INTRODUCTION
Self descriptively BoHo is an abbreviation of Bohemian Homeless.
As noted by Nicholson, the term boho has associated itself with individuals as incongruous as Sherlock Holmes and Shakespeare even though the real Bohemians are travelers or refugees from Central Europe.
Doctor Watson in Arthur Conan Doyle’s first short story about Holmes for The Strand noted that the detective hated every form of the society with his entire Bohemian soul, switching between cocaine and ambition from week to week.
A real Bohemian was described by the elder sister of actress Sienna Miller, Designer Savannah Miller as someone with the ability to esteem beauty on a profound level, knows no limits, deep romantic and whose world rather than living in a box is their creation.
Drawing on diverse Bohemian and hippie effects, Boho-chic a style of fashion at its peak in late 2005 was connected specifically in England with model Kate Moss and actress Sienna Miller, in the United States with actress and businesswoman Mary-Kate Olsen. Though seems to diminish in value from time to time but has resurfaced again and again in varying fashions, it has since the early 90s been seen.
THE ELEMENTS
The boho look which became particularly notable after Sienna Miller appeared at the Glastonbury festival in 2004 owed much to the hippie styles that originated in the mid to late 60s.
Boho’s members were sometimes referred to as Siennas, and by the spring of 2005, it was almost everywhere in parts of London, infesting stores in almost every British high Street.
Some sub-contractors were in 2008 because of the large demand accused of having used cheap child labor in India for zari embroidery and beading.
Boho features include especially long white ones, floaty skirts, cropped jackets, embroidered tunics, large faux-coin belts, furry gilets, sheepskin boots and cow boy boots, hobo bags and baggy cardigans. Miller was an advocate of footless tights or leggings which in the halving of sales of stockings in Britain between 2003 and 2007 were a contributory factor.
THE INFLUENCE
Fast Fashion
In what Shane Watson called the way we dress now, the impact of boho clarified certain wider trends that fashion, not by main houses but rather what he called the triple F crowd (meaning famous, and fashion forward) was increasingly being commanded.
Consequently, the known boundaries between summer, autumn and winter were becoming beclouded because young women were not ready to wait a season to become available once they had discovered new fashions. Sienna was doing boho in the autumn when she wore that gilet, Girls see it and want it immediately that we had to pull them forward fast, though it was expected to be a trend for the following spring said the brand director of TopShop clothing chain Jane Shepherdson.
Appeal and Impact
Among other things, the ranges that brought about the restoration of Mark and Spencer’s fortunes in 2005/2006 was influenced by the cross generational appeal of boho. Fur gilets and ugg-a-likes were in the Sunday Times in 2006 identified as favored winter wear for middle-aged women.
image source: pinterest.com
