As Coachella made its return over the weekend, it was clear that boho style’s chokehold on the music festival has waned and “Euphoria”-style eye gems and fashion have ascended.
With Gen Z now the dominant group of twentysomethings at the festival, which was once defined by millennial style preferences, pre-pandemic declarations that Coachella fashion had become stagnant and “officially over” were premature. The event’s comeback and side parties took place throughout the first weekend, and the fashion and beauty trends spanned a wide range of aesthetics with a heavy dose of “Euphoria.”
“I saw a lot of Y2K and ironic looks, colorful crocheted sets, and people dripping [in] beads and jewels,” said actress and Pley Beauty founder Peyton List, who appeared at the Revolve Festival on Saturday and Sunday as part of a promotion booth set up for her brand.
Eye gems and sparkles
Hands-down, the most ubiquitous beauty trend over the course of the first weekend — seen on men and women alike — was the bedazzled eye. Eye gem art that looked fresh off the set of “Euphoria” was present everywhere, day and night, and was often paired with colorful eyeshadow.
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At the Revolve Festival, Pley Beauty sponsored a station with makeup artists on hand offering applications of the brand’s gem stickers to eyes or hair.
“They’ve become a new accessory, and you don’t need a theme to wear them,” said List, who added that face gems are becoming more popular because “people are going out and wearing makeup again.”
“The gems just feel exciting in the desert under the lights,” List said.
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It wasn’t just Pley Beauty adding sparkle to attendees’ faces. Nearly every party during the first weekend had a beauty brand-sponsored eye bedazzling station. Some attendees were loading up on crystals at one party by day and getting even more at another by night.
On Friday, NYX Professional Makeup was on hand to add gems to eyes at the Galore Ranch party, hosted by rapper Tyga and “Euphoria” actress Chloe Cherry. Later that evening, Nylon Magazine’s Nylon House party had a fully sponsored beauty bar set up by E.l.f. Cosmetics. It offered “Euphoria”-style eye gem applications to help attendees dance into the night to DJ Peggy Gou. The next day, the European Wax Center was bedazzling eyebrows at the Zoeasis event hosted by The Zoe Report.
“Entertainment and TV shows are often a contributor to beauty trends. The playful eye moments we saw this year, including eye accessories like gems/rhinestones, are no exception,” said Autumn White, NYX Professional Makeup pro artist. “Y2K-inspired beauty was also infused in festival looks and is contributing to the popularity of some of these trends, as well.”
According to Patrick O’Keefe, vp of integrated marketing communications at E.l.f. Cosmetics, the brand brought “’Euphoria’-inspired looks to the festival with gems, glitter and pops of color that bridge creativity with self-expression.”
Simihaze Beauty founders Simi and Haze Khadra, meanwhile, were on the festival grounds applying their signature eye stickers directly to Coachella performers including Kaytranada and Omar Apollo. Gou also tagged Simihaze on Instagram in a post showcasing her rhinestone eye stickers.
The bedazzled style was also heavy in fashion, evoking the rising “night luxe” aesthetic. Day-to-night dressing meant people turned up at festivals and parties in sequin- and rhinestone-clad going-out dresses, tops and mini skirts. Paris Hilton — the original night luxe queen — showed up to Coachella afterparty Neon Carnival covered in rhinestones, wearing Steve Madden boots and tagging Dolls Kill in her Instagram post.
Not a flower crown in sight
Overall, festival fashion this year felt more like a rave than the Woodstock-inspired hippie paradise it has been for the greater part of a decade.
Flower crowns are long gone from the equation, as are the Native American-style headwear that had been criticized for years by tribal members for cultural disrespect. Coachella itself has language on its website banning “appropriative” looks from the festival, while other music festivals have explicitly banned Native American headdresses. Flowy fabrics, prairie skirts, ponchos and boho patterns were also in short supply.
The shift had already begun in pre-pandemic years as influencers and celebrities were increasingly criticized for cultural appropriation in their fashion. As early as 2014, Alessandra Ambrosio received backlash for wearing a Native American headdress.
What has taken their place are looks reminiscent of the outfits on “Euphoria’s” characters. Y2K-inspired, gogo-style halter minidresses and skirts in bright neon colors and psychedelic prints were everywhere. Visible thongs were another easily spotted throwback trend, as were tube tops, butterfly clips, space buns and body glitter.
Many of these looks were included in Revolve’s Festival Edit curation of clothing, which was gifted to influencers and celebrities ahead of the Revolve Festival.
And while the character Cassie’s “Oklahoma” look was the subject of a joke in “Euphoria,” “cowgirl-chic” fashion proved popular after gaining steam at the 2019 festival. Cowboy boots, hats and belts were paired with every kind of outfit, including rhinestone and Y2K looks. Elsa Hosk, Emma Chamberlain and Cassie herself, actress Sydney Sweeney, were all spotted wearing cowboy boots this year.
Boho’s evolution
The boho look at Coachella isn’t dead. Now, it manifests itself almost exclusively in crochet, which could still be seen widely at the festival.
“There’s festival style that exists for a reason,” said Rachel Zoe, founder of The Zoe Report, who is credited with pioneering the “boho-chic” look during her days as a celebrity stylist. According to Zoe’s prediction, boho is a timeless style that won’t disappear from the festival circuit.
“Whenever I think of a music festival like Glastonbury or Coachella, I immediately think of Woodstock. I immediately think of these festivals that have existed for 40-50 years. It immediately goes to that bohemian, festival-goer place,” said Zoe. “There’s a vibe. You’re not going to walk in, in a black gown.”
The Zoe Report’s Zoeasis event returned this year as a pool party held at an estate near the festival. The wellness-focused event had a Keys Soulcare-sponsored bracelet-making station with crystals such as amethyst and lapis, while another corner featured a manifestation station.
Body-hugging crochet remained popular among celebrities and influencers alike as a tried-and-true way to show off skin.
Celebrities and influencers added their own colorful updates to the crochet look.
Vanessa Hudgens, one of the most well-known boho-dressing celebrities of Coachellas past, opted for a hot pink crochet halter ensemble and hat by Triangl — a brand big on influencer gifting for this year’s festival — that combined the worlds of boho and Y2K.
“Euphoria” actress Storm Reid appeared at Coachella day one in a colorful Etro crochet halter crop top with shiny purple Ganni pants and shoes by New Balance — her footwear choice for the weekend, given the fact that she’s New Balance’s ambassador.
According to Zoe, the mindset this year is “extra” when it comes to event fashion. “I’ve seen people getting so much more dressed up and putting more effort in and going to things they never would have gone to before because they feel like it’s going to end,” she said.
