Tefi Has Been Prepping Her Coachella Looks For Two Months

Brothers might respond to random updates on your day with “K” or “why are you telling me this,” but Tefi Pessoa would never leave you in the lurch like that — and now, just in time for Coachella, she’s doling out her dead-on big-sisterly advice through the new Absolut House of Cosmo Textline.

“I love the idea of being a festival sidekick,” Tefi tells NYLON over the phone. (She’s on her way home to New York from Mexico City, where she saw Shakira.) “My friends [and I] have been going to music festivals since we were teenagers, so only just a few years ago, but I feel so close to the people who interact with me online and support me, and I was like, ‘How can I be more immersed in their experience, too?’”

The (nondry) answer: Festivalgoers 21 and up can text 442-200-5576 with their toughest questions and expect to receive Tefi’s expert tips and tricks. For a preview of her best-friend-you-never-had delivery, the kinds of topics she’s looking forward to discussing, and her preferred Coachella schedule, keep reading.

Tefi! I don’t think I’ve seen you since our pre-Fashion Week party in February. Lauren [McCarthy, editor-in-chief of NYLON,] says hi.

Oh, my God, I love her so much. I know, time flies so fast. I can’t believe it. It feels like it was yesterday.

Right? Let’s talk about the Absolut House of Cosmo Textline — what kinds of questions are you hoping to get?

The first thing everybody looks up is “what do I wear?” I think I’m going to get that the most because also Coachella fashion evolves every year. But still, you want to look like you’re all going to the same party when you’re with your girl group or going to a certain event. Or “Where do I go?” There are so many things happening at Coachella. Hopefully a lot of people stop by the Absolut House of Cosmo with me and we get to hang out. But also, I hope people ask me, “What should I be sipping on?” And I have the answer.

Are you pulling looks? Do you have a mood board?

I have been shopping online and thrifting for two months now. I will probably stray from all my plans, as one does the moment they get to the actual event, but I have some looks going. I’m trying to go for model-off-duty, but I’m still figuring that out. I think it’s going to be accessory-heavy this year, but who knows?

Something else we’ve been thinking about is how Coachella’s got a specific schedule. Are you more of an “I go to the parties during the day, and then show up to the festival late” person?

I try to hang out all day and go with the flow, but I will be 100% honest with you: I am a floater. I’m a person that’s like, “You tell me where to go, and I’ll do it.” I know some people only like to go at night, but I love frolicking in the day with my friends, putting down a blanket, hopping around. And I like to see the smaller acts, too. I know there are always going to be names we don’t recognize, but they always blow up, and I like to be like, “I saw them 10 years ago at Coachella.” I love being that person, unfortunately.

Who are the emerging artists you’re excited to see this year?

The Beaches. I’m friends with them, and I love their song “Blame Brett.” [sings] I can’t sing it. OK, thank you. I can’t wait to watch them, and I feel like they have such a unique voice. I’m always tapping my foot when I’m listening to them.

Going back to the idea of you being the floater, in an ideal festival-going group, are there other roles each person plays?

I’ve been with friends with my friends since middle school, and I feel like we are the kind of people that feel like “Let’s just see what happens.” I think that we are in a place where we’re 34 and 35, and we’ve let go of the roles. I can’t have one more label on me. Everything in this generation is about labeling oneself and identifying yourself. I’m like, “I can’t be one more.” So I’m just a floater.

In your experience as a festival-going authority, what is the most underrated or most unexpected advice you’ve learned?

I think a lot of the times when people go to festivals, they’re really concerned with hitting every single event or tent and being as close to artists as possible and not really enjoying the moment. So I would try to soak it all in as much as possible and stay as present as possible — and really find a place where you can sit and enjoy your friends and look them in the eyes and laugh.