So commercial it's cool again, Coachella is as well known for its showcase of Californian style as it is for its eclectic line up of artists.
Without a cloud in the sky, floral garlands and micro shorts were the style staples of the weekend.
Aside from the music, Glastonbury, Reading & Leeds and T in the Park may have rain, mud and burger vans but Coachella has guaranteed desert sun, palm trees and exclusive pool parties.
This year saw spectacles come from Muse celebrating twenty years together, epically covering Nirvana's 'Lithium' to mark twenty years since the death of singer Kurt Cobain. Beyonce joined sister Solange on stage to perform, and it's unexpected surprises such as this that give festivals their name as places you had to be there to capture that particular 'moment in time'. The reformed Outkast performed, Beck and Arcade Fire were massive crowd-pleasers and the girls were out in force with Warpaint, Ellie Goulding, Lorde and Haim bringing their talent and style to the stage.
Coachella, for me, unites catwalk collections, high street finds and vintage treasures with an incredibly cool backdrop to a worldwide audience in a way that's inconceivable to imagine the impact it actually makes. Thought now to be on par with New York Fashion week in terms of being one of the biggest fashion events in the country, Coachella sets the trends for festival style in the coming months being the first major festival of the summer.
With an emphasis on V.I.P. and exclusivity, the pool parties are where the celebrities can be found sipping cocktails and partying. Guess and Lacoste are renowned for theirs. This year's pop-up by Soho House at Coachella caught my attention, organised by celebrity stylist Elyse Walker. The divine Daisy Lowe amongst other big names provided the tunes while guests splashed in the pool and sipped Bacardi cocktails. Poppy Delevingne, model and sister of Cara took inspiration from Kate Moss's hen weekend at the Isle Of Wight Festival and rounded up the ladies which included Sienna Miller for her own celebrations. Poppy hosted a swanky brunch with Superdry called 'Popchella' with all the girls in attendance and wore exclusive pieces by Superdry such as a leather fringed jacket with 'Popdog' emblazoned on the back.
My favourite looks from Coachella's first weekend included Daisy Lowe's grungy take on glamour with a strappy black negligee maxi dress worn with Doc Marten-style boots. Selena Gomez wore a crocheted off white lace dress by brand Free People and accessorised with an on-trend fedora style hat and chunky boots.
Kendall Jenner, who has been grabbing headlines since she stormed the catwalks at Fashion Week, was seen confidently rocking a black lace three piece which took me back to my nineties wardrobe and which she executed with fierce finesse. Model Chanel Iman looked effortlessly cool in a colourful headscarf, crochet knit racer-back mini dress and tan leather embroidered cowboy ankle boots. The untouchable Kate Bosworth exuded Californian cool at the Alexander Wang x H&M Coachella party wearing white broderie anglaise and carrying a burgundy leather fringed bag.
Wear it well: my must-haves
Free-spirited, effortlessly 'Cali cool' with a grungy nod to rock 'n' roll is the style rule for festival fashion. See my key finds to put together your own Coachella looks for the summer in four get-the-look ideas.
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