Style
Fashion Trends: What Exactly Is Boho-Chic?
Oct
Fashion trends repeat every 20-30 years, and many stylists are predicting that boho chic, popular in the ’70s and ’90s, will come back with a vengeance.
Boho is an important piece of post-hippie fashion that focuses on getting back in touch with nature in a more stylish way. While hippies generally rejected stylish conventions and wore their style as minimalistic as possible, the boho’s took hippie fashion and glammed it up, coming up with a unique style that exists on its own merits.
This article will answer the question what is boho chic? by walking you through a couple of examples.
Boho: Short For Bohemian
Boho is short for bohemian. The bohemians were, in many ways, the original counter-culture, seeking individuality and freedom during the renaissance. They were known for their lavish, free style of dress, which asserted individuality.
You can see the world of the bohemian in our Bohemian Flower Crossover Empire Waist Dress. The emphasis here is on the uniquely patterned and cut skirt, which will surely catch the eye. The floral pattern demonstrates the closeness to nature that you usually find in boho styles.
The dress is sleeveless and open-backed, which makes sense for the bohemian style. Indeed, the bohos aren’t afraid to show a good deal of skin. Most boho clothes are focused on fall, spring, and summer styles.
Earth Tones
While the above blue dress is awesome, we have to admit that it’s not standard for the boho style. As you’ll see on our site, most of the boho clothes out there focus on earth tones.
You can regularly see boho’s using of shades of brown, green, and grey.
When they do wear reds, blues, greens, and yellows, they always have undertones. Boho style works in contrast to the harsh, detached coldness of modernism.
Boho style is all about colors that work together analogously. This means colors that sit next to each other on the color wheel. You’re more likely to see reds, browns, and oranges paired with each other than you are yellows and blues.
Not only are analogous patterns more important to boho-chic than complementary patterns, but color combinations are also generally almost always preferred over monochrome. The least boho thing in the world is a plain white t-shirt — almost every garment has a sense of combination to it.
Boots
It’s hard to conceive of the boho style without one of their most glamorous elements — boots. Whereas hippies generally didn’t care about footwear and sometimes dispensed with shoes altogether, bohos care greatly about what goes on their feet.
Boots work as one of the key elements of contrast in most boho styles. While most boho outfits are generally built around rootsy earth tones, boho boots can have a little more shine to them. It’s not uncommon to see combat boots, punk-rock boots, and even cowboy boots worn with boho outfits.
Women who want to take the boho style and imbue it with a certain sense of sex appeal can get themselves boots with heels. Usually, this works best when skirts are shorter.
If you’re going to go without boots (perhaps the summer is quite hot) we recommend making use of elaborate open-toed shoes to stay true to the boho style.
Accessories
One of the things that makes the boho style so great is the layers of accessories. Let’s take a look at some of the most popular accessories and how they’re worn in the boho style.
Necklace
Just like boots, boho necklaces are big and bold. They shouldn’t shine — metallic jewelry is a no-go — but anything big and earthy is perfect. We recommend going with a necklace that has a large pendant.
Alternatively, you can stack several necklaces on top of each other. Stack necklaces of different lengths to create a layered experience. This will work well with the flowing nature of boho outfits.
Bracelet
Boho bracelets work in a similar way to boho necklaces. They’re best when they are big and bold. We recommend going with big thick leather bracelets.
Bohos can also add a pop of color to their style by making use of stone bracelets. If you have a stone that you’re particularly fond of, see if you can wear it in bracelet form.
It should also be noted that friendship bracelets — which are often homemade — work extremely well with the boho style.
Piercings
We’re not saying that you should go out and get pierced to fit in with the boho look. However, if you already have piercings . . . you’ll fit right in. Bohemians are inherently alternative, and so any body modification will only serve to make a look more bohemian.
Scarves
In colder months, bohos can be seen wearing scarves. Scarves, in many ways, are perfect for bohos. Standard scarves come in many different patterns and colors.
Bohos will often layer scarves just like they layer necklaces. A summary scarf contrasted with a necklace is perfect for any aspiring boho.
Hats
The boho style is one of the few styles left in our world that still makes use of hats. Wide, rustic hats are perfect for anyone trying to engage in this style.
Take Part in the Boho Chic Style
If you love the spirit of hippies but think their fashion was lacking a bit, boho chic is right for you. Dress your alternative bohemian best in earth tones, flashy boots, and a variety of accessories, and you’re well on your way to rocking the bohemian style.
If you want to go to an outing where you’ll see many bohemians, head over to any large music festival.
For more information, check out our section dedicated to accessories.