The Changing Face of Festival Fashion
The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival just wrapped its 23rd year, and we’ve since been inundated with the occasion's most iconic performances, celeb sightings, and cringe-worthy moments (sorry Grimes). But what about the clothes? For an event that has long been known as the star-studded fashion festival of America, Coachella has been associated with everything from bohemian chic heydays, to the rise of street style, to a sordid reputation for culturally appropriative outfits.
The past few years have felt… a little different, though. TikTok trends have taken over the fashion game, and the rise of what has been dubbed ‘the influencer olympics’ is showing no signs of stopping. Is Coachella losing its signature identity, its cultural appeal? In a year filled with hard launched celeb couples, blue hair comebacks, and a rundown of pop culture’s biggest micro-trends IRL, what has changed about Coachella since its inception? Here, we take a look back through the ‘Chella style through the years, and the impact it’s had on festival fashion today.
1999-2008
The year was 1999. Woodstock had just dominated the music news for all the wrong reasons, plagued with lootings, arson and violence… enter Coachella. Boasting a line-up of alternative, punk and indie legends like Rage against the Machine, Morrisey and Beck, it was all about the music and the good vibes. People dressed for the heat of the desert, and their practical style of t-shirts, flat shoes and denim shorts showcased that their one and only priority was dancing the night away.
This continued in the same way for most of the noughties, bringing us those unpolished festival stories and the kind of authentically weird celeb moments that stand the test of time, like the bizarre meeting of minds that was Amy Winehouse and Danny DeVito (hello, dream dinner party) in the crowds in 2007.
Expect to find: ripped tees, denim shorts, baseball caps, oversized sunnies, colored bandanas and *cough* fedoras, good vibes.
“Like Drew, this is how most people dressed when I went in 2007. I wore jean shorts and a tank top all weekend lol. [reddit]”
2009-2012
As we exit the noughties and everything Y2K, Coachella became more of a hotspot for celebrities. With frequent ‘Chella goers like Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan and Beyonce, it was now the place to be, and be seen, and the fashion followed suit. The crazed undone-ness of previous years never tamed though, and while the fits got more intentional, the antics continued. Rhianna donned studded denim shorts while getting high on her bodyguard's shoulders, a purple-haired Katy Perry partied in the crowd at Calvin Harris, and Beyonce rocked a Never mind the Bollocks tee while onstage with Jay-Z.
Expect to find: the rise of teeny tiny bikini tops, gladiator sandals, and chunky belts over t-shirt dresses.
2013-2016
Ah, the glory days. Enter bohemian style, flowy dresses, crochet crop tops and the now-iconic flower crowns (seriously, can we please bring these back?). Enter Vanessa Hudgens- long-dubbed ‘Queen of Coachella’- whose gem-studded face floating around the grounds is all most people can picture when thinking of the festival, and the biggest inspo for many a teenager's tumblr page.
She wasn’t the only one getting herself involved in the boho chic of the time though. Stars like Zoe Kravitz and the Jenner sisters were regular ‘Chella attendees, sporting suede jackets and oversized chunky gemstone jewellery.
Known as the glory days of Coachella for a reason, seasoned Coachella-goers look back on these days as the time when things started to really change, noticing influencer culture creeping in and creating a “vibe shift around 2015 or so, when the festival’s fashion and overall atmosphere started feeling more corporate” (GQ).
Expect to find: crochet crop tops, flower crowns, cat ears, layered necklaces, floppy sun hats, printed kaftans, Vanessa hudgens (she’ll be there somewhere)
Vanessa Hudgens completely encapsulates the vibe of the best years of Coachella, IMO. Love it.
2017
Sadly, only a few steps further on than hippie chic, you start to encounter people who simply take it too far. Around 2017, Coachella began to be (rightfully) hit with backlash for the rampant cultural appropriation in the fashion of its attendees, becoming notorious for its mildly ignorant to wholeheartedly offensive trends- think bindis, henna, and Native American headdresses. Demeaning and minimising significant cultural practices and dress for a festival outfit is never a good look, and the spotlight was finally on celebs and festival-goers alike- using other people’s cultures for Instagram likes just wasn’t going to fly anymore.
2018/2019
The 2020s are steaming towards us like a bullet train, and by this point influencer culture is well and truly underway. In the post- boho hype, the latest trends are all about bright hair, alien-core, neons and matching co-ords. The famously re-dubbed ‘Beychella’ ‘18 saw Beyonce’s iconic and moving performance- a celebration of black womanhood, from Nubian queens, to historically black universities across the country- especially significant as the first black woman to headline the event in its history. A refreshing and much-needed antidote to the ugly side of Coachella that had surfaced in previous years, Beyonce’s performance disrupted the now stereotypical indie and bohemian vibe, taking back minority culture from those who co-opted it for a style choice. Festival fashion was impacted as a result- with people branching out, moving away from the hippy garb, and trying bolder, more daring looks. Boho chic got a 21st century upgrade, with black fringe instead of the usual suede, and more tailored fits for those classic denim jackets.
Expect to find: fishnet tights, neon bikinis, space buns, combat pants, double denim, and loadsa loadsa mesh
Post COVID: 2022- now
And all of a sudden, the world stopped. Coachella, along with the rest of us, took a 2 year break and returned very much changed. The creepings of influencer and TikTok culture that had begun back in 2018 were now the major influence in the festival's style. Everywhere you look, there’s a brand sponsored influencer house or funded event, and the fashion is an amalgamation of every internet micro-trend in the post-post-instagram era come to life.
While the trends themselves are varied- clean girl, Euphoria, mob wife and coquette core the vibes are… kinda the same? None of these trends come from an authentic place, from people who actually made these choices for themselves, and the desire to be cohesive, curated, and always insta-ready removes any ounce of freedom of style- it's simply not who these people really are.
The shared experience of Coachella seemed to be drifting- instead of united front of people dressed ready to party, or used their clothing choices to embrace the desert environment, it felt like a bunch of individuals all vying to be the most on-trend, the most instagrammable, the most able to cut through the noise.
So, where are we now in 2024?
This year, sure, we still saw our fair share of the micro-trend revolution. Cowboy Carter had all the girlies in their best cowboy fits, and the mob wife maximalism meant people braved fur coats (of all things!) in 90 degree temperatures. But we also noticed whispers of change from the past couple of years. Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce took their public relationship game to the next level, rocking up in matching ‘happy gilmore’ caps, sneakers and relaxed fits, a newly single Megan Fox showed off her fresh blue dye while wearing a casual oversized tee, and Hailey Bieber embraced vintage street style with a varsity jacket and bandana combo. Everything felt a little more… chill? The fits were relaxed, the celebs partied in the crowd with everyone else, and there were happy mistakes and weird imperfections sneaking into the sets.
‘De-influencing’ is on the rise on social media, and people are starting to question what they’re being sold time and time over. There’s a distrust for brands, ads, and anything gimmicky, and a growing desire for authenticity. Are we starting to see this creep back into Coachella? Personally, I’m all for it. Give me bizarre celeb meet-ups, t-shirts of the bands you’re actually there to see, partying till 3am without caring what you look like, and the joy of a flower crown. Here’s my predictions for what’s in store next year.
2025
Expect to find: anti- brand sentiment, your mom’s floaty dress from the 70s, a bohoresurgence, Blur coming back to tell the crowd to fuck off AGAIN, oversized tee’s, publicscandals, and just pure, good times. Oh, and did I mention flower crowns?