Get the boho look this summer

If you're keen for the boho look, flats are definitely the right choice.

Oh dear, here they come again - the hippies, the bohemians and those pesky peasants. So if you were thinking you'd avoid looking carefree and gypsy-sexy this summer, think again. Because although there's heaps of looks to choose from, the biggest influence running through most of the collections that will set the style this season, is bohemian.

That's why some so-called fashion "experts" are suggesting you dress as if you've just escaped from a spiritually minded commune in India where you've been eating lentils and polishing your beaded necklaces.

This look needn't be quite as obvious or as retro as it sounds. It's a daring mixture of fashion genres - the wild love-child of the 70s hipsters, early 80s punks, and a dash of grunge rock and goth.

International design influences include the sweet daughters of middle-American farmers, and rock stars with their aristocratic groupies slumming it in Morocco.

You could be forgiven for wondering how this eclectic mix is transformed into clothes that anyone who's not a rock star or a genuine peasant could be persuaded to wear?

But if you want to try this trend for size, the main thing to remember is where it's coming from. Bohemian, rather than hippie, is probably the best description for the style.

The term bohemian was coined to describe the cafe-society rebels of 1830s Paris. It was first used by the writer Henri Murger in his 1849 novel Scenes de la Vie de Boheme in which he wrote about the carousing Latin Quarter artists for whom art was everything and money unimportant. Since then, the term has become shorthand for the unconventional.

In this year's fashion terms it emerges as a very individual mix'n'match. If you were to engage wholeheartedly in this look you'd throw together several prints, some patchwork, a vintage top, a tooled-leather belt and some skinny designer jeans, and top it off with a head of wild hair, some draped pieces of fabric (also known as a scarves), chunky jewellery and vintage boots or colourful wedge sandals.

At this stage you might realise you've turned into a gorgeous British actress called Sienna Miller, whose penchant for putting together big woolly jumpers, tiered skirts and ugg boots - yet still looking fabulous - is almost like shorthand for boho chic.

But let's be real, few of us are likely to sport ugg boots at the office, or arrive draped in tasselled silk scarves to pick up the kids from school.

And even for the most fashion-conscious dressers, putting three different prints on in the morning takes a certain amount of courage.

The best way to get into this look is slowly.

Take one item at a time and stay calm, you don't actually want to look like a costumed version of an Eastern European peasant or - gasp - a genuine hippie.

If it's not your kind of look, just update your wardrobe with some of the chunky-but-pretty necklaces, beads and bangles and other accessories that will suit anyone.

If you're feeling more confident, graduate to one or more garments. One of the easiest ways to get in touch with your inner bohemian is through one of the many pretty dresses around for summer.

Above all, remember that the philosophy that underpins the boho look is freedom. Designers everywhere have handed you a licence to indulge in your most artistic dress-up fantasies.

GET THE LOOK

If you just buy one thing this summer, consider the following ...

1. Prints and frills

Florals, 70s geometric prints, tribal prints with an 80s edge and batik are rather boho, and then there are laces and frills, peasant-style embroideries and Granny's patchwork.

Easy-to-wear rating:

Pretty florals, looking a little like a retro Laura Ashley, are going to be the simplest style to adopt, but tackier tribals and retro patterns will make more of a modern statement. Tackle'em one at a time to begin with, coupling them with something plain like a cotton T-shirt. If it's a billowy top, ally it with punkish stovepipes or a plain skirt.

2. Dresses

Summery dresses are everywhere, from designer runways to chainstores. Light, floaty, probably printed, with a slightly retro feel. Wrap-dresses give that saucy hourglass look, transparent printed fabrics are cool and flirty, and the hippie-ish empire line or kaftan-style frocks suit most figures.

Easy-to-wear rating:

Anyone who has daydreamed about running barefoot through a flowery meadow will love the collections of cool, floaty dresses. Dress them down for hot seaside weekends, dress them up for the office or cocktail outing.

3. Accessories

If you're not keen on swapping all your sensible clothing for floaty frocks and see-through blouses, just get yourself a wrist-load of chunky bangles - wooden, leather, brass or bone - and a neckful of beads and baubles.

Easy-to-wear rating:

Wear several at once and you're nearly there. And you'll have dealt with the "mutton-dressed-as-lamb" worries brought on by 16-year-olds in tiered skirts and embroidery.

4. Footwear

Nature, that's the theme here. Leather, floral motifs, rafia, silk ribbons winding up the ankle. The wedge has replaced the kitten as the heel of choice and can be used to update any and every outfit, whether pants or skirts. Flats are definitely a boho choice. The pointy toe may finally be outmoded.

Easy-to-wear rating:

Colourful espadrille-style, wedge-heeled numbers with multicoloured ribbons up the ankle and other bells and whistles, might best be left to latte-loving pseudo-gypsies. The rest of us might want to settle for natural fibres, sophisticated wedge heels and rounded toes.

* Read more about what's happening in the world of food, wine, fashion and beauty in viva, part of your Herald print edition every Wednesday.