There can only be one explanation for such a dream….

I won a trip to COACHELLA 2012!!! Here’s how:

Michelle Madonna, in a cotton vintage floral print button up (True Religion), stone washed denim shorts  (LF), and brown suede sandals (Sam Edelman).

Yours truly from FashionIndie,  in oversized sunglasses (Gucci), vintage wash tank top (True Religion), white denim cut offs (Abercrombie).

Renee from Denim Therapy balances our her cuffed denim shorts (Banana Republic) with a cotton print button up (True Religion) and a pop of bold orange lipstick (NARS Heat Wave).

Armani Exchange Neon Carnival: Armani Exchange and 944 Magazine took over a private airport on the outskirts of the festival and built a fully-functioning, Armani Exchange-branded carnival. In addition to the ferris wheel, giant slide and carnival games, they managed to build an outdoor club in the middle of the venue, complete with celebrities and bottle service. DJs Devin Lucien, Jesse Marco, and DJ Politik kept the energy high while young Hollywood danced the night away. Josh Hartnett, Paris and Nicki Hilton, Camilla Belle, Kellen Lutz, Penn Badgley, Tara Reid, Jamie Chung and Elijah Wood were just a few of our celeb spottings.

Images via Armani Exchange

Belvedere Music Lounge: The Belve Music Lounge provided a peaceful oasis from the hot desert sun. Located at a private estate in Bermuda Dunes, the lounge had a refreshing pool, mini sand pit, cold cocktails, a fun photo booth and models in bikinis demonstrating the Belvedere shaker app on iPads. DJ sets were as sought-after as the festival lineup: The Knux, Taryn Manning, Dirty Vegas, Yacht, Punches, Blaqstarr, DJ Berrie, Junior Sanchez, Theophilus London and more spun for our pleasure. Our celeb spottings included Rosario Dawson, Brittany Snow, Laidback Luke and Miguel.

Photos via Artificial Daydream and They BF

Lacoste: Lacoste L!ve, the younger, more fashionable crocodile, hosted a Pool Party that supported the efforts of The Voice Project foundation. Patron popsicles cooled us off while DJ Cassidy kept us dancing. Celeb spottings included Katy Perry, Alexander Skarsgard, Malin Akerman, Kirsten Dunst, Diane Kruger, Joshua Jackson, Adrian Grenier, Ke$ha, Lea Michele, Kelly and Jack Osbourne and Jared Eng.

Check out the original post by Samantha Lim and more photos on Lookbooks.com.

- Passover just got blinged the schul out. Jewelry designer Young&ng is selling Swarovski-encrusted Yarmulkes for the price of your first born, or roughly $1,495. [Refinery29]

- Karl Lagerfeld wants you to smell like a bestseller. The Kaiser has a fragrance in the works, Paper Passion, inspired by the scent of books. I’ve always wanted an Eau de Moby Dick. [Bellasugar]

- The Fab Lane apparently no longer has room for car pooling. Kimora Lee Simmons has lost some weight, she’s looking good, she’s turning it, she may even get rid of those rings around her neck, but she wants you to know that she does not have an eating disorder, despite kind of hinting at that earlier. [The Cut]

- Kanye West is not your typical rapper. No, Ye is a man after my own heart as he too loves a good woman’s blouse. La West closed Coachella in a Spring 2011 Céline top, heavily accessorized with layers of chains, bracelets and a tampon. He has a really heavy flow. [Elle UK]

- Mirror, mirror, on the wall. Who’s the fairest of them all. Not Kate Middleton (today’s Muse of the World is brought to you by the letter ‘K’). Prince William‘s future princess was voted the third most beautiful royal in history, behind Princess Grace (Kelly) of Monaco and Queen Rania of Jordan. But good news, she came out one place ahead of the late Princess Di. At least that’s one less shadow of Di’s she has to live in…though it’s going to be nothing but darkness for years to come. [Daily Mail]

- Tom Ford may look smarmy, but not used car salesman smarmy. However, an Ontario dealer begs to differ and is using Ford’s swarthy, sultry, smarmy image to move some product with the provocative tagline: ”You know you’re not the first. But do you really care?” I can’t say that I do. Tom Ford may have been around the block a few (hundred) times, but he’s still looks good under the hood.  [Racked]

From Kate Bosworth to Kate the college student from Missouri who hitchhiked her way to California (and proceeded to campout on in the open air for three days), the one thing that the Coachella Music Festival did was wrangle in the country’s loveliest bohemian-chic ladies together for a weekend full of music, events, and of course, fashion.  We spotted Rihanna, Kesha, Nicole Richie, and tons of other young starlets wearing long skirts, sun dresses, sandals, and oh-so-chic sunglasses.  Click here to check out our favorite looks hosted by Lookbooks.com , for your viewing pleasure.

DRESSES: Maxis are breezy and make sitting on the ground no sweat. Little dresses are a blast, but don’t forget safety shorts. Try a romper for the built in safety short.

From left to right, click to shop: Unif, Dorothy Perkins, Topshop, Mara Hoffman, Derhy, Dorothy Perkins, Miss Brown, Topshop, Fashion Conscience, Matta, Malene Birger, Topshop, HMR

TOPS: If you’re going high waisted on the bottom, go for a croppy top. Sheer, jersey, and peace signs are all your friend.

From left to right, click to shop: Mara Hoffman, Otis & Maclain, Topshop, Foley + Corinna, Delia’s, French Connection, Topshop, Michael Stars, Lee, Z by Zandra Rhodes, Unif, Wildfox

SKIRTS: Long makes for swingy dancing. pull it up to make a dress. Short skirts + bathing suit bottoms work for play.

From left to right, click to shop: Fashion Conscience, Ruche, Delia’s, Topshop, Dorothy Perkins, Firetrap, Michael Kors, Lamie Panacotta, Delia’s

SHORTS: Fringes from pockets? Yes please! These wild shorts come are a feast for the eyes. Be loud on the bitty bottom.

From left to right, click to shop: Vena Cava, Diane von Furstenberg, Current Elliot, Missoni, PRPS, SuperTrash, Reluxe, Cacharel, Stine Goya

SHOES: So important to have shoes that secure your feet well. You don’t want to be slipping in flip flops at a festival. TOMS are perfect to climb everywhere, but strappy sandals will keep you dancing all Coachella long.

From left to right, click to shop: TOMS, Loeffler Randall, Steve Madden, OTBT, Diane von Furstenberg, TOMS, Jades24, Fabio, OTBT

Weather: High of 94°

Key Artists: Kings of Leon, Interpol, Robyn, Lauryn Hill, Cee Lo Green, Cold War Kids, & Brandon Flowers

Based on the info above one can see 2 obvious things: 1. it is going to be hot and 2. it’s going to be a mixed bag of artists. Because of this it is best to try to stay as cool as possible and genre neutral. Since it’s also the first day of the festival it’s best to play it cool and casual. Nothing says loser like trying to hard on a first day.

Casual can described at it’s best by wearing a tee shirt. In this case a graphic one with a V-Neck is preferable.  This Quiksilver tee is an amazing shade of grey and depicts the ease and breeze that is California.

It will be suicide to wear pants that whole weekend. That being said a laid back pair of shorts will do for this outfit. I picked out these Vince Seaside Stripe Trouser Shorts because they are summer weather ready and the stripes are a great and subtle outfit accent.

When it comes down to accessories go for color. Sperry is always a warm weather footwear staple so these Striper Laceless in a bright blue will do the trick. You need a timepiece to make sure you don’t miss your favorite act so this Micheal Kors watch kill keep you organized and stylish. To finish off your look throw on a pair of colored sunglasses. Since everyone and their mother will be doing a wayfarer look why not try a colored aviator such as this one from Ray-Ban.

DAY 1 dress code: Nothing gets you in the mood to rock out to 200 bands in the middle of the California desert like some fringe.  Pair it up with a good pair of jorts, some rainbow kicks, and a feathery bracelet a-la-your inner spirit child and you’ll be all set for a day in the sun.

1. Roberto Cavalli open fringe tank net-a-porter.com

2. Jules Smith viva glam earrings shopbop.com

3. Kobler fringe backpack sheplers.com

4. Feather bracelet spelldesigns.com

5. Irregular Choice Chica Chola rainbow wedges irregularchoice.com

6. True Religion Faye jean shorts truereligionbrandjeans.com

7. Virgins Saints & Angels Goddess ring ylang23.com

DAY 1 Survival Tip: Low maintenance makeup: you don’t want to look like a melty clown.  Your outfit and accessories are going to be so stylish that you won’t need a lot of face time, plus anything you put on will evaporate within the first 2 Robyn songs.  Go for an SPF laden tinted moisturizer, cheek and lip stain for some color, and water proof eyeliner for those who can’t live without (like moi).  Keep the lipgloss and sunblock on hand and you’re good to go!

Alex signing a bag for a fan

What are you most excited about for this season?

Vacation. I’m going to Coachella, I’m excited to see everyone, especially all the DJs and Kanye.

What Alex Wang style does the Coachella girl wear?

I leave it up to them, they are much more inspiring than I could ever be.

What’s your recommended hot item for shoppers tonight?

I have a personal attachment to a lot of the leather jackets.

Photo: Guest of a Guest

And what would a shopping event be without a little shopping? We were trapped, however, in a fashion dilemma — what to buy, what to buy? Well, Sam was trapped in a fashion dilemma as I had already spent my clothing budget on a bag of magic beans earlier in the week. 

Sam's Wang Bag Dilemma

Sam fell in love with a shoulder bag then fell in love again seconds later (fickle heart that lady has) with a backpack in a similar style. A day later she’s still deliberating over which one to get, though hopefully she’ll make her decision soon since 10% of all profits go to the Japanese Red Cross Society. 

Personally, I favor the backpack, but Sam can always use a third, fourth and possibly fifth opinion. Thoughts, dear readers?

The Cobrasnake shot Jeremy Scott’s Coachella Toga Party this weekend. We just got the photos. Prepare to be widely jealous. Nah, just joking. There was a bunch of old people, fatties, and hairballs. Most were famous. Enjoy more photos after the jump.

“It’s a new face mask from Lush. It’s called Shut the Fuck Up and Pass the Salvia.”

“Sorry, Officer, the dingle-berries literally prevent me from ‘spreading them’.”

“Why are you so sad?” said Hipster Big Lebowski.

“Because I had a dream last night where I was murdered,” replied Hipster Julius Caesar.

“I need to fix my loin cloth, but I don’t want to put down my drink, cigarette, iPhone, or tote bag. Sigh…”

They tried to take this same exact picture 2000 years ago, but Pontius Pilot couldn’t figure out how to use the camera on his DROID.

“I’m trying out my new apathetic face.” “That’s cool. I’m trying out my Mom’s new curtains.”

“You don’t have nearly enough twitter followers to get away with licking me.”

“You’re taking a picture of this, right? I wouldn’t want to do something repulsive and humiliating to my family without being sure that people will see it. By the way I’ve been working on this mix tape…”

And here’s the rest…

Captions provided by the often hilarious Drew Kaufman.

I had envisioned this post looking something like Hedi Slimane’s photo-journal after he attended Coachella back in April; something containing photos of well dressed and flawlessly styled potential models. This next statement may be a generalization and offensive to some, but through my Fashion Indie opinionated eyes, EVERYONE LOOKED LIKE SHIT. Love handles stuck out of trashy booty shorts. Cargo shorts and graphic tees comprised the male population. Ray Ban shades were in a nauseating full effect. Trust me when I say that there was not a single person worth wasting a megapixel of my Nikon D50. But in everyone’s defense, it did rain quite a bit, mud caked Grant Park and it was pushing 100 degrees on a daily basis. So, if your excuse for slacking on style was in preservation of you Alexander Wang swag, you’ve been forgiven. As for the rest of you, I’m severely disappointed.

But all fashion zeros aside, Lollapalooza 2009 will go down in Kirby history as an all-time fantastic weekend. My friend Amber and I met up with some of my NYU buds, as well as some of last year’s festival friends and some new ones, and enjoyed the sounds and sights of some of the world’s most talented music artists. Although I saw over 50 shows in total, there are the significant few that really stuck out in my mind:

Animal Collective, despite my having almost died of suffocation from moshing, was an absolutely amazing show. I mean, come on, who doesn’t want to hear a 15 minute version of “Brother Sport” while watching the sun set over Lake Michigan? Crystal Castles, needless to say, was a shit-show…but in the best way possible! Lead singer Alice Glass was a classy lady chugging from her bottle of Bacardi Superior between songs, taking drags from her cigarette throughout and hawking spit in the crowd. Although I only caught a few of Passion Pit’s songs, they certainly didn’t fail to stir those butterflies I get every time I hear “Sleepyhead.” Andrew Bird relaxed the crowd with his melodic violin licks and whistles and was a perfect example of pure talent. Vampire Weekend, as always, put on a high energy set and left the crowd practically drooling over some of the new songs they whipped out. MSTRKRFT reigned as my favorite of the Lollapalooza 2009 DJ sets, completely blowing what Bassnectar, DeadMau5 and The Bloody Beetroots had to offer out of the water. Despite my former biases for Kings of Leon and The Killers, both groups (with the help of a few energetic friends and a bit of booze) rocked the house…nothing beats soaking in 80,000 bobbing heads and waving hands as I sat atop some 6’5″ stud’s shoulders (thanks Evan!) rocking out of The Killers’ “Human.”

But if one band really sealed the deal on this year’s Lollapalooza experience, the award goes to none other than the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. As one of the Saturday night headliners, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs had some very big shoes to fill after they replaced The Beastie Boys’ slot (due to Adam Yauch’s cancer surgery). Many Lolla-goers had their doubts about the Yeah Yeah Yeahs headlining performance, saying that they weren’t yet popular or experienced enough to deserve a coveted main-stage concert. Well, let’s just say those nay-sayers are biting their tongues because the Yeah Yeah Yeahs stole Lollapalooza 2009. There’s not much else to say except for the fact that their performance was outstanding, complete with high energy, humble recognition of such an amazing opportunity and a fantastic sound. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise, lead singer Karen O is a rockstar.

So, are you itching for next August yet so you can plan your trip to Chicago and experience the greatness that is Lollapalooza? I know I am.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs

Fleet Foxes

Animal Collective

Crystal Castles

Atmosphere

Andrew Bird

This is what Grant Park looked like on Friday, August 7th.

Photos via Metromix Chicago. Check out the Lollapalooza website for photos and reviews on this year’s festival as well as information about 2010′s bash!

Check out Hedi Slimane’s photo diary here!

Thanks Elle!