A Handy Style Guide for Coachella from the Teen Vogue Editors
Picking out the perfect outfit to wear to a music festival is hard because it has to be so many things: comfortable, able to transition from day to night, and, most important, stylish. You might be there to see your favorite artist perform, but the other reason is to take tons of photos with your friends. Last weekend, Teen Vogue editors went to Coachella and took on the challenging task of what to wear, and not to toot our own horn, but we nailed it. Our success included Dr Martens sandals and boots, fanny packs, lots of prints, and, always necessary, sunscreen. We didn't want to be cliche (i.e., denim cut offs or crochet dresses) or offensive (i.e., all the cultural appropriation that happens at Coachella), which was actually pretty easy to accomplish.
Now we're here to give you a look at what we wore, and hopefully some style inspiration, if you're planning on attending weekend 2, or any music festival this summer. Keep scrolling to see our looks from Coachella weekend 1.
1/20Day 1 (Pre-Coachella)
Before Coachella, I took a road trip from Los Angeles to Palm Springs to see the Desert X Art installation scattered all over the desert. I knew there would be a lot of getting in and out of the car (to take selfies, duh!), so I kept my look simple and comfortable. I paired Levi jeans and a white tank with furry white UGG sandals, and gold cowrie-shell earrings to add a little statement to the simple look. - __Tahirah Hairston, Teen Vogue Fashion and Beauty Features Director__
2/20Levi's Ribcage Super High Rise Jeans, $98, shopbop.com, Choked By A Thread Gold Shell Hoop Earrings, $165.00, chokedbyathread.com, UGG Le Fluff Sandal, $139.95, nordstrom.com, Everlane Pima Micro Tank, $25, everlane.com.
3/20Day 2
I finally made it to the festival! It was my first time back at Coachella in almost eight years, and the crowd and my style had definitely changed. This time around I created a look that was all about comfort and style (eight years ago I was all about Chelsea boots and denim cutoffs). For my first day, I wore this neon green Simon Miller sweater from Shopbop, a leopard skirt from Nanushka, bright orange Poppy Lissman shades, and a cowrie-shell necklace (clearly my thing right now) from Choked By A Thread, with evil eyes that hopefully warded off all of the annoyingly drunken people and the nasty dust. - Tahirah
4/20Simon Miller Senoia Sweater, $310, shopbop.com, Nanuska Zarina Leopard Skirt, $345, nordstrom.com, Choked By A Thread Rainbow Evil Eye Shell Necklace, $210, chokedbyathread.com, Poppy Lissiman Stevie Sunglasses, $105, poppylissiman.com
5/20This was my first-ever Coachella, so I decided to pack light and bring clothes I already felt confident and like myself in — I did not want to have a clothing crisis in the already hectic and exhausting environment of a desert music festival. For the first day, I paired my tropical Pink Clove Baseball Swing Dress from ASOS with the requisite fanny pack (also from ASOS), old-school tube socks (full disclosure: they’re branded from the website the Kicker), and classic white Converse high-tops. For the cold Coachella nights, I tied to the pack a super lightweight metallic windbreaker from ASOS Design. - __Claire Dodson, Teen Vogue Entertainment News Editor__
7/20As a Coachella first-timer, I wanted to be as comfortable and prepared as possible. Plus, I really wanted to stick to my style and not feel like I was playing dress-up purely because I was attending a music festival. That said, I decided to revolve my outfits around my Dr Marten’s Bianca Chelsea Boots. So, on the first day, I opted for an oversize tee I got from Poorly Curated (one of my favorite Etsy stores for all things vintage) styled with semi-sheer Ganni pants, my go-to gold hoops from Common Muse, and an Urban Outfitters bucket hat. Yes, a bucket hat. I’ve been wanting to jump on the bucket hat trend for a while now, and what better opportunity to try it out than at Coachella? Bucket hat verdict: will definitely wear again. - __Bianca Nieves, Teen Vogue Commerce Editor__
8/20Ganni Lorita Pants, $69, outnet.com, Daisy Street Relaxed T-shirt, $16, asos.com, UO Chloe Canvas Bucket Hat, $10, urbanoutfitters.com, ASOS Design Paisley Print Bandana, $7, asos.com.
9/20Day 3
I started my day with some parties and didn’t end up going to the festival until later, which meant it was a little chillier. I opted for this yellow STAUD top, AGolde denim shorts, with chunky Doc Marten sandals. I love that the outfit is pretty simple, but the puffed sleeves and platform sandals make it stand out, without forgoing comfort. - Tahirah
10/20Staud Luna Top, $225, shopbop.com, AGolde 90s Short, $138, artizia.com, Dr Marten Clarissa II Sandals, $135, shopbop.com.
11/20My second-day outfit was by far my favorite. I call it my Coachella-grandma outfit. I scored this flowy, oversize, prairie-esque dress at Urban Jungle in Brooklyn for $5, and if I do say so myself, it was perfect for the occasion. Not only was the fabric thin and breezy, but it was perfect for twirling and dancing. Which I did, a lot, especially at J.Balvin’s set. Plus, I liked the contrast between the aesthetic of my boots and the dress. As for accessories and jewelry, I kept it constant, like my boots: For the whole weekend, I wore my gold hoops and stacked necklaces, Krewe sunnies, and carried my Fjallraven Kanken Mini Backpack everywhere. The backpack's square size was ideal for fitting all my essentials, and the bandana tied to it was not only a cute detail but a lifesaver when it came to getting to the actual festival and warding off the dust. - Bianca
12/20Samantha Pleet Dorothy Plaid Puff Sleeve Midi Dress, $320, urbanoutfitters.com, Fjallraven Kanken Mini Backpack, $70, urbanoutfitters.com, Dr. Martens 2976 Quad Chelsea Boot, $170, urbanoutfitters.com.
13/20OK, so yes, I know black does not scream *Coachella*, especially in the heat of the day. But on day 2, I was recovering from a sunburn (plaster on that SPF, everyone!) and decided to attend the festival in the early evening, skipping that blazing sun. For that weather, I dressed in loose but structured fabrics that had minimal contact with my burned skin: a black crop top training tee from ASOS 4505, a black denim wraparound miniskirt, with the Coachella flair coming from my beloved Hogarth 1460 Pascal boots from Doc Martens’ Museum Collection (these are sold out, but there are other similar styles). -Claire
14/20ASOS 4505 Curve Crop Training Tee, $23, asos.com, Dr Martens Dadd 1460 Pascal Boot, $150, drmartens.com.
15/20Day 4
The last day, finally! I was truly exhausted and, unfortunately, my evil eye choker did not ward off all the dust so my allergies were very present. This day I almost wore a very cute minidress, but it felt like too much effort, so I wore this beautiful, flowy (and very comfortable) Ganni dress with my Doc Marten sandals. It was just the right amount of breezy when the sun was up, and kept my legs warm when the sun went down. Look? 10/10. - Tahirah
16/20Ganni Printed Maxi Dress, $536, farfetch.com, Similar Bag: Elizabeth and James Satin Fanny Pack, $78, saksfifthavenue.com.
17/20For the last day, I wanted to keep going with my flowy, oversize aesthetic, but since I tanned and got my color back (take that NYC winter!), I wanted to show it off (and who can blame me?). Usually, I’m not a tight-dress type of girl, but it just goes to show the confidence a good tan can give you. That’s why I wore my current favorite Ramy Brook dress over a Need Supply Co. white tee, paired with my go-to accessories (mentioned above). Overall, it was a nice change of aesthetic, and orange is my favorite color, so that was the cherry on top of my last Coachella outfit. - Bianca
18/20Ramy Brook Carsen Dress, $395, ramybrook.com, NEED Ribbed Crewneck Tee, $55, needsupply.com, Krewe Ward Sunglasses, $275, krewe.com, Common Muse Tilda Hoops, $42, commonmuse.co.
19/20On the third day, my sunburn woes continued, but I knew I would have to be on the festival grounds for about 12 hours. To cope, I wore the black crop-top (again, I’ll admit it), this time paired with a lightweight floral button-front skirt from ASOS, fishnet tights, plus my trusty Docs. I was still cool and comfortable by the time I slogged through the dust after Ariana Grande’s killer headlining set. - Claire
