Boho Kimono

Boho Kimono Layers for Sun, Salt and Slow Weekends

Late afternoon on the beach, the sand still warm, and a light layer lifting off your shoulders every time the breeze comes in off the water. Our Boho Kimono rail at Zen Kimono lives in that salty, unhurried hour. A boho kimono is an easy thing to throw over a swimsuit, a tank or one of your slip dresses: printed with flowers, paisley or geometrics, and easy to move in. We chose these boho kimonos for women who want color and ease in one piece.

What a bohemian kimono adds to basics

Loose, open kimono jackets were a favorite of 1960s and 1970s bohemian fashion in the West. A bohemian kimono adds pattern and movement to plain clothes without asking anything of you: no tailoring, no rules about what goes underneath. It is less fuss than a poncho and far less serious than most outerwear.

Call it the third piece. A tee and jeans are just a tee and jeans until something with a little swing goes over the top. A hippie kimono does that job with a retro wink, soft and feminine without trying too hard, and it settles into a wardrobe of basics you already own. It is not a traditional kimono and does not pretend to be: just a relaxed, Japanese-inspired layer for real life, which is the whole point of boho chic.

Boho kimono cardigans, dusters and dresses

Three shapes, and a lot of print to choose from.

• Boho kimono cardigan styles: the everyday layering piece for tops, tees and jeans.
• The boho kimono duster: a longline layer that swings as you walk. The longest lengths reach the ankle.
• A few kimono dress options, for days when you want one piece and you are done.
• Prints in floral designs, paisley and geometric patterns, plus some tropical ones. Only in the mood for petals? Try our Floral Kimono collection.
• Colors: pink, red, green, orange and white.

Boho kimono fabrics, up close

Most of these pieces are rayon or cotton. Rayon, the fiber family that includes viscose, feels cool and smooth against the skin and falls in soft, draped folds, exactly what a flowy layer needs. Cotton is the practical friend: it breathes on a hot day.

Some styles are polyester, an easy-care choice for bright prints. A few are chiffon, sheer and airy, so a little light (and a little shoulder) comes through the print. Warm-weather textiles, mostly.

Styling a boho kimono

• Over a sleeveless tank with denim or beige shorts and flat sandals, for festivals and markets.
• Over a plain maxi dress, or a crop top with wide-leg trousers, when you want a long, flattering line.
• Add a thin belt at the waist of a longer piece. A belted duster gives you shape for dinner and still feels relaxed. Roll one sleeve back if it gets warm.
• On the sand, leave a chiffon piece hanging open as a cover up for a bikini or any swimwear, and knot a scarf around your ponytail. Straw hats optional, sunglasses encouraged.
• Some nights call for something darker. Our Black Kimono collection goes with the same jeans and heels you wore to lunch.

Three days in a boho style kimono

Noon at the beach, and the sun means business. You slip a light duster over your swimsuit, walk up to the cafe for lunch, and the whole outfit takes ten seconds.

Sunday, laundry ignored, a paperback face down on the couch. A cotton boho style kimono over your loungewear feels like a robe but looks like you meant it.

A bridal morning with your closest friends, curlers still in and the camera already out. Put the bride in something from our White Kimono collection and let everyone else wear the pink, green and orange prints from this one. The group photos can look planned, even if the morning was not.

Boho kimono fit and layering

Which boho kimono length suits me?

Many pieces are one size, so length is your real choice. Hip-length pieces suit denim shorts; a near-ankle duster covers you from the water to the car. We pay standard postage wherever your order ships, and a length that misses can be sent back within 30 days.

What goes under a boho kimono cardigan?

Quiet basics, since paisley or tropical prints are busy enough: a white v neck tee, a striped tank, cropped jeans or plain leggings. Once the evenings cool, add a thin long sleeve top.

Browse the Boho Kimono collection like a flea market. Somewhere in here is a print that already looks like your next slow weekend, with late sun, bare feet and a kimono lifting in the breeze off the water. Begin with the print you scrolled back to.