Street Style and Trend Spotting at Coachella 2013

Words and photos by Noah Johnson (@noahvjohnson)

Coachella is a gigantic music festival that takes place in the desert of Southern California. It's dry and hot and the sun is vicious. They say that 90,000 people attend. Most of them are young, attractive, stylish, and high on something. For now, let's focus on the stylish part.

It's no secret that most people aren't there for the music. I mean, it's nice to see your favorite bands and rappers doing their thing against the backdrop of palm trees, desert mountains, and the glowing sun, but the real show is out in the crowd. Whether it's watching a euphoric hippie dance his way to nirvana (not the band), a white girl twerk like she's on YouTube, or a cool guy out flossing in his best, most Tumblr-friendly 'fit, the audience does not disappoint (even when the band you HAD to see does).

Here's a round up of street style and trends I spotted at Coachella this year. Good, bad, and weird—click through and learn a few new dos, don'ts, and WTFs of style. This is Street Style and Trend Spotting at Coachella 2013.

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Trend: Dress like a snake.

How fucking cool does this guy look? If you saw him walk into a 7-11 and cop a Go-Go Taquito you'd be all, "Was that dude wearing matching snakeskin shorts and shirt?" What a LOSER. But at Coachella he gets the biggest high five of the day.

Trend: Wearing all black despite the heat of a thousand pizza ovens blasting down on you all day.

Because how can he get hot when he looks SO cool?

Trend: Don't have too much fun.

I asked this dude if I could take his photo and he gave me the double bird. It's cool, he looks like hipster Doogie Howser and I'm sure those ridiculous shoes gave him wicked bad blisters.

Trend: Having all your homies dress similarly.

These dudes are all texting each other about how sweet the show is at the moment the picture was taken.

Trend: Out cool guy the cool guys with big jewelry.

These kids knew they were going to have some serious competition at the biggest, hippest music festival in the world, so they raided their mom's jewelry drawers and stole sunglasses from the Salvation Army. It was totally worth it. They look awesome.

Trend: Dude, same shirt!

I bet these two guys woke up this morning, got dressed, ate breakfast, went to the concert, drank a case of beer in the parking lot, smoked three joints, and shared a burrito in the beer garden before they realized that they are wearing THE EXACT SAME SHIRT.

Trend: Being fabulous.

Those sequence shorts that have been sitting in your drawer all winter, taunting you. Would you ever actually have the balls to wear them? Time to sack up and shave your legs, my friend. Coachella is here.

Trend: Not fitting in.

Bonus points for huge deficit in fucks given.

Trend: Party shirts.

Coachella is like a wacky printed shirt convention. Your dad would have loved it.

Trend: Being hot.

The hottest people at Coachella aren't even at Coachella. They're at pool parties that you probably weren't hot enough to be invited to. This party at the RESQ House had 24-hour bar service, private chefs, and personal drivers for all the guests. Uh, what music festival?

Trend: Getting attention.

This dude is killing it. I gave him the biggest high five. But he's also in dangerous "look at me" territory. Getting any attention at a giant music festival where literally every single thing you look at is screaming for your attention is a hard thing to accomplish. Props to Afrika Bambaataa 2.0.

Trend: Making memories.

Meet 98% of the dudes at Coachella. What do you see? A bunch of chads with zero taste epitomizing the toxic, excessive culture of America's vapid youth? Or a bunch of fun bros having the time of their lives?

Trend: Dressing "different."

So, you don't normally wear short shorts, neon, and suspenders? Who cares! Coachella brings out the weird in you. Or, at least, the corny, contrived, try-hard.

Trend: Captain's hats.

This kid's never heard the Beach Boys, but that doesn't matter because he stole the hat from his dad's closet. Who wants to go to Bermuda?!

Trend: Dressing like a goof with your boo.

These two are having the best time and that's all I'm going to say about this photo.

Trend: Bolo ties and southwestern prints.

Because nothing is better than geographically accurate fashion.

Trend: Big brimmed hats.

More function than fashion, sure, but without one you will get third degree burns on your scalp. There's nothing cool about that.

Trend: Neon and Hydration Packs.

Nothing says "I'm a teenager who loves molly" like a bunch of neon shit and a hydration pack full of water. Please party responsibly.

Trend: Food shirts.

Surprisingly, there a lot of these. Bonus points if you look like a guy who really likes to eat.

Trend: Dancing however you want, regardless of what people think or how stupid you look.

Ok, not exactly a trend, but it does relate to style. A major trend at Coachella is not giving a fuck. That's something we should all support.