Fashions Across the Pond

Spotting trends, as well as noticing differences and similarities, is part of why I love to travel. We noticed a few trends in Europe. Burlap totes are in for both men and women. Lots of men in London seemed stuck in 1965. Suits that were just a bit too small with short, peg legs. What gives? Nothing is hotter than a guy in a great suit. Even a guy in a Speedo can't compete. (Just kidding! Women hate Speedos.) A lot is hotter than a man who looks like he's trying to fit into his eighth grade graduation outfit. Black, lacy stockings are popular. Happily, I only saw one pair of Uggs. The worst fashion mistake we saw on women and we saw it quite a bit, was black skinny pants of an undetermined fabric. Not leather, but shiny like plastic or nylon. They are most unforgiving. Almost as bad a fabric as satin, which doesn't look good on anyone. Think wiggle when you walk, but not in a good way.

Long summer dresses for women are either in still or back in, but at least people dressed for summer, even in London. Springy dresses, florals, bright colors. It was that way all through Spain and New York. People dressing like summer in summer. Imagine that. Fast forward to my first time back in downtown San Francisco. It could have been November in Chicago. Boots, scarves and lots of black clothing. I know it's foggy and chilly, but why so drab? Couldn't you at least break out a colorful sweater?

The oddest observation in England came from Eric. He began to notice a lot of tall men. Extremely tall. Once we began seeing them, they were everywhere. We saw loads of them at Wimbledon, then Oxford. I'm talking men well over six five, some obviously more than seven feet tall. I kept trying to find an explanation for such an anomaly. How did so many British men get to be so tall? Possibly there was some type of gathering or convention? No explanation was forthcoming. The photo above shows a couple walking down a side street in Oxford. A typical English couple with a gigantic English man.

Next stop: New York, where you can be ticketed for drinking on the beach.