When I was in college, I used to be very boheme. I studied at the University of the Philippines and people there were bohemian -- in outfit and lifestyle. I did not live in jeans but I wore jeans out of necessity (I commute going to school). I mostly wore skirts with bohemian prints and (like in this picture) also donned scarves and chandelier earrings.
I am still pretty much bohemian (if not in style, then in lifestyle) but after college, a lot of things influenced the way I dress and the way I look into the world. First, there was Sex and the City. I love all four girls and they remind me of me and my three closest friends. While I admire Carrie's courage in donning breakthrough outfits (e.g. the bird as her wedding headpiece), I look up to Charlotte who is always put-together and classic. Second, there's Audrey Tautou, Jane Birkin, and another Charlotte, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Jane Birkin's daugher, and all other French girls. I studied french for a while and admire the way they always look chic but disheveled. Third, I have become a fan of Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Pablo Neruda, and Isabel Allende, their melancholy and their magical realism. They depict women as sexy and headstrong. Fourth, I read a lot of literate written by black women and admire the fact that they always fight for love and embrace their curves. When Barack Obama won the presidential elections in the United States, I was cheering as much for him as I was for Michille. Fifth, bloggers and street style, but most especially vintage and classic style.
What these all boil down to is: style is personal and is influenced by a lot of things and experiences in one's life (not really necessarily by fashion trends or trendsetters). For me, personal style evolves and re-invents (just like the timeless Madonna, the artist) but is always rooted to personal beliefs, lifestyle and principles.
