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Friday, March 14, 2014

Swiss fashion

I don't consider myself a very fashionable person. Five out of seven days a week I can be found in jeans (one of my two pairs) with whatever shirt is at the top of my drawer. The other two days I have no reason to leave the house, allowing me to wear yoga pants (or one of my favorite pairs of 'swoga' pants - yoga pants shape, but made out of thin sweatshirt material, complete with the fuzzy interior). 

Despite my own lack of trendy, I still regularly complain about how individual style is missing here in Zurich. "Conservative" appears to be the name of the game, with few bright colors and most of the banking/business-y type people here rarely dressing outside the white/grey/black continuum. In some ways it's like Manhattan (or how I imagine Manhattan to be - I've never lived there, please don't get upset NYCers), except with less edge. And more trains and mountains. And like...1/50th the population. So really not much like it at all.

Even the European clothing stores/brands that used to thrill me in France (Zara, Mango, H&M) seem to carry the blandest, dullest versions of their styles here. Sometimes I will wander into the Desigual store and simply finger the clothes longingly to remind myself what color looks like. 

 Individualism isn't something highly prized by the Swiss - in clothes or elsewhere (just my impression. I'm still new here, please don't get upset Swiss people). So when I found myself walking out of the train station behind the below lady, I had to resist the urge to break into spontaneous applause.

Guys, she's wearing a MANTA RAY as her hairpiece. It was large and plastic and may have started life as a child's toy.
Individuality doesn't have to be a bold statement. It can be as simple as glue-gunning a marine animal to your head.

P.S. - I am not saying the Swiss look bad. In fact, they typically look extremely put together - their clothes fit, they are good quality. Just that it's often - well, a little boring.

P.P.S. - For those that know me (particularly my husband), note that this post is about clothes ONLY. Shoes are an entirely different matter. Boots especially. That is all. 

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