Discovering style trends abroad over break

Spring break is usually the time where you see only bikinis and burns for miles. For me, however, I’m always in Ireland during break, getting paler and staying indoors. The one benefit to my overcast country is getting to see the trends across the pond and how radically different they are than the ones here. The outfits are tighter, the hair is voluminous and jeans are rarely on the horizon.

For me, Irish fashion just doesn’t do it. Between the over-sexualized outfits and thick makeup, it’s hard for me to imagine wearing any of their trends at night, let alone to class. Over the years, having travelled to 10 different countries, I’ve learned that the best way to find your own style is to study the style of others. While it may not be my “cup of Irish tea,” I’ve learned a lot and taken some things home with me on each trip.

Irish women clearly watch a lot of makeup tutorials on YouTube. They contour, highlight and shade any aspect of their faces. It leads me to question — why? Now don’t mistake me for a snob; I cling to my eyeliner more than my Blackboard account, but I never understood the idea of wearing false lashes during the day. Between the thick foundation, false lashes and black eye shadow, very little reality is depicted. Their hair is also vastly more voluminous than ours. They primp and prime it to perfection. I’ve often tried to attain the height and shape of those haircuts, but, alas, I think an accent is needed in order to reach that level of perfection.

In other countries — ours included — style during the day is usually indicative of personal style at night. Someone who wears sweats to class is not about to break out the leather pants as fast as others. In Ireland, this is entirely different. People’s makeup during the day may be ready for nighttime, but their outfits are not. Between the tracksuits, leggings, converse and teased hair, comfort is the priority. This becomes comical when you go out in Dublin approximately seven hours later. Irish women often wear the tightest dresses and highest heels imaginable. They look amazing, but no one is comfortable.

When I lived in the city this past summer, I often went out feeling underdressed. For someone who is usually the most accessorized, I felt odd. Never had I looked so young and felt so out of place. I began to question what made these women dress that way. Why did my friends look so radically different at night than during the day? One day, I decided to try and keep up. My routine took hours, and the response was no different than usual. I realized that when you establish your own style routine, it’s nearly impossible to break it. For me, I can’t leave the house without eyeliner, and for the women of Ireland, they couldn’t leave the house without their usual routine. My beginning judgment was wrong about these women.Sometimes, something that appears uncomfortable is just a comfort of routine and necessary for security in the night’s plans.

I think that’s just the way women are and how countries differ. Each time I arrive back in Baltimore from Dublin, I’m comforted by the relaxed outfits and general sense of self. Ireland has taught me a lot about fashion. Regardless of my opinions on their trends, they really made me appreciate the approach in the United States to “self” style.

While we have fads, no outfit is ever that out of place or inappropriate. My Irish trips to Topshop are never cheap, but they also remain indicative of who I am. The best way to travel is to find the middle between who you are and what the country represents. Wherever you travel for summer vacation, keep that in mind. Pick up a few mementos from your vacation, but be realistic. Never again will you wear that Hawaiian wrap skirt in Gilman or the Vespa bag from Rome.

Traveling is the perfect way to expand your horizons and learn who you are in a different setting. Ireland is very much a part of who I am, but at the end of the day, I will never wear a set of false lashes during the day...hopefully.