The Return of Boho Chic: A Carefree Revival in Fashion

The jangle of a coin belt is the current mood music in fashion, because “boho chic”, the hippy-adjacent style made mainstream by Sienna Miller in the 00s, is back. While it has been clinking along in the background for a while, it was the recent Paris Fashion Week debut of Chloé’s creative director, Chemena Kamali, that signalled its official renaissance, via floaty blouses, high-waisted denim, and Miller in the front row.

Boho Chic Dominates Retail Trends

But it goes beyond the catwalk. Since the Chloé show, searches on John Lewis for “boho dresses” have increased by 278%, while the search term “boho tops” has increased by 150%. For summer, Marks & Spencer is going big on the style, announcing this week an offering with lots of broderie anglaise, beading, crochet, and relaxed, wider-legged denim that chimes with the insouciant spirit. As boho chic is a vintage-inspired style, Depop has already started to feel its effects, with searches for crochet, fringing, and maxi-lengths up.

The Epitome of Boho Chic

More of a vibe than a specific look, boho chic encompasses frills, ruffles, suede, fringing, macrame, and silhouettes that float off the body rather than fitting snugly. But if a look were going to sum it up, it would be Miller in Uggs, a hip-grazing coin belt, and a pair of oversized sunglasses at Glastonbury in 2004.

Boho Chic: A Nostalgic Forecast

Fashion experts have been predicting its return. In January, Vogue Runway’s José Criales-Unzueta wrote: “I think what we’re going to see next is the revival of ‘boho chic’. Enter the Olsens in the late 2000s (2007 comes to mind) running around NYC, and enter Serena van der Woodsen in Gossip Girl.” While the look feels like a living embodiment of a Portobello Road market stall, it caught on down Rodeo Drive and the Upper East Side, too, with the help of the A-lister stylist Rachel Zoe, who dressed many of that era’s “It-girls” in boho chic styles.