Stage costumes, modern-day celebrity causal wear, fan and influencer couture; latex, lingerie, leather, and denim (and more) all serve Coachella every year. And while cowboy wear, short shorts, and hats are a big part of these famous two weekends, the highlights of what was seen on stage during weekend number one of 2023’s Coachella stretched the usual fashion imagination.
Björk, never one to avoid unusual couture (her 2001 Oscar swan-carcass dress is still talked about), wore a white dress covered in fiberoptic tendrils with red beads at each tip. Kali Uchis, championing the seemingly go-to textile for Coachella every year (on stage and off), wore a bodice, pleated miniskirt, belt, boots, and hair bow, all made of denim. And Saweetie performed in her own denim boy shorts and boots, but she matched these pieces with a string bikini top covered in plastic bubbles and a trucker hat covered in sequins.
Bad Bunny wore a bespoke ERL patchwork coat and matching pants full of splashes of color. While Billie Eilish showed minimal color in her cool stage couture, wearing a black wearing NFL jersey and a red baseball cap.
Amidst pink fireworks, their specific sound, and, yes, couture, as expected, K-pop girl group Blackpink did not disappoint in how they looked or sounded. Firstly, the four ladies changed into three outfits each during their performance, exploiting their individual fashion contracts. First stepping out in individual black and pink (no surprise there) wardrobe choices, the quartet then sported an array of corsets, shorts, metallic dresses, miniskirts, and bolero jackets.
To say they were a highlight would be an understatement.
Of course, lots are made of the A-listers attending this festival as much as what they wear. But this year at Coachella 2023, the performers were keeping up as well, cutting their own sartorial slice.
More fantastic fashion will be seen this weekend to be sure.
