Coachella has officially come to an end, and my friends and I had the amazing opportunity to go to Weekend 2. After hearing about the surprise guests and seeing all of the amazing art structures, venues and outfits at Weekend 1, our expectations were high – and they were all totally met! SDSU students Alexis Jimenez and Rafia Rehman shared their thoughts and opinions on Coachella, festival style and their favorite looks

Looking back at both weekends, what would you say were the most common pieces? What items stood out to you the most?

Alexis Jimenez: A lot of people wore maxi dresses, sheer or mesh materials, bralettes and those Western-looking buckle belts. Cool, unique sunglasses with different colored lenses stood out to me a lot.

Rafia Rehman: Most people wore bandanas, shorts, skirts and crop tops. The items that stood out to me the most were the accessories people added to their outfits, like jewelry and glitter. Those can really turn any simple outfit into an original look.

Who, or what, did you take inspiration from when you were putting your outfits together?

AJ: Jhene Aiko. I like her style a lot – it’s really chill, but she always looks chic and put together. I also went for a ’90s, kind of a retro vibe for one of the days, and I pulled inspiration from Tommy Hilfiger for that. A lot of people go for the “gypsy,” hippie look at Coachella, but I wanted to look different. I wanted to be comfortable but still look cute, so I kept that in mind when I was creating my outfits.

RR: Woodstock, definitely. I was going for that carefree, 70s vibe.

What was your favorite look at Coachella?

AJ: I really liked the retro looks. I saw a lot of people wearing vintage pieces – vintage Gucci tees, old band shirts, sneakers with denim.

RR: My Day 3 look was my favorite. It was the most comfortable and it felt the most original to my style.

Which artists were you looking forward to seeing the most? 

AJ: Gucci Mane. He was the only rapper I’ve been wanting to see that I haven’t already [seen]. I was really excited to see Jai Wolf’s “Indian Summer” because that song holds a lot of memories for me. I saw Kehlani at the Pemberton Music Festival in Canada last year, but it was cool to see her again last weekend. She’s one of my favorites. Seeing Bon Iver perform “Skinny Love” was an amazing experience. I always tried to play it on my guitar; never worked out, but hearing it live was enough for me!

RR: Mura Masa, Francis and the Lights, Porter Robinson, Bon Iver and Kendrick Lamar. Francis and the Lights is such a quirky performer – he was fun to watch. I really wanted to hear NAO’s “Bad Blood” and Glass Animals’s “Gooey” – both were amazing.

Who would you have loved to run into at Coachella?

AJ: Aimee Song and Rocky Barnes. They’re my favorite bloggers, and it would’ve been cool to see what outfits they came up with. Vanessa Hudgens came back to Coachella for Weekend Two. She’s been deemed the “Coachella Queen” the past few years because of her festival style, so it would’ve been cool to see her. She was posting on Instagram, so I was trying to look for her outfit in the crowd!

RR: Rihanna. She’s fierce. I look up to her as a woman and a fashion icon.

What advice would you give to people interested in going to Coachella next year?

AJ: Bring a bandana because you’ll be literally inhaling dust for three days.

RR: Be prepared for there to be a lot of people. Plan out who you want to see so you can figure out how to get to everyone. Eat before you get there, and bring snacks – the food is ridiculously expensive! Don’t forget to hydrate.

Featured Image by Alexis Jimenez.