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Women's Bohemian Dresses: Women's Gypsy Boho Style

Updated on January 29, 2012

Boho Dresses are the Foundation of Bohemian Style

Women’s boho, or women's bohemian clothes, are a popular style of dress that looks vintage or retro. Many women wear these bohemian tops with jeans, but the original bohemian gypsy look did not include jeans. The gypsies wore dresses. Boho dresses are the heart of the boho style look. That's why the boho tops even look a little like a dress. Once you have a great looking dress, then you can add the boho accessories you need to complete the look.

Bold colorful flowery prints are the standard for distinguishing boho, but the modern boho chic style can fuse elements of the vintage boho style mixed with more modern styles. This is a great way to add some variety to your wardrobe without having to get rid of all your current clothes. Buy a boho dress to make your wardrobe more entertaining for you and those who will see you wear it.

Comfort and Style in a Dress

Bold pattern strapless bohemian print dress.
Bold pattern strapless bohemian print dress.

Strapless Boho Dress

The beautiful strapless patterned dress shows off your style and is flattering to your form. This women's boho style is modern in cut and vintage in pattern giving you the best of both worlds.

Bohemian Skirt and White Top

Boho dresses give you a natural beautiful look.
Boho dresses give you a natural beautiful look.

Boho Colors

Modern Top with Boho Skirt

This is a great example of modern simplicity blended with the boho flair. The plain white sleeveless top matched with the bohemian skirt create something together that neither could be alone.

This is the look to go for when you don't want to look like you are trying too hard to look boho. You are saluting the boho look without going overboard. Notice the accessories are simple and in good taste, but still match the theme.  In this case a bangle and sandals.

Bohemian Dress Patterns and Colors

Notice the colors of the bohemian prints.  They are bold.  The patterns are detailed and complicated.  In order to be considered a boho style it should have these characteristics:

  • complicated pattern
  • at least two bold colors
  • Patterns may be substituted or enhanced by textures

Some designers will use pastel colors and consider it boho, but as a purist these seem like cheap imitations.  It's possible that a true vintage dress would be so faded that it is a pastel color, but it isn't intended to be hot pink, and sky blue.  Steer clear of these designs.  They will be the first to go out of style if they ever were in style.

Tie Dye Bohemian Dress

Tie Dye is a way to fake sewn patterns.  Tie dye dresses are considered bohemian
Tie Dye is a way to fake sewn patterns. Tie dye dresses are considered bohemian

Beware of Tie Dye

Tie dyed dress prints are considered boho chic, but be careful. These are not always the best taste and can make you look cheap or like you are trying too hard to look "trendy." For this reason, if you have the choice over sewn patterns and tie dye, choose the sewn pattern.

In this picture the purse looks like a purse that would go with any summer dress, not necessarily bohemian.  This outfit is o.k. for the baseball game, but will probably give others the impression that you are trying to be cool.

Bohemian Style comes from Gypsies

Bohemian dresses are rooted in the gypsy style, so keep the original in mind when creating your look.
Bohemian dresses are rooted in the gypsy style, so keep the original in mind when creating your look.

Copy the Gypsy Style Dress

Notice that this gypsy look is created with layers of fabric, not tie dye, not sewn together dresses. If you look again at the first picture you will see that even though it is one layer, it is made to look like several layers.  Look at the patterns, the color schemes, and the design. This is the look that you want to go for when you are dressing boho. This is why scarves can look bohemian in the wintertime.

Remember that the goal is to have a beautiful sexy dress that emphasizes your body, even when it is covering most of it. Oversized jewelry like the huge earrings complete the look.

Break Rules with Boho Dresses

Trends come and go, but the true roots of the trend usually remain.  Boho dresses will be around for a long time because they are the original design.  Boho tops with jeans may be something that looses popularity in the near future of the fashion industry. It's your choice whether you want to dress boho because it's trendy or your friends are doing it, but it may help to know the background of the style.  In the 60's bohemians were the people who went against the mainstream  culture.  Their dress was not the established norm, and the boho style was a symbol of freedom from rules.  Go ahead and break rules, dress boho, and pay some respect to the original.

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