Style Stats: London

If Urban Outfitters had a city in which to epitomize its very being, it would be London. While I found Paris to be somewhat anti-climactic, London far exceeded my expectations; I felt like I could relate to their vintage-hipster-prep style, which made shopping a real delight {plus, Jordan and I found an amazing street bizarre in Old Spitalfields Market with fabulous local goods}. At moments, I felt like I was reliving 1999 with all the cut-off Levi's and exposed bra straps floating around {think Saved by the Bell}. Any London fashionista willing to ask the tough questions learns that shopping at cliche stores in the city just isn't cool {despite the fact that they have the most amazing mall}. The "cool" kids frequent Brick Lane where there are rows upon rows of unique consignment shops. Jordan has more patience for this kind of shopping {I can browse online for hours, but I can hardly stand second-hand shopping for more than 10 minutes with the extreme patience it requires to thumb through row upon row of articles}; therefore, to please me, Jordan and I also hit up the most epic department store. Six stories and one entire city block are home to Harrods where private appointments are made on the top floor and a bellman holds the front doors open for you. The shoe department took my breath away: Jimmy Choo, Valentino, Tory Burch {and the list goes on}. At one point, I'm pretty sure I stopped breathing. Some rules for surviving in London:

1. Own a pair of cut-off denim shorts {or two or three}.
2. If it's vintage, rock it.
3. Bras are an accessory.
4. Preferably, show your midriff with baggier assymetrical tops.
5. Bring your Tom's for the walk to the tube {train}.
6. Use the word cue in place of line when shopping {it sounds much fancier}.

Aside from some super-trendy threads, London also gave me a new-found appreciation for public transportation. The logistics of their metro system are remarkable. Before we knew it, Jordan and I were cruising the Jubilee, Central and DLR lines as if we had been doing it our entire lives {after our driving fiasco, this was a comforting surprise}. In fact, we often times found ourselves knowing more than the locals who hardly leave their areas of the city. Because they don't have cars {for obvious reasons}, they hardly venture outside of their small sections of London {unless they are going to work, of course}. I was surprised by the number of people who did not know areas of town when we asked to get from one place to another. When we called our hotel upon arriving in London to ask for directions, the front desk girl's response was, "I'm sorry, let me transfer you to someone who drives." For a city built upon such a communal means of transportation, we were shocked at the isolation of those individuals. We traveled farther in 2.5 days than most of the locals had traveled in years. It made me think about how {un}well-traveled I am in my own country {let alone my own city!}. After seeing Buckingham Palace with my own eyes, I walked away with the feeling that a DC trip is in order. Bring on the White House!

Denim Shorts for Days

Vintage Shops // Brick Lane

Box Park // Transportable Boutique Shops made of Storage Boxes

Street Bizarre // Old Spitalfields Market

Street Vendor // XL Pocket Tees & Sweatshirts {loved this tiger!}

(left) red bow dress {similar style here for purchase here}, silver flats {here} & pearls // (middle) linen tee {here}, black skinny jeans, navy Tom's {here} & black tote {here} // (right) linen yellow skirt {here}, black tights, tank, patent flats {here} & nude tote {here}

London Hipster // dress, tights & neon pumps + denim & high-waisted shorts + bandanas & scarves

Loving this Brit's outfit! // white + navy dress {here}, navy blazer {here} & nude pumps {here}