The Coachella look is a thing of the past It’s down to the weather and more

«Stop. This was Coachella 2016. This was the vibe at the time. Okay, you need to understand», famously recites Kendall Jenner in an interview for Vogue US in which she revisits her most iconic career outfits. The look in question was the definition of "boho chic" of the time: crochet bikini and skirt, brown leather sandals, a cascade of silver necklaces, round sunglasses with orange lenses, and hair tied in a couple of space buns. «Would I wear this now to Coachella or anywhere?», adds the supermodel, emphasizing that, years later, that look no longer represents her current tastes - nor those of people attending today's Coachella.

But how much has Coachella fashion really changed?

For years, the Californian festival has represented the country's youth culture, reflecting both the musical tastes of the moment and the stylistic and social preferences. Attending Coachella doesn’t just mean taking part in one of the year’s most significant artistic events - think of the headliners who participated in the past, from Beyoncé to Kendrick Lamar, including Lady Gaga, Frank Ocean, Lana Del Rey, Madonna, Amy Winehouse, Ye, Prince, Daft Punk and many more - but also being part of a piece of history of this century.

Jokes aside, just as the free-spirited and nonjudgmental style of young hippies who attended the most iconic editions of Woodstock defined the ’60s and ’70s, the attitude of new generations in the latest Coachella editions will end up describing our society in the future. Some messages about who we are and what interests us in this first twenty years of the 2000s come through the clothing and behavior of Coachella attendees: from the obsession with viral content on social media - some people, just to attend the festival, went into debt - to the huge dedication people put into outfits for each concert. A big difference compared to the carefree and relaxed vibe evoked by Woodstock photos 60 years ago.

Boho chic has lost its meaning

One of the most radical changes at Coachella concerns clothing. It may seem like a minor detail, but it actually says a lot about contemporary culture - especially American culture. Years ago, as exemplified by Kendall Jenner’s viral 2016 outfit, boho chic was the keyword of the moment. Vanessa Hudgens, an it-girl who helped popularize the aesthetic, was for several editions one of the most photographed VIPs at Coachella, among flower necklaces, leather fringes, and face glitter. Then something changed.

Starting from 2016 and 2017, more and more people became aware of the meaning of cultural appropriation (another keyword of those years), thus beginning to question boho chic as it commercialized traditional elements of populations such as the Roma, North African, Middle Eastern, Native American, and South Asian communities (who in America and beyond had long been victims of stereotyping). In those years, cancel culture flared up, a phenomenon of public boycott of any celebrity or artist accused of doing or saying something offensive, including cultural appropriation.

While celebrities and brands guarded themselves against being canceled, new aesthetics emerged, including the e-girl wave during the early years of TikTok, born online and therefore disconnected from any past tradition, and a cowboy trend that even reached the runway at Louis Vuitton Men. At Coachella, in those years, young women in black-and-white striped shirts, heavy eyeliner, and platform sneakers were photographed next to men in leather pants and pointed boots. A moment of great confusion for everyone, abruptly interrupted by the 2020 COVID pandemic.

Technical fashion for adverse weather

Today, Coachella fashion seems to no longer adhere to the trends of boho chic, the e-girl aesthetic, or the cowboy craze - although boho chic has found a way to reinvent itself, more refined, removed from any cultural reference that does not belong to it. Practicality seems to have taken precedence over any other passing fashion, driven by festival-goers’ desire to enjoy the experience without worrying too much about content or having the most original outfit - after all, everyone looked alike even when trying to stand out.

For a short period, there was talk of quiet luxury, an aesthetic that, while aspiring to discretion, made a lot of noise and brought back clothing items considered conservative. Later, gorpcore - basically technical clothing - perfectly addressed the need for functional outfits for Coachella attendees, also considering bad weather and dropping desert temperatures at night. Some attendees who wear light outfits during daytime concerts also bring a thermal blanket to cover up once the sun sets.

Moreover, as WWD points out, «the rising cost of festival tickets is making attendees focus on being present», so they choose outfits that allow them to move, dance, and navigate the Californian desert without suffering from cold, heat, or uncomfortable shoes. Not surprisingly, among the most popular items in recent weeks are rain boots, which regained popularity thanks to images of Kate Moss wearing them at Glastonbury during the year of the floods.

In short, the outfits worn by artists, celebrities, and Coachella attendees will continue to be original, sometimes more like stage costumes than actual clothing, but this year, weather and the exorbitant ticket prices (approaching $2,000 for a single day) might lead people to focus less on looks and more on fun. Which, all things considered, isn’t bad, given that it’s a music festival.