Get Weird at the Chicago Fringe Festival

Racked is no longer publishing. Thank you to everyone who read our work over the years. The archives will remain available here; for new stories, head over to Vox.com, where our staff is covering consumer culture for The Goods by Vox. You can also see what we’re up to by signing up here.

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.