Boho

Boho is the look most people picture when they think of festival dressing. It goes back to late-1960s hippie clothes, peaked in the mid-2000s after Glastonbury put it on the front pages, and came back from 2024 with Chloé leading a softer, more polished version. Today it means suede, fringe, white skirts and wedges, worn for desert heat or an English field.

Where it comes from

• Boho's roots run from the Pre-Raphaelites through late-1960s hippie dress. Wikipedia: Boho-chic
• The look peaked around 2005 and was "especially popular after Sienna Miller's appearance at the Glastonbury Festival in 2004". By spring 2005 it was "almost ubiquitous in parts of London". Wikipedia: Boho-chic
• The mid-2000s pieces were floaty white skirts, embroidered tunics, coin belts, UGGs or cowboy boots, and hobo bags. The phrase "festival chic" grew out of the look. Wikipedia: Boho-chic
• Chemena Kamali's debut Chloé collection (autumn/winter 2024) set off the revival. She told Vogue: "there's this longing for undone-ness and freedom and softness and movement". Image.ie
• One founder described the 2024 mood as "After years of the quiet luxury trend reigning supreme, people want it all – prints, embellishment, suede, and lots of brown". The revival pieces named were flares, suede, over-the-knee boots, chunky leather bags and Chloé wedges. The Globe and Mail, 11 Nov 2024

Key pieces

• Floaty white skirtThe 2005 staple, and still the anchor piece at Glastonbury in 2025.
• Suede jacket, skirt or shortsThe fabric most tied to the 2024 revival.
• Fringe boots or fringe bagFringe shows up in both Coachella and Stagecoach trend reports.
• Flared jeansA revival piece; works for cool desert nights.
• Wedges or hidden-wedge sneakersHeight without a heel that sinks into grass.
• Embroidered tunic or crochet topThe light layer for daytime heat.
• Coin belt or chunky beltPulls a loose dress or tunic in at the waist.
• Slouchy leather bagCheck the festival's bag size rule before you pick one.

Lately

• 2025: Grazia US listed "The New Boho" as a Coachella 2025 trend: "Boho fashion is synonymous with Coachella, but this year, it's getting an upgrade." Grazia US
• 2025: Lyst reported that demand for Chloé rose 33% in Q2 2025, and the Isabel Marant Bekett hidden-wedge sneaker was a top-10 product. Lyst Index Q2 2025
• 2025: Trendalytics, a trend-analytics firm, measured chunky belts up 61% and pashminas up 43% year on year around Coachella 2025. Trendalytics
• 2025: Glastonbury 2025 coverage noted a "collective obsession with white boho skirts and chunky biker boots" (seen in a search snippet; the page itself could not be read). Country & Town House
• 2026: HOLA! USA's Coachella 2026 preview called it "futuristic boho": "Bohemian fashion is a Coachella staple, but in 2026 it's getting a modern upgrade." HOLA! USA
• 2026: Who What Wear's Coachella 2026 trend headline named ponchos, skullcaps and fringe boots. Who What Wear
• 2026: Chloé Jelly Mules (#5), DÔEN Iona Shorts (#8) and Zimmermann's Daylight Dress (#10) were among Lyst's hottest products in Q2 2026. Lyst Index Q2 2026

Leave these at home

• Native American-style headdresses. Coachella has drawn criticism for "cultural appropriation, particularly non-natives wearing Native American-inspired headdresses and body paint". Wikipedia: Coachella
• In 2014 Glastonbury became the first UK festival to stop traders selling Native American-style headdresses, after a petition called them "an offensive and disrespectful form of cultural appropriation". Dazed
• Body glitter at Glastonbury. The festival's guidance: "Do not bring body glitter. Even biodegradable body glitter will not properly breakdown without being heat-treated." Time Out