Holy Hobo, Batman! Is it a seasonal thing?

So, I work in the 'Big City' but ensconced in the financial district, so generally dress is pretty conservative...pencil skirts or ankle crops (black) with a silky top, statement necklace, and pointy toe pumps or ballerina flats.

Well, this week we have a heat wave and it seems everyone is breaking out the Gizah style Birks and floaty printed dresses after a summer of restraint! Lunch time forays beyond the confines of the FD to the 'BIG MALL' and trendy shopping districts reveals shop displays and windows full of layered boho looks in brown, maroon, navy, olive, and blue jean. Zara, Top Shop, Express, Gap, Banana Republic, Loft - not a business suit to be found! Ann tailor stood out with some beautiful suits and lace tops appropriate for a conservative work environment, but not so the others.

Then I pick up Magazines Instyle and Stylewatch and everything looks Bohemian - so not-what-I-have in my closet!

Is it a late summer/early autumn 'thing' when days are warm and nights are cool and the leaves are starting to turn Multi-coloured? This tendency to layers and rich colours? Is it a last crazy fling before the stores stock up on conservative winter standards? Is it something else? Am I way off base?

What are you seeing in stores...and IRL? What do you think?

10 years ago

Elly

Veteran

I think that you'd look great in a ditsy print 70s-esque button front shirt worn with some great work trousers if you feel left out. There are a lot of warm colors going on, but also a continuation of the pastel stuff and colors like rasberry and cobalt. I'm sure classic stuff will stick and there is also a significant 60s trend which should mean that we keep seeing cropped and pencil pants and 60s colors.

Jenn

(website)

Ahh, my colors! I just want to roll around in it.

I don't think the conservative standards are going to go away, but this time of year seems like a great time to mix relaxed summer styling with richer, autumn colors. I also wonder if retail displays might be geared toward a younger crowd for back-to-school shopping in August/September.

gradfashionista

Maybe it's the pragmatic effect of summer sales as stores clear the stock for the fall?

Beth Ann

I call it "Boho-splosion" --- as if pieces of boho clothing were falling like shrapnel from the sky and landing on all the passers-by. Yep. I've been seeing that this summer, too! I do like a romantic look, but my own style stops short of bohemian. I think some women wear it beautifully, and I could certainly see wearing, say, a floaty blouse under a soft cardi or jacket, along with tailored jeans or trousers for work.

tulle

I've noticed the same explosion--not in the city, as I haven't been there lately, but certainly in every fashion magazine and website. Many of the boho pieces featured are cool-weather clothes (fringed suede, thick cardigans, tall boots) so I don't think it's just Summer clear-out. Boho seems to be here to stay, maybe because it's one of the few recent trends that can actually look best on those who are not model-skinny. My tall, curvy, auburn-haired daughter claimed the look for herself in high school, and it really works for her. But she's still in college, not in the real world yet! I think it would take clever balancing to make boho work in most offices (except maybe in August, when those left at their desks while others vacation feel the need to break out a bit.)

Anonymous

Well, the UK's Summer has been the pits, so I'll have to take your word for it Carla! But I just have to say I love Jenns comment "Ahh, my colors! I just want to roll around in it." as I love all the lovely late Summer/early Autumn colours too...I may join her rolling around

shedev

I've been seeing a lot of Boho all summer. It never really leaves Cleveland. Right now, I'm seeing more 60s.

kerlyn

Maybe just a continuation of the boho summer trend...I think fall really lends itself to boho with the need for light layers and all the earthy colors. I liked Beth Ann's idea of a floaty blouse with a jacket and tailored trousers for those who don't want to go full-on boho.

Yes, boho is having a moment, it seems. I think it's because of all the big music festivals, like Coachella and others, where the look is so popular. I'm not the type it works well on, but it's a very cool look when done right. I guess anyone could pull off one of the floaty blouses, maybe I'll give one a try!

I think it's just a pre-fall colour and trend bomb. I happen to LOVE it, because a lot of it feels like me, but I bet in a month or two, the "real" clothes will fill the stores (as Angie keeps reminding us) and the business of selling real clothes to real women will take over. It's eye catching and great in a window and in a store display - and I think it's a temporary glut of this stuff.

celia

To be fair Runcarla this week has been beyond sticky, my own brain doesn't compute anymore. I went crazy to the point of buying a skort.
I see the same as you actually. Boho everywhere, being in colors ( I am with Jenn on that one ) and shapes. I don't have to go to the office but understand that maybe the boho look is not the one that says ' yes, I work in Finance, you can trust me with your money.' For me it has an element of wanderlust and celebration of what comes from the earth, a bit like Fall itself.
I noticed that even Le Chateau is full of teals and burgundy.
I find that there is always a seasonal thing for boho but this year even more so.

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