Dress Code

If you are planning a trip to London and are worried about what to pack, let me put your mind at ease. Two words: Anything goes.
I can't think of anything a person could wear over here that would be the wrong thing because I see everything you can imagine, every day.
Last night is a good example. Keith went to the theater with his students so I set out on my own - a trip to the London Transport Museum, then a walk around Covent Garden. It's one of my favorite areas to wander in - not just the market there, although I do love to browse in the shops - but the entire area, including the book stalls on Charing Cross and hustle-and-bustle of Theaterland.
Last night was nippy; I was comfortable in a sweater and jacket. Here's what I saw, in about a five-minute span:
** Two girls, walking together - one in jeans, boots and heavy, thigh-length belted sweater and the other in black tights, shiny silver short-shorts and a sleeveless black shirt.
** Lots of boots - thigh-high patent-leather boots (shiny gold), lots of leather knee boots with stiletto heels and mid-calf boots lots of Yetti-style fur.
** Tights worn with shirts - no slacks or skirts. The shirts are VERY short.
** Patterned hosiery - lots of it.
** Backless silver top with matching shorts.
Of course, I also saw a lot of "normal" clothes too. And that's really the point. I was really looking at clothing. No one else seems to. No matter how outrageous the outfit, no one is looking. No matter how ordinary the outfit, no one is looking. Everybody fits in.
I think that's one of the things I love about living in a city of 8 million. It's esasy to blend in and be yourself. People don't seem so judgmental about what they see, because they see a lot. People weren't looking twice at the girl with pink, yellow and purple striped hair.
Every day, I walk and ride buses and subways with people of many ages, languages, ethnicities and clothing, hair and piercing styles. About the only thing they seem to have in common is that they're either talking or messaging on a mobile phone or reading a book or newspaper.
We don't get American news channels on TV, so what we get of election coverage is mentions on the BBC or Sky News, or news from various websites. When you get news from the web, you often get the reader comments that go with it. I read those and I often shudder.
There are always going to be people who disagree with your point of view. But the vitriol with which people respond is remarkable. It's not enough to think someone is wrong - your opponent is the devil, a terrorist, warmonger, killer, thief, liar, etc... No matter what your politics, that just can't be right.
One of the best things about traveling the world and being exposed to different people, languages and customs is that you start to see people as people - not as religions, nationalities and so forth. Your world gets wider. Stereotypes are thrown aside. You begin to see that people are just people.
I was waiting to catch the bus and there was a young man waiting too. Of course, he was on his mobile. He looked like a person that some people would be a bit afraid of, and I couldn't help but hear his conversation: "Yes mum, I'll be home in half hour. I'll help you when I get there, I promise."
The scary guy didn't seem so scary anymore. He was just a regular bloke headed home to help his mum.