Bohemian style has lived many lives. The original bohemians of 19th-century Paris were artists and intellectuals shirking corsets and convention for loose silhouettes and languid layers. A century later, the 1960s counterculture revived the spirit with flowing fabrics and thrift-store folkwear, and by the ’70s, Yves Saint Laurent and Karl Lagerfeld at Chloé had turned the aesthetic into high fashion through their glamorous lens of free-spirited romance.
Then came the early aughts, when boho chic meant layers and messy glamour: peasant blouses, fringe, paisley, low-slung belts and suede boots. Today’s boho revival, however, is different. On the international runways — Chloé, Isabel Marant, Loro Piana, Michael Kors — the aesthetic has softened into something more minimalist: muted colours, airy silhouettes, and sheer ruffled dresses that would be offended if you called them “festival fashion”.
India, of course, has been both a source and an inspiration for boho style over the centuries. And the boho wave has finally returned to the Indian wedding circuit — specifically the mehendi — where the aesthetic is louder, brighter, more embellished, and much more fun. Think saturated colours, tassels galore, shells, block prints, chunky silver jewellery, parandis woven into braids, and shararas with enough swirl to qualify as cardio.
