Boho, short for bohemian, is fashion’s eternal free spirit. It is a long floaty dress worn with boots, a suede jacket with swinging fringe, an embroidered blouse, a wide-brimmed hat and a stack of bangles. It looks relaxed, a little romantic and well travelled. Boho has been “back” so many times that it is fairer to say it never left. In 2024 and 2025, it returned again in a big way, led by the French house Chloé, and it is one of the most searched fashion aesthetics in the world.
Here is the full story, from nineteenth-century Paris to the hippie trail through India, the 2000s festival field and today’s runways.
What is boho?
Boho is a style built around the idea of living outside convention, the way artists, poets, musicians and travellers are imagined to live. In clothes, that means natural fabrics, loose silhouettes, handcrafted details and a mix of influences from many places and eras. Nothing is too matched or too polished. A boho outfit should look collected over time rather than bought in one go.
Boho also extends to homes and lifestyle: plants, rattan, patterned rugs, layered textiles, candles and vintage finds. It is less a single look than a mood of warmth, freedom and creativity.
Where it came from
The original bohemians
In nineteenth-century France, “bohémien” was a term for Romani people, based on the mistaken belief that they came from Bohemia, in today’s Czech Republic. By the 1840s, the word was also being used for the poor artists and writers of Paris who lived unconventional lives in cheap attics and cafés. Henri Murger’s stories Scènes de la vie de bohème romanticised this world, and later inspired Puccini’s opera La Bohème (1896). The bohemians dressed in worn velvet, loose shirts and floppy cravats, often second-hand, in deliberate contrast to the stiff respectable fashion of the time.
In England, the Pre-Raphaelite painters and the “aesthetic dress” movement of the late 1800s promoted flowing, uncorseted gowns inspired by medieval art. In the early twentieth century, the Bloomsbury Group of writers and artists, including Virginia Woolf and Vanessa Bell, continued this tradition of artistic, comfortable, colourful dressing.
The 1960s and 1970s: hippies and the hippie trail
The look we now call boho really took shape with the counterculture of the late 1960s and 1970s. Young people rejecting war, consumerism and conformity embraced long hair, flowers, flared jeans, kaftans and handmade clothes. Festivals such as Woodstock in 1969 became their showcase.
India played a huge part in this story. The “hippie trail” was an overland route that took thousands of Western travellers from Europe through Turkey, Iran and Afghanistan to India and Nepal. Goa, Kathmandu and Rishikesh became famous stops. In 1968, The Beatles spent time at an ashram in Rishikesh, bringing global attention to Indian music and spirituality. Travellers came home with block-printed cotton, embroidered kurtas, mirror-work, paisley scarves, Afghan sheepskin coats and silver jewellery, all of which became boho staples. Many of the most recognisable boho details are, in fact, South Asian and Central Asian crafts.
Designers turned the look into high fashion. In London, Ossie Clark and Celia Birtwell created flowing printed dresses, Thea Porter sold kaftans inspired by the Middle East, and Biba offered an affordable romantic look. In Paris, Yves Saint Laurent, who loved Marrakech, brought kaftans and ethnic-inspired collections to the runway. A famous 1969 photograph by Patrick Lichfield of Talitha Getty on a rooftop in Marrakech, in a multicoloured kaftan and white trousers, is still one of the most pinned boho images of all time. Musicians such as Joni Mitchell, Stevie Nicks and Janis Joplin, and style icons like Jane Birkin with her basket bag, made the look personal and lasting.
Marrakech, Saint Laurent and the jet set
In the late 1960s, bohemian style moved from the street to the jet set. Marrakech became a magnet for artists, musicians and wealthy travellers. One of the most famous images of the era is Patrick Lichfield’s 1969 photograph of Talitha Getty on a Marrakech rooftop, dressed in a richly patterned kaftan and harem trousers: it is still pinned on boho moodboards today.
Yves Saint Laurent first visited Morocco in 1966 and bought a house in Marrakech soon after. The city’s colours, kaftans and djellabas fed directly into his work, and his Autumn/Winter 1976 couture collection, often called the “Opéra–Ballets Russes” collection, turned Russian and Central Asian folk dress into lavish evening wear. With Saint Laurent’s backing, peasant blouses, embroidered velvet and ethnic jewellery became the height of luxury, a pattern boho has followed ever since: a look born of poverty and travel, reinterpreted by fashion’s most expensive houses.
The 2000s: boho chic
Boho returned with a new name in the early to mid-2000s: “boho chic”. Actress Sienna Miller, with her coin belts, suede boots, tiered skirts and oversized sunglasses, became its face around 2004. Kate Moss at the Glastonbury festival in 2005, in a short waistcoat, denim shorts and Hunter wellies, defined festival fashion for a decade. Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen made oversized, layered boho a celebrity uniform in Los Angeles. On the runway, Chloé under designer Phoebe Philo, and later brands such as Isabel Marant, offered polished, wearable versions. Music festivals, especially Coachella in California, became the stage where boho was worn every year.
The 2020s: the comeback
After a decade when minimalism and “quiet luxury” dominated, boho made a big return. Chemena Kamali, who became creative director of Chloé in 2023, showed her first collection in early 2024, full of lace, ruffles, sheer blouses and wide trousers in the spirit of the 1970s. It was a hit, and by 2025 suede, fringe, ruffled blouses, flowing skirts and clogs were everywhere, from luxury runways to the high street. Sienna Miller herself was back in the front row. Unlike the 2000s version, the new boho is often cleaner and more grown-up, with fewer accessories and more focus on beautiful fabrics.
Boho at home
Boho has become just as big in interiors as in fashion. A boho room is layered and personal: rattan and cane furniture, low seating with floor cushions, kilim and dhurrie rugs, macramé wall hangings, woven baskets, lots of trailing plants and textiles collected from markets and travels. Colours stay warm and earthy, with terracotta, ochre, sage and cream, and nothing is meant to look matched or bought all at once.
The California designer Justina Blakeney helped define the modern version through her blog and brand Jungalow and her 2015 book The New Bohemians, and Instagram and Pinterest turned “boho bedroom” and “boho living room” into some of their most searched home styles. Boho interiors overlap with Japandi’s love of natural materials, but where Japandi is calm and spare, boho is abundant and joyfully mixed.
The codes
- Dresses and skirts: maxi dresses, tiered skirts, prairie dresses, lace and broderie anglaise, slip dresses, kaftans.
- Tops: peasant blouses with puff sleeves, ruffled and sheer shirts, embroidered tunics, crochet tops.
- Outerwear: suede and fringed jackets, Afghan and shearling coats, waistcoats, ponchos.
- Trousers: flared jeans, wide-leg linen trousers, denim shorts in summer.
- Shoes: suede or cowboy boots, clogs, gladiator and flat leather sandals, espadrilles.
- Accessories: wide-brimmed felt hats, coin and chain belts, layered necklaces, turquoise and silver, bangles, big hoop earrings, basket and fringe bags, headscarves.
- Patterns and details: paisley, small florals, block prints, embroidery, patchwork, tassels, crochet, mirror-work.
- Colours: earth tones (rust, tan, ochre, olive), cream and white, with jewel-toned accents.
See the mood
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Boho icons
Jane Birkin. The English actress and singer, who made her life and career in France, defined a relaxed, sunlit version of boho in the late 1960s and 1970s: white cotton dresses, flared jeans, plain T-shirts and a woven straw basket carried everywhere instead of a handbag. Hermès named its most famous bag after her in 1984.
Anita Pallenberg. The actress and model at the heart of the Rolling Stones’ circle mixed furs, scarves, velvet, men’s tailoring and jewellery from her travels. Her rock-and-roll bohemianism influenced the band’s own look as much as the other way round.
Stevie Nicks. Fleetwood Mac’s singer created one of the most recognisable stage wardrobes in music: floating layers of black chiffon, shawls, lace, velvet, platform boots and the occasional top hat. Her “witchy” boho is a reference for everything from festival fashion to Halloween.
Joni Mitchell. The Canadian songwriter and the Laurel Canyon folk scene of Los Angeles gave boho its gentle, rural, singer-songwriter side: peasant dresses, long hair, beads and acoustic guitars on wooden porches.
Kate Moss and Sienna Miller. The faces of 2000s boho chic. Miller’s coin belts and suede boots defined 2004, and Moss’s outfit at Glastonbury in 2005, with a waistcoat, tiny shorts and Hunter wellies, became the blueprint for British festival dressing for the next decade.
The festival generation. In the 2010s, Coachella in California turned boho into a social-media uniform, with flower crowns, crochet tops and fringe worn by celebrities and influencers. Today’s boho icons, from runway stylists to the women on Chloé’s front row, wear it more quietly, but the lineage runs straight back to the 1970s.
The references
People: Talitha Getty, Jane Birkin, Anita Pallenberg, Joni Mitchell, Stevie Nicks, Janis Joplin, Ali MacGraw, Sienna Miller, Kate Moss, the Olsen twins, Vanessa Hudgens at Coachella.
Music and places: Woodstock, Laurel Canyon in Los Angeles, Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours, Glastonbury, Coachella, Marrakech, Goa and Ibiza.
Film: Almost Famous (2000), with Kate Hudson’s Penny Lane in her shearling coat; Daisy Jones & The Six (2023) for a 1970s rock version; Mamma Mia! (2008) for the sunny Mediterranean side.
Fashion: Ossie Clark and Celia Birtwell, Thea Porter, Biba, Yves Saint Laurent, Chloé (under Phoebe Philo and now Chemena Kamali), Isabel Marant, Ulla Johnson, Zimmermann; and, in India, labels working with traditional block printing and embroidery, such as Anokhi, whose Jaipur prints have been beloved by travellers for decades.
The key pieces, explained
The peasant blouse. A loose white or cream cotton blouse, often with smocking, embroidery, ruffles or a drawstring neckline. It draws on folk dress from Eastern Europe, Mexico, the Balkans and South Asia, and it is the easiest way into the look.
The maxi dress and tiered skirt. Long, flowing and usually printed with florals, paisley or block prints, sometimes in several tiers that swing as you walk. In the 2000s, the tiered skirt was worn with a coin belt; today it is more often paired with a simple tank or knit.
The kaftan. A loose, wide garment with roots across North Africa, the Middle East and Central Asia, adopted by 1960s and 1970s travellers and designers such as Thea Porter. It remains a holiday and resort staple.
The suede and fringe. Suede jackets, bags and boots, often with long fringe, connect boho to 1970s rock and to the American West. Penny Lane’s shearling-trimmed coat in Almost Famous is the film reference everyone remembers.
The belt, hat and boots. A low-slung leather or coin belt at the hips, a wide-brimmed felt hat and slouchy suede or cowboy boots are the accessories that turned 2000s boho into a uniform, from Glastonbury to Coachella.
The jewellery. Layered necklaces, stacked bangles, rings on several fingers, turquoise, amber, horn and hammered metal. Boho jewellery is meant to look collected over time, ideally from travels and markets.
The fabrics. Cotton, linen, cheesecloth, crochet, lace, velvet and suede: natural materials with a soft, lived-in feel. Hand-done techniques such as embroidery, patchwork, tie-dye and block printing matter more than any logo.
Why it caught on
Boho is comfortable, flattering and forgiving. It suits warm weather, long days outdoors and many body types. It also tells a story: boho clothes suggest travel, creativity and a life that is not ruled by the office. Each time the world feels too fast, too digital or too serious, boho returns as an escape. Its comeback in the mid-2020s followed years of strict minimalism and “quiet luxury”; people were ready for clothes with more texture, romance and personality.
For Indian readers, boho has a special familiarity. Many of its signature pieces, from block-printed cotton to embroidered tunics, mirror-work and silver jhumkas, are part of everyday wardrobes here. The global boho revival has helped bring new attention to Indian artisans and textile traditions, and many young Indian labels now design for exactly this look.
The debate
Boho has a complicated relationship with the cultures it borrows from. The word itself grew out of a misunderstanding about Romani people, who were often persecuted while their image was romanticised. Festival fashion in the 2010s drew criticism for Native American headdresses, bindis and other sacred or cultural symbols worn as costume. Critics also point out that Western brands have long profited from South Asian, Central Asian and Moroccan craftsmanship without crediting or fairly paying the artisans behind it.
There is a class question too. Bohemian style was originally the look of poor artists; today, “effortless” boho from luxury labels can cost a fortune. And festival boho has been linked to waste, with cheap fringe and crochet pieces bought for one weekend and thrown away. The answer many people now suggest is to buy from the communities whose crafts define boho, to choose vintage, and to treat cultural symbols with respect.
How to wear it now
The 2025-era boho is about one or two beautiful pieces rather than a costume. Try a sheer ruffled blouse with straight jeans and suede boots, or a flowing tiered skirt with a simple tank and a leather belt. A suede jacket or a fringed bag can carry a whole outfit. Keep jewellery personal: a few layered gold or silver necklaces, or one great pair of earrings. In India, the easiest route is often already in your wardrobe: a block-printed kurta or an embroidered top worn with flared denim is boho at its best.
Balance is the secret. Boho can tip into costume quickly when every piece is fringed, printed and floaty at once. Pair one loose, romantic item with something structured: a peasant blouse with tailored trousers, a printed maxi dress with a fitted denim jacket, or a suede fringe jacket over a plain white tee and straight jeans. Keep the colour palette earthy, with tan, rust, cream, olive and faded indigo, and let texture do the talking.
Accessories carry a lot of the look. A wide-brimmed felt or straw hat, a woven or suede bag, a tan belt with a metal buckle, and layered silver or gold jewellery instantly add a boho note to simple clothes. Footwear can be flat sandals in summer, and suede ankle or knee boots in cooler months.
In India, boho is easy to build from what is already in local markets and wardrobes. A block-printed cotton kurta worn as a tunic over jeans, a mirror-work or phulkari jacket, a hand-embroidered dupatta used as a scarf, Kolhapuri sandals and oxidised silver jewellery all sit naturally within the style. Buying from artisans and handloom brands, and crediting the craft, also keeps the look closer to its roots and further from fast fashion.
Where it is now
Boho is firmly back in the mainstream, with luxury houses, high street brands and Pinterest searches all pointing the same way. Its newest form is calmer and more refined, but the spirit is the same as it was in a Paris attic in the 1840s: dress as if you have somewhere more interesting to be.
Related aesthetics
Cottagecore · Cowboy Core · Coastal Grandmother · Mermaidcore · Grandmillennial
Learn more: hear from more voices
A fashion historian’s guide to 1970s bohemian dressing, and a stylist on why boho never goes out of style.
Read more
- Why boho chic is back, and how it’s different this time — The Globe and Mail. On the 2020s revival and what changed.
- On boho chic’s return to the Spring 2025 runways — W Magazine. The designers and shows behind the comeback.
- Help, is a 2000s boho style revival about to happen? — i-D. A tongue-in-cheek look back at the Sienna Miller years.
- On the things Sienna Miller made us all wear — Grazia. Coin belts, suede boots and the rest of the 2004 wardrobe.
Sources: fashion histories of bohemianism, the 1960s–70s counterculture and the hippie trail; runway coverage of Chloé under Phoebe Philo and Chemena Kamali (2024–2025). Instagram post embedded from @chloe. Videos are embedded from YouTube and remain the work of their creators. Linked articles belong to their publishers.
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