Boho dressing has an image problem and we’re addressing it directly. Done badly, it tips into fancy dress. Too many tassels, too much fringing, the kind of thing that looks like it’s performing a personality rather than expressing one. Black solves a lot of that. It pulls the whole aesthetic back from the edge, gives it weight and intention, and lets the interesting details like shirred bodices, tiered skirts, flowing sleeves do their work without overwhelming everything else.

What we love about black boho dresses specifically is that they work across a surprising range of occasions. A festival, yes, but also a summer dinner where you want to look relaxed but clearly put together. A holiday wardrobe where one good dress needs to carry a lot of evenings. They tend to pack brilliantly too, because the kind of fabrics that give boho its movement, woven cotton, crinkle gauze, lightweight viscose, are also the ones that shake out without needing an iron.

We’ve pulled together our favourites with one clear filter in mind: they have to look effortless without actually looking like they tried to look effortless. That distinction matters enormously.