There’s a tailgating atmosphere to big music festivals, and nowhere is that more evident at Cullman’s Rock the South than in its fans’ singular fashion choices.

RTS attire, for those who approach the event with the kind of serious anticipation typically reserved for a Saturday trip to Auburn or Tuscaloosa, has some unique signifiers. For women, it involves leather down low, denim in the middle and a blank canvas — usually for an expressive tee or a weather-appropriate halter — up top.

The unofficial uniform for many female RTS fans consists of cowboy boots, Daisy Dukes (that’s jeans shorts, y’all) with the pockets hanging lower than the frayed hem, and something cotton-y over the shoulders. That usually means a country, confederate, patriotic or quippy tee shirt; a western-sewn plaid button-up, or some variety of gauzy tank top.

And makeup. Lots and lots of makeup.

“I ain’t telling you my secrets,” joked Denise Kendall, a Peachtree City, Georgia resident who met up with some Birmingham friends for the trip up to Cullman Saturday. “The big thing is the lipstick. I don’t go heavy on the face because that’s a battle you aren’t gonna win. This humidity will just get you and everything starts running. But I can keep them lips going all day!”

For the guys, things are a little bit more varied and, arguably, stress-free. You’ll see plenty of the same pairings — denim cutoff shorts (can we call those Daisy Dukes too?) and cowboy boots — as you’ll find on the women. But from there, the options open up a bit. Shirtless farmer tans are popular with a lot of men, especially on Saturdays when the daytime crowd is settling in. But so are classic tees fronting the big country legends: Cash. Hank Jr. Waylon. Merle.

Of course, plenty of people just come for the music and don’t worry about dressing up. The RTS crowd is a pretty even mixture of those who love seeing and being seen, and those who just came to see the show in comfort.

“I don’t bother too much about it,” said Cole Allred, a Tennessee native sporting Rainbow sandals, jeans and an untucked Ralph Lauren button-up with rolled sleeves. “It’s too much work. We go to too many shows to be worrying about how we look all the time; it ain’t really why we’re here.

“But,” he confessed, “I do like seeing it. I ain’t gonna lie.”