Within minutes of exiting the media shuttle at Daisy Chain Fields, I felt the spirit.
Thousands of attendees had descended on the festival grounds, buoyed by—for lack of a better term—amazing vibes, despite temperatures north of 103 degrees. It helped that Daisy Chain is feel-good by nature, with its proceeds (some $10 million, doubled by Melissa French Gates for a total of $20 million) donated to 10 non-profit organizations supporting women and girls, and a women-led lineup headed by festival founder and mega-pop star Olivia Rodrigo. Also on the bill: artists like Chappell Roan, Doechii, and Bikini Kill, with appearances from the likes of Stevie Nicks, Alanis Morissette, and Lilith Fair founder Sarah McLachlan, whom Rodrigo has described as the biggest inspiration for the festival.
Despite the extreme heat, fans were in full festival regalia. Daisy chains were worn as crowns; hair gems sparkled in the sun; protest-inspired pins were stuck to totes, shirt collars, and cut-offs; and tall leather boots were as common as sneakers. However, the breakout star of the festival’s fashion was, perhaps, the babydoll dress, a garment that has become a staple of Rodrigo’s You Look Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love era.
Amaya purchased her babydoll dress for one euro at a thrift store in Spain. “I was like, I think this is cute. But then I put it on, and I was like, It’s giving babydoll, like Olivia Rodrigo.” She and her friend Julia, who is also 23, planned to match their entire outfits, but only managed to wear the same blue eyeshadow after the heat put them off their idea to wear coordinating tights. Julia explained the layered logic behind their looks: “We wanted to give babydoll. Riot grrrl, but we’re sweet. We’re feminine. We are questioning our gender identities, and we’re doing it through fashion and music.”
Francine, an 18-year-old from Fresno, California, called the riot grrrl movement her style inspiration. Growing up, her mom would play her music by feminist punk bands like Bikini Kill and Jack Off Jill; there was even a Bikini Kill album cover on the wall of her nursery as a baby.
At first glance, I assumed attendees Grace and Logan, who both grew up in Whitefish, Montana, were dressed in standard boho festival-wear, albeit with an impressively sunny and youthful glow. Logan, however, explained that their looks were actually an homage to their Western roots: “We’re kind of embodying what people dress like back home. I have my cowboy boots I use for line dancing and just my jeans that I wear out and about. My top is a leather vest from Depop, but it got a little hot, so I ended up taking it off.” The duo had decamped to California earlier this month for college.
