I've decided to take a break from my grueling and rigorous studies to write about something that really interests me - food and fashion. And probably take some tangents along the way. Talking about uni just doesn't seem to be nearly as interesting, though I WILL say for the first time in my academic career I'm more enthralled by the endlessly long readings than by the lectures, which take place in cramped "halls" fit with bad lighting and linoleum tiles. While the buildings of NYU might have looked unappealingly modern and industrial, at least they were constructed with upholstered seating. The deceptive old-world sandstone castle architecture of Sydney's buildings might make your eyes glitter with the hope of being magically transported to some sort of wizardry class, when in reality you are stuffed into a remade middle school desk complete with obscene cartoon graffiti listening to an old man drone on about frequency tables. At least this has been my experience thus far. The plus side is that I only had class two days this week - this won't be the case when my tutorials start next week - but the self-directed, we-are-most-definitely-not-holding-your-hand-or-assisting-you-at-all-with-anythingg approach of Sydney's postgrad program is giving me a lot of time to upload my Facebook photos.
On one of my several days off this week, I took a daytrip to Newtown, a trendy area next-door to uni where I rewarded my 10 some odd hours of hard work with a shopping spree. I have been trying to decipher Australian fashion and it's been more difficult than I thought. When I came here in 2010, some guys I befriended asked me what I thought of the style and I jokingly (sort of) said it was a couple years behind America's, and surprisingly they whole heartedly agreed. This is still kind of true, such as when I see the stretched out sweater-shirt, or the leggings with the jean miniskirt being rocked around campus, but Sydney definitely has a brand all its own when it comes to fashion. Here are a few of the more major things I've noticed:
Granny Chic:
Remade, vintage, thrift, and old school trends are definitely in style here. Tons of girls walking around in long polka dot dresses, acid wash jeans, or flouncy blouses that came from some bygone era. It transcends hipsterdom as well, though here "hipster" seems to be more of a mainstream style... which arguably it has in the States too.
The Black Boot:
This is something I definitely don't get. Girls of all shapes, sizes and style choice are walking around with this indistinguishable clunky ankle boot! I can only assume the original trendy brand was Doc Marten because that is what they all look like, though I'm sure some of the better scenesters have found their own designers. When I first got here, I couldn't stand the look of them, especially on girls who were not dressed to be wearing them in the first place, but just as did the jegging and the giant flower headband, they began to grow on me possibly because they are EVERYWHERE. It's not just the punky girl with the leather skinny jeans, it's the girl with the khaki shorts and polo shirt. I don't have a pair yet, but I fear I might not be able to resist.
The No Shoe Look
On the other hand, you have those citizens who choose not to wear shoes at all. I'm not just talking about the homeless, who actually usually are wearing sandals. I know we are sort of kind of near the beach most of the time, but these are people fully dressed in urban center of the city who seemingly have no intention of going to the beach that are walking down the street with no shoes on. Girls and guys of all style persuasions who for whatever reason just couldn't be bothered to utilize footwear. You would guess maybe they didn't have time to tie the knots or do up the complicated buckles, but interestingly, the one characteristic most of them seem to share is that they don't seem to be in a huge rush to get anywhere.
The Overly Expensive Uni Bag
In my quest to find a good bag to carry my books from A to B (from the North shore to the bus stop to the train station through Red Fern to my school ....!) I realized that many girls spend up to $900 on the bag that they are schlepping (how many Aussies know THAT word??) their books in everyday. Popular bags include some designer called Mimco ($400-$500), Country Road (a bit less i think, but still upwards $100), and Longchamp ($700+). I don't know where these ladies are getting their bag funds... perhaps not having to pay for university has shifted their priorities. As for me, I opted for a TopShop bag for about $70.
Of course, style isn't just about what you wear, but how you do things. Eating for example. I have learned that it is a common rule that many Australians think Americans are sloppy eaters because they don't tend to use knives as ubiquitously. This was true for me, at least - I never used knives back home. Here I do because I don't want to be the sloppy looking American, although my ineptness at knife using probably sets me apart as that anyway. Australians have a very quick and precise way of eating where they hold the fork backwards and chop everything up and then slide it onto the back of the fork. I have no idea if this is supposed to be proper, but I can't seem to get a grasp on it. What I think would make someone a sloppy eater is not having a napkin, and so far it seems only restaurants offer those and even then I don't see many people using them. What I do like about Australian dining is that every place, even tiny cafes, give you huge bottles of tap water so you don't have to continually ask for refills.
Walking - seems primal and simple enough, doesn't it? Well, it's not. Apparently, in a country where you drive on the wrong side of the road, you also walk on the wrong side of the sidewalk. This has generated lots of problems for me as I tend to veer to the right when someone is walking at me, and they look at me as though I am deliberately trying to cause trouble. GO LEFT! everyone tells me, but this feels so unnatural. Crossing the street is also a problem if I happen to look the way I am used to looking. Of course, a driver here would rather make you roadkill then slow down to let you cross through massive traffic with two shopping bags in the middle of a lightning storm. Drivers will stop so short so as to create a three car pileup at an allocated pedestrian crossing, but if you happen to have the light at an intersection but someone needs to turn, you better watch your back. That Mercedes wouldn't stop for the Queen.
Speaking of people getting in my way - figuring out a time to run here has been an interesting quandary. Between the hours of 8-10 and 3-5, going for a run around Northbridge has proved impossible because of all the school children. In America, if you are running, it is expected that people will move out of your way and make it easy for you to pass. It is also expected that you will remove your children from the oncoming traffic of my body so that I don't either slam into them or have to stop my pace. That's definitely not the case here. School kids wearing ridiculously large hats and riding scooters that they are too small to properly wield are like land mines that I have to constantly dodge. Their mothers will walk them the length of of the sidewalk and refuse to move them when they see me coming, staring me down as though it were a game of chicken, testing me to see will I really run over such precious cargo? The answer is yes, and eventually I am met with an exasperated eye roll but nothing else as, out of self preservation, the children move themselves. I am not sure if there is some unwritten rule that between these morning and afternoon hours no one else should be doing anything that requires sidewalk space, but being in such an upscale neighborhood I would expect mothers to be teaching their children some manners about moving out of other people's way. The other day one child dropped a water bottle that was rolling down hill right in my path, and her mother just stood there with crossed arms not saying anything, possibly waiting to see if it would end my reign of running terror once and for all.
There are definitely positive sides to all these new adjustments... such as the snakeskin heels I was able to purchase for $10! All of this shopping and eating though have put a dent in my bank - even with loan funds! - so I'm currently seeking a job. I'm considering, though not heavily at this point, getting my RSA which is Responsible Service (something) allowing me to work in a bar. Even though Australians don't tip, it's still well-paid work... but of course I'd rather find something academic if possible.
