Each year starts with predictions for what clothing, aesthetics, or concepts will attract and inspire consumers. This year, 'boho chic' is at the forefront. The word ‘boho’ is attributed etymologically to bohemian or bohémien, a word derived from French nomadic people.
The loose-fitting, flowy, fringe, printed styles that appear in the boho chic style pop up throughout fashion history and are often connected with whimsical personalities.
In the early 1990s, Kate Moss’s rock star looks, and Lisa Bonet’s earthy clothes captured the public consciousness. Today, Bonet’s daughter Zoë Kravitz has created her own kind of boho chic, following her family’s lead.
Many think of the Coachella Music and Arts Festival in the 2010s as a hallmark of the boho chic aesthetic, along with designer brands such as Isabel Marant, Ulla Johnson, Roberto Cavalli, and Chloé defining the looks of the time. Fictional characters Penny Lane, Daisy Jones, and Lynn Ann Searcy also could be considered boho-style North stars.
Today, stewards of the boho chic style are wearing jewelry, boots, sparkles, studs, belts, suede, denim, and floral prints to pull together an effortless yet maximalist look.
People are stacking bangles, pulling on their flowy skirts, and scouring eBay for the Frye boots, but why now? According to fashion influencer and Asos trend forecaster Hannah Krohne, people are looking for a more freeing concept of personal style.
“The clean girl aesthetic was more than just fashion; it was encouraging people to live their lives a certain way,” said Krohne. “I think this is going to be the opposite. It's going to be messy hair and fun outfits and lots of personality and vintage jewelry.”
The pendulum in fashion is swinging the other way, leaving room for boho chic’s “messy and feminine maximalism,” said Krohne.
The political and cultural landscape is shifting at the same time as the trend cycle. A new presidential administration is ushering in conservative values that are in direct conflict with the cool, airy elements of boho chic.
In the summer of 2024, Sienna Miller told Vogue’s José Criales-Unzueta "Softness and femininity has historically appeared in moments of political stress and war—for something to take off in the way this did, it has to be hitting the Zeitgeist in some way." Miller was referring to the imminent return of boho chic, a style that she is often aligned with, and to her involvement with the aesthetic in the early 2000s.
Getting dressed requires a conscious choice about your environment, your feelings, and your safety. Clothes create an identity and sometimes signal ideals. However, sometimes getting dressed is about escape. The boho chic style offers a fun way to distract from the uncertain times that Americans are living through.
“I really hope it means that people use this as a way to have fun in their wardrobe and in their lives,” said Krohne. “So I really hope that it just allows people an outlet through fashion and just to kind of forget.”
Komentarze