culture until the 1960s when it was adopted by the youth movement after popular promotions from the brand Rit Dye.

So sure, everyone can say sometime or another they have made or own tie-dye. If you are going to wear it in public here are 5 tips to keep in mind:

1. Stick with a traditional t-shirt and don’t get too fancy. Dresses, moo-moos, pants, etc. are way too much and may make people wonder what pills you are on. Also, tie-dye fancy shirts also just look weird, so keep it with your 5th grade roots and go with your regular Hanes t-shirt.
2. Don’t wear the entire rainbow on your shirt – stick to a few complementary colors. Also, generally avoid those that look like someone has blown chunks on your shirt. Yuck.
3. Do not wear more than one tie-dye piece at a time. Your psychedelic outfit will run the risk of seizures.
4. Do not buy a shirt where the dye job creates a symbol, like a smiley face or peace sign. Come on, we aren’t age six, people.
5. Please reserve these tie-dye t-shirts for festivals and other such events. Yes, this means tie-dye is not considered business casual. Tie-dye addiction is a serious problem, but you can get help.