Here’s an experiment: Stand near the main entrance to the Coachella Arts & Music Festival and count cowboy boots. In three minutes, there were 33 pairs.
OK, now some big bohemian belts. Twenty-three in three minutes. If an alien had come to attend the festival, they might have thought they had arrived early for Stagecoach.
Rest assured, alien: this is Coachella, where Lana Del Rey, Tyler the Creator and Doja Cat are headlining and each year they offer a very interesting capsule of what people are wearing.
And in 2024, the trend seems to be cowgirl, bohemian, less is more (in terms of clothes, yes, but also in terms of money – more on that later).
“This year it’s a little bit country, but also more stylish,” said Abigail Mason, who is attending the festival for the first time this year.
We’re not relaying anything revolutionary when we say that Coachella is as much a music festival as it is a runway: on TikTok, the hashtag #coachellaoutfit has racked up nearly 60,000 posts, and “get ready with me”-style videos are flooding Twitter. research. results for the music festival itself.
“Fashion comes first,” said Dizreal Castillo, 30. “That’s the first thing we thought of before coming here.”
Castillo wore belted leather pants with Calvin Klein boxers peeking out from the top, a yellow crossbody bag, a red bandana, sunglasses and a backwards hat. Without a shirt.
Mason, who attended the festival with Castillo, wore leather shorts with a silver chain, a pink studded belt, a top with a tennis graphic and a trucker cap that boasted the logo of Castillo’s Santa-based brand Monica, “RAGS.”
“I really want to fly; that’s just part of it,” Mason said. “Everyone looks good.”
Mason and Castillo then shared an unspoken Coachella rule regarding outfits: your best outfit is for Friday, a comfortable outfit is for Saturday, and your second best outfit is for Sunday.
Do whatever you want with it.
There’s no shame in saving
Festival-goers agreed that while fashion is a priority, dressing well doesn’t have to mean expensive.
“I’ve been wearing this T-shirt for a really long time,” Kylie Adegoke said as she looked down at her shirt-turned-dress that read “I (heart symbol) hot DJs.” “Literally, it’s a 3XL shirt. I tucked it into my headband, then put on a thousand accessories. It costs around $20.
Fashion influencer Grace Brinkly, followed by nearly 800,000 people, posted her Coachella Day 1 outfit on TikTok this year, saying it was all saved.
This should come as no surprise: Thrift shopping has long been “in,” with the hashtag “thrifttok” boasting more than 230,000 posts on TikTok and thrift shopping often captivating a wider audience than pricey designer shopping.
Isabella Borden, who attended Day 2 of Weekend 2 in a black bikini top, denim skirt and black boots, also made the case for saving money, saying it led to a more unique outfit.
“You don’t have to buy the most expensive things,” Mason explained. “For example, you can have a piece that’s expensive or something that stands out, and then just put other things together.”
She then explained that one of her least favorite Coachella looks is when people wear head-to-toe designer.
“Gucci is OUT!” » she declared.
Comfort? It’s a debate
The aforementioned number of cowboy boots doesn’t mean everyone has magically found a way to rock them in comfort.
Coachella regular Mads Aguirre wore a white knit dress, a bohemian belt, a floral scarf draped around her shoulders, gold jewelry and, of course, cowboy boots. She said she’s going for Vanessa Hudgens’ viral bohemian look at Coachella.
Aguirre admitted that on her first day she made the mistake of wearing a brand new pair of boots, which she said hurt her feet. Saturday’s boots were much more broken in, but not from Orthofeet.
“It’s still a little uncomfortable, but it’s better than yesterday and it’s a festival!” » said Aguirre. “You need it. Who cares about being comfortable? Too bad.”
It turns out that some people care about comfort.
Morag Myerscough, who wore a quirky and colorful outfit to match her equally colorful art installation, Dancing in the Sky, said dressing for the heat and long walks was a top priority.
For heat, she recommends loose clothing. She wore pink linen pants, a flowing neon top and a rainbow-colored kimono, paired with green round glasses, a knitted bucket hat and sporty ECCO flats.
Myerscough explained that being creative with what you wear “on top” leaves flexibility for a comfortable shoe. For her, this translates into a guarantee of having a better time.
Rapid fire: ins and outs
IN: Rockstar streetwear. Jorts. OUT: Air Forces and Jordan 1. –Abigail Mason
IN: Get dressed. Be a different personality. OUT: Dressing lazy or not really trying. -Kylie Adegoke
IN: Chuck Taylor 70s. OUT: Skinny jeans and graphic tees. – Dizreal Castillo
OUT: Denim shorts. – Josie Brenan
IN: Be super expressive. And a lot of money. Individual style. OUT: Stringy clothing. – Morag Myerscough
IN: Second hand parts. OUT: Anything purchased as a set. –Isabelle Borden
IN: Be hard working. OUT: Be relaxed. “It’s Coachella. Come on. –Mads Aguirre
California Daily Newspapers
