coffee, tea or me? (c) Sophie

The hot new trend is called "Bobo," which is short for "Bohemian Bourgeois." Just think rich hippie and you've got the idea. The skirts are full, the sunglasses are huge, the hats are large-brimmed and the accessories are expensive, in the new Bobo look. Huge mufflers and baggy cardigans are key. But the mufflers are cashmere and the cardigans are Marni.
-- The New York Times

"hobo" look is out and "bobo" is in, huh? we, the bohemians -- the real mccoys -- aren't embracing this newest (bobo) fad crap without a fight! what about our bohemian lifestyle for yonker's sake, (torn jeans, smelly socks, mold & mildew bathroom, decomposing food and hairy armpits) oh yes, we've come a long way... must we finally succumb to the dictates of today's beau brummels??

Lauren Stover, the author of Bohemian Manifesto: A Field Guide to Living on the Edge (Bulfinch Press, 2004), has noticed the trend, which has cropped up in moneyed communities from Beverly Hills to the Upper West Side, where young women wear grandma's crocheted shawl, moth-eaten cashmere sweaters and scuffed cowboy boots. "It's perfectly fine to look like a bag lady," Ms. Stover said.

oh. in that case, we're with ya. and yes, i was only kidding. by all means, succumb to oakleys and manolo blahniks (even men discuss the importance of expensive shoes) and get a total makeover. if the bills pile up, face it like a true bohemian would -- by golly, move on!

Fifty years ago, it was the dream of every bohemian artist to be seen getting out of a limousine wearing blue jeans and sneakers. Today, it's the dream of probably half the people in the country. -- Brad Holland