Coachella "Style"...Does Anyone Care?

This afternoon I opened up my Twitter to find this choice bit from The Luxe Chronicles: “I don't understand the appeal of music festivals. They look grungy & smelly. Also, you can't wear heels.” Leave it to Helene to bring the truth so perfectly in less than 140 characters. My version is going to be a bit longer…

For the past week it seems the blogosphere has had it’s panties on fire for a music festival called Coachella. It’s been Coachella-this, Coachella-that…even major brands like H&M have correspondents at the festival who are posting the “festival style” periodically on their blogs and Facebook. (H&M even launched it's "Conscious" collection for the festival, and are supporting it by it's own Coachella blog.) It seems that, as is usually the case, the bogging-social media herd have found the perfect marriage of hipster happening and technology. Coachella seems to have the same caché as the South by Southwest conference, except with a lot more music, fashion people, and celebrities. Of course, since it’s now been discovered as a white-hot media-fashion-music-technology happening, Coachella will now begin its slow decline. There will maybe be another year or two of great acts, but I promise you that within a very short amount of time the whole thing will reach been-there-done-that status by virtue of being so overblown today.

I remember when it was new and cool. I remember opening up Women’s Wear Daily in 2006 to find a fun little roundup of “Coachella Style” pics. I was especially intirgued because the shots the editors chose were of fun rock chicks sporting Japanese paper parasols to keep out of the sun. I was tickled pink, because a few weeks before I had brought my Japanese parasol along to my first triathlon weekend, and found it incredibly useful for beating the heat the day before my race. The whole crowd of serious triathletes thought I was sort of silly, but when I found the same smart accessory on the pages of WWD I felt completely justified. What’s the point of this story? That it was five years ago! When Coachella style was new, fresh, different, and exciting.

So, someone, please explain to me what’s so great, new and exciting about it now? No one seems to mention the musical acts, it's just all about whos-who and what they're wearing.

Just when I had told myself not to be bothered by the whole Coachella thing this week, just when I’d convinced myself that it would all soon be over… I opened up my email this morning to find this disturbing tid-bit from Net-a-Porter.

I mean, seriously? The only thing that has me feverish on this subject is the fact that no one (not even Net-a-Porter, it seems) will let it go! I expect this kind of thing from H&M, but Net-a-Porter? I thought they were the classy ones! I mean, I understand that this message is for summer festivals, but with the timing of this email marketing, who are they kidding?  The demographic that shops Net-a-Porter is much more sophisticated (or so I thought) – do they really think this customer base needs to be educated on Bo-Ho or Rocker Girl Chic? No really, I love being underestimated, especially stylistically. Apart from this, it seems every fashion website has a selection of "Coachella Best-Dressed" pictures to vote on. Leave it to the fashion crowd to ruin a fun time by slapping a "best dressed" label onto something.

Also, as I post this, I just received a PR pitch from Paul Wilmot Communications recapping "Summer Style from Coachella". Are you serious? STOP.

The implication of all of this marketing effort is that designers are designing into these trends just to serve your need to go to a music festival. I highly doubt that, but clearly the retailers are capitalizing by pushing the idea as something you can just go and buy. (And as we all know, the retailers are all watching the fashion blogs who have made this event so important in the first place.) Here I thought that the whole point of rock-and-roll style was to cook it up for yourself. Hit the thrift or vintage shop, mix in some homemade cutoffs and some boots or sneakers and you’re set! While this is, in fact, how most of the fesival-goers are dressed, now that the merchandisers think Coachella is the next most important thing after fashion week the do-it-yourself approach isn’t enough.

Like every great moment of style, the retail world is eager to eat it up, re-package it and re-sell it to us. They suck the creativity out of it and it dies. Pop will eat itself.

A cute Coachella look from the H&M blog.

I suppose I find this all so irritating because it just serves as a microcosm of the greater boredom I have of street style blogs in general. Don’t these people get that the content is ridiculous? Not only is it narcissistic (especially when photographing yourself day after day,) it’s just boring. All of it is like the obsolescence of tech gadgetry - the moment you post it, it’s no longer valid, interesting, or exciting. Yes, it’s expired.  And now our favorite luxury shopping websites are merchandising into this trend? Oh gawd.

In all honesty though, some of the people do look adorable, but it's an outdoor music fstival in the blazing heat; you still can't exactly translate these looks to every day fashion. Just leave it alone and let it be what it is - an outlier cultural event, not the apex of what's new and happening in the style world. The things is, some of the people photographed as the arbiters of Coachella “street” style are totally done up…These people must be in a VIP tent someplace or at the after party, because I don’t know anyone who’d dress like that to go out onto a hot field, stand (and sweat) all day, and have beer spilled on them. From what I’m being shown you'd think that no one actually goes to Coachella to see the music, they go to get dressed up and photographed by street style bloggers. It’s just like the Lincoln Center fountain, but in the desert.

Why waste my time with this content? Girls with bangs and wayfarers? Maxi dresses and Frye boots? Rompers and gladiator sandals? Really? Groundbreaking. No, I mean this is absolutely the most inspiring bunch of wear-it-tomorrow style ideas I’ve seen in ages. (Because, being a 30-something professional, I really CAN wear this crap tomorrow and be taken seriously.) And it’s all so new because I certainly can’t find any of this shit in the Mission District of San Francisco on any damn day of the week.

Music festivals are a good fun time when you’re in college or in your twenties and you really just don’t care. You don’t care that you’re hot, uncomfortable, getting sunburned, your feet hurt, you can’t sit down, you don’t have any money for food or drinks – not that you’d buy any because the lines are too long, you’re losing the weak beer and marijuana buzz you had at the beginning of the day, your group of friends are all getting grumpy, and now you’re just generally over it, but you press on and party like a fool because, again, you just don’t care. Being where I am in life, I do care. Music is great. I love going to smaller, more intimate shows, especially when I love the artist. Festivals are just miserable. Especially those (like Coachella) where they suggest camping as a housing option when the hotels are full. Um, what?

I’m sure that my dissenting opinion will be labeled as “jealousy” by the bloggeratti, (as every dissenting opinion is – and they wonder why we think they’re clique-ish), but I have to be honest. I have no desire to be at a music festival, nor do I want to choose a music-festival-appropriate wardrobe. If I did, I’d be figuring it out for myself – something fun, idiosyncratic, and totally me…because that’s who I’m wearing it for in the end. No photographs please.

I'm just so happy that it's Monday and that Coachella is officially over. Can we finally agree on that?

Comments

[kim]

you were totally reading this mind with this post! i don't understand why you need to "pull a look" or consult a stylist to go to a festival or concert. isn't it about the music and spending time with your friends? i didn't realize going to coachella meant you may be spotted by tommy ton, et. al. i went to the first coachella in 1999 (when i first arrived in california), and the vibe reminded me of going to Lollapalooza back on the east coast. the bands were great (rage against the machine, beck, underworld, morrissey among others) and i had an amazing time meeting other people and enjoying the scene. it was september in southern californa; i dressed to be comfortable and not swelter in the heat, not to impress anyone. it's sad that you can't even go to a music festival without feeling like you're inferior or not "in" because you aren't wearing the newest jeffrey campbell platforms or don't have the right vest on with your cutoffs. i don't have an issue with festivals and i know that they aren't for everyone, but they shouldn't be popularity contests for those that choose to go.

[Adelle (the Fashionista Lab)]

I thoroughly enjoyed this rant. I too am glad that people are done talking about Coachella, but mainly because I'm sore about not getting to go. There was a knock-out line-up, including my favorite band since last September, Mumford & Sons. By the time I started thinking about making arrangements to go I realized I needed to book a hotel last year. Then all the tickets sold out. The thing is though - I don't know if there's anyone I could go with, and not be annoyed with them halfway through the weekend. I'm sure 3 days straight of standing up in the sun makes people grumpy.

Anyway, you know what? I'm seeing Mumford & Sons on Thursday in Oakland anyway. Without going to Coachella. And it's going to be outdoors, at some semi-remote railroad yard (the only thing that makes it not sketchy is that there will be hundreds of people there). You know what I'll be wearing? Shoes that will keep my feet warm and dry, and a bag big enough to hold some snacks and my tambourine. And it's going to be great.

http://fashionistalab.com

[Ms. P&C]

First of all, I love you both...

Second, YES! You totally get it. Both of you have your own amazing memories of great shows (or future shows that are sure to earn amazing memories) which is really all that matters. I feel like an un-stylish dork enough of the time, but I never feel that way in my memories of good times at concerts with friends when I was younger. In fact, in all of those memories I have no idea what I wore, but I remember the music and who I was there with at the time.

Does it get any simpler or better than that?