Coachella Weekend 1 Outfits Recap
Written by Madesyn Hughes
Every year, it feels like Coachella comes earlier than the last. Scrolling on TikTok, all of a sudden your favorite influencers are posting what they are packing for Coachella and sharing what brands are sponsoring them. Every year also brings a new group of celebrities and influencers to Coachella, bringing different ages and audiences at the major event. From Emma Chamberlain and Hannah Meloche to Jake Shane and Alix Earle, the influencers headlining coverage of the festival online change with every year. This year for the first weekend, along with the regular shift in influencers present, there was also a shift in the outfits the attendees were wearing. There was a mix of a 2016 revival of the boho outfits from the past, along with a surprising amount of casual outfits being worn to such a significant event. These outfits caught many by surprise and were also what many expected, giving a sneak peak of what is to come in the future for Coachella and other musical festivals this year, such as Lollapalooza and Stagecoach.
The main trend noticed within the outfits of the first weekend of Coachella was the revival of the 2016 outfits. 2016 was a monumental time for Coachella. Most current young adults remember the time of James Charles and Emma Chamberlain leading Instagram feeds with their outfits. The 2016 era of Coachella was extremely boho, as it included flower crowns, crochet, fringe and more. This era can be argued as what made Coachella how significant it is today. Coachella first came to stage in 1993 and only grew from there. At the beginning of their story, the early years, there wasn’t as much of a brand influence, and with that influencers were barely part of people’s lives (Franko). It was when phones came into the mix in 2010 that this started to change and Coachella became an event that affected many due to their ability to see it on their phones. With livestreams, Youtube videos and Instagram posts, Coachella was made global in the 2010s with its recordings, allowing for many people to feel a part of it while on the outside (Franko). This is also when influencers became so significant and their fashion stances became so important to the festival and its popularity. Within the 2010s, influencers became popular on Youtube and Instagram, taking hold of their audiences with vlogging their lives. Coachella fell hand in hand with the LA culture taking hold and the significance of many of these influencers moving out west. The culture shifts that came around 2016 were very significant to Coachella, and even more significant to many bringing it back this year. Within many of the brand activations, specifically Revolve’s, many different influencers were dressed in mostly one brand as required, and the brand dressed them in what can be described as 2016 fashion. Deja Clarke, an influencer more popular with tweens/teens, wore fringe boots, a flower crown, and a distressed t-shirt. This was the most 20th century Coachella outfit possible, and shows what the common trends were. Revolve dressed many of their influencers in 2016 fashion, providing just one example of a brand headlining the Coachella trends. 2016 trends were also seen in people’s personal styles, such as Ashtin Earle’s outfits including fringe boots, twin braids, ripped jeans, and an overall boho aesthetic. This slight revival of 2016 and the 20th century can be specifically seen as a revival of the bohemian aesthetic. Coachella started out as a bohemian festival in the desert, being covered the most online in their peak fashion moment of the 21st century, showing attendees boho style. It is now that people really seem to be attempting to bring this back, falling in the overall trend of 2025/2026 of a Y2K revival. The bohemian style calls back to the hippiness and calm of that time, something many believe is needed in today’s climate.
Along with the revival of the past, Coachella’s influencers also brought in a new trend and way of expressing their styles unusual to the past, with some going for a more casual look. This is a question mark in the future of Coachella, as there weren’t a great number of people who went the casual route, but the ones who did have major influence. For example, on the last day of Coachella, Alix Earle wore a tank top, blue oversized zip up hood and baggy cargo pants. Earle’s outfit was styled very well and was a step up from the usual hoodie and sweatpants casual style, but was still definitely different from the usual influencer take of going above and beyond for Coachella. The casual and comfy style wasn’t necessarily taken by many at Coachella, but has been increasingly done in the last day or two of Coachella in the past years. This is an interesting change in dressing, as Coachella is an event so significant for its recording of outfits and gets some of the most attention from its “out-there” outfits, like James Charles’ rainbow full body suit. It is clear with this that there is clearly a change in fashion going on and a question for what comes next. Will casual become more popular and acceptable? Will sweatpants become the new jeans? Fashion is often cyclical, as shown by the Y2K revival in Coachella and overall this past year, but does still step out of the boundaries, especially in significant fashion moments like these festivals. As the Eastern Herald stated, “Festival fashion no longer operates as a uniform. It behaves more like a conversation, fragmented, contradictory, and evolving in real time.” Fashion is a conversation that is ever-evolving, whether that is back into old trends or pushing into new ones. It’s not necessarily expected for casual to make a full-blown revival, as there would be no point in dressing up. But, it is fair to question what the small growth in casual brings for the next year, as it is never known what turn fashion will take.
Weekend 1 of Coachella was already a massive hit in person and with its online viewership, especially with headliners like Sabrina Carpenter and Justin Bieber. With these artists came throwbacks, and also throwbacks in style to 2016 and the bohemian style. Other days showed new trends of casualty and comfort, something to consider when predicting future trends. Coachella has been a monumental event for years, but has competition these days with other festivals bringing in popular artists in the same ways. Their influencer and celebrity presence mixed with the music keeps them alive, and as they continue on they will need to continue brand promotions, influencer deals and hiring successful artists to stay afloat in the world of music. Coachella is known for becoming a fashion show, as people wait excitedly online to get ready with me’s and Instagram dumps. Music and fashion come together at Coachella, and the only question left is of what comes next year?
Edited by Kayleigh Carlos, Ana Massoglia and Isabella Zapata
https://easternherald.com/2026/04/17/coachella-2026-fashion-uprising-boho-vs-influencers/
