Coachella is in full swing after a two-year absence due to COVID. This year is different to any other in terms of styling, but when hasn’t that been the case? Over the years that Coachella has been running there has been a slow but drastic change in its fashion and the emphasis guests put on their outfits. Let’s take a look at the evolution of Coachella fashion over the past few years.
In a recent TikTok I saw from @oldloserinbrooklyn, Mandy describes how Coachella fashion has developed into a mass fashion marketing event which aims to sell us an idea of ‘fun’. Instead of the main premise of the festival being the music, it’s become a breeding ground for influencers and wannabe influencers to dress up and sell a dream to their followers. In a follow-up TikTok she describes how Coachella styling has followed the ever-growing potency of social media in our everyday life, let me break it down.
2007-2009: Functional Hippy, the era of MySpace and Facebook
Posting your outfit to Instagram wasn’t even a thought yet, even Tumblr was still in beta testing, so a casual, personal, and functional style was a must to survive the long days in the desert.
2011: Vanessa Hudgens Boho
The longest reigning Coachella Queen, Vanessa Hudgens brought a boho craze incorporating both functionality and a new identity to Coachella. It’s no surprise that by this point in time, Tumblr was thriving.
2012-2014: Cultural Appropriation Core
Don’t forget your flower crown to complement your complete lack of respect for other cultures.
2016-2017: Heavy Accessories
Instagram influencers were well and truly established during this time, because of this we begin to see a lot more trend conforming outfits hit the festival, albeit still overwhelmingly boho, this time with added grunge.
Present Day: Capitalist Takeover
Must. Create. Content.
Purchasing outfits just for this one festival, the main stage is… doing things to post on Instagram.
