Clothing in London

Ever since I can remember, my mother has called me a "shop-o-holic". I love purchasing a new outfit for special occasions. There's a certain type of joy that comes in buying a new outfit for school, holidays, birthdays, etc....My mother was not too thrilled when I told her I needed a new wardrobe for London. If I was there for a few weeks, I wouldn't have bought anything new. However, living there for 4 months required a shopping trip. When I was packing for London, I stuffed a duffle bag inside my checked luggage because I knew that the shopping in London was top of the line.

My university was located on High Street Kensington. This is a very posh area that is known for its shopping. During my breaks in between classes,  I would walk down High Street and browse the shops. By the end of the semester, I had to pay $200 at the airport for my extra luggage that was filled with all the new clothes that I bought. The style in London is completely different from where I grew up in Connecticut. At home, my style is preppy, classic, and clean-cut. I wear bright colors like salmon, turquoise, pink, blue, and some neutrals. I bought a trench coat, hunter boots, and a Barbour Coat before I left for London because that is what I believed to be the style there. When I arrived in London, everyone was wearing black. Some people wore dark jeans, black nike running sneakers, and either a neutral or black top. Don't get me wrong, there were some people wearing trench coats, Hunter boots, and Barbour Coats. However, when I travelled to Scotland, the style there was much more of what I expected it to be in London.

The shops that I went to in London the most were Zara and H&M. Although we have these stores in America, the type of clothes in the European version of these stores are made with much better quality and are a little bit cheaper. My favorite pieces of clothing that I bought from Zara was a black peacoat and 3 fall patterned scarves. My favorite piece of clothing I bought from H&M was a black long sweater with leather sleeves from the Venice, Italy store.

When I came back to America, I incorporated my preppy style with my London style. This turned into me wearing my tall brown boots, dark jeans, the sweater from H&M, and my Barbour coat. I now believe that I found my style that I will wear for the rest of my life and one that is truly me.

Pros and Cons to London

The idea of “studying abroad” stood out to me from the moment I took my first college tour and my tour guide discussed her experiences when she went abroad. She, too, packed her bags and shipped off to London for a semester and had a fabulous time in the city. I was so moved by the way she spoke about London that I knew I wanted to have the same experience that she did. When I decided to attend Fordham, one of the reasons I was attracted to the school was the study abroad program in London. Fordham University has a campus in the middle of the city (High Street Kensington, shown below) and students have the opportunity to apply for an internship at one of the Big 4 Accounting Firms, KPMG. Fortunately, I had the opportunity to embark on both of those adventures.

After my stay in London, I am biased on which city a student should choose when deciding where to study abroad. However, there are pros and cons to the city. London is the perfect location for travelling to other cities. There are numerous airports near the city that allow for inexpensive travel to any European city of your choice. The three airports are Heathrow, Stansted, and Gatwick. If you truly want to immerse yourself in British culture, you can travel to the outskirts of England, such as the landmark Highclere Castle (for any Downton Abbey fans) and The Warner Brothers Studios where Harry Potter is filmed. I wish I had the chance to see Oxford, Cambridge, Bath, and Liverpool, but there is only so much you can do in 4 months! Another amazing aspect of the city is the subway system, called “The Tube”. The Tube is incredibly simple to navigate and is a great resource to utilize when getting to know the city. On every Tube stop, there is a voiceover that states what famous landmarks are in the area where the tube is stopping. In this way, there is never anyway to get lost, you can never fall asleep on the tube, or miss your stop (very different from New York). There are beautiful and engaging museums, such as The National Gallery and the Imperial War Museum that truly bring history to life. That is one of my favorite parts of London: how all of the museums and galleries give history a meaning and show visitors the aftermath of events such as World War II or Princess Diana’s death. My entire semester abroad, I was learning something new with every area of London that I visited. For example, when I visited the Churchill War Rooms, I didn’t realize how much those working for the government had to sacrifice during that time until visiting the bunkers. That experience made me grateful for everything I have and all of the experiences I have had the chance to encounter. I wouldn’t have had that had I not gone to London.

If I’m being completely honest, there are a few downsides to studying abroad in London. To start off, London is incredibly expensive. This is coming from a girl who attends college in New York City. If you thought a grande vanilla latte at Starbucks was expensive in America, just wait until you get to London. For anyone interested in living in London, save up as many pennies as you can. With my internship at KPMG, I was paid in pounds, which was a lifesaver towards the end of my trip! Additionally, London’s public transportation train, called the “Tube”, shuts down at 12:00am. If you are out late at a show or are spending some time with friends at the pub, beware that you may have to wait for a bus or take a black cab instead of the Tube.

As you can see, there are many positive aspects of London that completely outweigh the negatives. Once you get to the city, you will realize just how lucky you are to be visiting one of the greatest cities in the world.