Coachella debuted this April for the first time in three years. The festival is infamous for its choice of musical artists, but more importantly, its display of the hottest faces in fashion as well as the newest die-hard trends. After a three year break, influencers and music enthusiasts alike broke out their wildest and sometimes quite questionable looks for the first weekend of the festival.

The best looks of this year were innovative, yet maintained the original desert vibe of Coachella fashion. With an assortment of celebrity events occurring around the time of the festival, many influencers attended Coachella in paid partnerships with brands. Revolve Fest, a festival held by the clothing company Revolve, brought in models and A-list celebrities alike just a few hours before the musical sets started. At these events like Revolve Fest, we received a closer look at influencer fashion and just how “outside of the box” some fads were this year.

There were definitely fashion decisions made at Coachella that I absolutely despise, but others I found inventive, and quite honestly a breath of fresh air after the storm of microtrends that swept the internet this past year.

Rhinestones, Rhinestones EVERYWHERE
I did not want to save the best for last- rhinestones were the absolute slay of the day. From head to toe, the Coachella attendees glued rhinestones on basically everything in sight. Heavily inspired by Euphoria’s aesthetic, rhinestone makeup, hair, and accessories paired perfectly with the loud and jingly outfits that were worn during the festival. Although not every outfit was perfect in my opinion, the people who brought back rhinestones hold a very special place in my sparkle-loving heart. The whole concept felt extremely Y2K, which isn’t surprising considering how popular Y2K has become on Tiktok during COVID-19. Additionally, we will most likely see a mass appearance of rhinestones again as prom season continues on.

Chunky Boots? Chunky Cowboy Boots?
I know that the OG Coachella lookbook was as desert-y and dusty as California music festivals could be, but the incorporation of cowboy boots at this year’s festival absolutely disappointed me. I don’t know if brands were attempting to innovate classic cowboy boot designs, but pairs and pairs of these shoes were insanely bulky, and honestly quite random when considering how they were styled with other obnoxious trends. To piggyback off of the boots, cowboy and cowgirl hats also made a comeback for the festival, in a far more amped up manner than they are usually used. Vendors on Etsy actually added rhinestone tassels to the brim of the hats they designed and commissioned the pieces for nearly 300 dollars. This just shows how glam Coachella fashion has become, and the extent people will go to look their best.

Neon Bikinis Galore.
Okay, I was slightly aware of how popular bikini tops had become in fashion, but seeing nearly every influencer at Coachella rocking a neon bikini at least once look over the two weekends. The idea isn’t terrible to me- I actually find bikini tops adorable when matched with baggy pants or long skirts. Color choices this year were extremely vibrant, and I’m not surprised that that translated into peoples choice of bikinis. I even saw some influencers wearing just a bikini set with boots and sheer dresses over it- like Vanessa Hudgens, and those were showstopping. I didn’t know the pool party meets wild west concept would digest so easily for me.

Beaded tops, bottoms, sets, and dresses
I thought rhinestones were popular– it was beads. Beaded hair, ribbons, glasses, tops, bottoms, NAIL DESIGNS! People went crazy this year with the incorporation of mesh/beaded items of clothing. At first this was confusing to me, but as I examined more looks I came to love the concept. Not only are beaded pieces festive, but the use of them in layering was absolutely phenomenal. There were multiple celebrities I would not hesitate to copy (ahem Vanessa Hudgens again) and with this new addition of beading, let’s just say, I am definitely ready to see more.

THAT Shade of Green
As we reach the end of this list, I feel almost obligated to mention the green that pops up instantly when I search “Coachella Green”. Nearly every single attendee’s wardrobe this weekend incorporated one piece of clothing in this shade of green. Even singer-songwriter Khalid wore a matching two-piece tracksuit in this memorizing green when performing with Billie Eilish. The shade gives almost like a “green light” effect to those who see it. It’s not too light and not too dark. Truly one of the truest and brightest shades of green to appear in fashion. I’ve seen neon greens come and go in the past few years, but none ever really lasted. This green was definitely more impactful, and I predict we will see far more of it in the near future. I don’t think this green is going to crumble mountains in the fashion industry, but I do anticipate a massive increase in its production for mainstream outlets.

On Brand looks for On Brand Girlies
Time to finally talk about my personal favorite looks. Ranging from celebrities to TikTok creators, the best Coachella looks were obvious superstars in the seas on cowboy boots and glitter. One of the obvious “Diamond In The Rough” looks belonged to Conan Gray. In his neon pink drapery, Conan absolutely stunted during his first set at Weekend One of Coachella. Next is Doja Cat, of course. With her drop dead display of a concert leotard, Doja served costume change after costume change during her performances and even went so hard that her fishnets tore in the back! Also, to mention one more time, Vanessa Hudgens tore down the house with her bohemian and ravenous fashion choices. I would have done anything to have been her photographer at the festival.

Kylie Jenner gone Kasual
Finally, Kylie Jenner and her friends also made an appearance at Coachella this weekend, this being one of her first public appearances since giving birth to her son. Both Hailey Bieber and Kylie showed up in skinny jeans, a white tank, and large leather jackets. Their makeup was done pretty muted and they only attended for a short amount of time to watch Justin Bieber perform. It was quite a big deal for Kylie and Hailey to appear this casually at Coachella, and because of this, I’m almost completely positive that Coachella fashion next year will be far more casual than what this year held.

With Weekend Two of Coachella just wrapped up, it lived up to its expectations after a 3 year break. It’s been fun to see the individualistic components expressed throughout fashion during this first year back, and I’m looking forward to what this next year will hold.