Boots, boots, boots

Hi all! This week's post is dedicated entirely to boots. I knew coming to England that boots were going to be my best friend. They keep you warm, they're comfortable to walk in and they're fashionable at the same time. However, I didn't realize what a huge fashion trend they are in England and how it's different from in the US.

Back home, it is very common for girls to wear boots: normally tall, flat, riding style boots. In case you're not entirely sure what I mean here's some examples (and ones that I wouldn't mind owning).

Shoes above from Bakersshoes.com

However, I've found that it's much more common in the UK for girls to wear ankle boots sometimes with a heel and sometimes without. They also feel free to wear a range of styles and colors with many different outfits. Here are some examples I've found:

Shoes above from Topshop.co.uk

I love that girls here feel free to wear whatever style they feel comfortable with. While there are plenty of people back home who have their own style, college students are much more inclined to wear the same, albeit cute, outfits or styles in the US. On the other hand, in the UK, while there are definite patterns or trends, it is much more common for people to wear whatever they want and express their personalities through their clothes, especially shoes.  

As much as I love my riding boots, I am quickly falling in love with this fashion statement and plan to add a pair (or two) to my collection ASAP. Then my only problem will be figuring out how to find the room in my suitcase to bring them home. Cheers!

Welcome!

Hello and welcome to my blog! First a little intro about me. My name is Jessica and I am a 21-year-old American college student studying abroad at Royal Holloway University of London for this semester. I am originally from a small town in Connecticut and the college I attend back in the US is Bentley University. While I have another blog devoted to my travels while in London (link), I wanted to start this blog and devote it simply to fashion and style differences between college students in Europe and college students in the US.

I originally started thinking about this subject while doing research before I left for study abroad. I am a very overattentive person (that's putting it a nice way). Therefore, I wanted to learn everything about England before I ever even booked my ticket. And while I was able to find a ton of information about what the teaching, people, and general life there wasn't a whole lot out there about what the typical English college student would wear. Yet many websites cautioned how they dressed different than the US. Needless to say, I found this frustrating as ever.

Another thing you should know is I love fashion! While my clothing budget may sometimes be an issue I am always on the lookout for what is going to be the hot new thing for the next season. However, I like to see it through the eyes of a typical person instead of a high fashion magazine. I mean, let's be honest, how many times have you seen a typical person walking down the street wearing something you would find on a runway. Answer: never! However, there are tons of trends that originate on the runway that find there way to the average college student and this is what I plan to focus on. I'll try to update every week or so and I'll try to include different things to keep all my lovely readers interested. Now, thank you for your patience and onto my first topic...

Yoga pants do not, and I repeat, DO NOT, exist here! Or, if they do, they are carefully hidden by the girls of England and only worn when alone in their dorm rooms with the blinds drawn. For anyone who has been to the US for even a day you can tell this has been a big adjustment for me as they are practically part of the dress code for girls back home. On any given day when I just didn't feel like putting much effort into my outfit I would grab a pair of yoga pants and a cute long sleeved shirt and I would be ready to go. This does not seem to be an option here.

While I have found that leggings (thankfully) do transfer to European fashion, yoga pants, unfortunately do not. Therefore, for now, my yoga pants are reserved for wearing only when no one else is around. So for anyone planning to come to England any time soon don't even bother bringing them unless you enjoy gazing at them wistfully while pulling on a pair of skinny jeans.

Well, that's all for today but expect more soon. Cheers!