Love it or hate it, Coachella has a reputation for it festival fashion. Last year, attendees hit the desert in a variety of shoe styles, from combat boots to platforms sandals. But one the most popular looks by far were cowboy boots. And then there was, of course, the “bad fashion.”
When Coachella made its comeback after a two-year hiatus in 2022, it ushered in the return of festival style, the look-at-me ethos of revenge fashion featuring barely-there minis, strategically sexy cutouts and sequins galore (all somehow filtered through a Y2K style lens). And it wasn’t pretty.
To be clear, there has always been a healthy dose of bad fashion at Coachella or any other music festival, for that matter. Most everyone looks back to the halcyon days of the original 1969 Woodstock festival with ethereal visions of hippies in delicate crochet and other artisanal items, but a closer look reveals that there was way too much fringe and tie-dye (not to mention a healthy coating of mud). And let’s not forget the literal dumpster fire that was Woodstock ’99.
In 2019, Coachella attendees and other festival goers seemed to be suffering from a generous amount of style FOMO, the result of social media one-upmanship that seemed to cause an outpouring of exponentially wacky looks (and not so much in the so-bad-it’s-good sort of way). While music artists and other celebrities relied on stylists and costume designers to create memorable performance looks, influencers and everyday attendees alike tried the their hand at looks that were just too advanced for amateurs. So-bad-it’s-good campy fashion quickly devolved into so bad-it’s-really-bad style memes to devour. (But since social media only works in extremes, bad-good and bad-bad tends to get the same level of reaction.)
For attendees, festivals provide a pause from reality, and with it the opportunity the same pause to any dress codes they might follow in the real world.
It’s hard to say if the fashion will have gone from bad to worse at this year’s Coachella, which kicks off on Friday in Indio, Calif.
In 2023, attendees upped the ante when it came to their outrageous looks. And platform heels, fringe hats, polyester matching sets and pasties, may have taken things a little too far.
In 2022, the looks on stage could be described best as wonky. Doja Cat (always a purveyor of campy fashion on the edge of taste) wore a collection of tattered, crystal-embellished rags. This year, she is headlining the festival with her set scheduled for Sunday. Karol G was strapped into a mishmash of denim belts. Olivia O’Brien’s trompe l’oeil leotard was made to look like a pair of acid wash jeans with matching acid wash denim jacket. Orville Peck wore his fringed leather face mask, a signature accessory for the artist that took on a kind of Rorschach symbolism in this new era. Mariah the Scientist’s feather-accented nude bodysuit looked like it would fit in with a crowd of influencers.
Coachella’s bad fashion also took on a new meaning at the Revolve Festival in 2022, whose logistical mishaps earned it the label of “Fyre Festival 2.0.” The thigh-baring wrap skirts, go-go boots and ubiquitous scarf tops influencers were sporting as they fought one another to get on shuttles to the event felt appropriate for the moment — sartorial symbols, if you will, of the grifter age we are living through. If Anna Delvey were attending Coachella, she’d probably be in a wide-weave crocheted dress, cutout monokini underneath and big sunglasses on top.
This year’s potential bad fashion — and perhaps even that of the years leading up — also points to the proverbial vibe shift that trend forecasters have been pointing to lately. A closer look at photos of festival goers may prove the case. Zoom in on their faces. Beaming with joy, maybe even a little outright pride of their outfit choices, they seem to say, “Bad fashion? I’m in.”
If you’re looking to be the best-dressed at Coachella, stylist Maeve Reilly took to TikTok for her dos and don’ts. “Leave the heels at home,” she said in a video. “This is not the time or place. There’s so much walking.” Don’t wear platforms, don’t wear moon boots,” she added. Another tip? Avoid face crystals, mini skirts, or anything too uncomfortable. “Don’t be too naked,” said Reilly.
If you keep it simple, don’t overthink it and just follow these celebrity stylist tips and tricks, you may be the best-dressed there. “The biggest trap people fall into when they are hitting the festival circuit is simply overdoing it with too many colors, too many sparkles, too many accessories. Keep it on-trend. My approach is to keep it understated,” stylist Andrew Gelwicks explained. And he’s right. Don’t go overboard with Coachella kitsch, and when you do add on your accessories, make sure they have a purpose.
