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When she’s not making TikTok videos for her 1.4 million followers, social media influencer and InStyle host Tefi Pessoa (@hellotefi) is hitting up red carpets, and most recently, hanging out in the California desert at Coachella. The social star is no stranger to a fashion moment and her festival looks only proved her ability to blend style and comfort.
However, entering the scene at Coachella can be overwhelming, even for a fashion queen like Pessoa. “I saw a lot of Cult Gaia, Euphoria-inspired makeup, a lot of spiky buns (I love the 2000’s spiky bun), and a lot of fairy and butterfly outfits… it was giving me Miami Ultra vibes,” she says. The TikToker was also aware of her need to dress as professionally as an influencer can, knowing she was going to be introducing artists as the host of Coachella’s YouTube livestream. Meshing function and style like only she can, Pessoa turned heads in a sand-toned bodysuit and matching skirt from Alo Yoga as she beat the Indio heat.
Choosing her weekend wardrobe was a feat in and of itself, as she explained the chaos of searching for festival fashion inspo and being met with overdone outfits and cultural appropriation. Taking matters into her own hands, she recalls thinking, “‘I want to be preppy, I want to be comfortable,’ and all of the sudden I thought, ‘Oh my god, Tefi, you want to wear a skort. That’s what you want to wear!'”
The Sleek Back Bodysuit from Alo Yoga is a breathable yet sculpting thong bodysuit with a barely-there shelf bra for support — a breathable piece that served her well during long days in the desert. With comfort being a must in Pessoa’s book, mixing activewear into her everyday (and festival) outfits has become a got-to wardrobe move. “I think when I was younger, it was more about the occasion, and now it’s about how long I can stay at the event. [Back then] it was more about being seen, and now it’s more about being comfortable,” she states.
Rounding out her sporty-chic look is the Varsity Tennis Skirt, which is secretly a skort (and she dubs “f***ing perfect”). Pessoa explains her inspiration behind the athletic look coming from none other than a childhood tennis idol. “I’ve been obsessed with Anna Kournikova since her “Escape” video with Enrique Iglesias and I’ve always wanted to channel that. In 2001, 2002, I used to think this was it, this was the coolest person that I had ever seen in my entire life,” Tefi quips.
Pessoa describes how performative Coachella can be at times, and why making the mega-concert casual was important to her. “Making Coachella casual again is kinda the point of being at a festival. If social media didn’t exist and instead of thinking about the grid post and just thinking about being there, it’s a different outfit,” she remarks. And what better way to appreciate the music than dancing the night away in a functional ‘fit?
But don’t get it wrong, she loves the energy of the concert-goers, remembering the amount of new influencers and friends who attended the festival. “Of course, you love seeing the creativity of it; people really show out,” she says. But in the end, wearing a sweat-wicking and sporty matching set did the trick for Tefi.
If you were looking for a sign to order that tennis skirt, this is it. Shop the Sleek Back Bodysuit and Varsity Tennis Skirt from Alo Yoga and thank Tefi for making a space where Coachella can be casual (and still incredibly chic).
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