Fashion has always looked back to move forward, reworking past trends into something that feels newly persuasive. One look that has caught my attention this season is the pairing of long blouses with flared jeans. Draped, wrap-tied, laced, knitted, knee-skimming or festooned with chintzy florals, this beatnik ensemble feels like a direct line back to the ’70s, and proof that our appetite for boho chic remains as strong as when Chemena Kamali unveiled her free-wheeling vision for Chloé in 2024. “It’s very much about an intuitive way of dressing,” the designer told this magazine at the time. “I think there’s this longing for undone-ness and freedom and softness and movement.” While Kamali was back then speaking of the elaborately ruffled dresses of her debut collection for the maison, this blouse-and-flares formula feels just as easy, just as unstudied – albeit a little better suited to the realities of day-to-day dressing.
Here’s how to make this (unapologetically) retro look work for now.
Flares + an asymmetric top
For a look lifted straight from the boho-chic manual, opt for a blouse with an asymmetric drape, billowy sleeves and romantic neck tie.
Flares + a sheer blouse
Simple, feminine, relaxed, bell-bottom jeans just make sense with floaty lace, no?
Flares + a wrap dress
Coperni’s Resort 2025 collection is a great starting point for achieving a look like this. This floral wrap blouse – styled with what I can only describe as uber-flares – could so easily veer into Y2K territory, but we’re mercifully leaving the skinny scarves and baker boy hats where they belong for now.
Flares + a side-tie blouse
Another alternative for more of an offbeat look? A side-fastened blouse, which will serve as a graphic counterpoint to the flared denim.
Flared jeans have, at this point, become a neutral part of the contemporary wardrobe. All the more reason, then, to experiment with an off-kilter top, like this floor-skimming, front-draped button-down.
Flares + a knitted tank
Ok, not technically a blouse, but droopy, knitted vest tops conjure up the same easy, breezy effect. Double down with dark-wash jeans and a boho belt.