Desert Déjà Vu: Coachella And The Ever-Shortening Trend Cycles
Kate Moss at Glastonbury. (Credit: James McCauley/REX Shutterstock)
Desert Déjà Vu: Coachella And The Ever-Shortening Trend Cycles
Coachella may be a music festival, but it’s also a 3-day-runway for the internet’s latest trend cycles. Looking back on Coachella from even just a few years ago, the aesthetics and eras being referenced are staggeringly different.
As Kendell Jenner, a true Coachella veteran, put in a 2022 Vogue video reflecting on her Coachella look: “It was the vibe at the time.”
The irony of the situation is that while the look is very reminiscent of 2016 style – a flowy, crochet dress, chunky silver necklaces, strappy sandals, and space buns – it would be entirely on-trend today.
In fact, many people have been taking to social media to reference their love for 2016 style, especially in correlation to Coachella fashion.
Darianka Sánchez, popular influencer and model, has gone viral for her Coachella outfits, with her comment section full of praise for her 2016 style inspiration.
Her outfit – choker necklace, sheer,sheer rhinestone tank, lacey micro shorts, tall buckled boots, and a fringe suede bag – captures exactly where the 2010s fashion resurgence is headed.
Festival Flashback: Coachella’s Fashion Timeline
The Coachella music festival dates all the way back to 1999, but due to lack of success, it didn’t occur again until 2001.
The music traditionally focuses on alternative rock and Indie music like Björk and Nine Inch Nails, but in more recent years, it’s centered more around pop, hip-hop, and electronic dance music like Billie Eilish and Lady Gaga. The alternative musical origin has definitely seeped into the style of those in attendance.
The festival also takes place in the desert, leading to a more bohemian, western style seeping into the outfits of festival goers. Staple outfits consist of cowboy boots, lots of fringe, chunky belts (more on this later), and fun textures like knitwear, suede, and denim.
It’s incredibly eclectic, and you can definitely see modern takes on eras throughout. Just like how music dips back into different eras of influence, so does fashion. It’s truly a time capsule that keeps being re-opened every decade or so.
Tying this into the 2000s-Indie aesthetic of Coachella fashion, as Millennial artists began bringing the music that they grew up with into their current artistry. This is like how Paramore condenses early 2000s influences into their music, which influences pop-culture and therefore fashion.
Suddenly, it’s becoming more apparent that millennial fashion is dictating the current festival trends, and it’s largely due to musical influence.
Eras Reimagining Eras
Coachella truly showcases dressing through the decades, but with a hint of mass consumption and micro trends.
The 60’s and 70’s hippie bohemian looks are still prevalent. Jane Birkin, a 60’s and 70’s cultural icon, is for sure a fashion influence on this year's looks. Think babydoll dresses, high, statement boots, chunky necklaces, and low-slung belts.
As the launch approached, nerves set in—especially for Singh, who was hesitant to go live, while Besl was eager to release the collection into the world. "We planned to launch on a Sunday—but we got cold feet. This continued to happen for a month. Then, I was at dinner at a friend’s house when Sophie called and said, ‘Let’s do it today.’ I told her, ‘No, I’m at dinner,’ and she was like, ‘We’re doing it today, we are ready, we have been ready for a month, let's do it, it's now or never.’ My boyfriend, who’s also part of the team, was with me and agreed. So we went live—me at dinner, Sophie in New York—it was a little stressful, but once it happened, it was a huge relief,” Singh recalled.
Jane birkin photographed in 1969. (Credit: Tony Frank)
When it comes to 90's fashion, no one does rockstar-girlfriend festival chic like Kate Moss. She loves incorporating large sunglasses, furs, micro shorts, and darker elements like leather and fishnets. She typically goes for something flowy, which adds to the free-spirit festival vibe.
Kate Moss at Glastonbury. (Credit: James McCauley/REX Shutterstock)
As a culture, micro trends are constant. Fashion eras are constantly being repackaged and sold through fast fashion, and festival wear is a perfect example of this. Because of this, while some looks definitely hold up, some would be completely out of place if worn today.
Tons of fast fashion brands have released festival collections for the festival season, including Motel Rocks, Princess Polly, Edikted, and Urban Outfitters. These collections are all essentially iterations of the same style, leaving us wondering: are we all dressing the same, or has the algorithm just given up on subtlety.
A classic instance of this is the infamous “Coachella Belt”; a chunky belt that is made up of disks for a western look. All over social media, people have been referencing this belt as the “Coachella belt” as creators have shown numerous festival goers wearing slightly varied versions of the same statement accessory.
The belt is a great way to accessorize while participating in a grungy-western look which is very reminiscent of Sienna Miller, English actress and style icon, but its mass replication doesn’t go unnoticed.
Interestingly, people have taken to the comments of these videos to express their realization of the comeback of such a staple early 2000’s trend. One comment in particular made fun of how it’s now a trend to wear belts that many members of the millennial generation donated after sitting in their closets for a decade. Soon enough, Gen Z fashion will be the next popular vintage find.
Small Business Stamp Of Approval
For lovers of beads and sequins, look no further than Mirchi by Kim. This sparkly brand is less than a year old, but it’s already taking off. Each piece is intricately handmade in India by artisans, and it’s founded by a 25-year-old entrepreneur who combines her cross-cultural roots of India and New York. Its colorful bags and youthful Y2K motifs are not something to miss. 2000s party wear is prevalent in these nostalgic garments.
If you’re more into dainty, minimalist pieces, Romontio is an incredible brand, founded by Lena Bodenhammer, who is currently designing clothes while pursuing a law degree at Fordham University. It’s a hyper-feminine amalgamation of sheer lace mini skirts, white linen mini dresses, blouses adorned with bows, floral prints, and lacey hems. The flowy fabrics are perfect for a boho inspired festival outfit.
With the festival heat, beachy looks with micro shorts, bright bikini sets, and adorable matching sets are all the rage. Bibikinis, a brand founded by university students Tamara Avinami and Sophia Hayoun, is just that. They are new to the scene, but they have more collections to come, and fit the Miami beach vibe to a tee.
With crochet being absolutely huge when it comes to festival wear, it’s important to remember that real crochet pieces can only be hand-made, machines can only attempt to make something similar. This is why hand-stitched pieces from brands like Akoia are just what Coachella needs. Hand made by artisan women in Bali, you can find elegantly crocheted dresses, skirts, shorts, and swimwear that will have you standing out in the desert like a cactus flower.
The Libre Skirt Set made from 100% cotton and hand stitched. (Credit: Akoia)
Beat The Cycle, Be Sustainable
It’s worth noting that while originally it was widely believed that fashion trends would recycle every 20 years, but today, it truly seems as though the cycle has been cut in half. Trends go through the typical five stages of introduction, the rise, the peak, the decline, and the obsolescence.
Revisiting nostalgia is common among gen z, who has such wide access to pop-culture from each era. This culminates in an ocean of trend-cores and reimagined eras that make the trend cycle feel even more rapid.
If you’re over the rinse-and-repeat of fast fashion, the most interesting pieces are coming from where the algorithm can’t reach – your local thrift shop or an under the radar brand.
Thrifting is a great way to still create sustainable festival looks that will still be on trend due to the ever-present trend cycles. The next “Coachella belt” is currently hiding amongst bins of donated clothes, go and revive it.
Plus, if you want unique festival wear that won’t be something everyone else has, small businesses are always a great way to find statement pieces while supporting environmentally conscious fashion.
All in all, fashion eras are constantly coming in and out of trend, and being constructed in slightly different ways. If Coachella 2025 is the new Coachella 2016, how long before 2020 style starts feeling nostalgic too?