Style Companion
Coachella 2025: Sand, Sweat & Slay—But Where Were the Bags?
by Thea Elle | April 16, 2025 | Style Guide
Coachella used to be about the music. Allegedly.
Fast forward to 2025, and the annual dust-storm-turned-desert-runway has fully evolved into a social experiment. What happens when you trap 50,000 influencers in the heat with no shade, unlimited rhinestones, and a desperate need to go viral?
You get fringe. Glitter. Tulle tutus on grown women. And sweat—so much sweat. But you know what we didn’t get? Bags. Not a Birkin. Not a MIU MIU wander. Not even a tragic tiny Chanel vanity case that holds a single Altoid and a prayer.
It’s like the entire lineup said, “Let’s give face and fringe, but leave the accessories in the Uber.” So here we are—grieving the handbag moments that never were and imagining a world where these slays were paired with actual fashion credibility… on the arm.
Let’s dissect the chaos, one look at a time.
Tyla x Becky G: Chrome, Sweat & Strategic Sparkle
Tyla’s Coachella debut was shimmering, sweaty, and choreographed within an inch of her toned life. She hit that stage like a cyborg mermaid. Metallic mesh. Body chains. Hair slicker than an oil spill. Then BAM—Becky G appears like a hologram of herself, twinning in silver and sparkle, and the desert collectively lost its mind.
It was futuristic. It was femme. It was giving “pop stars from a utopian parallel universe who only eat glitter and adoration.” But… it was missing hardware. Something arm-candy-adjacent. Something to hold backup glitter and backup lashes.
Bag They Should’ve Carried:
LOUIS VUITTON Capucines Mini in Silver Metallic Leather.
It’s sleek, shiny, and smart. A bag for women who sing, dance, slay—and still have room for a holographic powder compact and their dignity. This would’ve matched the chrome fantasy and held Becky’s mic pack like a glam utility belt. Missed opportunity? Absolutely.
The Go-Go’s x Billie Joe Armstrong: Punk-Pastel Crossover Nobody Saw Coming
This was not on anyone’s 2025 bingo card. The Go-Go’s came back with their punkish pop flair and played the hits, while Billie Joe popped up like your favorite washed-up cousin from 2004—with eyeliner that hasn’t moved since American Idiot dropped.
It was nostalgic. It was chaotic. Billie looked like he had just left a Hot Topic in Fresno. The Go-Go’s looked like they’d walked straight out of a Blondie tour bus. Iconic. But where was the arm flair? Where was the leather? The punk pouch? The pastel shoulder slinger with something to say?
Bag They Should’ve Carried:
BALENCIAGA Le Cagole XS in Hot Pink Crushed Leather.
This bag is the Y2K revival in purse form. Think Paris Hilton meets Avril Lavigne with a trust fund. It’s edgy. It’s girly. It says, “I might cry after this set but I’ll look hot doing it.” Honestly, it could’ve had its own moment onstage mid-riff and nobody would’ve questioned it.
Lady Gaga (aka Gagachella): The Resurrection of a Thousand Eras
Gaga didn’t just headline—she summoned the spirits of her past selves and held a séance mid-performance. The meat dress was reinterpreted in vegan leather scraps. The Paparazzi crutches reappeared. At one point, she wore a crown made entirely of VHS tape and fan tears.
She was giving: 2010 Tumblr glitchcore meets religious trauma cosplay. It was stunning. It was theatrical. But you just know her look was missing the final chaotic touch—a completely nonsensical, overpriced, niche designer bag.
Bag She Should’ve Carried:
HERMÈS Kelly Danse in Black Swift Leather.
The ultimate shapeshifter of Hermès bags. It morphs. It straps. It belts. You can wear it on your hip like a freakishly chic utility pouch or toss it crossbody like a noir satchel of secrets. Gaga could’ve used it to store stage props, fan letters, or even a sandwich for later. It’s art, it’s function, it’s Gaga in leather form.
Lana Del Rey: Lace, Gloom & Disassociation
Lana floated onto stage like a Victorian ghost who just got back from brunch with death. Lace gloves, blue velvet, and that aura of “I’m not really here, and neither are you.” She whispered melancholia into the mic and made us all question our life choices.
Gorgeous. Haunting. Ethereal. But let’s be real—she looked like she needed a bag to match her “dying in slow motion” aesthetic.
Bag She Should’ve Carried:
CHANEL Mini Flap Bag in Black Velvet with Gold Hardware.
It’s dramatic. It’s soft. It could carry a single rose petal and a black-and-white Polaroid from 2009. This is the bag you clutch dramatically while staring into the void or ordering one (1) espresso in a hotel lobby you don’t belong in.
Ice Spice: Bling, Beats & Zero Storage
Ice Spice showed up like a Bratz doll who survived the apocalypse—and looked good doing it. Bedazzled bikini top, mesh skirt, hair higher than the rent in Palm Springs. The bass dropped, and she hit every beat with the attitude of someone who knows she’s the moment. Because she is.
But the girl had nothing to hold her phone. Not even a micro-mini clutch hanging off her belt. Was the look fire? Yes. Was it practical? Absolutely not. We were stressed.
Bag She Should’ve Carried:
MIU MIU Wander Matelassé Hobo Bag in Fire Engine Red.
It’s puffed. It’s padded. It’s giving “I’m cute but I could fight.” Plus, it’s big enough to hold a compact mirror, gum, and 17 burner phones. Perfect for a girl whose verse goes viral every three days.
Final Thoughts: Coachella’s Fashion High, Bag Game Low
We saw mesh. We saw pasties. We saw someone use a plastic CVS bag as a purse (was it ironic? was it tragic? we’ll never know). But where were the real bags? The Birkins? The baller CHANEL flap bags? The drama-inducing Prada Cleo? These weren’t just missing—they were erased.
What we got instead was a sea of micro-pouches and sad belt bags. We deserve more. We deserve a HERMÈS on stage. A CHANEL slung over a sweaty shoulder. A BALENCIAGA Le Cagole used to fan yourself between sets. Give us bags that bite back.
Coachella is not just a festival. It’s a fashion coliseum. And if 2026 doesn’t come with at least one MIU MIU moment mid-twerk, we riot.
Want to steal the look?
Head over to Cris & Coco for bags that didn’t make it to Coachella, but deserve a place in your closet. Dust not included.m of fashion.