After three years away, Coachella season appeared yet again. I was ready for all of the influencers and celebrities to pop out with their most fabulous and unique looks fit for a Coachella that had been put on hold. Yes, some may argue that it is trivial to talk about the outfits worn, as the festival is about the music and nothing else, but we all know that for those attending, the outfits are the main attraction. Coachella is coined “the influencer Olympics,” and I was expecting to see the most extravagant, jaw-dropping outfits out in the desert heat. But as soon as my Instagram feed started to fill with Coachella day one looks, I was so devastatingly underwhelmed. Celebs like Kylie and Kendall Jenner showed up in outfits that could have been confused for a gas station paparazzi spotting. Even our “Coachella queen” Vanessa Hudgens was not giving us her usual boho chic looks and instead stepped out in outfits that felt uninspired.
Altogether, the clothing and the vibes of this Coachella were just so blasé compared to the Coachellas past. TikTok and Twitter agreed. There were days of viral commentary on how boring and uninventive all of the outfits were this year.
The only people who slightly impressed were the performers. Notably, Doja Cat, Megan Thee Stallion and Harry Styles stunted some pretty killer looks that added to their already spectacular performances. That being said, performance-wise, nothing compared to the buzz that had surrounded the infamous Beyonce set at Coachella back in 2018. With the release of a full documentary on the process of prepping for the event as well as her iconic features of other major artists, she had a performance to remember, earning her the nickname “Beychella.” Since then, the Coachella hype has died down. Partially due to the impacts of COVID–19 and the rise of the “micro influencer,” Coachella does not seem to be a private club for famous people only anymore.
The death of the fashion itself at Coachella can be attributed to the rise in fast fashion over the past three years. As the lifecycle of products shortens and fads come and go faster than ever, we have all lost our way in the never ending chaos of trends. Every look at Coachella 2022 was born from micro-influenced trends. This made every single outfit feel the same. In the end, the festival felt anything but festive.