Funky Fashions

LONDON
In the weeks leading up to our departure I started to have some trouble sleeping. Not only did I have a lot going on around me, but the gears in my brain were working over time as well. As I lay in bed I would do trial packs in my head. Each item had to have multiple uses, and it had to go with as many other items as possible. I must have come up with hundreds of combinations before narrowing it down to the smallest, most versatile, and most coordinated wardrobe I could manage.

Now that I am in London, and I've already spent ample time on the tube and walking the streets, I realize that the last qualification on my list (coordinated) screams "American!!!" Everyone here dresses quirkily, sort of as though they purposefully dressed in the dark. It works though, and it's wonderful entertainment on the Tube.

Take shoes for example. Almost everyone in the Bay Area wears Vans, Converse, or one of a few brands of similar tennis shoes. In the UK women wear narrow lace-up leather walking shoes (some with lace stripes), sling-backed sandals, or lace-up boots in shocking hues with fuzzy insides. The men wear mostly very long, thin dress shoes, either with or without a point at the end.

The color combinations are also striking. Many people wear black and brown together. Young women wear shorts, dresses, or skirts with stockings underneath. Lots of people wear flowers and stripes together. One woman I saw on the Tube today had a red cocktail dress on with orange suede pumps. Another woman last night was wearing a white cardigan over a white, orangey-red, and blue striped dress, black stockings, brown saddle shoes, and a blue and white striped bag.

Tonight as I lie in bed I will be busy coming up with as many funky combinations as I can using my perfectly thought-out and coordinated wardrobe. Oh well!

Lily