The story of bohemian fashion
200 years of bohemian fashion
The bohemian style has been, for over 200 years, an exotic alternative to the accepted fashions of a given time. Generally associated with artists, writers, and intellectuals, bohemian culture incorporates different clothing styles from around the world, as well as historical costumes.
This style consists of loose and colorful clothing and has been known by the names of bohemian chic, hippie, and aesthetic style. With their long flowing hair and rich, worn fabrics, bohemians stand out in the crowd by representing a colorful counter-culture based on creativity, poverty, and indifference to social structures and traditions.
Origin of the bohemian style
Bohemians, as a counter-culture, emerged in France after the French Revolution. Deprived of the old patronage system, where wealthy patrons supported the arts, artists were plunged into poverty. Many adopted a nomadic lifestyle, living cheaply and wearing worn, outdated, or second-hand clothing. Once, an artist was considered a skilled and talented craftsman. But the romantic movement of the late 18th century rejected the confines of bourgeois life and the old importance placed on reason, embracing imagination instead. A new cult of personality emerged with the artist as hero and individual style expressed in the way of dressing. The artist became a particular type of person, not just a craftsman, but a kind of eccentric genius whose creativity was expressed in the way of living and appearing. The artist themselves (or herself) was a work of art...
The lifestyle of bohemians in the 19th century
In the 1830s, French bohemians and romantics adopted medieval clothing styles with their colorful fabrics, long flowing hair, and wide-brimmed hats. The novelist Henri Murger wrote stories about those he called bohemians, focusing on a group of artists and intellectuals in tattered coats, old shoes, and a general appearance of disenchantment. The style evolved into a cult of the individual, a person whose very appearance became a work of art with carefully studied outfits and accessories.
The aesthetic movement
In the 19th century, the aesthetic movement became a kind of bohemian lifestyle. Aesthetics rebelled against the rigid social constraints of the Victorian era and adopted a style based on clothing from the past.
Convinced that mass production from the industrial revolution was dehumanizing, the Aesthetic movement sought to encourage ancient techniques from the Middle Ages with individually crafted products. Clothing was loose and soft, using colorful fabrics with organic dyes and decorated with hand embroidery. The Pre-Raphaelite artists of the time rejected corsets, crinolines, rigid bodices, and restrictive clothing of Victorian fashion.
The 20th-century bohemian style
The bohemian style, which has remained unchanged for many years, has been associated with young people who hoped to distance themselves from the materialistic culture of past generations. It has even given rise to more modern counter-culture styles. The Beatniks, with their black turtlenecks and striped shirts, took on a more austere tone. The hippies introduced a note of childhood into the mix by incorporating old Western styles as well as short, feminine skirts.
But while the media has embraced the bohemian style, one might wonder if the term is still viable. When a counter-culture becomes mainstream, the style can no longer be considered an alternative.
When discount stores sell peasant skirts and fashion magazines offer expensive boho clothing made by designers, the nature of the lifestyle has become a cultural norm, and is no longer unique or specific to a particular group.
Although fashion often embraces boho chic, life itself - the desire for individual freedom, the rejection of modern materialistic concepts, the dream of utopian ideals, and the production of handcrafted goods - remains a powerful alternative to dominant culture. The bohemian style has become iconic, partly thanks to the boho chic style that has brought vibrancy to fashion, with many boho chic dresses worn every day for bohemian weddings. Additionally, many bohemian accessories, such as macramé, bohemian cushions, or bohemian rings pair very well.
You can also create a completely bohemian interior decoration, with beautiful colorful garlands, dream catchers on the walls, warm candles, colorful cushion covers, a total bohemian look in the end!
Elements of the bohemian style
The bohemian style, more commonly known today as boho chic, has traversed history, reappearing under the name beatnik style and in the hippie culture of the 1960s. This style generally consists of the following fashion elements.
- Loose and fluid clothing made from natural fabrics
- Casual bohemian dresses, fluid, colorful, pastel
- Dresses with embroidery, multicolored, lace, very sexy
- Soft and flowing hair
- Colorful scarves worn around the neck, on the head, or as a belt
- Peasant-style clothing, including tunics, wide pants, boots, and sandals
- Flower or wicker crown
- Used or worn clothing
- Dresses, kimonos, and traditional fabric patterns from Persia, India, Turkey, and China
- Mix of historical elements from medieval clothing and more modern styles
- Layers
- Little brown dresses or very comfortable suede dresses
- Clothing matched in a non-traditional way, for example by mixing prints or unusual color combinations
- Multiple strands of beads, several bracelets, and wearing unusual, handcrafted, or unmatched jewelry
- Large pendant or hoop earrings
- Wide-brimmed hats
- Patchwork clothing for women with bright colors that pair very well with bohemian sunglasses
- Velvet or denim skirts
- Paisley, floral fabrics, ruffles, lace-edged sleeves
- An artificial look of disarray
- Bohemian hairstyle: braid or fringe that will give you a magnificent bohemian spirit
You will have understood, in the boho style, there is something for everyone, whether you have a slim or plus size, the bohemian style will suit you. A patterned or floral printed dress? A hippie dress? A lace dress? Each bohemian dress will enhance your wardrobe and your daily life! Boho chic is a very atypical style, with natural materials and a style focused on hippie elements like pom-poms or feathers, with lots of bright colors like turquoise, which pairs very well with a tunic for example. This colorful style will bring love into your life, making your life a true bohemian life. You can also pair your bohemian dress with a kimono, pants, or an accessory like a bohemian necklace. Don't forget that there are not just dresses in bohemian style but also beautiful sweaters, long skirts, jackets, or even ankle boots or boots. Everyone will find their happiness in this style that is both chic and floral, but also knows how to combine romance and sexy, which is very rare.
Ultimately, the bohemian style is one that suits both spring and summer; our dresses will enhance your wardrobe and bring love into your life.
The bohemian, timeless like vintage
The boho style is a timeless style, just like vintage style. These two styles are different but so complementary; what could be better than a bohemian dress in your wardrobe paired with a pin-up dress? The bohemian dress for a casual day outfit, and the pin-up dress for a cocktail evening, for example!
Icons of Bohemia
William and Jane Morris: William Morris was a designer who created alternative textiles for clothing and interior decoration. He was known for his commitment to liberal socialism and the preservation of history, and was recognized as one of the first environmentalists. He also designed clothing for his wife, Jane Morris, who was a model. She became an icon of the aesthetic and arts and crafts movement with her flowing medieval-style dresses and long, abundant hair.
The rainbow gathering: An annual meeting of like-minded individuals who reject capitalism and materialism and embrace utopian ideals, creative living, the environment, and diversity.
The hippie movement of the late 1960s: Centered on the creativity of life and clothing, the hippie style included elements of historical costume and a rejection of everyday life.
Greenwich Village, New York or The Village: A modern gathering place for impoverished artists and writers, and a refuge for the creative community as a distinct minority group.
The Left Bank: In the early 20th century, the Montparnasse district in Paris, France, was a center of creativity that attracted artists, writers, and intellectuals. Here, people like Marc Chagall, Ernest Hemingway, Henri Matisse, and others were able to live cheaply, gathering in bistros and restaurants to share ideas.
La Bohème and the musical rent: the musical rent is based on Puccini's opera La Bohème. The story revolves around a group of artists and their struggles against poverty and illness.
Paul Poiret: The early 20th-century fashion designer incorporated elements of peasant costumes from around the world into his creations. His introduction of historical dress into haute couture ultimately bled into mainstream fashion.
Dorelia McNeill: Dorelia was a model for artists Gwen and Augustus John in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Augustus painted her in long, flowing skirts and scarves while they lived in their personal utopia.
