Without a doubt, studying abroad in London has been an incredible experience. As an avid Anglophile, I love any and all aspects of British culture, from Harry Potter and Ellie Goulding to quiz shows and the Queen. But as any person who has ever studied abroad will tell you, it’s a major drag to live out of a suitcase for three months. I still have over a month left in London, and I hate all my clothes. When I packed for London, I really made an effort to pack all my cute clothes so that I would better fit into the London fashion scene. Yeah, right. This grubby little American girl can’t even compete with all these London fashionistas! Between Zara, Top Shop, and Primark, these Brits know how to dress well. For you fellow Anglophiles out there, here’s a taste of the London fashion scene.
· Pea-coats are an absolute must for any London girl! It can get pretty chilly in London, especially in the early-morning commute to school or work. Londoners don’t discriminate with their pea-coat colors. I’ve seen everything from black, red, blue, and even purple. I only brought my one charcoal grey pea-coat with me, and I really wish I had brought my other cobalt blue pea-coat too!
· Everyone wears cute scarves in London, even men! There are so many awesome street markets in London, like Covent Garden, Camden Market, and Portobello Road Market. All of these markets sell pretty patterned scarves for usually less than four pounds each, so it’s quite inexpensive to pick up a few scarves and accessorize with them. And it goes without saying that scarves are a great way to battle the cold London elements.
· Oxford shoes are an essential piece of any true London girl’s outfit. The prep look is definitely more in here than it is back the U.S. But after all the flannel and Northface jackets in Portland, it’s refreshing to experience a different kind of fashion trend!
· Jeans are definitely not the go-to piece of clothing in London. Girls in London tend to dress a bit nicer, and wear cute dresses and skirts and adorable tights more often than jeans. Speaking as a girl who literally lives in jeans, I definitely feel a little underdressed sometimes! I could have brought more dresses with me, if it weren’t for that pesky 50 pound suitcase rule. Curse you, airlines!
· Oversize tote bags are the purses of choice in London. I mean, you have to have enough room for the normal purse contents, like your wallet, keys, Tube pass, and some make-up for touch ups. But any true Londoner needs room for an umbrella (the weather is very rainy just like Portland, and Londoners don’t look down on the umbrella like us Pacific Northwesterners!), a book to read for those long Tube commutes to and from the city, a snack (Everything in London is expensive, including the food), and the morning or evening newspaper, depending on the time of day. Londoners sure love reading their newspapers!
· For going out to pubs or nightclubs, London girls dress to the nines! Little black dresses, skyscraper heels, big earrings, long necklaces…it’s not very different from American girls, actually.
So you see, it’s quite easy to get the London look! If you ever feel like switching it up from your regular college student sweatpants and Ugg boots routine, take some inspiration from the ladies of London! It’ll give you an opportunity to brush up on your impeccable impression of a British accent.
Photo credit:
beccamulwa.blogspot.com
elle.com