Hi everyone, I am traveling from the USA to study abroad in London for this fall. I was just wondering what kind of clothes and shoes are popular with females my age(20). Any other general tips would also be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

I was 24 went I first went to London in 1997 to study abroad. (A group of students AND Professors as well went to London for Summer quarter...so it was more like studying in GA., but with a change of scenery.) Anyway, this was the advice given in orientation:

Leave your jewlery and your fancy clothes at home. English college students are very casual. Don't wear a lot of make-up. Don't wear white shoes.

Hope that helps.

FromAtlanta, that was great advice.

Students in the UK can be very casual/scruffy. However, this doesn't mean badly fitting jeans and baggy sweatshirts. They are still fashion conscious. You will become very well acquainted with Top Shop and H&M - cheap clothes in the latest fashions.

A few pairs of low slung, bootcut jeans and some slim fitting tops, with flipflops, good boots and some cool trainers (our name for sneakers - NOT white tennies!) will see you fine. I'd suggest you wait til you get here for your major shopping, because its impossible to describe here, and no matter what is in your wardrobe right now, I'm sure it won't be quite what the students over here are wearing. Oh, and a pair of combats (pref. mens') won't go amiss either.

Anything seems to go, as long as it's black.

To add to Kate's recommendation.

Students here typically don't dress typically. They dress the way the rest of their tribe dresses - and there can be dozens of overlapping tribes in any club at any time. The basis of tribe membership, and what their members have in common, fluctuates all the time.

The tribes you join (assuming you don't do as too many foreign students do and live in a foreigner bubble) may regard Top Shop or Oasis as naff. They may trawl Oxfam shops, or fall in love with the stuff at Lawrence Corner. Or George at Asda - a great deal less dowdy than George at WalMart - might be flavour of the month.

The only thing you know for certain about any advice here is that it'll be flatly wrong by the autumn, and already irrelevant to your tribe at your college anyway.

Just be aware that clothes are very expensive in London.

I would say that people wear all colours, not just black! And if you know where to shop then clothes aren't expensive ie Top Shop, Hennes, New Look - these shops are incredibly cheap. You can't go wrong with boot cut jean, a little tops. Ive just returned from travelling around the world and to be honest found that fashions tend to be world wide and that what people are wearing in New York or Sydney or Paris is what they will be wearing in London. H2H

My daughter starts school in London in the fall also. What school are you attending?

Wear whatever you want! Fashion in London is about being yourself, not following the crowd.
In case that isn't helpful, here are some tips:

We are not always that casual and we do like to dress up for a ball or a party (is this what you call a prom, or is that just for high school?)

It can get really cold and wet in London in winter.

Ditch the white socks. I used to laugh at my friend from NYC for wearing white socks. We only wear white socks with white shoes for sports.

Sweatshirts with college logos are only worn by people who never went to college

you can get loads of great stuff at camden and spitalfields markets.

Hi LS,

I suggest that you bring some stuff from home and see what people are wearing when you get there.

I keep hearing that colored athletic-inspired shoes (trainers, I guess!) are very big in Europe right now--Pumas, Converse. They're starting to get popular in the States, too. I just bought a pair for our upcoming trip tp Paris and Amsterdam--comfortable <i>and</i> trendy, sounds good to me!

my neice, 19 at the time, spent 6 months in london in 2002. she was working however, not going to school. we visited her there and she wore pretty much what she wears at home: she did get some things at the Top Shop and a couple of other stores. she wore jeans, sweaters, t-shirts, sweat shirt jackets, etc. it was winter when she was there so she had hats and scarves also. we went to the theatre one night and she wore a long black shirt with a turtle neck sweater and her black boots. so don't worry about it, you'll look fine. not sure what she wore to work. You are just going to love it there and will be buzzin' on the tube like a native before you know it. have a wonderful time.

We were in London in June and from what we saw, you can wear anything you please, the tighter, the better. Take your own clothes and you'll probably be the best dressed person in London. We definitely felt overdressed everywhere we went. I know m kingdom will have a fit at this, but the young people on the streets and in the museums were dressed appallingly. IMHO, of course.

m_kingdom2's favourite line is &quot;most people in London dress like tramps&quot;!!

And you've no idea of the effort it takes..

Thanks so much everyone! I really appreciate your tips, they were very helpful! I'm really looking forward to being in London.