Beyoncé Has Been Coachella-fied

#Coachella fashion has officially become its own aesthetic. The millions of marketing dollars spent convincing the Youth of America that “festival” is a season and comes with its own dress code actually worked and Beyoncé, who would ideally be impervious to this corporate deception, has been bitten by the Coachella bug.

Beyoncé was spotted at the first day of Coachella in a $3,190 suede fringe vest and a $4,790 Little House on the Prairie-inspired dress.

Here is a fun gif of Beyoncé modeling her #Coachella outfit:

For reference, here is what Beyoncé wore to Coachella last year:

And here is Beyoncé at Coachella in 2010:

Beyoncé’s personal style has clearly evolved and is varied, but this look is an obvious departure for her usual aesthetic. In fact, it looks like a costume.

I am witnessing firsthand the phenomenon Julianne described in her discussion about H&M’s Coachella-inspired collection. So many of these Coachella goers aren’t wearing fashion, they’re putting on costumes. They’re dressing the way they think they’re supposed to be dress at a music festival because companies have told them so. The result is a striking monotony.

Everywhere you look it’s cutoff denim exposing soft butt cheek, flash tattoos, fringe and John Lennon sunglasses. The clothing, like most everything at the festival, seems curated to be as Instagramable as possible, but good luck identifying yourself among the sea of hashtags.

I suppose part of the fun (although it’s heavily manufactured fun) of attending Coachella is getting to put on these costumes, but what’s disappointing is that it comes at the expense of an expression of personal style. Instead of people expressing their personal style through the lens of Coachella, they’re allowing Coachella to dictate what their personal style will be for three days.

It’s a shame because I’m sure much of this crowd has the disposable income to go out and buy cooler, more original outfits. So let this serve as a reminder that even Beyoncé has been lulled by Free People’s extensive ad campaign. You don’t have to dress this way simply because an advertisement told you to. Just adapt your style to the situation at hand! I promise, it’s that easy.