For years as a person who writes about fashion I would use “boheme” to describe that sort of languid, airy, global-infused style that might have otherwise been called the more common English word bohemian or boho. My theory was that if I say it in French, it loses its less great associations. Allow me to explain. If you lived through the 2000s in a state of fashion awareness, there may have been a moment when all you wanted to be was bohemian. Let’s call it Sienna Miller syndrome, that girl just looked good in a tiered mini and low slung belt, but could the masses pull it off? Was it even authentic to them? Coachella of course began in 1999, but didn’t reach peak festival fashion until maybe 10 years later. SO. MUCH. FRINGE. In the realm of interior design, momentum toward rooms with Moroccan poufs AND giant dream catchers AND a lot of plants AND enough rattan Peacock chairs to outfit an entire Montauk hotel reno in 2008 hit maximum Pinterest capacity around this same time.
A style that was rooted in true appreciation for travel and collecting, with an emphasis on free flowing fabrics and free love with big Sagitarian energy sort of lost its soul. Chemena Kamali’s first collection for Chloé got me thinking about the time before bohemian got co-opted. I’ve always been more of a clean ‘90s aesthetic girlie, with a touch of prep, but there’s something about the OG bohemian style that hits different. And there’s something about it that feels so lovely for spring and summer. Like you might be spending your day reading Joan Didion or Bell Hooks before hosting an al fresco dinner party for your friends (a group of actual fun intellectuals) while wearing an airy caftan under unironic twinkle lights. Why not! So can we take back bohemian? It can still be a little French, this all started with a Chloé runway after all. Let’s take a look at some interesting runway moments from old Chloé (home to luminaries like Karl Lagerfeld, Stella McCartney, and yes, patron saint of chic Phoebe Philo) and some other relevant old school inspiration images first.
Early 2000s Chloé
Not to get all Junior year of high school term paper on it, but bohemian is defined as a “socially unconventional person, especially one who is involved in the arts.” Aka all good things! The looks below are all very cool and don’t feel Coachella-in a-bad-way at all.
And there’s also this. Bohemian but structured!
And this, a peacock chair and a polo!
So we’re seeing the melding from the runways and these images of highly feminine and somewhat masculine elements (airy dresses with military coats, silk vests etc) but in a different way than say straight up suiting or Le Smoking.
Now, let’s review some current bohemian runway moments from Fall 2024 and then shop for how I’d interpret all of this in a way that I think makes sense now. Why not!
Looks from Chloé, The Row, Alaia and Diotima
How I see these is that these artist-worthy moments are a bit more streamlined than how we might have imagined bohemian in the past. Also, I will not call this the shortened boho—I think that shortening did nothing for bohemian’s reputation. I’d leverage simple, airy dresses, good low-slung belts, crochet and lace everything, cool pendant necklaces, and yes, maybe even a little fringe.
Vintage suede jacket, Sir crochet beach cover up dress (on sale), Little Lifner suede tote, Magda Butrym dress is giving Old Celine, Frame lace top, Janessa Leone belt. This Frame crochet dress is also great.
I’ll gather a bunch of pendants coming soon, in the meantime I saw this Lemaire one on What I Actually Bought and I love it. As I depart, here is a photo of me in the 2000s playing Tetris at a party (I guess I only pretend to be an extrovert!). I am wearing all black with a sheer top and a red suede belt I bought in Paris, in other words my version of bohemian was always a bit more streamlined. Perhaps we just are who we are. Why not?
One last thought: In the realm of interior design, I’d venture the idea is to again, embrace that global-artist-traveler vibe by bringing in pieces from far off destinations like Moroccan rugs alongside other cool collectibles like vintage ‘70s furniture as seen in this pic I had on my phone from a Chloé showroom from maybe 7 years ago. Layering is always nice, but it doesn’t need to be overwrought.