J- Rant # 2

After 11 years of wearing a school uniform (baggy shirt andnavy nylon shorts... great..), school in France (without a uniform or even a dress code! Wooh!) is, unsurprisingly, very refreshing. All these kids, letting their personalities shine through their outfits. I could just sit and people watch for hours, discovering new style ideas, and different groups... different patterns in the way they dress.

Because there are patterns. In the French schooling system, you choose a line, when you are about 16 years old, which has the appropriate subjects for your interests or your chosen career (pressure much??) I think there is something like a scientific line, an economics line, and a literature line. I am in the literature one, and it is amazing how obvious it is that these kids are into art and books. They express it so well through their clothes! For the most part, my class likes to wear huge hemp harem pants, thick eyeliner, bold jewellery, and loads of layers and scarves. There are, of course, a few acceptions: the kids that dont care about fashion at all and just stick to the same pair of jeans and dorky black zip-up jacket day after day, and the girls who dress in the more sophisticated, preppy way- black trench, white blouse, skinny jeans, and knee high boots.

If you take a look at the kids from the other subject lines, they tend to be a bit more randomly dressed- like they arent all trying to be different in the same way-, though the 2 main looks are preppy (think Blai Waldorf with less colour) and American rapper (think big hoop earrings, hoodies, tracksuit pants, and massive Nike sneakers).

I just feel like going around with a camera and taking pics of everyone! But that might not go down to well... especially considering my French ain't too swell. But when it is, I promise I'll start!! It'll be tres brill :)