Is Coachella Still Cool?

Plus: RFK Jr.’s Fascination With the Animal Kingdom

View in browser | Update preferences SUBSCRIBE FOR FULL ACCESS Founded in 1999, Coachella took a town known for date farming and its proximity to Palm Springs and turned it into a music—and fashion—destination. Given the festival's, ahem, venerability, Vanity Fair's Daniela Tijerina wondered if it had retained its cool factor. Her discovery: yes, it has, an assessment bolstered by the many fashion moments onstage at the event's first weekend. One example of special note is PinkPantheress, whose Coachella debut married theater and the traditional fest experience. Leaving the desert, we're indulging in a number of obsessions. VF's Erin Vanderhoof mulled RFK Jr.'s apparent fixation on the wild kingdom, while Savannah Walsh took a look at the rising cultural embrace of erotica. Finally, Marisa Meltzer marked the New York advent of Gwyneth Paltrow’s fast casual restaurant chain, Goop Kitchen, with a veritable orgy of salads and bowls. Compulsive longing, it appears, can come in many forms. EVE BATEY, EDITOR Is Coachella Still Cool? BY DANIELA TIJERINA With Bieber fever rampant at this year’s festival, the answer might just be yes. VF reports from the Empire Polo Club. READ MORE Why this ad? Get more as a Vanity Fair subscriber Exclusive offer: Subscribe to get one month of Vanity Fair free START YOUR FREE TRIAL FIT CHECK What the Fashion at Coachella Says About the State of the Festival BY JOSÉ CRIALES-UNZUETA Coachella performances now rival the staging of a high-profile world tour, and their costuming is closer to the runway than it’s ever been before. READ MORE MUSIC PinkPantheress Is Shaping a New British Wave BY WENGEL GEMU Fresh off casting Tyriq Withers as her onstage “Romeo,” the singer is turning her Coachella set into something closer to theater: “I wanted to try something a little different.” READ MORE FROM THE MAGAZINE Why Smut Is Here to Stay BY SAVANNAH WALSH From Heated Rivalry to I Want Your Sex, kink isn’t going anywhere, writes Savannah Walsh in the Spring 2026 issue, with a giddy cultural embrace of erotica. READ MORE POLITICS RFK Jr. vs. the Animal Kingdom BY ERIN VANDERHOOF Whales, raccoons, and bears—oh my! Why is the head of the Department of Health and Human Services always sticking his hands into various beasts? READ MORE FOOD I Cried Over One of Gwyneth Paltrow’s Fast-Casual Salads BY MARISA MELTZER Goop Kitchen is coming to New York—and VF goes to try it first. READ MORE Why this ad? MORE FROM VANITY FAIR POLITICS BUSINESS HOLLYWOOD STYLE ROYALS CELEBRITY This e-mail was sent to you by VANITY FAIR. To ensure delivery to your inbox (not bulk or junk folders), please add our e-mail address, vanityfair@newsletter.vf.com, to your address book. View our Privacy Policy Unsubscribe Copyright © Condé Nast 2026. One World Trade Center, New York, NY 10007. All rights reserved.