Budget-Friendly Festival Style

The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival is the official kick-off to festival season and for two weekends in a row, Coachella is the place to be! Even if you’re not attending the festival (like moi) it’s still fun to head out and party out in the desert—there’s so many Coachella-related events and parties, especially during weekend one.

I grabbed my friend Jacki for a day of festival events and the question top of mind wasn’t where to go first but what to wear?!? Keep reading to find out where I snagged this striped maxi dress for under $15 as well as more details on the events we attended>>

Maxi Dress (similar here and here) | Hat | Booties (similar) | Belt | Purse (similar) | Sunglasses | Necklace (similar) | Lip Color | Self-Tanner

While the festival look is not an everyday style for me, I still wanted to look cute and on-trend. However, I did not want to spend a lot on an outfit I would probably not wear much. I came up dry at Forever 21, the unofficial affordable festival fashion go-to—some of the pieces were just downright funky, but if you can pull this off kudos to you!

After searching high and low, Jacki called me and said that she found some cute options at Ross Dress For Less. It’s been years since I have been clothes shopping at Ross… but I figured, why not? I hightailed it over and found several options, including this striped maxi dress for under $15—such a steal! Jacki ended up getting her outfit from Ross as well– you can see more below.

I paired the dress with a hat and pair of boots I already owned plus a black belt. To keep the boho vibes, I used my adorable fringe back that I’ve had for a few years now to complete the festival look. If you’re ever in a style rut or on a budget, head over to your local Ross—you never know what you’ll find!

FESTIVAL FUN

So since we weren’t going to the actual Coachella festival, what did we do? We started the day by checking out the YSL Beauty Station. This pop-up is located along route 111 on the way to the festival. The gas station-like pop-up offered virtual makeup try-ons– I had fun trying different lipsticks! Plus, you can purchase your fave YSL lip shades and there are plenty of photo opps!

We then headed to The Ace Hotel in Palm Springs to grab a drink and a snack poolside. Next, we ventured over to the Create + Cultivate Desert Pop-Up.  There were speakers, such as Brittany from Thrift & Threads, Jaci Marie, and a keynote by Jameela Jamil. There was also a beauty bar, drinks (obsessed with these cute Chandon mini bottles!), clothing booths and more!

From there we headed out to the Coachella Valley to Vestal Village, an invite-only event. Vestal Village features a massive pool party, live music and even camping. 

The event is super chill and we had fun checking out the different brand activations (am now obsessed with Bev!)… and of course the people watching, which is the best part of festivals!

Are you attending any festivals this year? Tell me!