Photo: Rocstar/CPR/FAMEFLYNET PICTURES.We're not quite sure how it happened, but at some point it was deemed imperative that one could not attend a festival without donning at least one of the following items: a jaunty hat, a floral headdress, face and/or body makeup, John Lennon sunglasses, a top that exposes copious amounts of skin, denim cut-off shorts, other hippie accoutrements, and (controversy be damned) a bindi. We'd blame the crowd at Woodstock, but those were the days of donning caked-on mud or nothing at all.
Take this year's Coachella, for instance. The lineup, with acts ranging from Outkast to Lorde to Arcade Fire, was beautifully diverse and spilled over several music genres. And yet, with some notable exceptions, all of this bohemian appropriation left the crowd looking a bit same-y in their tie-dyed crop tops, Daisy Dukes, and daisy chains. Case in point: the sisters Jenner.
While Kendall went full-on flower child in her peasant blouse crop top and floral bell bottoms, Kylie hit every single "free-spirited" festival staple you've ever heard of. She was a veritable checklist. Fanny pack (studded, for "edge")? Check. Floppy hat? Check. Ragged denim shorts? Check. Retro band tee? Check. Vintage-looking lace-up boots? Check. Layered necklaces? Check. Bindi? Check (sigh).
There's nothing wrong with the Jenners adopting the festival look. It just that it no longer feels genuine. Going to shows and rocking out all day and night doesn't mean you have to dress like a roadie for the Mamas and the Papas. It means expressing yourself, however you want. If that means wearing jeans, a tee, and Converse, so be it. It's rock and roll, music, and a celebration of the things that bring us together. Not a grouping of predictable caricatures.