How to Wear Boho Style Clothing

Originating in the late ‘60s and ‘70s, the boho style is mostly known for exuding a unique and artistic vibe inspired by the bohemian lifestyle and hippie culture when the message was about peace, love, and living free. It is very popular as women worldwide love it because it allows them to express their authenticity and feel comfortable in their clothes.

Boho culture has a fascinating and rich history that traveled from the streets of France to England, and to the USA, before becoming a global phenomenon.

What is Boho Style?

Bohemian style, also often called boho chic or boho fashion, is a fashion style made popular by the flower children or “hippies” in the 1960s and 1970s. Flowy, unstructured silhouettes, head-bands, eye-catching prints, vibrant colors, over-sized sunglasses, junk jewelry, open-toed sandals, and natural fabrics were some of the elements that characterized this style.

Bohemians are free-spirited people, usually involved in the arts or creative pursuits who like to live in an informal way, without following rigid societal norms of behavior. Bohemian style is the fashion statement followed by this eclectic breed of people who like their clothing and lifestyle choices to be as non-conformist and eccentric as they are. Modern boho style incorporates artisanal elements, color and print for a look that always feels carefree and relaxed. 

Why is it called Boho?

Boho is an abbreviation for “Bohemian Homeless” i.e., nomads from the Bohemian region. These nomads were of gypsy ethnicity. This is why the Boho style, or Boho-Chic, is also called “gypsy style”. Bohemian nomads had a style and values very different from the bourgeois and patriarchal society of the time.

Bohemianism started out as a counterculture by artists, writers, and creatives that encouraged creativity, artistic expression and rejected the accepted fashions and suffocating social rules of the 18th century. In the 1960s, the hippie movement became the main counterculture, and it’s easy to see it as an extension of the bohemian subculture that existed in the previous decades, with the same values and a similar lifestyle.

The term "Bohemian" applies to people who live an unconventional lifestyle are nonconformist and creative. Bohos don’t follow the masses but seek their own critical and creative path. At the heart of it all, being boho has always been about being free - in mind, body, and spirit. 

How to wear Boho Style?

Floral prints, tie dye patterns and nature-inspired tribal prints are all very typical of boho style and are the perfect way to add a little bohemian chic into your everyday wear! Handmade items and natural materials are important to create a classic boho look.

Are jeans a staple item in your wardrobe? Opt for a patterned blouse and pair it with a chic fedora and some ankle boots to complete the look. Alternatively, you can effortlessly wear vintage inspired dresses season after season with winter boots or summer sandals. Maxi skirts, maxi dresses or palazzo pants — anything that is long and flowy is a step in the direction of classic boho chic! Wear a maxi skirt traditionally with a vest top and blue jeans jacket for an easy summer ensemble or switch it up with a vintage silk kimono.

Whether you’re just adding a bohemian touch or wanting to create a whole vintage boho fashion inspired look, we know that accessories are always key! From oversized sunglasses to layers of jewelry, this is a surefire way to transform your outfit into something extraordinary. The more individual and unique your accessories are, the better. 

Fringing is also a huge part of the boho look. There are plenty of ways that fringes can be effortlessly combined with any outfit to give it an original and unique look. Opt for a leather bag with fringes like the luxurious CHER designed in Malibu, California by MILA to wear with your fabulous ‘70s outfit.

Is Boho still in Style 2022?

Some fashion trends come and go. Others, like 90s fashion, see a resurgence — sometimes, more than once. But there are also aesthetics that seem to stand the test of time, usually with modern changes that make them look more contemporary. Boho outfits are the perfect example. Despite our modern-day twists, the contemporary version of boho style from the 1970s isn't going anywhere. Still, the boho outfits of 2022 are not the boho outfits of, say, 1970.

The genre remains rooted in a fashion that looks effortless and seeks to unleash your artistic, free-spirited, and creative side, but you're going to see more body-hugging pieces popping up among the floaty staples of a traditional bohemian wardrobe. In addition, bohemian fashion will be more structured and luxuriously executed, using fabrics such as velvet, silk, crochet, embroidery and sheer knitwear to give that artistic feel, as opposed to predictable floral patterns.

Modern, sleek silhouettes but created in unique and organic fabrics will be in the subtle details of clothing where boho will make its way into fashion in the future. What was once a very niche style has now become the type of aesthetic anyone can subtly sneak into their wardrobe.