Tying It All Up for Coachella

By Laura Medina

The "Coachella Look" by Intermix

Already booked your teepee?  Kit out your SUV or your vintage VW Bus?  Reserved your hotel room because you cannot bear the idea of "roughing it out" on the Empire Polo Field in Indio, California?  Lucky enough to swing that last-minute invite from a friend of a friend of a friend but don't have a clue of what to wear and where and how to shower?

Here is The Arriviste's last minute tip sheet or cheat sheet in getting ready for Coachella that you can jam into a large tote bag or satchel then zip on over there.

Other than the good ole standby of cut-off jeans...ok, "Daisy Dukes (cut extra short if high-waisted like the original '70's Daisy Dukes or cut low if a worn-out low rise) with any ole blouse or top thrown on, the Maxi Dress is a stand-by.  Other than the tank top, it's the bed rock of the Coachella Look where you can layer upon layer or cover up that bikini for lunch or souvenir shopping.

Camilla Bell is modeling Milly's Milly pre-spring 2012 Moonlight Dance Dress in Cotton Inc.'s newest "Fabric of Our Lives" ad campaign.  You can get it at millyny.com.

Left, The Glam Rock.  Middle, Boho Chic. Right, Haute Hippie.

There are going to be three dominant "looks" at Coachella.

The first one is the obvious one, "The Glam Rock."  It's the most streetwise and common sense, just walk off the curb onto the field.  The burnt-out tank.  The graphic tee and the stretchy skinny jeans with studded leather gear. This is the easiest look to pull out of your drawer and closet.  No shopping required-unless you want to.

The fringe belt makes the predictable Boho Chic ensemble of cut-off jeans/ string bikini chic.

To be "babakul" or Haute Hippie, the maxi dress has to be your "white dress" in eyelet lace with ruffle trims.  Basically, it's Boho Chic in nicer material and finishes.  It's the ladylike counterpart to the sexy tomboy Glam Rocker.

 Don't get all sunny-eyed about "sunny California."

It gets hot and sweaty during the day then the temperature plunges into the sixties, the fifites then below. 

You need a lightweight, comfortable jacket to wrap yourself in.

Snuggle up in Hoodie Buddie's stylish wrap hoodies with sewn-in head phones that you jack up in your pockets while huddling amongst the masses for warmth.  This drapey style goes coordinates with whatever style you picked from above.

If the thought of being the "great unwashed" makes your skin crawl.  Don't fret.  Burt's Bees just harvested a new crop of fruity, light-hearted skincare line, Gud.  Pronounced "good" as in good for your head, body, and hands.  In fitting of Coachella's organic, youthful vibe, the parabens-free, phthalates-free, or petrochemical-free Gud comes in natural, not coying, fruity scents.  The Floral Cherrynova Hand Wash foams a fun, rich lather, saving water...comes in handy when there's no water or a little trickle of water.  The Orange Petalooza™ Natural Softening Conditioner is light enough to double as a leave-in conditioner.  The accompanying Orange Petalooza Natural Body Wash does double duty as soap to wash off the grime and perfume to disguise the sweat from rocking out.

Another option is packing Malin+Goetz's potent and portable 1 oz. Essential Kit travel kit.  Each and everything comes in one ounce squeeze bottles, holding their best-selling Grapefruit Face Cleanser,  oil-free, residue-free and anti-oxidant Vitamin E Face Moisturizer, and Vitamin b5 Body Moisturizer,  Bergamot Body Cleanser, Peppermint Shampoo and Cilantro Conditioner.  

Now that you scrubbed the grime off, it's time to slather on the sun protect from the burning rays.

Drugstore classics, Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry Touch Sunscreen shields your upper dermas without the stickiness.  With an ultra-light, non-shiny finish, this fast-absorbing, waterproof, and non-oily formula is enriched with anti-oxidants to help skin fight the harm caused by environmental damage.  Water-resistant,

Sweat-resistant, PABA-free, and Non-comedogenic (won't clog pores), this drugstore basic is a good festival basic.  

Need both your tan and makeup foundation?  Get rid of both the wrinkles and the pale skin...the travel bulk with Neutrogena MicroMist® Airbrush Sunless Tan.  Spray it on both the face and body, from head to toe. Oil-free, non-comedogenic (won't clog pores), dries in 5 minutes, and available in skin-friendly Deep Tint and Medium Tint, for that sun-kissed look sans the sun burn.

What to do for makeup?  Veteran New York makeup artist Kjaer Weis came up with her ingenious versatile line where the compact is the mirror and her organic cream blushes and lip tints can stand-in for each other.  Creamy blush as a matted lipstick.  Lip tint as blush tint. Tired of the same ole blush and tint?  Just pop it out from the bottom then click in with new shades in magnetic inserts.

You got your Glam Rock tank, Boho Chic cut-off jeans and blouse, Haute Hippie Maxi Dress, your skincare in a kit, sunscreen as foundation and your all-in-one blush and tint in mirrored compacts. Yep, you're ready to hit Coachella.