Do it for the Blog: British Flag Bold Prints vs. Biker chic

“Do it for the gram,” is a popular phrase that teenagers use these days. Ultimately, this phrase basically means that you do something solely so that you can take pictures and then, of course, show it off on Instagram. You have to admit that you have done this at least once in your life, we are all guilty of it. Have you ever ordered an aesthetically pleasing coffee at an absurdly expensive cafe for the #foodie shot? Have you hiked to the top of a mountain just to get a picture where you can see the Hollywood sign in the background? Have you ever paid $40 to go to the Museum of Ice Cream for a picture in the pool of sprinkles? Unfortunately, I am guilty of all of these and it is not something that I am proud of, but sometimes you have to do what you have to do. This phrase of ‘doing it for the gram’ truly came to life for the purpose of this blog post.

I arrived in London and I walked around Bond Street, one of the major shopping streets in London. I briefly discovered that there was more to London than red buses, the Big Ben, Burberry and baked beans. I was completely captivated by the Londoners as they were challenging all of the stereotypes. Londoners seemed rebellious, reckless and resolute. There was something in the way that they carried themselves that I found fascinating. I would describe their style as “British Flag Bold Prints,” not because these prints resemble the British Flag, but they emulate its boldness. Londoners are definitely bold in their fashion choices when it came to color, patterns and details.

Initially, I was daunted by the idea of asking people to take pictures of their outfits. I definitely had to push myself and have my friends ‘hype’ me up before I approached anyone. While I was waiting to go into the Christian Dior Exhibit at the Victoria and Albert Museum I saw the perfect opportunity to make my first move. A girl rocking an off the shoulder black and white polka dot dress paired with black leggings, unexpected sky blue socks and trendy clunky black sneakers caught my eye. She made it easy for me as she was friendly and flattered that I was a fan of her outfit. I think this picture truly captures her vivaciousness and the wind blowing on her dress is a visual representation of her lively and playful personality.

In my opinion, Londoners use their outfit choices as self-expression and they are not afraid of revealing their most authentic selves. For this next shot, this was really a “do it for the gram” moment. I was sitting down outside at a restaurant near the V&A, observing the Londoners stroll through the busy street ahead while enjoying some Thai food with all of my friends. From a distance, I saw this woman with a daring red and black plaid blazer, therefore I left everything on the table and decided to make a run for it. She was a fast walker let me tell you, when I turned the corner of the cafe she was already all the way down the street. As I was approaching her, I slowed down as I did not want to startle her. She agreed to let me take her picture and as soon as I pressed down the button, a red bus drove by. The perfect shot! In this picture, she portrays an audacious London girl on the go with her AirPods and iPhone in hand. She is sporting a casual outfit of t-shirt and jeans, but she sophisticated her look by adding the the eye-catching red and black plaid blazer, black designer bag with gold details and her dark eye glasses.

During my time in London, not only did I notice the rebellious and bold fashion choices that fit into the “British Flag Bold Prints” style, but I saw small elements of outfits that drew my attention. I was walking around near Bond Street and I saw this woman wearing a striking pastel colored oversized windbreaker got me. Her style is the definition of risky and trendy, she was unquestionably pulling it off. After having a conversation with her, it turns out that she is an Instagram star and goes by the name of Little Donatella. My friends and I followed her on Instagram and she asked that we send her the pictures. It was definitely and fun and interesting encounter to top off my time in London!

I came back to Paris and thought that it would be more of a challenge to take pictures of Parisians since my French is not the best. I went to my French beginner class and asked my professor to teach me how to say the basics that I needed. I practiced, mastered a few sentences and I was ready to take on the streets of Paris. I noticed how many Parisians have mastered the black and white classic, subtle style. For my macro-trend, I decided to focus on the all black “biker chic” style. The first look I found as I was walking around the beautiful streets of the Le Marais neighborhood during my lunch break this week. She was wearing a low black turtleneck with a leather boiler suit paired with white dad sneakers. She added a black baker boy hat and a colorful printed Carolina Herrera cross body bag to her look. I was a fan of how she was not afraid of adding some color with her bag choice. This girl was undoubtedly rocking the boiler suit!

I am obsessed with the effortless, casual biker chic style, therefore I decided to stop this girl outside the Yves Saint Laurent Museum. I love how she played with the leather, cotton sweatshirt and distressed jean skirt. This Parisian girl looked casual, edgy, but also chic. Let’s not forget about her sunglasses, they tied the whole outfit together!

Lastly, I wanted to find a micro-trend or small element of an outfit that truly fit into the “biker chic” Parisian style that I was going for with my macro-trend. This would have to be the biker shorts. Now, I believe that not everyone can successfully pull off these shorts, but this girl did. Her whole look was ‘fire,’ to say the least.

Even though Paris and London are both European cities, they have apparent differences in terms of their fashion and style as you have seen through my findings. Londoners are not intimidated by colors, patterns and going outside of their comfort zone. They are bold, rebellious and are not afraid to take risks as you saw in Little Donatella’s outfit. In the other hand, Parisians are bold and chic but they prefer to refrain from loud colors and opt for the subtle black ensemble. They might add a pop of color, usually red, but it will not be anything that draws too much attention. The have absolutely mastered the classic black and white look, which we see in all three of the Parisian girls. Although, Paris and London have distinct styles, they are both similar in that they use their fashion choices as a method of self-expression in their own unique ways. For these findings, I have definitely been “doing it for the gram,” or should I say “doing it for the blog,” and I am proud of it. I just wish all of these girls could have these pictures because they are without doubt ‘insta worthy.’