Posted on: Wednesday, April 20, 2005
Hip with a hippie update — so boho
By Lisa Townsel
Knight Ridder News Service
Many styles will make their rounds this spring and summer, but few with as much drama as the vibrantly and almost dizzyingly mixed boho (bohemian) chic.
Among its stars are waiflike supermodel Kate Moss, identified with floppy hats and peasant blouses, and "Alfie" actress Sienna Miller, who pairs one-shouldered blouses and beaded tunics with faded jeans and stylish bags. Of course, boho's roots lie with the bandanna-wearing, macrame- bag-toting era of the hippie '60s.
(Oh, and don't go confusing boho chic with its style sister, bobo chic, bohemian bourgeois. That trend, written up in the New York Times, pairs the boho look with luxe accessories such as designer bags and sunglasses, and even moth-eaten cashmere scarves.)
Brandyce Pinol, owner of Testimo Boutique in Ladue, Mo., says there are varying degrees of today's trend.
True boho, such as that sported by Miller and Moss, is a purer version of the look. "Whatever they wear is boho chic," explains Pinol, whose shop stocks brightly colored tunics with beaded necklines. "Then we have the new boho, where you have to be careful not to become a fashion victim and become a head-to-toe boho."
Instead, Pinol says, figure out how to work it in:
"You need to take a little piece here and there and add it to your lifestyle, otherwise it looks forced."
Not quite ready to trade in your pumps for leather-braided flip-flops? You don't have to. Boho is a look that is part vintage, part exotic but mostly individualistic.
Expect to see paisleys, tiny and over-the-top florals, crocheted knits, scarves, hats, sashes, lots of beading and sequins and even more bright colors.
The look includes pieces that move from casual day to glam nights.
Perhaps pair a sheer silk tunic that's beaded at the neckline with a vintage-inspired hoodie and jeans.
"It's a natural look," says Pinol, who started her business four years ago as a Web site, www.testimoboutique.com. "It allows you to be comfortable in your own skin. "It's about interpreting who you really are and not about one set body type or style."
