And, since my note to her was getting so long, I thought that I would post it here, so you can enjoy it as well. That way, if you come visit me, you can be all fashionable, or, even if you are still at home, you can be on the cutting edge of fashion anyways.
For starters, the eighties are back. They really, really are. If you find your most ridiculous left-over outfit from the eighties and bring it back, someone is probably already wearing that exact thing. Parachute pants, acid washed jeans, overalls with the straps down, wearing suspenders but having them hanging down around your knees, Michael Jackson outfits (as in sequined Member's only jackets, black shoes, black pants that stop at the ankle, and white socks), giant t-shirts with the collar cut out so that they hang off of one shoulder, side ponytails, midriff sweatshirts, those giant puffy high-top tennis shoes (usually in neon colors), wearing cuffed jean shorts over tights, all of those really horrible, awful things are back. It is very sad. Also, the fact that I wore some of those outfits the first time around makes me feel sadder and also very old.
It is things like this that makes me especially glad that I was home-schooled and that, if I did fall victim to these terrible fashions, at least they aren't commemorated in any year-book photos. I do vividly remember making tight little cuffs at the bottom of my pale blue, acid wash jeans (because when they were loose enough to get over your heel they were just too loose) and knowing I was just soooooo cool and those are back now, too.
I almost feel like some fashion folks are just doing this so that their kids can't laugh at their old year-book pictures. There is really no other reasonable explanation for why this website includes detailed instructions on how to get this hair-do which it calls "great for parties" and "edgy and sexy". I personally find this very traumatizing.
Okay, well, if you want to start from the non-80s side of things you need these things:
1. Scarves. Any kind of scarf, any color, any length, any knot/wrap, any material, just so long as you have something wrapped around your neck. This goes for guys as well, although theirs tend to be shorter and (usually) less sparkly.
2. Hoods. Everyone's jackets have hoods. If it doesn't have a hood, then they are probably wearing a sweatshirt underneath it with the hood pulled out over the jacket. Sometimes people even have more than one hood. This is, by the way, a very practical solution for a place where it often rains and where winds often make carrying an open umbrella impracticable. I would say that 70% of people have a hood on their jackets, 20% have two or more hoods at the same time, and 10% have no hoods.
3. Boots. Everyone is wear boots. Any kind of boots, any height, any color, any style. The majority are flat (the better to walk places and ride bikes) or a wedge shape. Uugg boots are really in: I counted in a subway car on the way home one evening and of the 9 pairs of female feet I could see (including mine) 8 were wearing boots (I was the unfashionable one) and six of them were wearing Uuggs. But, everything from little ankle boots to little ankle boots with giant puffy fuzzy trims, to knee high boots, to thigh high boots are out there. Really, this is fairly practical, considering the weather (okay, maybe not the ones that come to mid-thigh, but the rest of them are).
4. Jackets. Probably a no-brainer, but people wear jackets a lot here. They tend to be one of two kinds. First, military-inspired--pea coats, etc. Second, shiny, plasticky, puffy jackets. Most of these jackets, of whatever style, are black. I would say that 80% of the jackets you see people wear are black, 10% are brown/tan (and most of these are leather or an equivalent), and 10% bright colors (I have only seen one navy-blue coat since I have been paying attention).
5. Fur. Fur. and more Fur. I don't know if it is real of fake (maybe its a mix) but the vast majority of jackets have fur trimmed hoods. Also, a lot (a LOT) of boots are trimmed with fur as well.
6. Fur-trimmed ear-flapper hats. Believe it or not, this is the in thing. They advertise them in fashion magazines and people wear them all over town (although they tend to be worn by guys, they are still pretty popular with girls, too).
Honestly, though, I really cannot see the need for as many as I have seen, seeing as I don't think it has dropped below 40 so far this year. Had I known it was so trendy, though, I might have brought my own ear-flapper hat, just because I am rarely a part of such a big fashion trend. I bet the silage smell would wear out before too long. Hats, in general though, don't seem nearly as popular, with the recent possible exception of knit caps, probably also because of the wind.
Well, there you have it. You are now ready to dress like a Dutch fashion super star!
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