Fashion Notes

Camp Connell, CA -- As part of our recent cultural learning experience, Pat and I spotted some interesting clothing styles which seem to reflect something about Ireland and Scotland.
It was mostly sunny in Ireland and mostly wet and cloudy in Scotland, so that certainly had an impact on what people wore. But, some fashions did stand out.

First, with a nod in the direction of my grand-daughter Delaney, there were a lot of boys in Ireland that looked a lot like Harry Potter and his Hogwarts buddies.


Second, with a memory of teachers who would have whipped out the ruler to check proper skirt length below the knee, there were a lot of school girls in neat uniforms with mini-skirts and black stockings.


Third, a particular shade of pink showed up all over Ireland, but rarely in Scotland. That probably says something about the colorful Irish.





The color even appeared on buses and advertisements.

The fashion we most wanted to emulate was provided by a teen aged girl we met in Belfast. I would not say she was typical, but her hairdo was pretty striking,


In Ireland we noticed that a lot of men, particularly middle-aged working and professional men, were sporting shaved heads and tank tops or tight tee shirts. It was like looking at a gathering of skin-heads, only to find out it was a dentist convention.

We saw some really really interesting shoes in the cities, and Pat shot this picture of me, being bemused, at a display.


Good taste, and my wife's intervention, interfered with my photographing the more striking examples of young women in extreme mini-skirts and with significant cleavage, but both were plentiful in Ireland and totally missing in Scotland except for this rather tasteful shot taken at Edinburgh Castle. The lady and her friend were probably German tourists, but you can see the trend for adults to emulate the teenagers.

Finally, Pat admired the outfit this fellow had on, but I declined to buy the hat.