I’m SO sorry for the lack of posting. It has literally been a nightmare moving since I had not realised the sheer mass of stuff I had accumulated (clothes, shoes, magazines, books, knick knacks, fabric etc.)
So please excuse the blatant filler ness of this post but I genuinely wanted to pose a question to you people since you’re pretty much spread all over the place. The general consensus I seem to be getting is that in parts of USA, there’s a tendency at "high school" to blend into the masses by wearing American Eagle, Hollister, Abercrombie & Fitch etc and I have heard a lot of people talk about these crowds with disdain.
This style of dressing strikes me as incredibly odd as what I have slowly been observing, both on the streets of London and what my younger sister is experiencing at school is the desperate need to demonstrate individuality – i.e. complete opposite of what is Stateside general style outlook. It is almost as if attitudes have done a complete 180 and instead of wanting to blend in and wear what someone else is wearing, girls are now very blatant about wanting to look unique. For example, when in the changing rooms of Topshop, I often hear girls saying things like ‘I don’t want to look generic’ or ‘This looks a bit Heat-magazine’ (a gossip-magazine). Or teenagers will critique other people’s outfits by saying ‘That’s been so DONE!’.
Trouble is, when lots of people seemingly go anti-trend, in itself, it becomes a trend. When footless tights started out as an anti-trend ‘looking different’ item, it became ubiquitous and now probably frustrates the early adoptors or initiators. At the moment, it’s neon lycra leggings that’s part of the new rave vibe that London is feeling at the moment. The people who then follow on to wear neon lycra leggings will adopt the look not because ‘Oh I saw so and so wearing it and she looked so cool’, but because ‘Oh, I’m going to really stand out in the crowd and look different in these.’
I talk about this only because it interests me whether other cities take on trends in this way and how people view originality; whether it’s embraced or reviled. It of course becomes a bit of an oxymoron when I talk about a trend in originality because then it completely negates the concept of originality, but I guess it is the mentality of not wanting to look like everyone else that is becoming mainstream, if that even makes any sense?
As a result, Londoners are often described as looking a bit too ‘try-hard’, and probably a lot of people will accuse me of committing that crime because of the way the trend cycle works in London and of course the environment of where I live affects that as does my intermittent visits back to Hong Kong. It is a correct criticism but then I would like to find out the alternatives so please share how ‘Originality’ dissemnates in your area/country? I obviously haven’t trekked the entire globe to make these observations and from what I have seen in other major cities – NYC, LA, Paris etc, it seems London has taken to this ‘anti-trend’ trend in a very big way in comparison. Why? I don’t know. What’s going on the rest of the world? Please share.
I’m from the US and it is a terrible truth that it is glorified to fit in and match everyone else (and that can be in regards to a number of scenes, for instance, the pop kids wear AE and the like, while the punk kids go for another aesthetic entirely, but ahere to the rules for their particular sect respectively)
however, whenever the unique people out there do start doing or wearing something that finally gets enough traction to be absorbed into the maintstream, i think it is quite obvious who is a leader and who is a follower. its about having that sense of style which will always shine through no matter how “trendy” or “weird”/”unique” somehting is.
i think if the original donners of the footless tights were to give up their threads for the costuming of the American Teenage Elite, they would figure a way to make AE and Hollister look entirely original and fabulous.
perhaps it is because i’m from the US and crave to be in an environment that fosters originality, but i think your style is simply grand and not too “try-hard” at all.
how funny that you mention this! i was just discussing this with my sister last night. she was asking me why designers never try and be unique and i explained to her – kelcy, they do, theyre just all rebelling against the last season and trying to be unique at once that all their uniqueness comes down to the same ideas. i live in houston and it is most def abercrombie girl city with high school girls. how annoying. but these denim-mini-and-polo-devotees do say they want to be unique constantly. so all at once they put their cutoff tights with everything. someone should really tell them that it still has to match. oh well. people up in london def dress cool. its not so monotonous. i almost wish the girls around here would start dressing cooler, but then it wouldnt be as much fun for the rest of us to dress differently!
London’s like that, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s unique. In Guildford, only 35 miles away, the girls all look the same in jeans and little pink tops and expensively highlighted hair… In what I’d see as a day-to-day university outfit for London, I’ll often feel quite out-of-place in any other UK town…
That said, London’s interest in looking unique has its limitations. The all-pervasive emo kids seem to be quite into dressing up, often looking damn cool in my book, but their style adheres to a certain formula of skinny black jeans, scruffy hair, lots of leopard-print and so on. It’s risks and variations around a certain theme, rather than anything goes.
I live in the east of Holland and at my school most people still seem to feel the need to blend in. They either dress preppy, hipster, casual, goth, or emo. And most of them only hang out with people who dress the same. It’s kinda sad really.
But I think in the west of the country people are getting more and more into looking unique.
I think trying to look unique or trying to blend in are both pointless. People should forget about those things and just wear whatever they like. So what if it makes you look like other people and who cares if it doesn’t? At least you’ll look like you!
Hey!
I’m from Mexico and I loooooove loooove your blog. The thing here is that to have “style” you have to have money… so you see 12 year old girls buying the same multicolored Coach or LV minibag looking like an assembly line. Thanxs to our northern neighbour girls here covet every single US label like Abercrombie, Gap et al. Chains like Zara, Bershka and Pull & Bear are HUGE in Mexico, and tough their clothes are a bit more stylish and trendy, you can’t help but to find more than 10 girls wearing the same outfit that you are wearing. On the other hand, people with less money try to be more “original” dressing more dark, like goth, punk or emo.
I totally agree with the girl from Holland, everybody should forget about labels, uniqueness or try to blend in… if you love it WEAR IT!
yeh, london is definily the best place for originality and people pushing the boat, if you go to schools like camden girls, they all wear things like bright yellow baby gro-things, not just the footless tights, leopard print, oversize cardigans of most teenage girls in England. That said, would I wear a bright yellow babygro-thing? probs not, but more power to them.
Hi! I am from Vancouver canada, and I read your blog…I thought I’d share what the teenagers are wearing in my city. It seems the Olsons twins look is very popular for girls. You’ll see dozens in giant glasses and wooden beads. Also a kind of street urchin trend amoung teenage girls is popular, with ratty sweater dresses, tights, sweat socks, sandals and pilled on gold chains. I am not sure if this is a Mary kate style? I have no idea. There is a slew of skater kids, in plain t-shirts and Alife sneakers and ball caps, on girls I find more intresting then looking like mary kate??
Hey, I also live in Vancouver, Canada and I have to say that the “American Eagle” look is all too common here as well, particularly in high school, but in university too. As well, Vancouver is an extreme casual city, and it is very common to see people walking around in their sweats. And of course the dreaded Lululemon yoga pants, that have sadly become a staple in the Vancouver uniform, especially here on the university campus. As Mel described above, there are also lots of “Olsen” styled girls, and just a general “straight out of US Weekly” vibe.
I do see some unique “arty” dressers from time to time, particularly from the large Asian presence, and we do have some interesting local designers making their mark. However, Vancouver has a ways to go before we are considered a true fashion city.
I wrote a post awhile back called Homogeneity and the Teenage Girl – because this same issue baffles me. I am part of my city’s “scene” only in the sense that I’m in a band, not in the sense that I’m a “scene kid.” This gives me a lot of opportunity to scrutinize what my peers are wearing and it’s so bland and unoriginal. Even the anti-A&F and anti-Hollister crowd tends to dress the same: layered t-shirts, skirts, embellished flip-flops or converse, and beaded necklaces. I just want to yell at them like Gob Bluth, “COME ON!”
I can’t point to a particular phenomena that launched the popular homogenized look. I’m curious to hear a sociologist’s point of view on the whole thing.
Recently, I’ve moved from one part of the United States to the other, basically from north-west to the south-east. Where I come from, it’s all about individual style. Not everybody has fantastic fashion sense, keeps up with trends, or even dresses uniquely, but there is a sense to everybody that what they wear is what they want to wear, that that is what they like. They delve into the mall brands, but usually their closets are diverse and full of great finds, no matter what the brand.
Here now though, everybody wears the same thing, or at least different variations on the same theme, hollister american-eagle, etc. It’s almost like a uniform, I get the feeling people are wearing what other people want them to wear.
I’ve come to the conclusion that fashion diversity represents a diversity in thought, and exchcange of ideas. Sometimes people overthink that, thinking that they HAVE to express they’re uniqeness by their fashion. Both the compulsion to be unique and the compulsion to be the same sum up to thinking to much what others think of you. It’s like a full circle type thing I guess?
i have to agree with what many people are saying here. i live in california and at my school almost everyone’s ‘preppy,’ with the exact same hollister/american eagle look. then there’s ‘scene’ kids which have also become a cliche because they all have the same things. and then there’s the ‘indie’ urban outfitters shoppers, etc etc. you can’t name a group before it’s ‘done’ and another comes out to take it’s place. i’ve lived several places throughout california, and HERE, at least, it’s basically inevitable. the important thing is dressing how YOU like, regardless of all the other groups; because there’s really no way of escaping all the carbon copies.
i feel that in most of the US, trend is trend, and not many people are different. i live in orange county, bleach-blonde hair and fake-boob central. basically, all the blonde sluts looks like disheveled pam andersons and the hipsters (who are trying to be different from the norm) all look like urban outfitters.
I’ve been trying to figure this out in my mind for ages now but you’ve articulated it perfectly , I couldn’t. People like to think they’re anti-trend and so adopt a certain style or certain pieces so it’s like almost like a new part of youth culture where style or interest in fashion isn’t necessarily dictated by music. Interesting to observe !
I live in San Francisco, which is a culturally diverse city, but in my mind still very segregated. It seems that style is linked to race– the African-American kids are in very put together hip-hop style, the Asian kids are in very put together street style and the Caucasian kids are in very put together prep or bohemian style (most likely depending on where they live). I am far removed from this generation– I only see what I observe when I am out and about, so it may not be an accurate depiction, but that is my sense for this city. It does seem that the kids, no matter what race they are, are putting thought into what they are wearing. The city is much different than the surrounding suburbs though– you venture out and everyone starts looking the same.
i live in charleston, which despite being the number one shopping destination in south carolina is completely devoid of of originality. i go to the same high school my mother did and from what she tells me the conservative, self imposed uniform of polo shirts and jeans hasnt changed since the seventies. recently, however, there has been a shift to the “scenester” look. some students at my school have finally caught on to skinny jeans and giant bags look (now that they are in every store ever). they think they are being completely original with their skull patterened leggings. the cool store to go to used to be abercrombie and is now urban outfitters. the upside of all of this is that it is very easy to seem unique here and there is no stress when it comes to avoiding sameness.
i live just outside of london and all the popular girls in my year used to dress the same, thinking they looked really individual. It started with just one of them and now they all look the same. I think it’s hard now to look truely different because hardly any one makes clothes themselves, so every one is wearing clothes from the same shops. But people with true style can add touches that make them look indivdual. It’s more the way you wear things than what your wearing i think.
I’ve lived in Austin and Dallas, Texas, Cambridge and London in the UK, and NYC in the northeast. There are DEFINITELY huge differences in how clothing is worn and identifies people.
Growing up in Dallas was very much Abercrombie, etc., though there were the “skater kids.” Don’t remember much of high school. Austin, though, is a place where people go out of their way to look different– we had everyone from hippies to hipsters and in between, and the vintage store scene was huge.
In the UK I found in general that people are MUCH trendier– everyone from moms to little girls to men willing to care about fashion and take risks. To me, those trends are somewhat of a risk when you’re coming from Texas, where over the age of 30 people just order out of Lands’ End or L.L. Bean (think the most boring basics). Things hit London and even Cambridge about a year before my friends in Austin saw them, and some never fully made it over. I love how fashion is closer to the streets in the UK– i.e. designers for TopShop, etc. You are just now beginning to see that here in the U.S., but very minimally. I think many people here feel like fashion is out of their price range (and/or comfort level), so why bother?
That’s why when I tend to think of absolute creativity in fashion, the only thing that occurs to me is vintage or custom-made clothing, NOT design houses. Powered with these two, someone can be truly original and creative in dressing, though I agree that the way someone puts things together makes a huge difference.
Living in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, and walking through NYC daily, I can see a lot of this creativity worked out through clothing exchange, creation, and vintage styling. Unlike London, I feel only certain neighborhoods of the city are fashionable in any way (i.e., people dressing for fun or statement rather than work or utility).
I myself have to second the sentiment expressed above– why worry so hard about being original? That becomes in itself unoriginal eventually. The only thing I’ve found that works is to pick looks that are perfect for my personality, body type and coloring.
I’m from an inner city in the southeast US, and what you see here is urban style typically. When I’ve dressed outside the norm, people have made comments about why I dress weird, and when I dress down, people ask why I haven’t dressed up. I look at my peers who are well more affluent, and they tend toward several trends: the faux scenester (striped v-neck tunic over tank top and leggings), casual dressy (some sort of flowy top and jeans or skirt, something of the Generra look), or the Abercrombie etc. look. And there are always those girls who wear heels, dresses, and skimpy clothes all the time. Point being that there are dominant fashion ideologies where I live, but at least there are several of them. I’ve travelled around the world and I can say that I’ve never been someplace that only has one look. Even in the smallest towns, you’ll find a Goth or someone sporting some really cool vintage. I don’t ascribe to the view that places have only one look – I think that depends entirely on where, and at whom, you’re looking. It’s much easier to find only one look when you’re only looking at the people who are considered “fashionable,” whatever that means in your area.
Great input everyone! Just to clarify though, I was more touching on the attitude towards ‘wanting to look different’ or ‘standing out’. Of course every place will have some varying degree of variety in looks but I’m more interested in seeing whether wanting to look “original” as a fashion movement is prevailing or whether it’s something that’s quite localised.
Totally agree with what you said. People want to look different and be unique but end up looking kind of similar but thats doesn’t mean they look bad they can still look good following a trend I think its kinda impossible to ingore whats going on around you in the fashion world. Especially with shops selling similar stuff and clothes being translated from the catwalk into the high street shops. I think it may be a little different in England because most high schools have uniforms whereas in America most don’t so they are finding different clothes to wear everyday so this could mean they kind of develop a kind of uniform or something,but then I wouldn’t really know. But interesting post! XXX
I grew up in Chicago and now live in New York City. While growing up, I felt (and still do) that people dressed to display economic status rather than personal style. The counterparts to that were the goths (this was in the 80s) and hipsters – but although they looked different from the mainstream, it wasn’t really original, more like donning a different uniform. Now that I live in NYC, I feel that I see more expressions of personal style on a daily basis, although I’m not sure sure why. Maybe it’s because of the proximity of the fashion industry, or because NYC is so diverse, with people from all over the U.S. and the world.
Im from the US and EVERYONE in my school’s wardrobe consists of Abercrombie and Fitch and Hollister. If you were to wear a simple belt around your waist people would look at you funny. Even the people who consider themselves to be “hippie” or “skater” are a&f/ hollister obsessive. is it just me, or do i not see anything special in the clothes there? I mean, lately they have had some pretty oversized sweaters and striped shirts, but there is nothing else that really appeals to me. Plus, the moose and the seagull seems a little unnessesary to me. If you have something really cute on, I think that there should be some mystery to where you got it instead of telling everyone you got it of the sale rack at Abercrombie and then anyone who likes it can go snatch up an identical one. I dont think that there is anything wrong with those stores- i own some pieces from there- i just dont see whats so great about them.
oh and girls think its okay here to wear Uggs with denim skirts and shorts…god.
i suppose it depends where you go in London, this whole i’m so individual though i look the same as the next 5 people that you’ll walk past really gets me angry (i’m cursing everything in my head now) you have to keep moving with fashion i mean fashion is so ugly we have to change it every six months its continuous i guess what i’m trying to say is the people of the masses style is changing catching up with those who really are individual so i guess those individuals will be moving on. does that make sense? like everyone seems to be wearing swears right now (bad quality mass produced imitation winkle pickers) i seem to have stopped wearing pointed shoes as much not just to move away from trend but i just think its time to move on
SUSIE you need to come to KASHPOINT i’ll pm you on tfs
Just to sum all up… I guess everyobody wants to be different, but no sooo different they don’t belong to their group, they want to stand out and think they are the coolest within their group… maybe these rises another deep fashion enigma… Do you dress for other people and feel proud everytime someone says to you “WOW, you have great style” or do you dress for yourself and what makes u happy no matter what others think…?
I grew up in a small suburb in Ohio, in NYC for college, and studied abroad in London.
In my hometown, people frankly just don’t prioritize fashion. It’s changing a little bit now that we have more retailers with more diverse styles, but when I was in high school, people just didn’t care. The only major fashion statement was probably wearing pj bottoms XD I think making statements through fashion just isn’t part of the culture – when I went back to visit for the summer, the girls hadn’t even bothered to pick up the leggings trend.
NYC and London, of course, are quite a bit more fashionable, but I get the impression that part of it is “keeping up with the Joneses” – if the girl next door always looks adorable yet different, you’re a little more motivated to try. Plus, in these cities, you’re always walking around outside so people can actually see your outfits and appreciate them. Perhaps people try to look harder to have their own styles in big cities -because- there are more diverse styles around them, so it requires more effort to stand out? Who knows. I still walk around in jeans and a tshirt most of the time, regardless of where I am!
I’d love to say that living in the “Capital of Fashion” that it’s much different here but it’s not. The French definition of style is really high end. To be chic is about a look that you stick to FOREVER. I’m sick to death of girls dressed in Zara, H&M, NafNaf, etc. I work in London most of the time and because I’m a stylist/designer I’m all over the world all of the time and see trends as they form and mutate. I used to be a trend forecaster – that was fun until fashion got even more predictable and boring than it’s ever been. I’d blame Tom Ford-ism (this should be a standard fashion term that is used for whenever a label decided to whore itself out). I definitely dress differently in Paris than I do when I go to other places. It’s taken me awhile (I used to live in NYC) to feel comfortable wearing what I would have worn in NYC without a second thought. Regardless of how much I “toned” down my wardrobe to work in the fashion industry here, I still stick out – I’m considered a “trend setter”, but I don’t feel that bravery I used to feel in NYC when I’d go out in just about anything as long as it didn’t show my crotch! So, that’s my 2 centimes from Paris!
I’ve lived in North Carolina, South Carolina, and now live in Florida. I definatly agree with your statement about girls wearing A&F, AE, and Hollister. Most of the girls that i’ve meet that wear these types of clothes don’t really have a broad horizon of what the trends are now,and the only magazine they pick up is Seventeen. When they do see someone wearing leggings, or ankle boots and just stare at them in disgust, like the person had gotten dressed in the dark or something. It really bugs me, because i try to keep up with the trends, and give it my own twist, but these girls all dress alike, KNOWING that at least three other people will be wearing the same shirt or jeans.
but there are the groups that try to break away from the conformists, and wear all black and go for the gothic look. But they end up just starting their own conformist look.
i live in wellington, new zealand, which in a way is still grappling with the idea of fashion. to a certain extent, the trend of “trying to be origonal” has come in, paticularily with older teens and uni students. i generally find that those who are “origonal” do it in a really generic way, with vintage dresses and vintage belts.
I think then theres a group of “we’re unique” people, who all wear the uniform of skinny jeans and funky flats, thus looking much the same anyway.
But most people are still just jeans and a jumper people, who really do just try to blend in with the masses (or hundreds considering this is wellington!)
I grew up in the suburbs of NYC and there definitely was a “safe” uniform that most people adhered to (t-shirts and jeans from stores like AF and Gap) and then there were the other uniforms that were used to show you were “anti” the mainstream (thrift shop clothes meant arty, black and lots of makeup if you were goth, polo shirts and tiffany necklaces if you were a princess, etc).
I went to college at Penn State and there was an even more obvious uniform there: The prevaling look was “I don’t care,” which meant wearing PJ’s, jeans and T-shirts all the time. The “alternative” kids all looked like eachother, too, the majority being hippies in ripped clothing.
In my experience in the US, most people want to fit in, especially when they’re still in school.
I visited London and Cambridge several times last year and was really surprised by how differently young girls dress over there. I saw a lot of people layering summer pieces in the winter and throwing scarves and sweaters over the whole mess. It did seem that half the girls looked the same (a lot of boots/skirt/blazer too!), so even though they looked different from NYC girls I believe that the same youthful insecurities about fitting in probably drive them to wear what they wear.
Ok first I live in montreal (yes i know what you might be thinking very french and ghetto but im so the opposite) and about a year ago i saw in a magazeen the now worn everywhere black leggins and i wanted some. i was one of the first people at my high school to start wearing them with jean skirts which at that time noone did, and now their just normal. Same with my friend saras checkered bag. She was the only one with a checkered bag last year and now ive seen more that 20 people at my school have it. Ok ive rambled on enough. My goal is kind of to make people take a second glance at what I’m wearing and say ‘wow. what shes wearing is really interesting.’ oh ya (hehe long comment)i dont think fashion is ‘materialism’ or consumerism or whatever, i think its more of a hobby if thats possible… i hope u understand what I mean.
Id just like to add something, even though i do like it wen people do complement me (who dusnt) i dont dress for other people. its for me. everyone has different tastes so thers no point in dressing for other people.
I’m 26 (probably the oldest here HA!) and it gets only marginally better from what I can see. I have thought about this exact question so many times over the years and have come to the conculsion that there are at least 2 reasons (probably more) as to “Why everyone looks the same in a “scene” even when trying to be different.” 1) Most of the time whatever it is, is creative and a good idea…I think people try lots of “fads” that are bad ideas and just don’t work, they never catch on. So when something looks good and it’s wearable on a person, other people think “Wow I’m gonna try that” 2) Psychologically there is comfort in numbers…no one REEEEALLY wants to be isolated as COMPLETELY different, especially teenagers (whom aren’t quite sure who they are yet…neither are most adults BTW). I have finally just decided to mix it up…take a lil’ fad, a lil’ vintage, and a lil’ of what I like regardless of cool factor….throw it together, accessorize the hell out of it and see what happens….and NEVER NEVER care what the label says.
i now live in singapore. i personally think that in here, more ppl want to look different. take my school as example, you can spot bunch of ppl wearing all kind of things – punk, vintage, harajuku, preppy, etc etc. they creates their own style. that’s what i think.
i live in Bermuda and i absolutely have to say that it is the most conformist society in existence. id like to think that people here would dress a little more originally if it wasnt for all the criticism and jeers they would get from people on the street. its a relatively small community so it really matters what you look like when you go out, cause everyone knows you. as much as i hate it, and desperately try to look different i can understand why the girls here all look the same. everyone is so afraid of being taunted because of their outfit, cause once it starts, it never ends. we also seem to catch a lot of the trends REALLY late and then once they arrive, the girls absolutely massacre them. for one who watches style like i do, its painful to see. i visited London this summer and i absolutely adore the style there. some girls DO try too hard with their looks coming straight off the runway, but for the most part i thought it was fabulously differnt. its extremely refreshing to see girls with so much confidence in their personal style compared to so many of the girls here
Perhaps I really am rather spoilt by living in London or perhaps citie exist in a different category altogether like Elaine said.
Elise, your advice is great – original or follower, it really doesn’t matter as long as you like it. Trouble is, it’s hard to tell when groups of people all end up dressing the same whether they are truly taken with the look or they feel the need to conform. Vice versa, with trying to stand out, there are those who do it for the sake of standing out. I know that’s what people will say when they see some of the stuff I wear it but I do solemnly swear, everything I wear, I have love for ; ) A lot of this blog woulnd’t even exist if it were otherwise.
Gabs: Hola to you in Mexico! You have brought up a point wearing these American brands seems to be related to a certain level of wealth. Is this part of what comes with wearing these brands in America too??? Certainly, in the UK, wearing preppy brands like that wouldn’t really show material wealth….carrying status IT bags (Chloe, Mulberry etc.) would.
It’s interesting to differentiate between various parts of America because to me, with such a big country, you’d think there’ll be a wealth of styles rather than a conformity of styles. That saddens me in one way but then I know, the ones that do express their own personal style (in whatever way THEY choose to, as opposed to letting others choose for them!), will stand out all the more and perhaps even appreciate fashion even more.
Bina: Race and style is another topic I’d like to delv into more but I find it hard to articulate my words without generalising (and it is gross generalisation so I might not even go there….)
am: Thanks for your viewpoint from la Paris – that opens up a different discussion altogether – exposing the French myth of style etc!
Really interesting read – has distracted me from my moving traumas so keep em’ coming!
Ugh, I regularly see the teenagers in Las Vegas on art nights. And all the high schoolers are into having shaggy haircuts right now. Almost all of them, it looks tacky.
I go to an all-girls school in Cleveland, Ohio, and homogenity is actively promoted. For instance, I have a uniform, but on dress-down days, if you are in ANYTHING and I mean ANYTHING but sweats and a T-shirt, girls will stare at you and mutter “Why is she wearing jeans?” etc. all day. PINK by Victoria’s Secret sweats are incredibly popular, even though they appear to be cheaply made and I find them annoying and ugly.
Hollister, Abercrombie and Fitch, and American Eagle, Lacoste polos, Uggs, and Birkenstock slides are wardrobe staples, as are Coach, Dooney and Bourke, and (if you have the money) Louis Vuitton bags. Girls here seem to think that fashion is equivalent to the status of the logo on your sweatshirt, polo, bag, or sole of your shoe.
Most of the girls I know are mostly concerned with not looking different. The ones that do want to stand out seem to want to stand out solely in regards to logos, to say “I’m cooler and more fashionable than you because I have a Coach tote/Birks/10 Lacoste polos/3 North Faces (fleece jackets)/Louis Vuitton key chain/Ugg boots/5 pairs of Abercrombie jeans.
I have been trying to dress more creatively, although the fact that I am in a uniform from 8-3 and in Spandex and T-shirts (rowing) from 3-6:30 and then just in pajamas for the rest of the day four to five days a week kind of limits my style. Unfortunately, in a city like Cleveland, most of the places to shop are chains, but I try to shop at H&M and Urban Outfitters (when I feel like shelling out the money) for more interesting pieces, as well as a couple vintage shops. I also try to wear a lot of spandex (I’m a rower, it’s my life), old stuff of my mother’s, my waist-cinching belt, tights and headbands with my school uniform, and little bits from old dance costumes.
Unfortuneately, I do own a fairly large amount of American Eagle/Hollister/Abercrombie and Fitch clothing, in part because until fairly recently, I just wanted to blend in. Also people keep giving me gift certs for these stores or malls with these stores, so I tend to shop there more if I know that I won’t be paying for the clothes.
PS: Grace, way to shout out to Arrested Development!! It’s the greatest TV show of all time! My favorite T-shirt is from a recreational basketball team–we decided to do nicknames on the back, so I picked “GOB” in honor of the Segway (and also the laptop) and the number 4 (fourth-least favorite child). Sorry, I really love that show and I REALLY love the shirt–that shirt was the spark of a really close friendship between me and one of my crew coaches. See, proof that clothes/fashion can be important (but are not the most important things ever, of course:))
i agree with the other commentor from san francisco. i live in sf as well and you pretty much see it all fashion-wise but it is very much categorized within certain racial/social group. still, i think that people here are definitely fashion-conscious and on any given day i’m much more inspired by seeing the outfits people wear on the street than anything i see in magazines & stores. the only people who wear a&f/hollister are the tourists.
i live in LA. i run a label and work in animation, so i get around… and still, i see more trend-followers than setters. more assymetrical cuts have entered the non-mainstream street style, but there’s still the whole “boho-sheek” thing going on.
it’s been so hot, that i cant even think about leggings (jealous!!!). personally, i only wear the designers i like, and live through them because i trust their taste. im very girly, so designers like nanette lepore and rebecca taylor are popular with my wardrobe. i’m creative, but not necessarily “original” with how i clothe myself… i just steal what i like off the runway, from make-up to shoes to dresses. i’m sort of OCD about it, so if nanette sends cheap REMIX shoes down the runway, i’ll track ’em down and wear them. but i revel in the easter-egg hunt aspect of shopping, and that’s been working for me. 🙂
I´m from Buenos Aires, Argentina. I think you’re NATURAL, you don´t try too hard! that´s why I´ve been checking out your flog for some time now, I love it! you’re not afraid to try new things, you´re well informed in fashion and it seems you have the personality to go along with it! keep up the good work and the imagination!!!
bye!
Being born in canada and spending the oth half of my life in malaysia, i have been able to experience and see different trends from 2 diff countries. In malaysia, ppl there dun really project a specific trend. everyone wears wut they want. since it’s a tropical country all yr long, ppl can wear pretty much anythin they want anytime. i love it dat i can go either all sweet-summer-dresses or dress up like i’m attendin a cocktail party. though, the not so bright side is, most ppl either jus wear a mini-jeans skirt with a nice top or jus a nice top with jeans. hence, i always stand out(not trying to be vain >.<) as i like to wear diff things dat my frens wld nv even think of wearing(vogue.co.uk is to blame ;p) as for canada, you can pretty much see clones of Holisters, AE and Abercrombie everywhere(it's like mass production everywhere i tell ya). I'm not saying that they dun sell good clothes, it's jus dat it seems like everyone dresses up so similarly. Majority of de ppl here dun really go for their own individual image bcos they want to flow with the crowd. Hence, i sometimes feel like i overdress here(oh wells!) it really makes me ponder again and again, why dun you ppl wanna project ur own individual image?? anyhoo, eventhough i'm surrounded by this crowd, i absolutely lurrrrrrve dressing up my own way and not like everybody else! p.s. i'm so envious of you londoners! it's absolutely refreshing & fan-tabulous dat you guys dress up so individually!
Hey there. I love your blog, love, so definitely keep up the amazing work. You’re one of the coolest fashion blogs out there- But back to the topic. I actually WORK at an Abercrombie + Fitch down here in Tampa, FL, and when I say it’s the same thing over and over again, it really is. The graphic tee shirts, the denim mini- They’re everywhere and it’s almost as though people have given up looking original down here at all. I used to live in NYC so you can say it was a big of a culture shock, but even then I realized once the MKA Olsen/Lindsay/Nicole/Paris trend hit, that individuality was pretty much dead.
I’m a victim of it myself. As much as I strive to come off as “unique”, I still have the boho beads, the oversized bag, the polo shirts, etc. What differs from city to city (or in our case, country to country) is the amount of effort put into looking like your own person. Over here? Depending on where you go, you either get people doing it too much, or not trying to at all. It’s terrible. It’s like seeing a replica of yourself 87384563 times only with another color flip-flops. I dunno, I’m all about fashion (I’m a designer in training!) and being individual is something I try to look for or be, but it’s so hard when everyone’s doing the exact same thing, all the time.
i live in steinbach manitoba, you probably have no idea where that is, but its a very mennonite part of canada. i’m not actually from here, but i am slowly being suffocated by everyone’s need to be original. honestly, im one of those people who does everything in my power to one-up the next person style-wise. i will take a fashion risk for shock value, and next week, i’ll see 5 other ‘style concious’ girls in my school following suit. im not calling myself a trendsetter, because im not really ‘in’ with the popular crowd. im absolutely obbsessed with fashion, and all things random and beautiful, and i admire trends, but try not to follow. anyways, this blog kicks ass, and the veiwers are obviously cool shit, so keep on kicking girls and guys
Great post, Susie! I live in France & spent a couple of weeks in Golborne Road, at the wrong end of Portobello Road, this summer… & was amazed to see that the “wink winks” to other style freaks, teens+ saying via dress “look I’m different”… were exactly the same in London as in Paris. The layers with leggins & the “Something old, something new, something blue” for the bride that translates into “Somethin vintage, something bling, something yellow” in terms of street fashion – a battered yellow bag, a yellow cardi round the waist, anything to show you’re in the “Mellow Yellow know” – @ Da Scaree Fash Post I posted a “Scaree how colours wizz in & out of fashion” pic with a girl in the “new green” which is everywhere, on both sides of the Channel. Preppy? The French have always mixed preppy codes with everything. Now, they’ve even been remixed into hip hop culture… Could go on forever, commenting on this inspirational post! XXG
i’m surprised more people haven’t brought up the question of money, especially the teenagers posting here. (i’m 29 – so the 26-year-old further up, you’re definitely not the oldest! 🙂
where i grew up (in a very diverse part of LA) originality was prized, but unless you had money, it was very difficult to be original. i had very little money, and very strict parents. i would dig through thrift stores, and through discount sales racks, but – the truth was, to be original without money took a helluva lot of time, and as much as i love fashion, sometimes there are more important things in the world.
eventually, i visited london, and marvelled at all the people in all their unique, original styles, and at the many clothing stores selling such a variety of cheap, unique clothing – most of it really well-designed and made, too. i think the stores you have in london are a HUGE factor behind why so many people in london dress in such an original way. topshop has clothing in all sorts of styles, for such reasonable prices, and the stock changes so fast, and the clothing is actually really wearable.
we still don’t really have stores like that here. h&m is still in limited-release. target in its current incarnation is getting there, but still some of the stuff is of poor quality. and especially when i was growing up – at the cheap end of stuff, there was either kmart/walmart/target (mass clothing, poorly designed), ross/marshall’s/tj maxx – the stores that are selling last season’s dept. store goods. where one can find deals, yes, but again – the amount of time and energy required to dig up good stuff for a good price, it just can’t be compared.
now that i’m older, and i make my own money, i’ve been able to cultivate a look that’s neither original-for-original’s-sake, nor following-the-masses. but here in the states (in SF to be exact) it’s taken a lot of time, seeking out stores where i can find the stuff i like – things are just in general a lot less well designed here than in europe, at the low and at the high ends – and, there’s much less variety available here, in general, even in a big city like SF. it has also taken a lot of money, which has allowed me to indulge my fantasies, make mistakes, and finally hit upon the look(s) that really suit me. to go against the grain here is just plain harder, for a variety of reasons.
Not sure there is really any point posting since this is such a LONG thread already but I will anyway :p
I think people are people too harsh on the US to be honest. As somone who has grown up in US/Canadian culture and lives in the UK I think it’s equally homogenous here, it’s just different brands. There are several reasons to me why people in the UK may dress more trendy the proliferation of the high street, cheaper goods available on the aforementioned high street, the physical geography of the country (less rural areas).
I personally find a lot of fashion students very homegenous in the way they dress. They are all trying to do the same thing. It’s as you said susie, the desire to not fit in, becomes a trend in and of itself. I think people romanticize London and fashion students like it’s some place where creativity roams free but it’s not. All those people blend together just like all the people who wear abercrombie and jeans do. It’s impossible to compare the dressing in London to suburban Ohio. Just like it’s impossible to compare London to those living in Guangzhou in China. It’s different socio-economic backgrounds, economies, climates, geographical positioning, education systems and lifestyles.
Another thing to keep in mind when comparing the UK (or London) to the U.S. is that most people think of the U.S. and think of NY or the West Coast, when there is a huge and rather strange and somewhat lovely country there in the center, as well. I’ve lived in the UK, in France, in Central America and in the United States (I’m 40, so you see that older people read this blog, as well), and have learned not to generalize.
Many people everywhere want to blend in, and some people everywhere want to stand out. Blending in is a form of protecting coloration, if you will. I think being able to dress creatively in a small town in Kansas takes a heck of a lot more guts than dressing creatively in a London art school. And yet you do see both.
It is funny that you mentioned this because I recently posted about the same thing. (The title of the post is “On the Bizzare Conformity of Suburban America” Here’s the url if you’re interested. http://papillonstyle.blogspot.com/2006/09/on-bizzare-conformity-of-suburban.html
It quite literally boggles my mind that younsters are so desperate to fit in that they dress like everyone else instead of wanting to express their own individuality. It makes for a very drab pallette indeed when everyone is dressed head to toe in hollister/a&f and carrying around Coach purses. blech.
I agree with the previous poster who said that people are too harsh on the U.S. for their fashion sense. Specifically the Midwest (I’m from Chicago). People think of us as schleppy. Besides Chicago people, most Midwesterners are very down-to-earth and when someone looks like they put thought into their clothes they’re viewed as vain. Even in a big city like Chicago, it’s hard for the average person to have nice clothes. When upscale vintage shops sell interesting shirts for $50, people make the choice to buy something more mainstream (and brandnew) from H&M for $10. Also, I think in general some professions just frown upon people being too fashionable (science-related jobs, lawyers, etc) so even though someone may be a very creative person, they might not be able to express it everyday through their clothing.
wow. What an interesting thread to read. It seems everyone has deviated from what the blog as intended to be about but I suspect thats natural, seeing as most posters from the US (myself included) can only dream about living in such a fashion-forward world.
I really empathize with what is apparently the anti-trend/hyper-original mindset in London. The whole thing seems kind of cyclic and a bit scary. If people are constantly judging others based on their originality then it must be hard to maintain a sense of self and individual style in that kind of environment.
I can only imagine what will happen when everything has been so exhausted and played out that it will seem incredibly chic to then revert back to basic. This is the pattern we see in on runways more and more, no? Everyone tries to be more creative than the everyone else, and they end up with an incredibly hit or miss collecion, with some unwearable things being called “Genius! Brilliant! Fashion forward!” though the ensemble looks absolutely ridiculous. And other looks, though probably beautifully made and gorgeous, are “blah” and “done”.
While I’m sure some people would reproach me for my opinion, I can say in my defense that fashion, being wearble art, can only follow the evolution of other art mediums. For example, take the extremes in modernism that have evolved as of late, isn’t it safe to say that the big red dot is nothing more than a big red dot? Aren’t we all reading into things a little too deeply?
Why doesn’t everyone just relax and chill out a bit, its exhausting, nevermind atrociously expensive (and wasteful, no?) to be constantly running through trends. The most admired fashionistas have always had a sense of self that is omnipresent and that style is what we seen in their outfits. The greats of yesteryear and today would most likely never lost their individuality through all the trends. Fashion is supposed to inspire us so that we all can change things up a bit every season. Thats the fun of it, but when it becomes actually stressful keeping up with fashion totally loses my interest.
The problem that the fashion scene in London is going through is probably due to the fact that the people who keep trying to be “individual” are losing the basic concept of individuality. They aren’t being true to themselves they are as you say being sucked into the cycle of trying to stand-out, not expressing yourself.
The danger of being sucked into that cycle of being on top of the next big trend is that it really inhibits creativity more than it encourages it. When people are so caught up in being cutting edge they sometimes forget to explore other ideas especially their own ideas. For example, the whole “copy-cat” mentality. Fashion is supposed to be fluid, there are no rigid starters of any trend. All fashion can be linked degree by degree to various points of inspiration. The real “trend-setters” are the people who have their OWN flare.
I don’t know, I’m only 15, maybe I haven’t seen enough of the world and its fashion to know what is out there and what should be done.
But I still have the feeling that the trend-syndrome is inescapable unless we all choose to break out of it. Think about it, there are 360 degrees in which we can turn from any given point. Why not stop trying to be so forward forward forward and go explore what ideas sideways has to offer?
I live in Charlottesville, VA and i thought what that one person said about money being a big factor was spot on. So many of the kids at my high school have parents who are doctors at UVA hospital or profs at the university. This means that only the most expensive and uberpreppy brands are cool. Lacoste, Le tigre, and polo if you want to be “cheap”. There are a few kids who try to be really out there with the way they dress, but they end up looking like all the other kids doing the same thing. there are the emo kids who wear tight pants and lots black, the goth or two with the piercings and the horizontal striped stockings. there are a few girls who wear nothing but clothes from aeropostale (ugh, its repulsive) and there are a select few of us who try to avoid all that by adding on to, painting, embroidering and generally altering clothes we buy. but by far the largest fashion group is the prep: the oxfords, polos (popped collar ALWAYS), argyle, and pearls. sadly, the “country club” look has been in fashion here forever, and it always will be because it fits the lifestyle here. if a trend fits, its quickly incorporated into everyday wear and becomes old very fast. its not difficult to stand out, but there is so much pressure to look wealthy and polished. thankfully there is starting to be some positive feedback for things like self embellished clothing and homemade jewelry, as opposed to people just thinking you cant afford the expensive brands. there has been more of a movement towards underground labels, that sort of thing, and i am LOVING it.
Also I often wonder why people compare the US dressing to the UK? Is it because we both speak english? They are two different cultures. Yes, they overlap in a lot of areas but in a lot of areas they are very different as well. I know it’s quite obvious to ask ‘why does everyone dress the same in the US’ but why not ‘why does everyone dress the same in Canada’?! I don’t see any reason why there SHOULD be any correlation between the way people in the UK/London dress and the way people in the states dress.
I hope I wasn’t directly making the comparisom between US and UK. I was actually just making a direct observation about something specific to London and was interested in seeing how other countries (not just US) view this attitude in wanting to look ‘original’. I agree that’s foolish to compare different economic climes, different cultures directly but I was just interested in garnering some overview of what’s going on in other countries. I only used the US Abercrombie thing as ONE faint point of comparisom…. hope that clears things up!
Sorry susie I wasn’t attacking you. Regardless, I think Londener’s attitude regarding looking ‘original’ is just the same attitude as wanting to look ‘preppy’. In a way, they are all mechanisms of fitting in. The desire to look original as been extrapolated so much that it encompasses a large enough group as to be classed as a trend. imo.
I live in Auckland in New Zealand, most people, especially younger teens tend to wear a jeans and hoodies kind of uniform, and theres also a lot of the skinny jeans with long tops and a belt around either the waist or hips thing going on. But I also know a few people, I guess you could call them indie hipsters or something, that really go for the whole op-shop vintage clothing look – like pretty much everything in their wardrobe is second hand. and sometimes it looks really individual and unique, and other times it just looks like crap, but they wear it as a statement, kind of like saying, “hey i care about fashion but i dont have a lot of money to spend on it because i spend it all on bands and alchohol and whatever, so i buy all my clothing second hand and if you dont like it, screw you.”
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