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The DNAinfo archives brought to you by WNYC.
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New York's Flower Children Bloom in 'Summer of Love'-Style Fashions

By Patrick Michael Hughes | August 13, 2012 12:19pm

MANHATTAN — New York has always maintained a reputation as a hub for bohemian fashion, so it's no surprise that these long hot summer days have given way to a street style harkening back to the freewheeling '60s.

The "Summer of Love" aesthetic — named for the 1967 phenomenon that saw hippies take to the street from the Village to San Francisco — continues to color fashion’s sensibilities more than four decades later.

Many New Yorkers have well-defined takes on "boho chic" — from rousing floral prints to bright, vibrant colors — inspiring us to take note of this buoyant concept associated with the fashion of evolving and savvy city-dwellers.

An ethereal flurry of flora and leafy foliage has heavily permeated the streets with the vigor of the summer season’s most captivating prints. Subtle and at times bold, these intoxicating bouquets of beauty reveal fashion’s taste for nature and love of diaphanous textiles. The streets clearly reflect the revitalization of illustrated artistic pints in textiles, which has been an emerging trend over the past few fashion seasons.

One designer championing the hues of nature, Barbara Tfank, offers a new sophistication in color direction. Her Resort 2013 collection featured a palate of vibrant yellow and pink draws inspired by the aurora borealis, or nothern lights.

Street Chic also caught sight of a similarly bold color direction in a floor-length sundress showcasing palm leaves in fuchsia, teal, chartreuse, clay and black — accessorized with beaded bangles, earrings and beaded sandals.

The aesthetic reached its height with a dramatic trio of peacock, orchid and rose boutonnières worn on crisp white jackets accompanied by mint rep ties — worn by grooms E. Dale Smith and Michael Gallo, en route to their recent wedding reception in the Village.

Graphic influences also played a role in this summer's bold print looks. We observed a sheer black top with Alphonse Mucha-style stars, and a T-shirt with a woodblock print of roses that was coolly brought together with camp shorts.

The fresh fashion direction of these new "flower children" is not retro nor costumey — but rather shows New Yorkers' ownership a unique style as they strut the streets during their own summer of love.