Festival Fashion Trends for 2022

Degrees are rising. Excess layers are shredding. Our social media feeds channel the nostalgia of this year’s dead and buried Coachella season, shoving Euphoria-inspired matching sets and bold colors down our throats. Everything is pretty much reminding us of the good, the bad, and the ugly of festival fashion trends. 

That means only one thing – festival fashion is back to the game with its riot of sequins, “is that even wearable” dilemmas, and anything-goes outfit inspo.

It’s been a hot minute (or two very long years) since we had our last “I have nothing anything to wear” crisis moment before a fest’s kick-off. During the COVID-19 restrictions era – yes, all 1000 weeks of it – our sole reason for opening an ASOS tab was to shop for velour sweatpants and comfy hoodies. 

Honestly, if the festival outfit mission doesn’t call out for slouchy t-shirts and track pants, our fashion styling skills would be a little rusty. 

Festival fashion trends are the code for what to wear at Coachella. Kicking off in April, the see-and-be-seen fest is some type of Fashion Week for what’s going to be hot and not in the upcoming Summer of Love season. 

Taking a peek at what A-list celebrities and hardcore festies considered the ‘it’ #OOTF, one thing is for sure – it’s time to move beyond the boho and rock leitmotifs that monopolized what we once knew as festival fashion. 

It’s all about low-slung waists, uber mini skirts, and color pallets that are bright enough to make all heads turn. 

Whether you are a fan of fashion-forward glitzy tops or knotty strapped accents that make you feel scatter-brained, the only brief you must remember is “you do you”.

1. Go bold or go home

’tis the season to embrace a fearless color palette. Devotees of tonal beiges and earth tones, please look away and keep neutrals for your work uniform – this season is all about tangerine, fuchsia, and neon yellow hues. 

Festivals have always been about escapism. We can shake off the wannabe adult responsibilities – however temporarily – and pursue whoever we want to be.

Be it a mesh dress, wide leg pants, or tube top, bold colors are a staple for festival fashion trends. Mixing and matching daring hues might feel like playing Rothko with your wardrobe – so just take them head-to-toe.

2. All sheer everything

It’s summer. It’s uncomfortably hot. Plus, that sticky humidity doesn’t do you any good. There is no better way to combat the bitter – and sweaty – consequences of the summeresque baking weather than sheer fabrics.

Make it super see-through, super-mini, and super-tight – fashion festival trends got a taste for flesh this season. Take a deep breath and leave little to no imagination by adding risque dresses and transparent tops to your festival luggage. 

If nudity just ain’t your vibe, you can still opt for a sheer moment by sensibly layering it with shirts, bralettes, and printed coats. 

3. Strap it up

Bringing the sheer nostalgia of the roaring ’90s, the super-strappy style has been bashfully teasing us in the last seasons – but now it is ready to take possession of our hearts, souls, and wardrobes.

Both racy and uber fashionable, strap-laden garments strike the perfect balance between minimalistic and unapologetically spicy. Whether it’s a multi-strap bandeau or a pair of trousers that bring crisscrossing waistband home, as long as you’re strapped, you can’t be wrong.

Risqué? Perhaps. Summer staple? OF COURSE. Forget about the awkward tan lines and go unleash your festival animal while the boiling hot temperatures allow you to.

4. Keep the drama for the chainmail

You might remember it from Paris Hilton‘s 21st birthday bash. It might give you Euphoria flashbacks since nothing screams à la Maddy more than a racy chainmail. Whoever said that diamonds are a girl’s best friend is the same person that claimed mesh metal is a party girl’s staple item. 

Whoever he was, he nailed both statements. 

Borrowing the glitz-glam vibe of a chandelier, this slinky top is the elevated festival version of the prom dress you spent weeks drooling over in your high school years. Channel your inner Maddy by pairing the flashy armour with high-waisted jeans, wide-leg trousers, or super tight skirt. 

The mixing and matching possibilities are endless as long as you have it in your wardrobe. 

5. Drop it like it’s hot

The early 2000s called – they want their jeans back. Whatever, we will return them after we wear them to the next festival we land on. Lovers of high-rise jeans, we hate to break it to you – but festival fashion trends seem to bring the feisty ’00s into the mosh pit. 

Low-rise jeans are back on the fashion map after an overabundance of celebs put them at the core of their off-duty style (thanks, Bella Hadid and Kim K). Sartorially speaking, we’ve reached new lows. 

All we can do is embrace them and maybe add a crop top for a full-on 2000s drama.

6. Did somebody say corset?

This festival fashion trend is proof that Bridgerton lives well past its season-two finale – and we are all here to cherish the Georgian fever. No, we are not talking about the organ-crushing and faint-inducing traditional corset. 

Fashion festival trends made it less restrictive and a lot cooler. This Summer of Love corset version screams bright colors, metallic finishes, and quirky prints. It pretty much embodies teenage dirtbag rebellion and adds a rich kids party vibe to it. 

What was once a staple piece of the aristocracy’s wardrobe now reaps versatility because you can pair it with anything and everything – from baggy jeans to tight minis. 

Let’s get real, nothing feels more empowering than wearing underwear in public while making it fashionable.

Frankly, corsets might be one of the few summer staples that are bound to deliver a fits-like-a-glove fashion feel, which renders this trend the most flexible one. 

7. Crochet? Yes, please

Get your needles out because crochet is in. We’ve seen this all before. It’s 2012, Coachella is in full swing, and Vanessa Hudgens epitomizes the festival boho-chic aesthetic with her crochet top, flower crown, and Summer of Love sunglasses. 

But this time, crochet’s revival is less about boho and more about micro. 

Forget about the crochet garments that transported you to a countryside cottage where nostalgic peasant dresses reign supreme. The cut-out maxi dresses, risqué tops, and cute bucket hats add a modern twist to the time-honoured technique. 

If it adds texture to your outfit, allows your skin to breathe, and looks playful, it should be added to the cart ASAP. Your next festival outfit can thank us later.