Coachella is one of the biggest music festivals that is put on every year. Or, every year until the last one in 2019. Due to the pandemic, the festival was put on hold until this year. So many people were excited for the return of Coachella for many reasons. Some are there for the music, some are there for the fashion, some are there for the content, some are there for the stories, and some are just there for a good time. While some of my favorite artists, like Harry Styles, Lizzo and Måneskin, performed, I was mostly paying attention to the festivals festivities for the outfits. Because it has been so long since the last Coachella, and style has evolved a lot since 2019, many people (including me) were interested to see what the influences and A-listers would wear. And honestly, I was severely disappointed.
Most of the actual celebrities hardly tried and the influencers tried and failed. I can appreciate a relaxed look, but come on people this is COACHELLA! Coachella is the time to go all out with the outfits. It is a time to experiment with style and trends. The vibes in the past have been boho, cowboy and hippie. This year had no clear groups of styles, it was a little all over the place. Some celebrities actually understood the assignment and showed up in great outfits that matched the pre-existing themes of the festival. Vanessa Hudgens, informally known as the queen of Coachella, brought the boho vibe as she always does and Storm Reid wore a stunning hippie-inspired outfit by Etro. Both celebs were styled by Jason Bolden, who I love as a person but who’s work I usually could take or leave.
But this is a style roast, not an article discussing the wins of Coachella fashion. Because honestly, there were an extremely low amount of wins this year. The main problem that I had with the fashion at Coachella this year was not that they were all around bad outfits, I thought a lot of them were cute…in different contexts. A lot of these outfits I would wear, maybe to run errands or to get dinner with friends, but not to a major music festival known for its fashion, although many people have great outfits and costumes, including venetian masquerade masks and more. So I’ll start off lightly by discussing the outfits that I liked, but that were completely out of place at Coachella.
Let’s start with Charli D’Amelio. In my opinion, she needs to fire her stylist. Her outfit on the first day looks like a 14 year old went to Forever21 in 2016. It is a white dress and platform Converse, some chokers and big hoops. Take off the bad jewelry and the outfit is just ok. I could definitely see girls wearing this to shopping or get lunch in the summer. However, this is the farthest thing from a Coachella look that it honestly makes me a little mad. Her day 2 outfit is better, but not by much. It still gives 14 year old who went to Forever21, but at least it has a little more depth. It’s a lacy skirt layered over a plain black mini dress with spaghetti straps, and once again the platform Converse and god-awful chokers. It’s cute, I might even wear it for a picnic or something casual like that. Hopefully next year her stylist steps it up.
Next up to the chopping block is Bretman Rock. He honestly had a few outfits that I loved and I thought were fitting for the event. But I’m here to talk about the misses, not the hits. The first outfit was an all denim Diesel look. It looks like an inverted pair of jeans that has been cut up into a shirt and skirt set. Its…fine. I don’t love it. Glenn Martins, the creative director of Diesel, is known for his love of denim and finding new takes on the fabric. The fabrics looks incredibly cheap, like some sort of cotton cloth material that looks like it was made in some fast fashion factory. His day 2 outfit wasn’t bad, but once again, it just doesn’t feel right for Coachella. It’s a vintage Chanel set that shows us that the Y2K style is here to stay. The color is pretty and looks great on his complexion and if anyone can pull off low-rise capri pants it’s him. I can appreciate certain aspects of the Y2K style, but I am honestly just waiting for the trends to die out like they did 20 years ago. He accessorized the look with Miu Miu chunky white sneakers. It is brave for him to wear white designer shoes that cost thousands of dollars to a music festival. Those shoes were for sure ruined by the end of the day.
The next person I hate to bash, but it needs to be done. Kendall Jenner has slowly been stepping up her style game over the past few years. Almost every outfit on her Instagram feed is a serve, but she did not bring her A-Game to Coachella. While Kendall is known for going a little minimal at over the top events like Coachella or the Met Gala, I thought her look at the 2019 Gala (for the camp theme) was a turning point for her style. It seems like she did not carry that spirit with her this year as her outfit was incredibly boring. I’m not saying I didn’t like it, even though I could do without the belt, I am just sad that she didn’t put a little more effort in. She wore leather pants with a regrettable oversized belt; once again, can we please leave the horrible trends of 2006 in 2006. And, to finish the look, she threw on a plain blank crop top. Not to mention the wannabe Vera Bradley bag, a brand that we can also leave in the past. Kendall, tell me why a dress you wore on a random Friday in some parking garage for an Instagram photoshoot was a better Coachella look than what you actually wore to Coachella?!
I had personally never heard of Larray until I saw people talking about his outfit for the festival. And, if it involves fashion, I’m listening. I really liked his look, and I would definitely wear it myself. I just wouldn’t wear it to Coachella. However, the brand he wore was very fitting. He put the Coach in Coachella. He wore a matching denim Coach set with the brand’s logo embroidered on the jacket and the matching bucket hat, which he seemingly pinned to his jeans. I would maybe wear this to go grocery shopping if I was a rich housewife going to Erewhon.
And finally, another person I hate to bash because I love him and his outfits, Brad Mondo is our final celebrity/influencer to be criticized. His first day outfit was calling upon the goddess herself, Rhianna, and her Coachella look from 2017. He wore a pink mesh sequin top with a hood over a pair of jeans. I love that he is supporting a small brand, Lucas Stowe, and I love that he is actually putting effort into a cool look, but I don’t love it as a whole. I think the way the top was styled was its downfall. Between the jeans and the sunglasses and the necklace, he has like 3 different aesthetics battling each other. It doesn’t feel cohesive and it doesn’t look as cool as it should. The real crime is his day 3 look. At first I hated it, and then I loved it, and now I’m back to hating it. I honestly don’t know how to feel because he has multiple different aesthetics battling each other again. I think he was going for some sort of space cowboy, but when I look at it I feel like someone photoshopped his top half onto someone else’s bottom half. I love all of the pieces individually, but they don’t work together for whatever reason. But, I really do love that he put in a lot of effort instead of going the safe route. It feels like he is actually at a music festival, not grabbing groceries or just going for a walk with the dog.
I knew that the outfits this year were ether going to be mesmerizing or truly awful based on how long it has been since the last festival. I was hoping that because there was so much time off, people would have had a while to develop their style and plan their looks. But unfortunately, the time off seemed to confuse people and they all seemed lost on what to wear and what Coachella truly means. Hopefully next year they come back strong, and with new stylists.