Style File: Dissecting Festival Fashion

Did you know the first half of Coachella was last weekend?

What a ridiculous question. If you’re on social media, consider yourself even a little bit into music or have living, breathing friends, there’s no chance the buzz around Coachella (ella, ella..) didn’t completely overshadow everything else that may have happened in the world during those three days. Don’t worry — the hype is only going to continue tomorrow, when round two begins.

The who’s-who of the West Coast seem to turn out in greater quantities — and with more enthusiasm — each and every year. If you live close to Indio, Calif., and aren’t there, what else could you possibly be doing, right? I personally like the “#Nochella” joke going around Twitter, but I’ll admit I’m just really jealous. The craziest part of Coachella is that we almost forget what it even is anymore: a gigantic, amazing, earth-shattering assembly of the world’s greatest musicians in one dry desert.

Instead, plenty of lucky festivalgoers just see Coachella as one big fashion show.
“Festival style” is a term so overused and dated that it doesn’t mean much anymore.

What is festival style? “Bohemian chic?” “Carefree hippie?” It almost always includes fringe, eyelet, ankle boots, flower crowns, braids and cut-off denim, but now it is so heavily embraced by celebrities, bloggers and models, it has been turned on its head.
Let me back up. I think “festival style” — ethnic prints, slouchy silhouettes, the “bohemian” look — is great when you aren’t putting too much effort into it. Girls who truly fit the festival style mold would never call themselves “hippies.” They shop at thrift stores, braid their hair into waves and genuinely like listening to Beach House and Spiritualized. But none of it is really on purpose. Trying really hard is the antithesis of the hippie.

But when the best-dressed girl at Coachella is wearing a $3,000+ outfit by Isabel Marant, you start to wonder. Is festival style being corrupted by designer duds? It’s no secret that the bohemian vibe is “de rigueur” this summer, with everyone from H&M to Tory Burch embracing the hippie persona. But even some decidedly non-bohemian designers, such as Juicy Couture and Guess, saw an opportunity at Coachella to collaborate with popular bloggers and promote their new lines. I couldn’t log onto Instagram without seeing dozens of artsy, filtered photos focused not on Coachella concerts, but on the most stylish bloggers and models in attendance.

Luckily, someone was there to make some sense of the craziness.

Kate Bosworth recently announced she helped design a festival-themed collection for Topshop, and she wore some of her threads to the sweaty fields of Coachella. As the purveyor of cool, on-trend clothing girls can afford and actually pull off, who better to finally address the festival style conundrum than Topshop? And who better to work with them than Kate Bosworth, the most chic festival-goer around?

Bosworth is the true Coachella fan. She’s a huge music buff — her favorites include Beach House and Stone Roses — and her sartorial choices at the festival are stylish, yet unfussy and relaxed. You won’t catch her wearing towering platforms in the uneven grass or reapplying her makeup when she starts to break a sweat.

Bosworth debuted her Topshop collaboration a few times last weekend, and my personal favorite look included a white lace romper, flat suede boots, aviators and air-dried waves. I’m planning on snagging the romper at Topshop this summer and replicating the look for all of my 90-degree activities in New York City, like walks through Central Park and shopping trips through SoHo.

Just because the collection is festival-themed doesn’t mean you have to head to Lollapalooza or Bonnaroo to wear it — but if you do, rest assured you’ll look way cuter than most of the girls attempting that effortless “festival style.”

­— emfarra@indiana.edu