Sunday, July 24, 2011

BOHO CHIC OR HIPPIE CHIC?

Hello dear friends, I hope you're all doing grrrrrrreat!!! This week was one hot week!!! Oh my goodness, specially because my car went nuts the other day and so my dear uncle was kind enough to lend me his gigantic pick up truck that has NO AC!!! hahaha and NO MUSIC!!! hahaha Seriously I look hilarious in it, but it does the job well and therefore I can't complain. I actually like driving a pick up truck, the only problem is that I sweat like a truck driver in it and I end up smelling weird all day long hahaha. 

Anyhow, enough nonsense. Yesterday a dear Facebook fan told me I should write about what's the difference between "Boho Chic" and "Hippie Chic". I thought it was a good idea and so I promised her I would definitely do it. 

Some "Fashion Experts" have the audacity to affirm that basically the difference between Boho Chic and Hippie Chic is that hippies can't afford boho. However I don't quite agree because I don't like generalizations. The truth is that hippie is just one of the many bohemian styles out there. There's the bourgeois bohemian, the vintage bohemian, the ethnic bohemian, the pared-down bohemian, the rock goddess bohemian, and in the middle of all of those is the hippie style bohemian, which is a simpler, more natural, down to earth style, other bohemian styles can sometimes be a bit eccentric, flashy and over the top, and yes some hippies can't afford other bohemian trends.

Bohemian style in general is laid back, comfortable, unconventional, and most important, self expressive. Diane Von Furstenberg used to say: "You can't be a bohemian in tight clothes, it just doesn't work. You have to be able to move and dance and climb." Of course she's absolutely right, those are exactly the kind of activities bohemians would engage in. 

For bohemians it is never, never about pouring themselves into the clothes someone else thinks they should wear. Bohemians are free-spirited outsiders who dress to please themselves instead of conforming. Bohemian style suits individualistic, creative, and unconventional lifestyles, hence why being a true bohemian is not for everyone, no matter what fashion magazines say, you need to embody the whole philosophy behind it. However I also feel compelled to clarify something: you don't need to be rebellious to be bohemian, you just need to be a bit more laid back, creative and self expressive.

Perhaps you're not the kind of person whose willing to dress bohemian from head to toe but you sure can add some bohemian element to your overall look. Since I don't want to make this any longer than it already is I'm going to concentrate only on hippie chic style, but be sure that I will be talking about other bohemian styles later on. Bohemian style is veeery fun and perhaps my favorite. 

Hippie chic is a marketing product of the hippie movement from the 60's. Their clothes signified "Self Expression" and rebellion against following orders that made no sense, like for example being forced to fight in a senseless war like Viet Nam. Some of the elements that represent the true hippie style are:

-Peace signs.
-Tie-dye.
-Patchwork.
-Peasent blouses.
-Gypsy skirts.
-Tunics.
-Embroidered bags.
-Long hair.
-Little to no make-up.
-Flowers in your hair. 

The interesting side of this is that there's a reason they chose to wear such things, not just because they where cool an stylish (like nowadays). For example, in the 60's all t-shirts where white, so a way to make them look cool and also rebel against something established was to tie dye them. There's a philosophy behind each and every one of this elements. If you're interested in adopting hippie style I highly recommend that you first do your research so that you can truly understand what the story behind it all is. Fashion is not just a superficial thing, like many people think, there's always a story behind it.

I came up with a hippie inspired outfit for you guys, and also selected some items for you to grab some inspiration from. I hope you like it, and stay tuned for more bohemian styles coming your way.


HIPPIE CHIC OUTFIT




HIPPIE CHIC ELEMENTS




You can find everything you see here at www.net-a-porter.com









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