where can I find decently bohemian clothes?!

[Pheasantlysurprised]

I don't mean the hippy look exactly, it is difficult to describe, but I will try!

Simple colours, good fabrics, flowing designs, but not architectural or scandi (definitely not Cos or Arket and not oversized like Toast) Nothing bulky. It isn't something on the regular high street but it is not loud like Gudrun either.

Think antique dealer in a nineties episode of Midsomer Murders. It's neither hippy or gothic but something elegantly in between. It isn't work focused either, so lovely and comfy with unfussy lines.

It is not conservative, but the colours will be muted...cashmere scarf, wrap, long skirt, good boots, flowing coat, some velvet maybe.....at the risk of sounding like a complete arse I would describe it as perhaps bohemian academic, classical music, middle/upper middle, soft, long wavy hair and perhaps rounded glasses, wool coat almost touching floor, shawl, sort of autumnal spires of Oxford or semi rural.
It isn't eccentric exactly but it is not 'on trend'.

Everywhere I look I just find trendy floral-polyester-overpriced shite. Even brands that used to cater to this aesthetic are pretty much selling thin, unlined tat for over £100 now. I don't mind spending but never do as I can't find anything I like.

Poetry (sleek cashmere tunics) and Plumo (long velour gown) are the closest I can find but neither quite fit the bill.

How would you describe this look and where could I search?

Sorry if it's already been mentioned but for the 'going to the opera' look, I presume you've looked at Nancy Mac ? Absolutely classic long velvet coats and dresses. I've coveted the long blue velvet coat for years.

For more everyday basics, I've found good linen shell tops in Land's end (half price right now)

Dark Academia being a trend, and seemingly more Americanised (Donna Tartt influenced), doesn't quite fit with this at all, but that's just me.
As a pp said, this isn't something you can just go out and purchase, it's more about collecting over time from different sources.
I wonder what this kind of thing was referred to as in the late 80's?

I did explore dark academia and can't see many similarities. It isn't as if classical music and art history, or wearing Harry Potter style spectacles only came to relevance via a few interwebz GEN -Z's (but I mean thank god for gen z or else we wouldn't be able to remember anything pertaining to our own culture prior to 2010) !

^^ that read as a bit tetchy - not aimed at the poster mentioning dark academia, im having a pop at the internet and the categorisation of things into neat wee boxes. I mean if you look into this there are lists of what to wear, do, listen to, what video games to play, etc, all with a presumption that you ere born after the millennium.
I then used the hashtag on insta and found mostly (as is always the case) a lot of very young women in underwear and a few snaps of the V&A museum.

I think in the late 80's it was just the style by and large!
Perhaps 'preppy' would cover it from that era?
I was very preppy in university and wore lots of 40's style wide legged wool trousers, wool overcoats and long scarves, laced up leather ankle boots. It was a real look!
Back then I shopped in places like Laura Ashley, Benetton, Part Two, Noa Noa

Then I moved onto Jigsaw / Whistles in the 2010's

I still veer towards it now in my early 50s but I don't buy it all in one shop. I have collected things as I see them and keep them for years,

I have things like velvet and corduroy blazers, leather laced ankle boots, tweed wide legged wool trousers. I lean towards a slight 30's style and LOVED the fashion in Babylon Berlin series, particularly Lotte but I don't want to be mistaken as being in fancy dress so I buy contemporary nods to these looks

Not sure it's preppy at all, im thinking that's a bit more Jcrew and in the uk maybe Crew clothing? I see a lot of pastels and summer cricket colours with preppy or, say, like Michael Portillo

However, perhaps it merges into this somewhere, because I can sort of see your point, this might be it's more sombre, bohemian or floaty aspect? I also adore velvet and cord but not fond of the war era or anything connected to it (the music alone gives me the shivers). My own interest is probably 80's onwards, so a collective of a few things from all over. I honestly struggle to describe it.

I loved Laura Ashley and have a gorgeous summer dress from there (and a distressed dining chair that my DP despairs of and calls the 'Steptoe Chair').

Ive loved exploring this topic so thanks for sharing your thoughts and ideas. I could go on about it all day!

I have to be honest and say I can't really picture what you mean. I was a teen in the 80s and in my 20's in the 90's and I remember lots of awful clothes and i personally am happy not to go back there again
Have you searched images of 80's bohemian?

Noa Noa used to be like this - I had lots of stuff from them which I used to call my “1890s Danish peasant look” Haven’t been in to look at their stuff in ages though so not sure whether it still is good.

Agree with a mixture of Jigsaw, Anthropologie etc. Ollie & Nic?

I had lots from Noa Noa too @foxgoosefinch and in fact still have some gorgeous velvet jacket and dresses from there in my wardrobe and I still wear them on occasion.

They were bought around 2017 / 18

The shop closed down in my city though and I continued to buy on line for ages but sort of drifted away from it then. Great quality though

look at this Comes in lots of muted jewel colours too - jade and rose and sapphire

@UniBallEye

I have to be honest and say I can't really picture what you mean. I was a teen in the 80s and in my 20's in the 90's and I remember lots of awful clothes and i personally am happy not to go back there again Have you searched images of 80's bohemian?

I know, it's hard to put into words. If I could easily categorise it I would make a Pinterest folder for it, but have no idea what to search for. With bohemian I often just find a lot of bright coloured scarves! Am actually going to try 'dark bohemian' now, haha..

I also agree there were a lot of dreadful clothes, like now really. Im glad long skirts are available again though, that's been a treat. Most of the last decade or two everything was either bodycon or above the knee skater style.

Update - just did a dark boho search, a little closer to it, but mostly glam and black lipstick and more than a few huge floppy hats. I guess it just doesn't have a neat search option outside of a few dated UK crime drama's..

Thanks for the recent links, that velvet coat is beautiful!

I don't think this is a 'trend' or style really, like I said in my OP, it evokes something and seems to have links to academia, and I very rarely see it on anyone under 30. I have no idea what that means, but I can't find a name for it. I think it is something you just notice, but can't bring into a collective pattern. It doesn't really age, but isn't contemporary either.

Anthropologie duster coat in burgundy. Very eighties boho.

That coat is gorgeous @leavesthataregreen!

I know. I want it and the Nancy Mac coat. And a skirt from Poetry that I think I can't resist. This thread is ruining me.

@leavesthataregreen

Anthropologie duster coat in burgundy. Very eighties boho.

That's gorgeous! I have been looking at this from Plumo too, but very expensive www.plumo.com/products/Devore-coat.html

I know exactly what you mean OP (I think) but I have spent most of the pandemic watching Morse, Dalziel and Pascoe, Midsomer Murders
Dark boho is a good description...a bit of Goth Lite too ( shapes and fabrics, but less black)

You also want one of those Edinburgh Woollen Mill style v-neck jumpers OP - I was at college when the look you describe was popular, and the default was a blouse with a v-neck wool jumper over in grey or green or blue, paired with a long print cotton skirt and lace up boots! A wool scarf, little gold cross, canvas backpack and some kind of musical instrument in a case usually completed the look (I am not joking )

Joe Browns

They have excellent range of styles and also send a catalogue so you can choose at your leisure. I feel they are quality clothing at quite good prices.

glad I kept hold of that bassoon now, just let me have a rummage...

And thanks, I quite like NoaNoa, something new to look at!

@foxgoosefinch - that's the 'look' i was thinking of too and wrongly described as vintage preppy but that's something else I think

I wore similar style but more 'luxe' version I think, more velvet and tweed and leather boots / bag - no canvas

Yeah, everyone seemed to have a jumper a bit like this one!:

www.woolovers.com/womens/jumpers/womens-lambswool-v-neck-jumper-malachite-15758

--only, worn with a long print skirt or tea-dress rather than the knee length one in the pic.

Or with baggy faded jeans and a little print chiffon scarf tied around the neck. Especially the girls from posh schools. Coming from a comp I was desperate to achieve this look

We weren't wearing the luxe version though, I have to say!

I do think it's quite preppy -- just late 80s/early 90s UK preppy, rather than US preppy. It was definitely the indie/private school/boarding school girls who had cornered the market on this look. Sort of The Rachel Papers meets Ruth Rendell's A Fatal Inversion.

OP if you don't know the film "Truly Madly Deeply" with Juliet Stevenson and Alan Rickman, it will definitely be your bag. I LOVED that film as a teenager and aspired towards the whole aesthetic (apart from the dead ghost partner obvs )

I know exactly the sort of look you're talking about @Pheasantlysurprised.

In my memory a lot of Sloane Ranger girls who had 'gone a bit off the rails' (ie behaved like perfectly normal teenagers) dressed like this.

Second hand/vintage velvet or corduroy jackets and coats, really long good quality woollen or corduroy skirts, v-neck lambswool or cashmere jumper (often 'borrowed' from Daddy so oversized), ancient cricket jpers or fairisle vests, vintage linen shirts or linen and lace blouses, lace up leather ankle boots.

Laura Ashley in the 80s was a scrubbed up theme park version of the look. The girls who did it properly bought from vintage and antique shops, raided the family dressing up box and parents and grandparents wardrobes.

A big part of the look was the slightly oversized nature of the clothes because so much was second hand and men's clothing. This helped emphasise the rather delicate slim figures and long wavy hair.

Speaking from bitter experience I can tell you that on a hearty buxom hourglass lass it just looked bloody stupid.

It had nods to Victorian laciness, landgirl practicality, 30s insouciance, post war make do and mend.

I am always stumped for a raincoat solution to long, floaty stuff in colder months. What would be your suggestions? I like long coats but the only Mac I can find, if I want a hood and decent coverage is the Jack Murphy/Lighthouse coat which has the look of a giant bin bag. And.....Im 5'4 so it might even reach my toes.

I do have a fabulous black umbrella though..

DameCelia and foxgoosefinch

These are great descriptions, and it is definitely some variation on all of them, perhaps a more mature (rather than college) version, but I think most recent posts, including UniBallEye all pretty much hit the nail on the head.
Thanks again everyone!

Traditional trench coat with a hood? Bit of a unicorn garment, but M&S have been doing them recently.