In partnership with Pandora

A music festival day always starts earlier than the lineup suggests – and the Sydney leg of Laneway Festival was no exception. For the RUSSH team, it began with sunscreen still settling on skin, hot coffees on the footpath, and phones already open to the set-times spreadsheet. Before wristbands were scanned or stages came into view, we made our first stop of the day: the Pandora styling suite at My Flower Man in Tamarama.

Inside the floral studio, where buckets of fresh stems lining the walls, open doors let in the coastal air, and disposable cameras were stacked for use – the boutique doubled as a pre-festival prep station. Editors and tastemakers moved between jewellery trays, spritzes in hand, testing out Pandora charms in every possible combination.

Between mirror checks and quick-snap photos, guests were handed festival survival kits – pimple patches, lip tint, setting spray, a disposable camera and a BENEE charm (from the Kiwi singer's limited-edition collaboration with Pandora, which featured handwritten engravings by BENEE herself). We then headed off toward Centennial Park, for a day of music, mayhem, and seriously good dance moves. Grey skies and light drizzle rolled through the afternoon, but it didn’t dampen spirits.

Inside the gates, with schedules mapped and sunglasses swapped for rain-ready layers, the RUSSH editors took that early styling seriously, using jewellery as the anchor for their Laneway looks and letting Pandora set the tone for the long day ahead. We made a quick pit-stop at the pink-walled Pandora Vault – an on-site activation where festival punters were given two minutes inside to find a key, unlock the vault and take a mystery prize. We explored the secret rooms, locked vaults and glittering Pandora jewellery on display – an experience entirely soundtracked by a live DJ inside – before swapping the magic of the festival grounds for the mayhem of backstage.

The team were also on the ground to interview some of the Laneway lineup's best backstage — from Lucy Dacus to BENEE, The Dare and Wolf Alice – darting between stages, photography pits, artist dressing rooms and (essentially) the line for a quick Mary's burger and fries to re-fuel as the afternoon tipped into night.

Here's how each RUSSH Editor styled their look:

Samantha

For Laneway outfits, I love to keep it simple and leave it down to the accessories to make my fit. Last year, I wore a big white cowgirl hat and this year, I wore my Pandora jewellery. I am a yellow gold girl, so you can expect all my jewellery to be in that tone. I had to choose my Classic Snake Chain with the Heart Clasp, adding on my globe and smiley face charm for the vibes, but most necessary – the horse shoe charm for luck. Because with a busy day interviewing and making sure I catch my favourite artists on the lineup, luck will need to be on my side. Stacking that wrist also with a Cuban Chain Bracelet too. I wanted to break up the yellow gold a little but with an Organically Shaped Two-Toned Ring. And in the ears some Triangular Hoops, which are so cool, I haven't seen a pair like these before. And last but not least, a simple gold chain with a key charm and Envelope Charm, because Laneway Festival has the key to my heart and I never want to leave.

Cassie

To me, festivals are about the accessorising – and that was the approach I took with styling this simple Chloé set and black boots. On the wrists, I stacked several of Pandora's Snake Chain and Snake Chain Slider Charm Bracelets. Each was loaded with charms: a glittering fish to indicate my Piscean birthday; a golden sun to manifest good weather (it didn't quite work, but still looked cute) and the sweetest little butterflies, moons and puzzle pieces. I've recently been drawn to mixing my metals – why choose? – so I made sure each wrist was stacked with a little of each. Of course, some simple rings are a staple for me – this time, in the form of a gold Organically Shaped Band Ring and a set of silver Twisted Double Rings. And in the ears, an array of tiny hoops (pragmatism first), including some sweet little golden Organically Shaped Heart Hoop Earrings.

Alys

My festival fashions have been evolving throughout the years. What once was a bold and, unfortunately, neon look I may have worn in my teens has matured into a focus on iconic pieces of tailoring. Ideally, like I was wearing today, Ann Demeulemeester forever, paired with shirts for the bands I love, a boot that just won't quit and an Michael Gira-inspired hat. However, there is always some devil in my details and little moments of magic through jewellery that nod to the celebration of art and all of the festival's frivolity. If you're wearing a Bauhaus shirt, surely you need Pandora's Matte Black Ceramic Heart Padlock? It would also work with a Joan Jett shirt... I talk with my hands so adore to wear rings, and many off them, so the Heart Cuban Chain Ring paired perfectly with the Elevated Red Heart Ring were top of my list. Evidently, I was going on a journey of dark romance with Pandora this Laneway. And to conclude the look, the Halo Heart Trilogy earrings, to hear the heart beat of the festival and the romance of every lyric.