When I think of England, or any European country, I often think of their attire. There is a drastic difference in my opinion between European fashion and American fashion. Months before this trip I began planning my outfits. I started on pinterest taking screenshots of outfit ideas, then went to instagram and tiktok, screenshotting and saving images I thought would be acceptable for my time here. With the handful of screenshots I gathered I picked up on one key component, neutrals and basics. I always thought Europeans dressed “expensive” and always “posh” (a term I learned over there) meaning fancy, but in reality it was just the way they layered their clothes, and the accessories they wore. Weeks before I ordered a couple basics and gathered my accessories and began to plan my outfits. I had my suitcase packed over a week in advance, I was so excited. Packing was a lot easier than I expected it to be since many of the outfits I wore could just be reworn in different ways, by taking bits and pieces of each outfit. I learned before my trip that English attire does not consist of shorts, and rarely consists of hoodies and sweatpants. This was difficult for me considering the majority of my closet is sweat sets. The weather in England is very unpredictable, so bringing layers was very important. I brought 2 jackets with me which were in neutral colors, so they could be reworn multiple times. I may have over packed a little bit with the shoes. I packed 2 sneakers, knee high boots, and a pair of sandals. I ended up wearing them all, but I could have gotten away with one pair of sneakers. When I first arrived in Manchester I was in heaven over all the stores. When buying souvenirs and pieces of clothing I stayed away from popular brands at home, even though there was a Zara and H&M around every corner. I wanted to buy pieces that could only be found in England. I bought a pink jean jacket from a very popular department store in England called, Mark and Spencers. Picture JCPenney or Macy’s but bigger and more grand, that is Mark and Spencers. I wore this jean jacket multiple times over my trip, and got so many compliments! The second piece of clothing I got, and definitely my favorite was this long cream knit dress. I got it from a store called River Island. This was one of the nicest stores I have ever been in, there was not one piece of clothing I did not like. It was the coldest in Manchester so having the jackets came in handy. In York it rained almost every day, besides having the umbrella, wearing my leather jacket multiple times kept me dry. In London it was very warm, which allowed me to dress up more by wearing skirts and cooler outfits. My favorite outfit was a long tan flowy skirt with a matching tan tank top, paired with a flowy white button down. I brought very little accessories with me as I was planning on buying many there. My favorite kind of souvenir to buy is jewelry. It is something that will be a keepsake forever, and they never go out of style. When I went to London two years ago, I discovered this jewelry store and I bought a ring and necklace. I still wear both of them today. I stumbled across the same store this past week and bought a couple pieces of jewelry, which I will keep forever. I bought a beautiful bracelet with pearls beaded around it, and a simple ring with a dark blue gem. These pieces are so simple but so beautiful. I have not taken the ring off since I bought it, and every time I look at it I remember my trip. In Manchester I found a jewelry shop where I bought 2 pairs of earrings for my younger sister, and in York I bought bracelets for my mom. I hand picked out each pair of jewelry because they are designed as something I have never seen before. Each piece is unique and something that will not be able to be found here in the US. Overall I was very pleased with my outfit choices, and felt I fit right into the culture, and I will cherish and value all the pieces I bought on my trip forever.
