Located on the outskirts of Palm Desert and Palm Springs in a place called Indio, CA, the Coachella Music & Arts Festival kicked-off last weekend, April 27-29, amidst green polo fields ringed with palm trees in the middle of desert and mountains. It’s a unique location for some 60,000 festival goers each year and has become a key source for discovering summer fashion trends. In its 8th year, Coachella expanded into a 3-day fest and despite heat in the triple digits, there was literally a traffic jam from Los Angeles to Indio, some 120 miles away as fans showed up each day to witness the eclectic range of music, including indie, rock, electronica, reggae, punk, hip-hop, disco-rave, alt-rock, and garage-rock. As the first major music festival of the upcoming summer festival season, which promised to be the most packed season of any year previous, Coachella has become the first key indicator festival of what to expect in music, summer fashion, and large-scale art installations for the upcoming year.

With 5 different tents and corresponding themes, the mix of fashion from fans runs the gamut. But perhaps more noticeable this year was the plethora of ironic mash-ups, many with an environmental twist, that will surely send top designers back to their drawing boards for their so-called “new” designs to premiere in dated runway shows as Summer ‘09 collections. Clearly when you have thousands of fans daily in one area inspired by a wide range of music that reads like a music master’s iPod wishlist, it’s a fashion-factory of senses and styles that spark ripple effects globally. On the edge, we’re talking about electro-ravers Americana-style including ankle-high cowboy boots mixed with fantastic neon colors, piping on ‘80’s style gym shorts or an occasional bustle or tutu, and sticks in one’s hair. There’s also the growing popularity of suit vests on guys paired with Japanese silk Obi belts and again high school gym shorts circa 1981 (think Perry Farrell and Satellite Party). In addition, upper-urbanwear with a Euro street flair was prevalent thanks to influences such as The Good, The Bad, and The Queen, Interpol, and even Swedish garage-rock band Mando Daio, with pin-stripes, tophats, thin ascots or bandanas. However the predominate themes rested in new mash-ups of short-shorts, tube dresses, ones-ies or jumpers, headscarves or head strings (on girls and guys), T-shirts, and a variety of hats and accessories.

Key Summer Festival Fashion Themes--Shorts:

• Gym shorts circa 1980’s on guys similar to the Bjorn Borg headband look
• Worn on both genders, gym shorts in this era included bright piping usually in white, green, or yellow and often paired ironically with cowboy boots, ankle boots, and pulled-up tube socks
• Terry-cloth short shorts in white,blue, or aqua like the old-school OP look
• Prep plaid shorts with pockets but paired with punk accessories, studded belts, sleeveless tops, boots or Converse sneaks
• Micro-mini jean shorts like a band of denim around one’s privates
• Shorts worn over bright colored tights providing a rave-esque early ‘80’s look
• Bright-colored shorts with, tube tops—purples, reds, oranges, greens

Key Themes: Dresses, Jumpers, ‘70’s, early ‘90’s, Tribal

• Tube-top dresses in bright colors, usually paired with cowboy boots or ankle boots
• Empire waist dresses in cotton with sandals or boots
• Leggings over wife-beater white tank-tops with a wide belt
• Late ‘70’s and early ‘90’s sundresses in yellow or red patterns, paired with ankle-high boots in black or brown
• Basic patterned and gingham dresses—a take-off on the kitchen smock and housedress theme usually red, blue, or yellow
• Vests—usually pin-striped and worn without a shirt with long shorts
• Tribal colors and themes such as black, red, yellow, green, blue, including corresponding face-paint (think Björk and her all-girl Icelandic brass band)
• Tribal colors and themes indicating nationalism such as white and red Canadian flag skirts; British flag headscarves and tank tops; American flag bandanas
• Neon colors, including leggings, fur boots, and tutu’s—to match one’s glo-stick and face paint (usually found among new-school ravers in the Sahara tent)
• Bubble-bottom shorts, jumpers, dresses—yes the diaper look is not yet over
• One-sies and jumpers in solid colors, usually blue or white and usually in terry cloth—very cool, Aussie sensibility
• Aviator sunglasses, white-framed sunglasses, large plastic frames in various bright colors in general
• Tattoos, but not just a discrete rose on the shoulder—we’re talking about full-on scenes on one’s back or arm or calf
• Small nose rings
• Long shirts, short dresses over Capri jeans
• Striped shirts, striped dresses, pirate bandanas—guys and girls
• Twigs, branches, feathers in one’s hair—goes with the summer festival theme but also Björk’s new song, “Earth Intruders” from her forthcoming album Volta, and the environmental awareness in fashion in general
• Hand-knitted and crocheted skirts, bikini tops, hats
• Rock-climber capris on guys, often paired with rock climber sleeveless T-shirts
• Tight denim/stove-pipe jeans on guys
• Wide, colorful, early ‘90’s stripes in polo shirts, off-the-shoulder Flashdance shirts, skirts, dresses, terry short shorts