Hey Y’all! (yep, I’m gonna’ get on a southern accent today… not really :P)
Today in “Finding Your Style”, we are going to talk about Boho and Country/Western in Depth. As usual we will be covering:
1. Who wears it?
2. How is it worn?
3. How I wore it.
4. How you can pull it off.
First up:
Boho
1. Who wears it? Well, to answer that question I have to go to the dictionary: “a person who has informal and unconventional social habits, esp. an artist or writer.” So, how does this translate to fashion? Well, if you think about it, bohemian artists (such as those of the Pre-Raphaelite movement) were wont to not necessarily conform as strictly as others to the standards of modern dress, and had a more relaxed appearance to their clothing and self. So then, to answer the question, “Who wears it?” Basically anyone who wants to have a more relaxed, artistic appearance. Young teens, actual artists or writers, anyone!
2. How is it worn? It appears to me that the elements of most bohemian outfits draw on natural materials (such as leather for accessories, jackets and shoes; and cotton, etc. for clothing). Think relaxed, somewhat hippy-ish clothing. Embroidery, lace, and even big sunglasses for the summer, all play a part in how Boho is worn. From what I have seen, Boho can also draw pretty heavily on edwardian inspired styles, such as white cotton day dresses with lace insertion, and long flowing skirts.
3. How I wore it:
For Boho dressed down, I decided I wanted a bit more edge to my outfit, and opted out of wearing an all lace garment, since such a garment, to me, in my lifestyle, seems a bit much for everyday. So I wore a loose shirt, tucked it into a belt to give it a bit more fit, and paired it with my linen skirt. Clogs were a no-brainer (at least in my case).
For Boho dressed up, I decided to do a modern take on edwardian style. The outfit pretty much explains itself, so I’ll leave off the chit-chat.
4. How you can pull it off: What I would do, is infuse your wardrobe with some lace-y, embroidered pieces, and, if you don’t already have one, add a peasant skirt to your wardrobe. Floppy hats and somewhat messy (remember we still want to look lady-like and not frumpy, regardless of what style we are wearing) hair can also display a boho style. Oh, and a good leather purse and lace up boots would be great too.
Country/Western
1. Who wears it? Quite a few people actually! Cowgirls, cowboys (though we’re not dealing with them in this series), and anyone who wants to look like a cowgirl/cowboy.
2. How is it worn? Cowgirl boots, plaid and eyelet are all elements of how this style is worn. Also, you can’t forget the occasional plaid shirt, and the hat too. Most of the time what I have seen is girls wearing a plaid shirt with a shorter (knee length, though you can go with whatever length preference you have) tiered (peasant style) skirt, that could be made of anything from eyelet to Native American motif printed material. Another element of this style is a wide belt, with or without a shiny, sometimes engraved, buckle. So overall I would say the elements of this style are: Ruffles, Eyelet, Plaid, Denim, Silver or gold accessories, Native american/old west style prints, Boots, and Belts.
3. How I wore it:
With Country/Western everyday, I wanted to wear a denim skirt, but with my particular pair of cowgirl boots (cheapy ones from Target. Sorry to all you western fans out there! I’m not really a cowgirl type person, thus I don’t want to spend a fortune on some boots that won’t get worn that often :), which are rather unfitted in the ankle, I needed to wear a knee length skirt, so that my ankles wouldn’t look like they were un-proportionately fat compared to the rest of my leg. I also didn’t want to go full out country, so I pulled out a floral shirt, tied it, and I was good to go.
For Country/Western dressed up, I wore my faux suede 40’s style dress, to give it more of a vintage feel, added some jewelry to class it up, and, of course, I wore my cowgirl boots again… that’s pretty much it for that outfit!
4. How you can pull it off: As I said above in “how it’s worn” plaid and eyelet would be great to add to your wardrobe. And your boots don’t necessarily have to be western/cowgirl boots. You can do pretty much any boot style you want (within reason of course). And, as you saw in “how I wore it” I didn’t even wear a cowboy hat! Just a plain straw one worked fine for me. So overall, if you just remember the elements of this style, infuse them into your wardrobe and you’ll be good to go.
Out of these two styles which one is your favorite?
Would you all like me to cover English Country styles too?
Did I cover each style pretty well?
Anything you would add?
Blessings,
Brigid
The Middle Sister and Singer
Love how the western styles turned out! And especially the everyday look! And yes, western is more me then the typical hobo style.
I really like that you added the dressed up version of each of the styles!
Also, I have just made a green calico peasant style shirt..I will hopefully be taking outfit pics of that for our blog,as soon as I change the sleeves.
I would love for you to do the English Country style! That is really what I wear the most and would love some knew ideas!
~Cassie
calicoclodhoppers.blogspot.com
I loved this post! Granted, I’ve been enjoying all of your posts in this series, but this one has to be my favorite so far, as it’s closest to my own personal style. Forced to choose between the two, I’d probably pick bohemian over western, mostly because, despite my respect for the heritage, I myself am not very western in a cultural sense. Truth in advertising and all that 😛 🙂
Anyway, the pictures were beautiful, and I think you did a very good job describing each respective style. Keep up the good work 😀
Also, I’ve never heard of English country before, and I’d be interested to know what it is.
Megan
I love how you are wearing every ‘style’ you feature. Yet, although it is undeniably boho/western … it is still quite classy and very elegant. It takes a special person to pull of elegant cowgirl, haha. Bravo, my dear!
For Western: Braids for a hairstyle too!
Hi Brigid! Today I added buttons to our blog and really would love to add yours, but how do you do this without the box with the code in it to copy ?
Do you have any other buttons for your main blog hidden away besides the ‘finding your style’ ones ? Would love to promote whatever you have for you all!
Thanks! ~Cassie
calicoclodhoppers.blogspot.om
Hi Cassie! You can find the buttons for FYS here: http://boyerfamilysingers.blogspot.com/2013/07/finding-your-style-new-blog-series.html#more
As to our actual blog buttons, I hope you don’t mind, but I will be releasing a new blog look and new blog buttons, so if you could wait till Thursday for BFS’ button, we would greatly appreciate it 🙂
Thank you so much for wanting to promote us on your blog! It means the world to us whenever a reader wants to share our work 😀
-Charlotte
the blog designer + photographer
Hey! 🙂 I did just find your button on your “authors” page….I will remove and eagerly await Thursday! Thanks for the info for FYS!
~Cassie
LOVE western style!
I love it! if i were asked to describe my style, this would be it. western/boho/vintage/southwest.
Think Dale Evans, the Great Depression and 1960s desert drifter. VIntage dresses with western boots is my staple. Wonderful, inspiring photos here! thanks for sharing