What can I say about the London people after my first, fortunately still sunny weeks in London? Well, no matter where you go or who you accidentally bump into, the typical Londoner always says sorry even if it wasn’t their fault. They love to chat, even if you are a stranger, and jogging seems to be so popular that you can call it a national sport. You can see them everywhere – the joggers. After work, the typical Londoner will go to be nearest pub with his co-workers to get a drink or two. At 8 or 9o’ clock, they are heading home. When I walk through the streets, I can see well dressed men and pretty women in high-heels or a tailored suit standing in front of the pub. With a hand grasping the cigarette or a newspaper, they are standing there drinking. Most of the time, they are drinking beer. Who knew? They like to chat about work, the stock market and sports.
Fashion is used by the Londoners as a kind of self-portrayal when they don’t have to wear work clothes. And sometimes I get the feeling that this rule doesn’t only apply to women. The men dress how they want and they seem to not stand second to women in terms of individual outfits. Yes, the typical London Look does exist. It looks exactly like in the fashion magazines. Wild, light, easygoing and colorful. Combing your hair seems to be out of fashion as well, if you want to imitate the London fashion lifestyle, applying to men and women equally. Right now, women seem to follow the rule “Less is more”, which is why discreet makeup is worn and strong contouring is chosen.
Undone hair is THE trend and fits all kinds of looks. Depending on the hair color, additional highlights top off your hairstyle. Highlights seem to be the new must-have and sometimes even complement the washed-out ombré effect the London girl had made a few months ago. Well, in the end, it does look good. But the natural trend doesn’t stop there. Following the motto “Let it grow”, you can now see hair everywhere. Shaving is out. Back to nature. Armpits and legs are covered with hair again and even showcased with short skirts or pants without shame. Yep, this is daring. But it seems that nobody is particularly bothered by the hairy trend. On the other hand, you wouldn’t tell somebody to shave, right? Well, in the end, it’s none of your business.
And this is exactly why men wear the sexy two-day-old beard, which looks neat and hot. But be careful. There is a thin line between hot and looking like a grit. Well, I’m going to switch from beard to bra. Bras seem to be a thing of the past. I think, I have never seen this many braless women at once. In general you can say that the Londoners are extremely cold-resistant. Short, shorter, London skirts. Even in fall, Londoner ladies like it short, only wearing a jacket and a scarf in addition and roaming the streets with or without knee socks. While women like it short, men like it tight. Dark skinny jeans are the basic garment of the London boys apart from the wool beanie which complements the uncombed hair. The long coat is worn by men as well as by women and looks good on both sexes.
All kinds of styles are allowed, there is nothing which is forbidden. It’s just important to create contrasts and to set different statements with you look. Most of the time, the top is plain-colored, while the bottom is, no matter whether short or long, pants or skirt, is colored in shrill shades and embellished with extravagant patterns or graced with a certain retro chic. Besides, it also seems to be crucial to leave your coat unbuttoned and I don’t need to mention that your coat has to match the rest of your outfit. This goes for both sexes again. Considering the shoes, everything is allowed. Simply everything. I recently saw an older lady, perfectly made up, hair perfectly done, dressed in Gucci from head to toe – bag, glasses rings, watch, scarf. But she wore a damn pair of jogging pants with Primark flip flops. Wow. But yeah, considering the fact that she was probably a Londoner, her style didn’t seem that alien and strange to me after all.
Take a look at the instagram readthetrieb_uk to see what I see.
