British & American Style: The Trends All Cool Girls Wear

I’m English, but I’ve lived in the US for nearly 10 years. I truly consider both LA and London my home, and from a style perspective, I’ve come to know and love the fashion landscapes of both places… and they are poles apart! I think one of the most common questions I get asked during interviews is, what is the difference between LA and London style? There are so many stereotypes that exist on each side of the pond, such as American style being flashy or tacky – or to Americans, UK style being traditional and stuffy. In reality though, both British and American style are more influenced by each other than we realize, and there are so many must-have trends that we share this Fall. (Also, see my feature on Who What Wear UK here!)

American media and celebrities have long been popular in the UK, and with British retailers like ASOS and Topshop becoming more known and available in the US – there’s a shared fashion DNA that has begun to emerge. Personally, I think that we have so much inspiration to gain from each other. There’s an edgy, low-key sophistication to British fashion that I love, a love of tailoring, messy hair, smudged makeup, cropped flares and generally letting your style speak for itself. In America, well – certainly LA – which doesn’t represent the rest of the States (!) – I’ve noticed people fall into two extremes: beachy casual, and highly styled. I love the fact you can wear denim shorts, a white tee and vintage shades to pretty much any event. But conversely, it’s not unusual to see girls go out to dinner in super strappy Aquazzura’s, leather high-waisted trousers (I nearly wrote ‘pants’ then – perhaps I have been here too long afterall!) and a crop top. Boobs are pushed up here, instead of sitting in lace camisoles peeking out from under a blazer, back in Europe. Lips are lined and then glossed – the bigger the better – whereas in London, i’m seeing more girls slick on a quick red stain with their finger, matte and imperfect. Perhaps it’s easier envisioned if you look at some of the leading models and fashion icons in each place. The Hadid sisters and the Jenner sisters have, for example, a totally different aesthetic to the likes of Alexa Chung and Suki Waterhouse. They might wear the same trends, even the very same dress, but the key is they style it completely differently.

Of course, these are big generalizations, and in no way sum up the entire two nations, but simply my observations having spent so much time in the fashion industry, in both countries.
That said, here are some of my favourite autumn trends that both British and American girls love and need in their closets.

Oversized Blazers

Patent Boots

Bold Red Everything

Asian-embellished Handbag

Skinny sunglasses

Coin gold necklace

Chunky Gold Earrings (a la 90’s Ivana Trump/Dynasty)

xx,