I'm in need of some fashion advice...

My family is taking a trip to England in a couple weeks (my first time overseas!), and we will be spending a few days in London. I'm very excited to see the city, but I hate being a tourist. Does anyone know of any modest and inextreme British fashion trends I could try to imitate (with protection against pickpocketing not being the least of my motivations)? I'm hoping if I can fit in with the locals clothing-wise and walk far enough behind my very American-tourist family, it won't be so obvious that I'm from the U.S.  ::)

I also plan on toting my camera around and taking lots of photos, so if anyone knows of a good way to disquise myself as a local journalist or photography student, that'd also be great.  :P I'm thinking Black...

I know it's really not a huge deal, and they probably don't dress all that differently in England anyway. But I really really hate being "touristy," and I love immersing myself in different cultures.

I've read that the one clothing item that really labels you as an American is blue jeans, but it seems like in western Europe enough people would wear them that it won't make a difference. I know they do in Germany, at least. I also like long skirts; is that too impractical for walking around all day?

Sorry about the long post; wanted to make sure I covered everything. Basically any advice on appropriate attire would be much appreciated. Thanks!

That's so funny - I'm going to London soon, too! I go there every year, because I am British by nationality and my family lives there too.

Hmm.. fashion trends aren't that different (not that I know of anyway). I don't think "blue jeans" classifies you as American. I wear jeans all the time. One thing that REALLY makes someone look touristy is walking around with a map, LOL! But I wouldn't worry about that. There are lots of tourists.

Which part of London are you going to, do you know? Maybe I can help you sort of "navigate" if you need.. I know central London like the back of my hand  ;). I live in the West 9 area, and know all the best shopping places, cinemas, etc.

Around the summertime, it gets REALLY hot. Make sure you check the weather report before leaving the house every morning, because the weather fluctuates a lot. It usually comes on the radio quite often, and you can check the t.v. too. Long, flowy skirts are lovely, as long as they are made out of cotton or something that won't make you too hot. "Casual" dress would probably be a tank top and jeans or something, really not too different from America (okay, I'm not too sure about this, I've never been to America, LOL! But I don't think I'm TOO far off!)

Your first time overseas - that must be really exciting! I must warn you, though, DON'T be too shocked at the prices there. Everything is expensive these days, LOL! And if you can, it's better to take the tube (um, subway? whatever it is that you call underground trains  ???) or the bus rather than black cabs, because they can be really expensive sometimes.

Okay, I've rambled on enough. Let me know if you need anymore help!  ;D

Hi Cairn,

I grew up in the US but have lived in Europe for the last 8 years, so I know exactly what you're talking about.

For the most part, I agree with Leia. I'm pretty good at spotting American tourists nowadays, they're always the ones wearing white "walking" sneakers or Birkenstocks, loose t-shirts with weird slogans and "comfort-fit" jeans. If you stick to tailored jeans and simple cotton summer tops you'll fit in just fine. Wear comfortable shoes for goodness' sake, but preferably trendy sandals or something that doesn't scream TOURIST!

Skirts are so useful when traveling, I recommend a white, knee-length linen skirt that you can wear day and night. I also have a knee-length patterned skirt in that satiny material that NEVER wrinkles - this is a good thing! Just remember that your clothes should mix and match as much as possible, that way you avoid taking too much with you (leaving room for goodies to bring home!). Oh, and don't forget to bring a cardigan, nights can be chilly :-)

Let us know how the trip goes!

/Kate

Thanks for all the advice, leia and Kate! What you described sounds pretty much like what I wear already.

As far as transportation, we're actually renting a car; with six people in the family, my dad thought it'd be cheaper than paying tube fare for everyone.  ::)

I think the hotel we're staying at is somewhere in central London, but I'm not really positive. I've heard things are pretty pricey; do you know of any less expensive places to shop? Is there anything we absolutely must visit? I've heard the British Museum is very worthwhile.  

Ohh, I'm so envious - you're going to have a great time! ;D

Renting a car is a good idea, but driving in London is practically a religious experience. The first car ride I took through London (I've never driven) I kept my eyes shut half the time!

The British Museum is amazing, but immense. If you go there, pick a few specific things you'd like to see and skip the rest. You won't be able to do it justice. My most vivid memories are of the Egyptian and Babylonian statues (in the basement), the lovely Elgin Marbles and illuminated texts. Just follow your interests.

Make sure you don't tourist yourselves to death. Spend a day just meandering, sitting at cafés and people watching. And don't miss the fantastic Indian food, I'm craving it as I type! Otherwise, check out some up-to-date websites which can recommend restaurants and let you know what's going on while you're there.

Good luck!

/Kate

i live just outside London and as long as you dont carry a huuuuge camera round your neck...have a huuuuge backpack and constantly look at a map....you wont look tourist-y. basically ALL teenagers around here wear jeans so i wouldnt worry (those 'distressed' worn looking jeans are quite 'in' at the mo).
as for your camera..just keep it in your bag and your bag close to you and you should be fine. i go to london every week and dont live in fear of pick-pockets...i just keep an eye on my bag.
just be you and ENJOY! london is FABULOUS!!!!! i love it. ooooh and if you want to see the galleries....go to the Saatchi (by the 'london eye') its where all the weird cows chopped up stuff is! its fascinating rather than gross.
hope that helps! lets us know about your trip when you get back!  ;D

I'll have to inform my parents of some of this; I guess on the last vacation we took (to Las Vegas), they were so annoyed with us four kids griping the whole time about what we wanted or didn't want to do, that this time they decided that they will pick out all the activities and we'll have to do it whether we like it or not. I'm kind of worried because there's a lot I want to do that the rest of my family isn't interested in. Oh well, I'm sure I'll have fun regardless.  :)

How old are you? If you're old enough, then maybe you could go off on your own for a while and meet them back somewhere. It's really not that hard to get around. I think you'll really like visiting the musem. Don't forgot to go to Oxford street  ;) for shopping!

And *definitely* the Tower of London to see the crown jewels!  I *want* the Star of Africa (the *huge* diamond in the sceptor).

wrote on Jun 16^th, 2004 at 2:13am:

And *definitely* the Tower of London to see the crown jewels!  I *want* the Star of Africa (the *huge* diamond in the sceptor).

That would make quite the hairstick topper!!   ;D

LOL!  You'd tip right over!  :D

Seriously, that thing is so bright you can barely stand to look at it, it hurtz your eyes!  I've been to London twice and both times I just *had* to go look at the jewels in the TOL.  But the whole place is just fascinating, from Traitor's Gate to the carvings in the walls by prisoners doomed to die hundreds of years ago (creepy!), and the Beefeaters are so much fun!

OHohohoh!  And Madame Tussauds!  You gotta go there too.  And shopping on Carnaby Street and the King's Road.  Woohoo!  What fun :D

Now, if you wanna talk about Paris I could just go on for daaaaays!

leia, I'm 17, and while I know I could take care of myself (I've done it plenty of times in Chicago and Washington DC), I don't think my parents would agree.  ::) But most of what I really want to see is on Oxford, anyway, and I think we're taking a day-trip there. I do have a friend who lives in London, though; maybe my parents would trust me with her, if we're able to meet up...

oohhh, I can't wait to see the Tower of London! Though I'm more interested in the history and the stories of the people imprisoned there than the jewels myself.  ;)

I believe the hotel we're staying at is right near Paddington Station. I hear they have a big Paddington Bear there. I'm excited to see that.  :) Is there anything else close by that we should see?

Ooh, I was born in Paddington hospital!  ;D How long are you going to be there for?

Very cool  :)
I think we'll be in London for three or four days, but before that we're staying at a time-share resort in Warwickshire for a week.

It'll be hard to squish so many things into such little time! You'll have long days, LOL! I suggest you write out what you want to do every day so you can get everything done  :)

And hopefully my parents will go for all of it. ::)

Are there many mosquitos in England?

Not that I know of!

Thank goodness!

no mosquitos! but watch out for wasps etc...and if you go on any little 'country walks' you may get bitten on the legs by little knat things.....itchy!!!!!

And no lightening bugs!  I know a couple who were absolutely *astounded* the first time they saw lightening bugs in the US, apparently they don't exist in the UK.  But they have hedgehogs, which are almost unbearably cute!  :)

I adore hedgehogs! My brother has a friend from England who has two. I love 'em!

No fireflies, how sad. I'm reminded of that one scene in Disney's "Robin Hood" between Robin and Marian with all the fireflies flying about....I guess they didn't do their research.  ;)

I'm baa-aack!  ;)

We got home last night, and I feel like I've just awoken from a dream; I had the most amazing time. The countryside was beautiful, and London was fabulous.

A list of everything we saw/did:
-Oxford & Christ Church Cathedral
-Stratford-Upon-Avon (Shakespeare's hometown)
-the Roman baths in Bath
-Wawrick Castle (on of the best preserved medieval castles in England)
-The Cotsowlds
In London:
-Walking in Hyde Park (just down the street from our hotel)
-Shopping in Covent Garden
-Changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace
-British Museum
-Boat tour on the Thames
-Tower of London (actually not as impressive as I thought, except for the crown jewels. My gosh, do they have a tree that grows massive jewels they can just pluck off whenever they want them?? :o The dungeon/torture exhibit wasn't very extensive; the one at Warwick Castle was much better. The yeoman's tour was the best part overall)
-Westminster Abbey
-Saw Phantom of the Opera (Wonderful!!! My absolute favourite musical of all time. I finally got to see it onstage! Even though we were stuck in the last row of the balcony...

A family friend from Germany who stayed with my family a couple yrs. ago as an exchange student joined us for a couple days in London. It was great to see her again. I didn't do much shopping (I'm not a big shoppper and didn't really have the time), but I did get a couple things. Found some gorgeous hair toys in a cute little Victorian shop in one country village we passed through. I bought a lovely hair stick and pretty butterfly clip. Also got one of those scarves that are very popular in Europe; pashmina, I think they're called. Lots of women were wearing them; they're quite useful. Also got a cross-stitch pattern for a bookmark (I'm learning to x-stitch), a pair of sunglasses to replace my old pair that I sat on,  ::) and a London tank-top.

The only real annoyance was navigation. We got lost just about everywhere we went. My dad kept complaining about how hard it was to follow signs and maps, but it can't be much worse than the U.S. once you get used to it. And traffic circles are also much more sensible than confusing. It was annoying to come home and have to sit at traffic lights forever. Buses in London were annoying, but the tube was okay. And we even got to experience a London taxi when we got horribly turned around trying to find the Rainforest Cafe near Picadilly Circus. We got lost a lot...

Anyhoo, that's my trip in a very large nutshell. I should have pictures from the digital camera soon, but I'm leaving again tomorrow to visit my grandparents for a week, so I'll share them as soon as I can.

Cheers!

wowie! you did so much! glad you had fun...and yes the buses are very annoying! cant wait for the photos!

Sounds like a great trip, Cairn! :-)

The Cotswolds are lovely, my mum grew up in Gloucester.

/Kate

Sounds like you packed a lot into your visit!  I'm sure you will remember the trip forever.

I'm sure I will.  :)
I took two rolls of film, but unfortunately one of them didn't turn out at all.  :( My dad took plenty with the digital camera though, so as soon as I figure out how I'll put them up online.