STYLE WATCH: Coachella Chronicles

Hello hello my dear Parisian Panda followers and readers:

The new season of Spring has sprung and that means crispier and nicer weather which also means the music festival season has begun! Yes, I am here to share my memorable Coachella Music Fest trip and I have a lot in store for everyone especially if you are planning or wanting to go to Coachella next year.

I always wanted to make my way to Coachella as it has been one of the biggest, long-running music festival worldwide and I have made it a vow back in 2016 to go to one music festival every year. So far and over the years since 2016, I have checked off Ultra, EDC, ACL and most recently Lollapalooza (in 2019) on my festival list. Since then, we had to wait for almost three years to get back to (some sort of) normalcy and definitely, Coachella 2022 was the best way to welcome the post-pandemic era.

So for this article, I will be talking about the preparations I have made prior in advance to make this trip smooth-sailing and then I will be dividing each day and explain a whole lot of fun stuff and information on my three-day weekend shenanigans.

PREPARATIONS

• Make sure to follow the official website for news, updates and especially when the pre-sale ticket date launches. As for me, I followed their official Instagram account as they made announcements on when the tickets will go on sale. As you know, it is always sold out on the first day and then you will have to go on a waitlist to be able to purchase the tickets or search a trusted third-party site to see ticket availabilities. My ticket package were mailed and I have received the box itself two weeks prior to my trip.

• Make sure to block the weekend you would like to go as they have two weekends to chose from. Once you are able to secure which weekend then comes the logistics- from lodging to flight tickets and all other transportation preparations you need to book in advance as the later you do it, the higher and more expensive the hotel and flight rates become. Coachella partners with Valley Music Travel where they offer different packages of ticket and hotel bundles to shuttle transportations to and from the airport in LAX and a shuttle pass to the participating hotels to the venue itself. I have to say that by purchasing shuttle passes (to and from LAX and also the shuttle pass to and from my hotel; Omni Rancho Las Palma) made my trip easier when it came to transportation. While some people opt to camp at the Coachella grounds or some opt to drive back and forth with their cars or use Uber, it can be a huge hassle especially on this busy festival weekend. So make sure to check the packages and see what works best for your needs and budget.

• Because I knew that I wanted to look very unique and creative for the full festival, I made some researches and contacted a local hair and makeup artist who will be coming to my hotel everyday to help me out execute my looks.

DAY ONE: Blonde Betty Boop

I wanted to recreate the classic Brunette Betty Boop to a modern-day Blonde Betty Boop by matching my printed outfit with the hair and make up. My make up artist really made sure to shape my short, pixie hair to make a wavy, pin up curls that would accentuate my classic make up and topping it off with bold red lips.

This picture shows the full details of my outfit and accessories all from Dollskill which is where I usually purchase all my out-of-this world outfits. I got the Betty Boop idea as Dollskill did a collaboration for Betty Boop featuring different clothes and accessories that gave me the idea to sport one of the limited edition outfits as seen on this picture.

Notable Day One Performers for me were Harry Styles, Anitta, MIKA, Lane 8, Raveena, Ari Lennox, Black Coffee and Snoh Aalegra. The festival has 7 stages and unfortunately, there is not enough time to see all the line up so I made sure to check off the artists and performers who I wanted to see.

Day One Highlight

DAY TWO: Cosmic 'Chella Girl

As an avid space lover and fanatic, I had to make sure that I come and dress up at least with a space theme on one of the festival days and that is what I did for Day Two. My makeup artist mixed green and purple as my base eyeshadow makeup and braided my hair and dolled it up with cosmic color glitters to hold them in for the whole day.

This full outfit (button-down shirt and flare printed pants) are from a UK-brand called House of Sunny and I have a couple of colorful, whimsical pieces from them. The flying saucer-shaped cross-body bag with an alien is from Dollskill.

Notable Day Two Performers for me were Billie Eilish, Megan Thee Stallion, Giveon, Masego, Disclosure, Stromae and 21 Savage.

Day Two Highlight

DAY THREE: Power Puff Babe

For my final festival look, my make up artist and I went for a soft, floral, feminine and whimsical look by channeling my inner flower child and by enhancing the purple hues and by adorning my hair with fresh-picked flowers from the hotel as seen below.

The full Power Puff Girls outfit and accessories are from Dollskill while the sequins bag and pink and purple knitted cardigan is from Target. The sunglasses, purple mary janes and asian parasol are from my personal collection.

Notable Final Day Performers for me were Doja Cat, Swedish House Mafia (the comeback!), The Weeknd, Maggie Rogers, Duke Dumont and Solomun.

Day Three Highlight

I hope you guys had fun browsing thru and learning tips for your next Coachella trip. I had a blast and one of the most memorable time not only seeing my favorite artists perform but also meeting new people during the festival who accepted me as part of their group. I would like to give a special shout out to Andre Ladaga who was a sweetheart during the festival and introduced my to the whole Brazilian crew and last but not the least, Jasmine Monique, who made all my looks possible and gave me pointers for the festival since she is a valley local and has been going to Coachella for years. For all future Coachella travelers, you should definitely book her for your hair and make up needs. This was truly an amazing, unforgettable time during this trip as I feel blessed to experience this opportunity and looking forward to attending future festivals.