Saturday, April 24, 2010

Coachella Ella Ella Ella, Ay Ay Ay.

Just last weekend, I found myself wandering around the Palm Desert in need of a pair of Coachella tickets. Listening to the radio DJs talk about people being mugged for tickets, my sister, Chloe, and I were a little hesitant to meet with someone off of Craigslist or eBay. However, as a last resort, that's what we had to do. To our luck, a lovely mom named Teresa came to our rescue with two Coachella tickets she'd picked up for her kids who already had them. With that hurdle out of the way... my next one was something a little easier to handle: finding an outfit to wear in 95 degree weather at an outdoor festival with 75,000 people in attendance. I wanted something other than a bathing suit - the usual choice for female concert-goers - stylish, and comfortable. While hunting through my stuffed-to-the-brim suitcase, I came upon my DV by Dolce Vita Moon Sandals, one of my favorite purchases from the Troc. (Sadly, we no longer carry the Moons - but we do still have other Dolce Vita's left.) Little did I know, these shoes would become the basis of my outfit every single day of the festival.


Day 1: The first, and hottest, day of the festival. Temperature hit 102 degrees and I knew I had to wear something that would let my body breathe when I was packed like a sardine in the tents. I first decided on a skirt my mom recently purchased me at Diesel. It's high waisted with ultra-light layers of cotton that showed off my legs and kept me cool at the same time. Then came the shirt, which I knew had to be something lightweight and something that would go with my skirt. I paired a jersey graphic tunic from Forever 21 with the skirt, but kept it tucked in to emphasize my waist (a trend for Summer and Fall this year). To add the final feminine/bohemian touch to my outfit, I put on my DV sandals and headed out for a night of movin' and groovin' to bands like LCD Soundsystem, Passion Pit, Grizzly Bear, and Vampire Weekend - all of whom put on stellar shows.

Day 2: This day was a little easier to tackle, being that my body was now used to the constant heat and I knew what to expect from the masses of people cramming the Coachella valley waiting to see their favorite bands. I now knew that the breezy nights got a little chilly and I planned on staying until the last set was finished, so I opted for something a little warmer to keep me content after dark. On my recent excursion to Forever 21, where I picked up the tunic I wore the day before, I also got a black jersey maxi dress with braided straps. I put it on and wondered what I could accessorize with to stand out at the nighttime shows. I chose, yet again, my DV Moon sandals and threw on a multi-chain gold necklace to pull it all together. To my pleasure, my outfit worked out well while I stood to watch some of my favorite bands - Portugal. The Man, Girls, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, and MGMT.

Day 3: The last day of the festival came and went in no time. My sister, her friends and I were tuckered out from the days spent standing at the shows, in line at the food tents, and at parking in search of our rental car. Needless to say, we decided to head to the ending night a little later on in the day. Though... the time difference didn't make much difference and the heat was still hitting the valley. I was especially worn out and didn't want to deal with dresses and such, so I chose a simple pair of high-waisted black denim jean shorts to wear with a backless cotton feathered tee and - you guessed it - my DV sandals. I threw on a vintage cuff I remembered to bring and that was that. The outfit treated me well throughout the night and was comfortable enough to watch Phoenix, Pavement, and Gorillaz in.

As for my fashion hurdle? Mission accomplished.


1 comment:

Kallie Larsen said...

Cygne, that's insaaaane. Over 100 degrees? Indio sucks.