When you think of Coachella, images of flower crowns and ultra-bohemian dressed concertgoers probably come to mind. However, at this year’s festival, which ended Sunday, celebrities and style icons did away with that trite “festival style” look that has infiltrated the fashion scene, opting for newer trends instead.

Overall, the new vibe of Coachella style could be described as cool and chic, replacing the hippie look that once prevailed. Distressed denim shorts with rock ‘n’ roll band T-shirts were a popular look this year, demonstrating an edgier side of attendees. In addition, choker necklaces are already being called the new flower crowns — they were unavoidable at the festival and by far the most common trend.

Some Bohemian styles remained in the forms of sheer maxi dresses and lots of lace. But still, most looks appeared pared down, favoring simple pieces or one standout piece instead of the sometimes crazy, piled-on, layered outfits that were often worn in the past.

Even hair and makeup seemed more relaxed. Headpieces and hair jewelry that used to be Coachella staples were less frequent this year, and more people opted to wear their hair down and wavy with a casual, undone feel. Simple, natural makeup prevailed over previously popular colored eye shadow looks, bright lip shades and fancy gem stickers or temporary tattoos worn on the face.

While “Coachella style” might still be considered fringe and flowers for years to come, I’m glad that many attendees are trying out new looks. The classic festival styles are getting tired — probably because they left the fields of Coachella and entered local malls, with nearly every store producing Boho festival collections.

H&M actually has an “H&M Loves Coachella” collection, complete with kimonos and fringe. Free People has “The Festival Shop” section along with a festival lookbook, and ASOS has a festival section on its site as well. Stores such as American Eagle and Abercrombie & Fitch, which used to thrive on preppy, logo-covered pieces, essentially converted their overall styles to much more Bohemian, festival-inspired brands.

When these festival looks became mainstream styles for summer, especially popular with a teen audience, I think the looks became less high fashion and too commonplace. It was time for something new to happen. After all, looking at the same styles year to year gets boring, and actual fashion shows change from year to year, so it is good that festival style is following suit.

Coachella and other music festivals are often much less about the music than about the famous attendees and style inspiration that comes from it. Dedicated music fans tend to complain about this and want to focus on the music, but I don’t think the focus on fashion is ever going to shift.

So, if we’re going to constantly evaluate the looks at this music festival, I’m glad that they’re starting to get a lot more interesting.

Jackie Homan is a sophomore magazine journalism major. Her column appears weekly. You can email her at jahoman@syr.edu or follow her @jackie_homan on Twitter.

Published on April 25, 2016 at 9:29 pm