This time of year, social media timelines are flooded with endless pictures of outfits inspired by Coachella fashion trends.
While Coachella most notably centers on music, many guests have transformed the festival into an unspoken competition for the best fashion.
The frenzy first began in 2011 when High School Musical star Vanessa Hudgens popped out in a trendy, bohemian outfit for the festival. In the years after, Hudgens maintained her status as the “Queen of Coachella” with her flower crowns and famous jeweled makeup looks.
This year’s festival continued her legacy, featuring an impressive lineup of first place contenders for best dressed.
Influencer Zoi Lerma approaches Hudgens’ level of originality and execution in her outfits.
To kick off the first weekend, Lerma showcased her eclectic, trendy style with a matching white set. Lerma layered white and light brown crocheted bikini tops with two light brown belts — one especially thick and bulky with holes and the other being thinner and made of neutral-colored beads. Both fell right below her waistline.
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Time after time, the “Queen of Coachella” proved jewelry was the main act of any festival look, and Lerma abided by this fashion rule. Her look included a variety of bangles — similar to ones from the early 2000s that clink when you walk — one gold that read “LOVE,” and a couple of wooden ones that matched her belts. A long, ivory-colored pearl necklace sat gracefully on her chest and served as a nice mix of motifs.
Lerma completed the look with a final item — a fishnet headscarf. This truly tied the bohemian vibe together in an edgy way and accentuated her makeup — a smudged black waterline and warm lip combo.
The next best dressed, feeding into more mainstream fashion, is TikTok sensation Tara Thompson — an influencer who most people that own a phone are obsessed with.
For her day one outfit, she styled a bunch of pink, dainty bows on her figure and in her braided ponytails. Her black lace set resembled lingerie with bows on the eyelets of her set, tank straps and boots. The pastel pink and jet black contrast was a visual masterpiece and perfectly fit her grunge yet feminine style.
The rest of her looks were right on track with her usual brand. Of course she had to bring out the big, furry boots with a firetruck red, mesh outfit in the middle of what California would categorize as summer weather. Iconic.
Performers also got the memo for festival fashion trends. Headliner Lana Del Rey returned to the stage after 10 years, reclaiming her reputation on the West Coast.
Her strawberry blonde hair — nicely blown out with loose curls — was a nice addition to her extravagance, but didn’t compare to the beautiful, sparkling dress as she made her grand entrance on the back of a motorbike.
In Del Rey’s performance, the true main characters — her silver knee-high boots carrying her tunes across the stage — shined with every kick and spin.
Another beloved TikTok creator, Rhegan Coursey, brought out a cute, baby pink ruffled set to start off the second weekend of the festival. While her outfit erred on the basic side, it was undeniably adorable and certainly fulfilled the color quota of the entire festival. Coursey, typically known for her darker-toned, night-life outfits, truly stepped out of her box. But she found a way to incorporate her signature with a sleek pair of black cowgirl boots.
Are we over the cowgirl boots yet?
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Unfortunately, the outstanding fashion looks of both weekends were accompanied by a couple of lower-tier ones.
Alix Earle, a TikTok queen who blew up for her unique “Get Ready with Me” videos and party lifestyle, was a bit of a disappointment. Not only were some of her looks basic, but they lacked the usual sass Earle brings to the table.
She must have left it all in Miami.
Earle’s third outfit featured unflattering oversized, denim jorts paired with a clunky belt that sat awkwardly under the belt loops.
Earle completed the basic look with a white baby tee that read “Do my boobs look big in this?” in bold print. The ironic shirt was maybe the only slightly interesting clothing piece of the entire look.
Regardless of a few bad outfits, celebrities truly showed out for both the watchers at the desert grounds and those spectating from home. They carried the team with looks even Hudgens would be proud of, incorporating their unique eye for fashion, trends and of course, the inclusion of cheetah print — something we were all waiting for.
