How To Dress For Coachella Based On Your Favorite Bands

Beyoncé may have dropped out of Coachella due to doctor’s orders, but the festival is still one of the season’s hottest tickets. Rock, hip-hop, indie, EDM, the diverse lineup of talent draws fans from all over the globe for a two-week stay at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California. But the all-important question becomes, what do you wear? Because flower crowns are so over.

Culture Trip’s Music Editor, Ryan Kristobak suggests comfort and fun over all else. “You’re out in the sun,” he says, adding that the celebrity invasion of the festival “is what it is,” and reminds folks to “ignore the scene and just enjoy the music with your friends.” But for many festival-goers, dressing is part of the fun. That doesn’t mean you’re not there for the music. So, why not let the talent of Coachella help inspire your festival looks?

Festival dressing became a cultural issue when celebrities like the Jenner sisters, (Kendall and Kylie) Selena Gomez, and Vanessa Hudgens wore bindis to Coachella, as a fashion statement, seemingly without any regard for how the power dot connects women of South Asia, and has for centuries. Isha Aran writes for Jezbel, “The bindi is not your music festival fashion accessory.” Why? It’s difficult to toe the line between cultural appropriation and appreciation. So, be safe, and don’t use a music festival to try and negotiate that terrain. Instead, find your Coachella looks as inspired by your favorite bands.

All That Glitters

If you’re at Coachella to see Gucci Mane, Future, Lady Gaga, D.R.A.M. …

Hack the Look: Backstage Pass Hand-Sequined Dress, Di$count Universe, Black Plain Turban, Topshop, MAKE Satin Finish Eyeshadow

Va-Va-Vamp

If you’re at Coachella to see Glass Animals, Radiohead, Kendrick Lamar …

Hack the Look: Black Faux Suede Fringe Details Biker Jacket, Missguided, Pink Metal Detail Cat Eye Sunglasses, Missguided, Fine Wine Set, Floss Gloss

California Dreaming

If you’re at Coachella to see Bon Iver, Thundercat, Skepta ..

Hack the Look: Hardy Jumpsuit, YSTR, Paisley Silk Scarf, TopShop, Blue Eye Color, Bare Minerals

Wild West

If you’re at Coachella to see Empire of the Sun, Raury, Nao, Justice …

Hack the Look: Band Tie Front Playsuit, Topshop, Black Western Stud Fedora Hat, Missguided, MAKE Matte Lipstick in Scarlet

The Future Is Female

If you’re at Coachella to see Tove Lo, Warpaint, Kehlani …

Hack the Look: Bleached Out Space, Time, Motion Hoodie, Lyz Olko, Tie Flat Sandals by Molly Goddard x Topshop, d.i.d. Nail Paint in Baby Love

About the author

Jill Di Donato

Fashion Editor

Jill is a New York native who holds a BA in Literature from Barnard College, and an MFA in writing from Columbia University. She is the author of the novel Beautiful Garbage (She Writes Press, 2013) about the downtown Manhattan art and fashion scene in the 1980s. A former staff writer for The Huffington Post and Bustle, Jill comes to Culture Trip after working with Refinery 29, Vice, Salon, Paste Style, Los Angeles Times, Nylon, Shopify, Autre, and producing content for emerging fashion labels. She teaches classes about fashion and culture at Barnard College and The Fashion Institute of Technology. Her prized possessions are her Gucci fanny pack, vintage rocker t-shirts, and her grandmother's collection of costume jewelry. She's always on the lookout for a gem-encrusted turban.