Olivia Rodrigo originally planned to hit the stage at her inaugural Daisy Chain Fields festival in August in an iconic floor-length, flowing white gown. The singer-songwriter had purchased the exact vintage Gunne Sax maxi dress Meg White wore on the cover of the White Stripes’ 2003 album Elephant, released the same year she was born. But the heat had other plans.
Looking at the forecast for Great Park in Irvine, California, Rodrigo realized it was “too fucking hot,” she told The Hollywood Reporter. “Maybe if I do Daisy Chain in the winter, I can wear it.”
Julien’s Auctions estimated the dress, which Tracee Mae Miller pulled from her closet for the shoot, to be worth between $4,000 and $6,000. When it went to auction, it sold for $25,600, an “exorbitant amount of money” per Rodrigo. But according to the listing, it did at least come with a copy of Elephant on CD.
Regardless, the White Stripes and Rodrigo are aligned in other ways. While the band fronted by Jack White couldn’t have been included on the all-woman festival inspired by Lilith Fair, Rodrigo stands proudly alongside White and other artists who aren’t shying away from using their platform to speak politics.
“When Lilith Fair was happening 30 years ago, women in America had more rights, had more autonomy over their bodies,” Rodrigo said. “I’ve always felt really protective of my young fans, and when I play a show and I look out into the audience and see young girls with their friends or their moms or their families, I feel such a kinship with them. And if I could be a small part in making the world a safer and better place for them to grow up and live, that’s what I want.”
Rodrigo “one hundred percent” saw Daisy Chain Fields as political. The event, which she organized over the course of a year-and-a-half and jokes felt more like a wedding, donated net earnings in the amount of $10 million to nonprofits benefiting women and girls, including National Domestic Workers Alliance, Planned Parenthood, National Institute for Reproductive Health, and more. Melinda French Gates later matched the donation, bringing the total revenue raised to $20 million.
“Daisy Chain is a real example to me of how it actually is a real power that you can use for good,” Rodrigo said. “I can call Karen O and ask her if she wants to be a part of this festival. I can try and rally all these troops together to raise $20 million for these causes that I really care about.” She also sees the festival as a celebration of joy. “I think the two things can exist at the same time, they kind of have to.”
She added, “I think young people have lost hope in our leaders and lost hope in each other. I really wanted to galvanize people and be evidence of what can happen when you come together and are part of something and contribute.”
Anthony Orosz*
