Hannah Yakobi is an award-winning journalist and communications specialist. Throughout her career, she has written for the National Post, OK! Magazine, the Ottawa Citizen, Canwest newspaper network and dozens of publications around the world. Currently, she is the Editor-in-Chief of FAJO Magazine, a Canadian publication with staff in Canada, U.S. and U.K.
Our Editorial Assistant, Aleyah Solomon, is currently in New York City, taking a break from her busy life in Toronto, exploring the Big Apple’s fashion districts and catching up with FAJO’s team based there. As we exchange e-mails back and forth, I started to reflect on how peculiar it is that every major city really has its own flair and fashion aesthetic.
Many young professionals travel around the world on a regular basis, so in this week’s column I decided to list some of the major fashion capitals, what to expect from them fashion-wise if you are visiting, and what you should bring if you wanted to look less like a tourist.
London
London’s style is very experimental. Here, you can “get away” with pretty much anything. Gents can be in a cape-like jacket or red jeans, ladies in Gaga-esque style platforms or fluffy ponchos. The more creative, the better!
What to bring: A great way to make a statement in London is to have very unusual accessories – bright scarves, oversized watches, high-platform boots, spiky rings.
What to read: To get inspired, check out Candice Lake’s blog.
Paris
Paris is the city of chic. Here, you have to wear your best clothes at all times. No, this is not a stereotype – this is a reality. If you want to impress someone, you have to be perfectly groomed, dressed to the tee.
What to bring: Soft fabrics work well for both sexes; a lot of people wear black in Paris, which brings a stronger focus on good tailoring. Sometimes, they pair a fully black outfit with bright-coloured shoes, gloves or a bag. Hats are also a good option, for the gents and the ladies alike. For the ladies, accentuate the shoulders. For the gents, don’t forget your cufflinks and classic eyewear.
What to read: To get inspired, check out Style & the City.
New York
The Big Apple never sleeps, never stops, never pauses. To suit their fast-paced lifestyle that often has casual office mornings that blend into dressy club nights, New Yorkers love pairing up really high-end designers (Diane von Furstenberg, Marc Jacobs, Bill Blass) with high street fashion (H&M, Zara, Mango).
What to bring: Pack well and pack ahead. New York has so many fashion and art districts and neighbourhoods that you will likely go shopping, too. But be prepared to look trendy. New York is all about clothes that are “in” for a given season.
What to read: To get inspired, check out A Photo from NYC, written by my fabulous colleague Nicole McLaren.
Happy stylish traveling!
Photo courtesy FAJO Magazine
