“Boho is back,” declared the fashion world last year, after Chemena Kamali’s debut collection for Chloé. Her romantic, 1970s-inspired blouses and dresses came paired with jewellery to match.
A year later, the trend is in full swing. Backstage at her spring/summer 2025 show in September, Kamali told me that her inspiration for Chloé was “how summer makes you feel, this moment in the year where we all start disconnecting”, and this season’s jewellery radiated carefree holiday escapism. Shells and faux pearls were clustered at the end of long brass pendant necklaces and little gold shells were suspended from chain belts (£590. chloe.com). Worn with breezy pieces such as ruffled blouses, lingerie-like camisole tops and silk knickerbockers, they looked perfect for drinking sundowners at a south of France beach club.
At Saint Laurent, there was bohemian jewellery of a different variety, proving that the aesthetic is as multi-faceted as a brilliant cut diamond. Chunky necklaces made from gobstopper-sized beads in glass, dark wood, resin and metal felt more artsy than beachy, suggesting a chic 1970s gallery owner who’d picked up local jewellery on her extensive global travels (£2,265, ysl.com).
Meanwhile, Bottega Veneta’s necklace with dyed green pearls and hand-enamelled frogs exuded a baroque opulence (£5,380, bottegaveneta.com).
“We’re seeing a definite shift towards bold, expressive jewellery,” says Ruby Beales, buying manager for jewellery and sunglasses at Liberty. She’s not using the boho tag though, believing the word “often evokes a specific, nostalgic aesthetic”. She prefers characterising the trend as maximalism. “It is about embracing bold jewellery in a way that feels contemporary and individual. Maximalism also allows for a broader interpretation, whether through sculptural gold pieces, oversized gemstone rings or playful charms,” she adds.
While pared-back silver or gold chain necklaces and hoops remain popular, they have been the dominant trend for so long that they are starting to feel a little repetitive. Beales says she is seeing a “shift towards a more diverse jewellery wardrobe” as people realise they can combine minimal pieces with statement colours and textures that spark conversation and feel more expressive.
Jacquie Aiche is a jewellery designer based in Beverly Hills who has been creating gemstone and mineral fine jewellery with a boho-luxe feel for her eponymous brand since 2007. She happily embraces the boho label, saying, “I embody the hippy chic aesthetic, the finger bracelets, the body chains, the big turquoise, the beads.”
Interest in her more typically boho pieces is on the rise, with buyers at Paris Fashion Week this year picking up on her Double Horn Marquise Shaker charm (£9,500, jacquieaiche.com) and the Liquid Gold collection, which features chains with showers of gold teardrops (£4,900, jacquieaiche.com).
For Aiche though, boho isn’t just an aesthetic, it’s a state of mind. Like many of her clients in wellness- and mysticism-focused Los Angeles, she believes in the healing power of the crystals in her pieces: “I don’t sell jewellery, I sell energy,” she says. Her customers — including numerous celebrities — “want something different, something cool. We do sound baths, we meditate and do yoga.”
Her jewellery taps into a free-spirited creative mindset. It speaks of travelling, partying, daydreaming — even if there is a certain irony to spending thousands of pounds on a hippy design. Aiche’s standout piece is a chrysoprase beaded necklace with tourmalines, opals and topaz priced at £24,100.
Not that splurging is the only option. On holiday recently in the western Algarve, in Portugal, I visited a shop called Fantasia Decor and picked up little brass and colourful enamel bracelets for under £10. Writer Julia Chaplin, author of The Boho Manifesto and Psychedelic Now, is a fan of “the maximal hippie look, kind of earthy bling”, and finds some of her best pieces in little boutiques by the beach in the Greek islands, Mexico and Spain.
On her travels, however, she’s seeing “less of the earthy girl in silver and turquoise, and more of a rich hippie in the vein of Talitha Getty”. Veruschka and Marisa Berenson also wore this look well, she says. Many of the pieces are chunky and charm-laden, “but there’s a crafted feel too — coral, shells and feathers, as if a talented, fashion-savvy woman had made them in her studio”.
Default accessories such as silver or gold chains now come with more colour and “zhuzh”, from luxury fashion to contemporary brands. And with the advent of summer, the bohemian influence is only heightened. French label Sezane’s jewellery offering for the season includes necklaces of chunky resin beads (£75, sezane.com). Founder Morgane Sézalory says: “The first signs of spring call for colour . . . with wedding season on the horizon, we wanted to design statement pieces to complement our occasion wear. However, each piece goes just as well with bold silhouettes such as a plain T-shirt and jeans.”
For anyone accustomed to wearing more minimal designs who wants to gradually inject some more colour and drama, Sézalory suggests starting by “incorporating pieces that still feel delicate but have a pop of colour. Layering is also a great way to experiment without feeling overwhelmed: mix your usual chains with one or two coloured beaded necklaces. Jewellery is a great way to add creativity to each outfit, the most important thing is to have fun with your accessories.”
And therein lies the appeal of boho jewellery: it hints at fun. And what sums up decadent fun better than the combination of swimwear and jewellery? Chaplin has a chunky, slightly tacky 1970s choker from Nantucket, which she teams with a bandeau swimming costume and a vintage Mexican tulle petticoat. “Pretty much if you wear any vintage piece with a bathing suit and something see-through you are going to look bohemian,” she concludes.
It’s not just about what you wear, it’s about how you wear it.
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