The outfits at this year’s Coachella are a yawnfest
Coachella has been considered a major fashion event – alongside the music, of course – since its inception. But amongst the celebs and influencers, this 2023 has seen a severe lack of worthy fits. This is the start of Coachella’s flop era and we’re not angry, just majorly disappointed.
Admittedly, Coachella fashion has been underwhelming for years now, yet this year it feels like the uniform of boring fits has come to a head once and for all. The slew of looks are not short in hype-ability, but they somehow all just miss the mark in styling or effort. White bikini tops, plaid miniskirts, and wavy mermaid locks aren’t going to cut it for one of the most coveted events of the year. We need more than glitter roots and hot pants this 2023. It is perhaps the classic case of money cannot buy good taste, as the pieces themselves have serious potential like the viral Loewe Minecraft-core glitch hoodie spotted at the event. But with a pair of basic sunnies and cutoffs as accompaniment, we demand justice!
In all fairness, the festival in the Colorado Valley is a sweltering affair, and dressing for the functionality of sandy deserts must be taken into consideration. Yet it’s been a major year for fashion and the inspo is not short on the runway, especially for the hotter months. Take JW Anderson’s floral 3D tops or a fringed Wales Bonner Flâneur look that can be adapted to the heat and also transfer from night to day in one smooth take.
Many have compared influencers to dressing like they just purchased their first-ever day ticket to Leeds or Reading. Celebs aren’t even doing their bit, as they are dressing like they are about to be accidentally papped whilst heading on a coffee run in cycle shorts and a pair of boots. The key to Coachella dressing is that sun-to-moon transition, and it needs to look like it could have just stepped off the runway with an edge of functionality.
Evidently, people are enjoying themselves at the festival, and that’s a given. It’s just previously, we have seen prime Kylie Jenner in her King Kylie era debut her turquoise locks and Vanessa Hudgens gives all sorts of boho chic to be recreated for years to come. Hudgens bypassed attendance this year for unknown reasons, making us question whether the ‘Queen of Coachella’ was the glue holding it together. Or perhaps we are just missing a time when people put in actual effort to one of the most star-studded fashion and music gatherings on the calendar.
This isn’t to say there haven’t been a few slays: Emma Chamberlains‘ entirely Vivienne Westwood fit with a suede across-the-body bag was more of what we were looking for. Stassie was all sorts of chic in a metallic chainmail top and belt-sized mini, whilst on stage Charli XCX took home the title outfit in a black bodysuit with metal embellished cutouts. Perhaps this is the wake-up call that Coachella cannot be all it was in the 2010s, and we are simply nostalgic for a time gone by. This yawnfest was a highly anticipated load of nothingness in the end.
