A thread for those who want boho chic but end up looking like pigeon lady in Home Alone.

[spottybaghottyhag]

I'm very aware everyone on Mumsnet is beautiful, stylish and model like. This thread is for the outliers

I love a certain look online, but unfortunately boho chic on a model translates on the real me as homeless pigeon feeder lady in Home Alone. I've tried Aladdin trouser things (can't remember the name, I'm that far off the mark!), cashmere wraps (my teen DC said I looked like an old sofa) and a colourful, chunky knit that made me look like a wannabe circus performer. I'm not aiming to look fashionable or stylish, but something a bit more put together rather than eco warrior jumble sale shopper would be nice.

Can anyone else relate?

😳😳😳

My faux suede camel jacket got me cries of 'Del Boy!'.😎
Today I was wearing a leopard print pea coat which probably screams Pat Butcher TBH.

Im putting alot of faith in my chunky glasses though....hoping they make me look quirky and deliberate rather then someone who raided a jumble sale in the dark.

You sound like you would like that scandi brand....🤔

https://www.gudrunsjoden.com/en-gb?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=22316633174&gbraid=0AAAAADOZmH9jceNuzxA9Pvik1HXiUKtnx&gclid=Cj0KCQiApL7KBhC7ARIsAD2Xq3AnuvD86GUHHPhxgGxevTa-m2uws3OA6CZNKlMwWwKN1ZQZlsm-zBcaAuzPEALw_wcB

I love their stuff but look like a bag lady in them.

My mil bought me a lovely fake fur gilet- popped it on- instantly turned into hagrid

I loooove this look, but fear I'd be sectioned if I went out in public. I'd look insane rather than Scandi boho chic.

Same here! I think you could be my twin! I read a thread yesterday about whether people go for comfort or style.
I would do style if I had any idea how to do it.
As it is, it's generally jeans with a vaguely presentable top. And boots or sandals, depending on the time of year.
I nearly tripped myself up going downstairs on my one attempt at wearing harem pants.

I love this thread! 🤣 I have no desire to dress boho, I’m just here for the laughs!

The boho style looks great on willowy 6 foot models. I’m petite so if I try it, I look like one of Oliver Twist’s unfortunate friends.

I tried the athleisure trend, I just ended up being followed around shops by security guards.

I did trip wearing wide leg trousers- got my foot caught inside and broke my big toe!

Ouch! I can easily see how that could happen 💐

Same here! I get such a shock when I look in the mirror 😂

Oh me too!

<waves> @WinterFrogscurrently in straight jeans, sport t-shirt and navy hoody. Stylish with sketchers trainers.. oh and a liberal coating of dog hair due to Ddog blowing coat. 🙈😂

I feel like I've found my home! Got mildly boho aspirations with a touch of rock chick. Unfortunately, I'm really short and deeply allergic to feeling cold. My daily vibe is scruffy dog walker, complete with highly sensible boots. I have absolutely nothing against dog walkers, dogs or orthopedic shoes. I never thought I'd become a middle aged woman who couldn't dress herself but honestly, my reflection baffles me sometimes.

Ps, I do have harem pants and I love them even though they make me look like a squat little pudding.

Ah yes...dressing up for me is slightly flared (bootleg?) jeans with boots with a bit of a heel, and a fitted jacket at a push!
Day to day it's straight jeans. Tee shirt and fleece.

(A bit of a heel = max one inch, because I like to stride and and can only mince about in heels which makes me ever so slightly grumpy)

Hay and dog hair are frequently part of the ensemble also.9

@TheRubyFinch I love the rock chick look. My attempts tend to look more dog walker as well.

I'm firmly in the MN suzi quattro's fat nan's scraggy bag lady best friend category.

You can say what you like about Colonel Gaddafi and Hagrid but they have their own style and they can carry it off. 🤣🤣🤣Wanders off to get a Gaddafi perm, a Hagrid gilet and scabby boho rainbow leggings. It's going to be the zeitgeist of 2026.

My bestie is incredibly Boho, and does it incredibly well.
She's small, like me (we're both around 5') and also like me, far from skinny, but she looks amazing.
One of our other friends said "She's so Boho she makes Stevie Nicks looks like a Quaker." (no disrespect meant to Quakers from me, though!).
And she does. She loves kaftans and stuff like that. The mutual friend said that one in particular (huge sunflower design!) "looks like Grandma's curtains and she still looks fantastic!"
I wish l could do it.

@Ukholidaysaregreat We need a photo.
What footwear are you wearing?

<< runs in >> I realllly love Free People. But am not spending 180 on a top that won’t wash nicely.

Am aware that the second half of that sentence ages me somewhat. But it does show that I am going to be a useful club member.

Has anyone else here looked at Poetry. Or Wrap London which is similar styles but cheaper fabrics?

I think some of it gives 1980s art teacher / social worker vibes. I have tried it on and didn’t look a woman with inherited wealth…

How do women with megabucks pass off boho without looking like they’ve not seen a shower in six months.

Glad to have found my people. 😆🙌

I’ve an eclectic style I’d say and I always prefer being ever so slightly messy as opposed to polished if that makes sense. 🫣

I like Free People too (not always the prices!). Can sometimes find some good things on Little Lies too.

Harem pants are meant to be fail proof. My friend (similar size/shape to me) rocked hers, sent me the link and I bought three pairs to take on holiday, thinking I'd have that polished look wafting around the pool. Let's just say I resembled the children's entertainer/local AM DRAM reject instead. My friend's sat at all the right angles and hung beautifully, mine were literally making a billowing noise from being flapped around by the air that was trapped inside them. I was s real life Chinese lantern, minus the candle bit!

I also think a lot of people who pull off clothes so well are wonderfully tall. I’m 5ft nothing and it’s so easy to look like you’re borrowing your nans clothes. Willowy is never coming for us shorties 😆😆

I think I fit into this category, I want to be Boho, but end up looking more Bojo 😭

Thanks for asking UpMyself crocs with socks in winter and crocs without socks in summer! Truly a shoe for all seasons.