IANISBOHEMM
(A STYLISH
LEGACY)
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Introduction
Bohemian style, with its free-flowing, breezy and eclectic
aesthetic, has long been more than just a fashion choice. Though popularized by
many designers throughout history, cementing its place in the fashion hall of
fame and making it a recurring trend throughout the 19th, 20th and 21st
centuries, its meaningful roots in political rebellion and a poetic outlook on
life are what has made it a point of inspiration.
The bohemian style was kept alive by the artist community
over the next century, most notably the Pre-Raphaelites of the mid-19th century
– whose romantic and often tragic female muses remain icons for the movement –
and later artist Gustav Klimt through his relationship with Austrian fashion
designer Emilie Floge.
Floge owned a haste couture salon that was well known among
Vienna’s society circles. However, her personal style was much more diverse,
focusing on the new feminist ideals of comfortable clothing that offered more
movement than the rigid corsetry of the time. While the designs she made for
herself weren’t commercially successful, she became one of the first designers
to create clothing in the bohemian aesthetic. These were beautifully captured
in the work of Klimt, her lifelong companion and rumored lover. Klimt’s 1902
Portrait of Emilie Flöge depicts her in a full-length blue dress with an exotic
repeat pattern, and she is thought to have dressed Adele Bloch-Bauer for
Klimt’s now famous Woman in Gold painting. Some also believe that his magnum
opus, The Kiss, is a self-portrait of the artist with Flöge, wrapped in swathes
of patchwork fabric.
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THE RISE OF BOHO CHIC
Meanwhile, in Paris, Paul Poiret was revolutionizing the
stiff and constricting dresses women wore in favor of Grecian drapes, exotic
kimonos and his influential ‘jupe cullote’ (harem skirt). His designs had a
resounding impact on women who loved the relaxed shape that emancipated them
from restrictive dressing and lifestyles. As well as Poiret’s impact on
popularizing the bohemian silhouette, he also favored bright colors and
patterns inspired by the Fauvism art movement, another signature of the style,
which was noticeably present at Temperate London’s SS17 show.
Though Poiret furthered a more free-spirited fashion, two
world wars called for plainer, less fabric-demanding dressing, and it wasn’t
until the late 1960s that the boho trend would take off again.
This time, though, it was with more vigour than ever before.
The hippy movement, embracing ideals of feminism, nonconformity and arts and
crafts, drew style inspiration from the original French bohemian misfits to
embody its philosophy. Though a grassroots movement, many designers and
celebrities embraced these ideals too, and incorporated them into their work,
giving the boho trend widespread appeal. Embracing Eastern cultures was a way
for people to reject the capitalist ideology of the West and sympathies with a
more spiritual way of life. Both Ossie Clark and Yves Saint Laurent spent time
in Morocco and created collections that drew on the culture’s loose-fitting
robes and decorative interiors. The Beatles’ trips to India sparked the trend
for yoga and kurtas, and London’s Portobello Road became a magnet for design
houses looking to source exotic antiques and textiles to use as inspiration.
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THE NEW BOHEMIANS
No one embraced this more than fashion designer Thea Porter,
the ‘queen of boho chic’. Having spent her childhood in Jerusalem, Damascus and
Syria before heading to Beirut in the late 1950s, she incorporated Middle
Eastern motifs into her designs to create original pieces, and is credited with
bringing the kaftan into popular wear. She dressed many of the most famous
stars of her day, including Elizabeth Taylor, Faye Dunaway and Barbra
Streisand, which made boho styles one of the biggest trends of the 1970s. The
new bohemians were also concerned about the rise of mass-manufactured clothing,
synthetic materials and the death of artisan crafts.
Designer Bill Gibb, the son of a Scottish farmer, turned his
passion for his homeland’s native skills into a much-celebrated business that
resonated with the industry. Fair Isle knits using Scottish wool were his
signature, layered over floating maxi dresses with medieval-inspired lacing and
rope cords. His commitment to British history won him many awards, including
Vogue Designer of the Year in 1970. In the cycle of economics, politics and
fashion, it’s no wonder that boho style is back in vogue.
Following the excess of the early Noughties’ ‘logo mania’
and the over-production of cheap, ‘Made in China’ fashion, we are looking once
more to la vie bohème. We’re embracing the artisanal over the mass-produced,
the poetry of nature over the destruction of our surroundings, and the revival
of the traditional over the constant demand for the new. Peter Dundas, the
former creative director of Roberto Cavalli, described his spring/summer 2017
woman as “a rock goddess and a summer traveller” – a modern-day Janis Joplin,
if you will. Meanwhile, Charlotte Olympia’s wicker bags embraced nature and
heritage craft, while Coach put the subversive origins back into boho this
season by pairing sheer, floral prairie dresses with fringed leather
waistcoats. Though appearing in many eras, many places and for many reasons,
the bohemian way of life has always resonated for its love of art, travel,
handcraft and music, and embracing beauty as a way of life.
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