Interview With an American

Because I wanted to get different perspectives than just my own on what students think about fashion in the UK compared to fashion in the US I enlisted the help of one of my fellow study abroad students to get a sense of what a male from the US makes of the style differences and similarities. His name is CJ Pellerano and he is also a junior studying abroad at Royal Holloway University for the Spring semester.

Me: Do you think the fashion in England is different than the fashion in the US? Any specific examples?

CJ: Yes, I definitely think the fashion is very different. Everyone here dresses up much more. You won’t really see anyone in sweatpants or a sweatshirt even when it’s freezing out. Also, the people dress very differently from each other. There isn’t one type of style.  

Me: Do you see any similarities and who do you think is modeling whom? 

CJ: There are a few similarities between our fashion and theirs. For example, skinny jeans are popular in both countries. They are just more popular with guys in England than in the U.S. Also, their clothes, while similar to ours, always seem a little more formal and fancy. I don’t think anyone is copying anyone—I just think it happens naturally.

Me: Have you changed your fashion at all as a result of being here?

CJ: I think I’ve started dressing a little nicer for everyday stuff than in the U.S. but I wouldn’t say I’ve changed my fashion. 

Me: Will your changes follow over to back in the US? In other words, will you continue to dress differently than you used to when you are back in the US? 

CJ: I probably will keep dressing nicer in the U.S. just because people respect you more when you don’t look like a slob.

Me: Do you believe the English fashion pulls from any other cultures more than others?

CJ: I think all fashion pulls from other cultures but each individual style is unique and different.  

Me: What is your favorite English fashion trend?

CJ: My favorite fashion trend from the UK are fedoras. I bought this one in Camden Market.  

 

Parisian Fashion

While studying abroad I've been lucky enough to travel to other countries outside the UK and one of them happened to be the fashion capital of the world: Paris, France. Because of this I feel inclined to write a post on the differences between Parisian and English fashion, and their differences with the US.

Even though it was cold in Paris this didn't deter any of the locals from looking like they just stepped off a runway. You'll see no parkas or sweatshirts here, except from the tourists. If there was one overarching style choice of Paris it would be that everyone wears black! Or at the very least, mostly neutral tones. This is a significant change from England as most of the people, especially the younger crowd, favor bright colors and bold statements such as purple pants with a yellow top.

How the locals chose to dress for the weather was split among the population, specifically the women. Many women wore very nice trench coats or even fur to keep warm. Other women chose a look which is popular in England as well which is shorts with stockings underneath. The stockings were often black-sheer with some sort of design. I've included examples below. While it may not have kept them warm, I did fall in love with this look as it dressed up the shorts and made it look very chic. However, even with my New England blood, I don't think I could have pulled it off in those temperatures.

The Parisian men, on the other hand, dressed very nicely, but also, more similar to the U.S. than English men. In England, the men, like the women, chose very individual and loud clothing. In Paris they were much more reserved and conservative. The dress was often nice cut jeans or dress pants and a sweater or button-down shirt. Most younger guys in the U.S. don't necessarily dress like this every day but they do dress more conservative and the majority don't prefer to make loud statements with their style choices.

Another thing that was clear in Paris was that you could easily tell the difference between the tourists and the locals. While we tried to blend in as best as we could there was a general chic-ness to the clothing the Parisians wore compared to the tourists. In general, I found that each Parisian was able to express their own style in an understated way while also following a set of unspoken rules for dress which allowed them all to look collectively fashionable. Overall, I was very happy to see that I had not been misled and Paris is definitely a, if not the, fashion capital of the world.