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Changing Bohemain Fashion Trends

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Published: August 17, 2006

Bohemian Fashion

Bohemians are known to set themselves apart from mainstream culture and their fashion sense is no exception.

Bohemian fashion choices reflect their anti-bourgeois ideals and need for self-expression. Bohemian fashion is characterized by an opposition to the prevailing trends of the time and an adherence to their anti-materialistic and impoverished lifestyle. Wardrobes consist of out-of-style and worn-out clothing. Colors and styles clash giving the appearance that the clothes were randomly thrown together.

Every generation of Bohemians had their own unique style setting them apart from previous generations. Each style dictated the beliefs of that generation as it defied the norms they were protesting against. The original Parisian bohemians donned wardrobes from every era and country other than their own.

Victor Hugo described the bohemians in attendance of his play Hernani as dressed in every fashion but the reigning one. They wore pea-jackets, Spanish cloaks, waistcoats a la Robespierre, Henry III bonnets, carrying on their heads and backs articles of costume from every century and clime. Bohemian fashion also was determined by the lack of resources common to this socio-economic bracket. Often wardrobes consisted of clothing not originally purchased by its owner, but were either found or purchased at a second- hand store.

In America, the beat style was not as flamboyant as other generations, yet it reflected the attitudes of the generation. In response to the growing materialistic attitudes after World War II, the beats kept their style toned down to show their apathy for consumer culture. Their style was defined by a subdued and cool appearance, which was heavily influenced by jazz. Simple and somber colors like gray and black were dominant in much of the beat wardrobe. Women were known to wear black leotards with their hair long and unadorned, as opposed to the regularly treated hair common amongst other women. When beat culture crossed into the mainstream and dubbed beatnik, goatees and berets became popular accessories to the style.

Though beat styles were calm and simple, the hippie fashion trends of the 1960s were similar to the original bohemian fashions. Bright and loud colors in the form of tie-dyed T-shirts were influenced by the psychedelic rock of the time and the experimentation with drugs like marijuana and LSD. Hair was worn long and shaggy, and many white youths imitated the afro in support of the Black Panthers and the Civil Rights Movement. Hippies also borrowed from African and Eastern traditions, such as dashikis and beaded necklaces and bracelets. Some even made their own clothing as a protest to the same consumer culture the beats rallied against.

Today bohemian fashion is less a distinct style; rather a mix of past bohemian fashion trends. Different styles of several eras are combined to create something unique. Instead of purchasing an entirely new wardrobe, people are using their older clothing with newer clothing to create bohemian chic or boho chic.
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