Festival season is the one time of year I am immune to FOMO. What can I say? I like to sleep in beds with six pillows and fresh sheets. I am deeply appreciative of fully functioning plumbing. I look forward to Radio 4 and a trip to Gail’s in the morning. I had exhausted my lifetime’s quota of hedonism by my mid-twenties. I guess I am seriously square.

I also have a dislike bordering on contempt for fancy dress (I know, I am one fun gal!) which, looking at the pictures of Coachella from the past couple of weekends, seems to be what festival fashion really is now; as if attendees have searched Smiffy’s and/or Shein for ‘Mad Max’ and/or ‘Woodstock’ looks and then run it through a lurid Instagram filter. Speaking of Instagram, I would have paid good money to witness ‘Fyre Festival 2.0’, the Revolve Festival, unfold – (from a safe distance).

But it wasn’t all bad. For starters, thankfully, the trend for wearing Native American headdresses as a ‘fun accessory’ seems to have finally vanished. And there were some brilliantly joyful outfits to behold on stage.

Look at Mr. Harry Styles. For his second Coachella appearance he wore custom Gucci pink and silver leather pants and waistcoat appliquéd with strawberries and cherries, and crystal initials on the butt. There was also a very Liberace-ish marshmallow feather coat. It wasn’t just fun and glamorous, but important. His commitment to proposing another version of what masculinity can look like matters. I’d also like to shout out Conan Gray in hot pink Valentino (gargantuan platforms included – I would go to any festival if it meant scooping a pair of them) and Giveon in Chanel. The boys done good.

Of course festival season is not going to miss me anymore than I will miss it. And that’s fine; it’s not for me. It belongs, this year more than ever, to those kids who lost two years of their chaotic youth to Covid restrictions. Freedom means letting loose, and that is something to be celebrated. If part of the ceremony of that is wearing Not For Real Life clothes, then who am I to judge? Go forth and make all the mistakes you want.

Laura