Bohemian Style

Bohemian is a style that has grown popular amongst counter-culture groups. It incorporates bold colors and patterns, flowing colors, and many textures to create a stylishly disheveled look.

## The Name

Bohemian was originally used as a slur against Romani people, and was used to describe the look of artistic types and countercultural individuals who wore alternative fashion and lived alternative lifestyles in the 19th century. As such, the term bohemian or boho, as well as the sometime used "g\*psy" style term, can be considered offensive. Some suggest the terms should not be used, and use terms like "hippy" style instead.   Despite this controversy, the name has become commonplace in most vocabularies to describe the style.

## History

Bohemian was originally a countercultural movement started in the 19th century in Europe, particularly France. It was created by artists, writers, and other creative individuals, fighting against the culture of the times. Although some fashion aspects from this period influenced bohemian fashion, the modern fashion aesthetic was started with hippy and counterculture movements in the 60s and 70s. This is when the term moved to mean more a style, instead of a lifestyle.

## The Fashion

Bohemian fashion has no set rules, and rather follows a similar aesthetic amongst outfits with a lot of variations and interpretations.Thrifted or used clothing is commonly used, and the style has more layers than normal fashion styles but is not overly layered. The style often has a disheveled look, and is rather eclectic. It is sometimes described as the "opposite of minimalistic," using lots of jewelry and oversized clothing.

Bohemian style is often very textured with many different materials, including lace, crochet, denim, leather, suede, wood, rattan, embroidery, studs, tassels, macramé, beads, and pom-poms, amongst many more materials. Bright colors are often popular, with bold patterns and colors like turquoise, oranges, and reds being popular. Large patterns like florals, paisley, folk patterns, tie-dye, and patchwork, and occasionally the use of controversial "tribal" patterns, which are often considered to be cultural appropriation, are used.

Some common clothing items include the following:

* Tunic style tops
* Flowing clothing items
* Flared jeans
* Large flowing skirts
* Distressed denim jeans
* Flowing dresses and maxi dresses
* "Kimono" jackets
* Fur and faux fur items
* Fringed shirts, jackets, and vests

Common shoes in Bohemian fashion include sandals and ankle boots. Hats often include large straw hats, bandanas, turbans, fedoras, and large headbands.

Hair in this style is usually natural, and makeup is also often natural and minimal. Bleached blonde hair or brown hair are most common, but any natural hair color may be seen. Controversially, "tribal" makeup is often also used alongside tribal tattoos, which is often criticised widely as cultural appropriation.

## Substyles

Although Bohomenian fashion has no set substyles, a version of the style sometimes seen is called boho chic, which is a toned down boho style with more modern touches.

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3  Carla Jones. "Bohemian Style: The Ultimate 2021 Guide and History." The Pearl Source. November 27, 2021. Retrieved fromhttps://www.thepearlsource.com/blog/bohemian-style-ultimate-guide/#:~:text=Bohemian%20style%20is%20a%20fashion,a%20flair%20for%20statement%20accessories
2. ↑ "No Matter How Bohemian Your Brand Is, You Can't Use The Word G\*psy." Ethical Unicorn. February 12, 2018. Retrieved fromhttps://ethicalunicorn.com/2018/02/12/no-matter-how-bohemian-your-brand-is-you-cant-use-the-word-gpsy/
3. ↑ "The term Boheman : romani." Reddit Discussion. Retrieved fromhttps://www.reddit.com/r/romani/comments/hhsbkt/the\_term\_bohemian/