Coachella 2016: Why Rihanna, Taylor Swift, and Leonardo DiCaprio can’t miss the ‘It’ festival
IT’S the event where Hollywood’s A-Listers hang out with the world’s hottest supermodels. Coachella is the single most influential festival on the planet — and it’s not just because of the music.
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RIHANNA partied with Leo, Taylor Swift went peroxide blonde (she dubbed her look “bleachella”) and a microphone silenced Kanye West — welcome to Coachella 2016.
The Californian festival is the single most influential festival in the world — and it’s not just because of the music.
The three-day event, held across this weekend and next, has serious star power. Kendall and Kylie Jenner, Victoria’s Secret model Shanina Shaik, it girls Emily Ratajkowski, Emma Roberts, Hailey Baldwin, Pretty Little Liars actors Ashely Benson and Shay Mitchell, played out their Coachella partying (and outfits) on Instagram.
Today is day three of Coachella, and so far this weekend there have been PDAs from Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom, and Rihanna and Leonardo DiCaprio flirted even though they both wore sunglasses — at night.
Sydney-based DJ Nina Las Vegas played her first-ever Coachella set on the Sahara stage on Friday and, like the rest of the line-up, will return next weekend.
“It’s the festival that everyone kind of considers the pinnacle in terms of festivals. Lollapalooza and Coachella are almost like the prime real estate of festivals,” she told News Corp Australia.
“It has become such a hub of things happening — special guests, the whole aesthetic of the Coachella vibe, the clothes you wear, it’s so picturesque.
“It’s my first time playing here — I’m new to this market (the US), so don’t have the latest slot in the game.
“Maybe in a couple of years I’ll play later, you never know. It’s nice to actually experience it.”
So what is it like being an artist on the Coachella line-up? Nina Las Vegas, who released her debut EP EZY or Never on her own label Nina Las Vegas Records, has the ultimate front row ticket — and that includes backstage.
“You’d rock up backstage and you’d turn around and it’s like Beyonce,” she said.
“And when Selena Gomez and Bieber were dating, they were backstage and me and (Aussie DJ) Anna Lunoe walked past a very drunk Justin Bieber, just looking like total festival kids, like they could have been backstage at Splendour.”
COACHELLA STYLE
Crochet tops, fringed vests, barely-there bikinis, fairly floss-pink hair, glitter make-up and rocker tees (cue Shanina Shaik in a Bob Marley tee and Kylie Jenner sporting one with her boyfriend Tyga’s face on it).
It takes a lot of cash to look that effortlessly boho and free-spirited.
Tiger Mist, the Australian online fashion label, has released a festival collection inspired by Coachella and has set up a house-turned-showroom in Palm Springs during the festival.
Designer Stevie Pallister said sales of Tiger Mist’s festival-inspired range had spiked in the lead up to Coachella this year.
“We develop a festival range based around this time of year — we do (sell to) 60 per cent Australia and 40 per cent US,” Pallister told News Corp Australia.
“We get so many Australians who are going to America for Coachella, we definitely see a spike in our online sales towards that more casual component.
“This time of the year we see a massive shift in what we’re selling and it tends to be that festival gear.”
So how much are girls forking out to get the Coachella look?
“It’s that effortless look that girls are going for, they’re spending a lot of money to get it,” Pallister said.
“We get a lot of emails for our online store, saying ‘I need an outfit for day one, I need an outfit for day two, I need an outfit for day three’ — it’s really planned and girls are spending a lot of money to ensure that, each day, their outfit looks good.”
So why is Coachella, of all the festivals, so influential when it comes to style?
“There isn’t really another festival that has so many influencers and celebrities that attend,” Pallister said.
“The Coachella line-up attracts a celebrity presence and I think you don’t really see that celebrity festival styling all that often.
“Usually, you’ll see celebs on the red carpet, that type of fashion.
“But at Coachella, they’re wearing festival clothing and it influences girls and the way they dress when they go to local (Aussie) festivals as well.”
Coachella continues in Palm Springs next weekend.
Originally published as Coachella 2016: Why Rihanna, Taylor Swift, and Leonardo DiCaprio can’t miss the ‘It’ festival
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