The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival is practically a cultural rite of passage for frequent concert goers, featuring a diverse blend of world renowned performers, emerging artists and bands, art and, in the recent years – fashion. What began in the small desert town of Indio, California in 1999 as an experiment with a few bands and a modest crowd of 10,000, has blossomed into one of the most anticipated and attended annual music and arts festivals in the world. The diverse mix of music, people and art in such a seemingly random place, are all a part of what make the Coachella experience truly unique from other music festivals.

In addition to the art and music at Coachella, the fashion trends of Coachella have also become an increasingly popular focus during the festival. From hipster and hippie-chic to just plain hippie, the crowds at Coachella showcase fashion tastes and styles that are as diverse as the music and art that paint the sacred concert grounds. For many Coachella goers, Coachella fashion means improvising at times. Too hot in your long jeans? Cut em. Lost your jacket crowd surfing? Make a pancho from a blanket. And for all the ladies out there who have ever camped out at Coachella – what to do with dirty, dusty hair that hasn’t been washed in 3 days? Braid it, bun it, or better yet – flower it.

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Flowers are the perfect accent for any concert outfit and have always been a popular accessory for Coachella attendees. Instead of improvising with whatever flowers you happen to find around the Coachella grounds this year, we’ve teamed up with Allen’s Flowers and WalkIn Salon to show you how to make the perfect flower crown for you to wear to Coachella this year. These flower crowns are easy to make and look absolutely stunning. So stunning, that you may just find yourself on the best-dressed Coachella list this year. Here’s the scoop on how to create the perfect flower crown to complete your Coachella look.

DJhere + Walk In Salon by Robert Cromeans + Allen’s Flowers presents COACHELLA WATERFALL BRAID STYLE! from mac nguyen on Vimeo.

The Flowerchild Crown

Materials Needed:

  • Assortment of flowers of your choice
  • Spool of Bullion wire (28-gauge, crimped wire) in color of your choice
  • Spool of paper covered wire 16-gauge or 18-gauge recommended. (The smaller the gauge the thicker the wire and more durable it will be)
  • Heavy duty glue – Hot melt pan glue works best but may be substituted for Oasis Floral Adhesive or a hot glue gun
  • Scissors

Flowerchild

STEP 1:

Take the spool of paper-covered wire and cut out two 3-foot pieces. Take the two pieces and tie them in a knot on one end.

STEP 2:

Make a loop with the two pieces by twisting them once at the desired length. Then use Bullion wire to secure into place. Be sure to cut off any excess wire.

STEP 3:

Repeat STEP 2 creating small loops all the way across the paper-covered wire until you get to the end.

STEP 4:

Now that you have the base of your flower crown, you are going to want to glue a flower every place the paper-covered wire meets. Map out your design and prep your flowers by cutting off any long stems and adding any accents you might want. We use leaves and hanging amaranthus to accent our crown.

STEP 5:

To fasten around your head – measure how tight you want the crown and you can either tie both ends in a knot or twist them together until the wire is sturdy.
The Boho Crown by Brittany

The BOHO Crown

Materials Needed:

  • Assortment of flowers of your choice
  • Spool of twine covered wire. The thicker the wire the more durable your crown will be
  • Heavy duty glue – Hot melt pan glue works best but may be substituted for Oasis Floral Adhesive or a hot glue gun
  • Wire cutting scissors

STEP 1:

Do not cut the wire from the spool. Start with the end of the spool and start bending the wire in loops and shapes that you want your crown to take. If you do not like a particular shape the wire is very easy to reshape into a different design.

Boho

STEP 2:

Work your way through the wire bending and looping until you have a piece of wire long enough to wrap around your head with at least an inch left over so that you can fasten it on. Once your wire is long enough cut it from the spool and start mapping out your flower design.

STEP 3:

Once you have your design ready prep your flowers by cutting the stems off as close to the base of the flower as you can. Then start gluing your flowers on your crown.

STEP 4:

To fasten around your head just place the crown on your head and measure a comfortable tightness. Once you have this measurement all you have to do is wrap the wire around the base wire it is overlapping. The twine wire is very durable and will stay in place all day.

The Sweatheart Headband

Materials Needed:

Tools 1

  • Spool of 1/8-inch (6 gauge) flat aluminum wire in the color of your choice. Make sure you have at least 24 inches ofthis.
  • Spool of 24-gauge copper or aluminum wire in the color of your choice. *Do not use steel wire.
  • Spool of 1/2-inch floral tape stem wrap
  • Heavy duty glue – Hot melt pan glue works best but may be substituted for Oasis Floral Adhesive or a hot glue gun
  • Assortment of flowers of your choice
  • Wire cutting scissors

Band 1

STEP 1:

Take the spool of 1/8-inch flat wire and measure it from behind your right ear, over the top of your head and down to your left ear, so that it fits as a headband should. Once you have a comfortable measurement, cut two pieces of the wire so you are left with two wire headbands.

 

STEP 2:

Take the spool of 24-gauge wire and cut two 2-inch pieces off.

STEP 3:

Take your two wire headbands and connect the two ends so they overlap on each side. You should have a small 1-ince gap at the top of the headband. Use the 24-gauge wire to wrap around the ends of the headband so they are secure. Then use your floral tape to cover the 24-gauge wire by wrapping it around until the ends.

STEP 4:

Now that you have the base of your headband make sure you have an idea of where you want to place your flowers. Once you have your design mapped out you will need to prep your flowers before gluing them.

  • For large flowers (we used purple anemones) – cut the stem off as close to the base of the flower as you can before you glue it to the head band
  • For small accent flowers (we used misty blue) take bunches of it and secure them together using your floral tape. Just wrap the tape around the base until it feels secure.

STEP 5:

Glue your flowers where you want them to go. Always be sure to place them strategically to cover all the glue spots.

All these materials can be purchased at Allen’s Flowers and Plants by the spool or yard or you can also find them at your local craft store. If you’re pressed for time or aren’t feeling crafty, Allen’s Flowers and Plants can custom make flower crowns of your choice. Prices may vary but typically crowns are between $35-$50 and can be ordered for a variety of occasions including weddings and graduations. Stop by the Hard Rock hotel in downtown San Diego this Friday, April 5 after 9 p.m. for more on flower crowns for Coachella! A very special thank you to WalkIn Salon in Pacific Beach and Allen’s flowers for sharing their craft for this blog. Happy flowering everyone!