UK Fashion

My husband thinks I'm extremely unfashionable.

I'm originally from Virginia and I would consider myself somewhat stylish in my hometown. I mostly wear light or natural colours. I love to wear sundresses, skirts, and just normal tops (mostly from the gap, old navy, ann taylor, or american eagle).

We've been living in Italy for the past year and I've already had to buy new stuff here.

We're moving in a couple of weeks and he told me I would probably need to buy new clothes to fit in (he didn't say this in a mean way...he was being honest).



What is the style in the UK?
What are some good shops to buy clothing in (preferably something on the cheap side)?

Also, what's a good hair dryer and hair straightener to buy? I need one badly.

My husband thinks I'm extremely unfashionable. 

Ouch! 

I'm originally from Virginia and I would consider myself somewhat stylish in my hometown. I mostly wear light or natural colours. I love to wear sundresses, skirts, and just normal tops (mostly from the gap, old navy, ann taylor, or american eagle). 

That sounds fine to me!  But then I am probably very unfashionable too.    My British husband and I live in the most casual clothes possible - lol!  Jeans & T-shirts & trainers at the weekend, and only slightly more dressed up casual clothes for going to work.  But we are not dressing to impress anyone & we lead a modest lifestyle - thank goodness!  Honestly, you can find people dressing in all sorts of different ways in this country, so maybe it depends on where you will be living & the circles in which you run. 

You don't mention where you are going to be living - is it London?  I am sure there are plenty of fashionistas on here who will be 'round to give you some helpful advice on what to wear & what to buy where.  Good luck! 

I live in London and those were the places I mostly shopped in the US - I wouldn't stress too much.  I mean, you see all sorts of fashion here, but the Gap is here too for all your staples.  There are women that are very fashion forward, and have the latest trends, and then you see an equal amount of women that are neatly and comfortably dressed, but it's the classic jeans/tshirt/trainers look. 

I think initially when I first moved here I thought everyone was super trendy and I was not, but I think it was more of a situation where people (men and women) do wear things a little more fitted here, and probably used more accessories than I did at home, but it wasn't such a huge change.    The only thing I really changed from my home style was that I wear tights a lot more, and boots a lot longer into the  spring than I would at home, cause it still gets pretty chilly.

I think GHD hair straighteners are the best. They are expensive, but well worth the money and last forever. I got a travel hairdryer and small straightener in a set.

If you want to check out some styles of clothing here, just have a look around at some UK online sites and see what types of clothes they have available:

Next, ASOS, Dorothy Perkins, Boohoo, River Island, New Look, etc. are all lower to middle price range. Some popular brands I see a lot are Firetrap, Replay and Super Dry.

My DH mainly complained that my jeans were too baggy, as sb15 says, I think people here tend to wear tighter-fitting clothes in general.

My husband thinks I'm extremely unfashionable.

...

We're moving in a couple of weeks and he told me I would probably need to buy new clothes to fit in (he didn't say this in a mean way...he was being honest).

I think your husband is really harsh.  I still wear a lot of my US clothes.  My style would be considered classic, with a bit of retro sprinkled in.  THough when I am casual, it is jeans, t-shirts, trainers all the way.

I don't stick out.  I often get complimented on what I wear.  And if that wasn't then case, I wouldn't care because I am comfortable in my own style.

The point, you don't *need* to do anything.  Your style sounds fine and if it wasn't, who cares as long as you are happy.  Tell your DH to shove it.  You will find what is best for you.

My husband thinks I'm extremely unfashionable.

...

We're moving in a couple of weeks and he told me I would probably need to buy new clothes to fit in (he didn't say this in a mean way...he was being honest).

OMG yuck.  That's an incredibly crappy thing to say.  If my husband said that to me under the guise of helping, he'd get a long string of expletives in return.  (and then I'd go cry somewhere).

Is your husband really into fashion?  Even still, just...ew.

Anyway, as already said, if you're London-bound, you can wear pretty much anything and not stand out.  I wear my US clothes all the time (and stock up when I am home!) because they suit my body and personality, which, in turn, makes me feel more confident.  I'm certainly not trendy, but I do receive compliments, so I would imagine that means I'm not a complete disaster.

Sure, check out websites and pick up items you like as you see them, but unless you're dressing really inappropriately (wearing clothes WAY too big/small, not clean, rocking yoga pants at a black tie function), there's probably no real reason you won't be just fine on a day to day basis. 

Hopefully the OP's DH was really just trying to be honest when he made those comments, or just making a helpful suggestion. My DH said something along the lines of "of course, when you get here, you will probably want to go shopping so you can get some clothes that are in style over here." Which wasn't exactly calling me unfashionable, I guess, but just making a statement. I don't believe you should throw out all the clothes you like or anything, and it may take a while to find some clothes here that you like, but it might make you feel a bit less conspicuous if you are wearing some clothes similar to what you see around you, if that makes any sense. It all depends on the person, really. And I get a lot of compliments on many of the clothes I bought in the states, so definitely keep your faves. 

It's funny, I get the most compliments on my like..work dresses from the Loft.  Not that I don't like them, but they are not exactly fashion forward, simply a-line dresses with some sort of pattern.  (That I  never have to iron, LOVE IT). 

I also rock my Mets t-shirts all the time. 

You know, I will say I think people probably dress up more for nights out than I ever did at home.  Like..we were going out after work to a bar nearby, and nothing crazy - but every girl bought something (whether it was a top or a dress or what) to change into.  I work a nice top underneath a blazer, but I wasn't going to change into anything.  I don't know if that's just London, though.  But in NY, I would just go from work to bar without changing.

It depends on where you're moving to, I suppose. Though I wouldn't really change even if my husband had the balls to tell me I was unfashionable ... which he wouldn't! 

I think women in cities tend to dress in a more what you might call 'fashionable' way. I would call it less fashionable and more trendy, though. And I don't do trendy. In the rural-ish southwest, it's more preppy, for lack of a better word. You don't see many well-dressed women wearing synthetic fabrics, leggings, or things bought from most high street shops. It's more cotton, casual, sporty, beachy, country-ish. And that suits me fine. 

I also rock my Mets t-shirts all the time. 

I practically live in my Dallas Mavericks hoodie. 

But I do usually wear tunics and leggings with boots and things like that when I go out to the pub instead of my usual jeans and t-shirt combo. (Though I certainly wear that combo a lot when walking on the beach or to the shop.)

But I do usually wear tunics and leggings with boots and things like that when I go out to the pub instead of my usual jeans and t-shirt combo. (Though I certainly wear that combo a lot when walking on the beach or to the shop.)

Pubs around here are much more casual. People tend to wear stuff from places like Musto, Seasalt, Deal or maybe Joules, though some of their stuff is a bit more dressy.

Dressing up (i.e., in a trendy or 'fashionable' way) is the best way to get pegged as a tourist around here! 

I see an awful lot of leggings/tights, skinny jeans and tunics when I'm in the UK, and I would agree that people tend to wear a lot of tight/trendy things. Unfortunately for me, my body type and that style do NOT get along. So I guess I'm just going to be "unfashionable."

That said, there are some looser cut styles for women. My two favorite pairs of jeans were purchased when I was in Scotland at a store called Republic. The brands are "Crafted" and "SoulCal." And they are definitely baggier/loose fitting. So those types of items ARE available.

I'm sure I will adapt some of the clothing style the longer I am there, but I still just can't picture me wearing leggings or skinny jeans. My thighs are just too thick from exercise/weight lifting, and it would make me look terrible!

Yeah, that's kind of what I mean - the girls put on fancier shoes, shiny tops, etc.  The more on-trend jeans/shoes, etc.  Which is fine.  But I do see plenty of girls in London who don't get all Topshopped and look just as nice.  

If you had to give me one outfit that I'd be happy in for the rest of my life, it would be jeans and a black shirt.  Since high school, this has sort of been my "dressing up" uniform.

Oh please. You want to dress like a British woman? Lots of people look good, but the trend is for tight clothes, ridiculously high-heeled shoes, and overdone hair. No thanks. Topshop is very popular, and while it's not very expensive I think the clothes are overpriced. Cheap clothes are H&M and Primark. Uniqlo is very reasonable as well and the clothes are nice, a bit preppy and coordinated. Of the stores you mentioned the only one in Britain is The Gap, which is everywhere. If you like Ann Taylor you might like Zara. Most stores I can think of are high street chains, and if you are in London and walk down Oxford Street and around Covent Garden you'll see nearly everything there is to see. Ah, you also might like Marks and Spencer, which has well-priced basics. I usually buy designer clothes in consignment shops or on sale, but high street clothes are OK. Tell that husband of yours to leave you alone. That is not cool!

It's funny, I get the most compliments on my like..work dresses from the Loft.  Not that I don't like them, but they are not exactly fashion forward, simply a-line dresses with some sort of pattern.  (That I  never have to iron, LOVE IT). 

I also rock my Mets t-shirts all the time. 

You know, I will say I think people probably dress up more for nights out than I ever did at home.  Like..we were going out after work to a bar nearby, and nothing crazy - but every girl bought something (whether it was a top or a dress or what) to change into.  I work a nice top underneath a blazer, but I wasn't going to change into anything.  I don't know if that's just London, though.  But in NY, I would just go from work to bar without changing.

I agree with this to a T.

My work clothes are all US branded because I can't find suits here that fit me or don't look really cheap.  I constantly get complimented on my work clothes, when I just find them classic.

The big difference I notice is when people go out -- and they nearly always dress up, even going to the pub.  I sometimes do this and sometimes cannot be bothered.  If I am not bothered, I am wearing something I am comfortable in and I don't care if it isn't UK trendy.  If I was told I was unfashionable, I wouldn't care one bit.

The stuff that is trendy is, like was said, is leggings, etc.  I am just not a fan of.  I think that has more to do with my age than trendiness.  What I am wearing instead suits me just fine.