If there’s one question I kept getting in the past few months, it has always been ‘How’s the London life?’ and it seemed like more and more people, both from the UK and from abroad, kept asking me the same question with either a very wishful smile of hope that they’ll soon live in London as well or with a scared look for London’s renowned rush.
And since the topic kept coming up, I thought I’d share an article with my thoughts on that. I have actually been thinking about it for a while now, trying to ask myself this question over and over again – on the good days and on the bad days so that when I finally sit down to write the article I have an answer that embodies it all.
I have always loved London, and you’d think ‘duuh, who doesn’t?’ but not everyone does, London is that one of a kind city, that you either love or hate, there’s rarely any in between. However, before living in London, I used to fall for it every single time I visited it, and I was always drawn in by its unique vibe. So living in London seemed a great idea, even if some deemed it scary or overwhelming. I knew, though, it’s something that I feel in my soul I’ll always want to experiment, so doing what I love – fashion – in the city that has drawn me in over and over again seemed the ideal combo!
And it is – oh, dear, there’s not a single day where something new doesn’t happen, a new event/brand doesn’t come to town or someone doesn’t come up with a new idea of places to go, things to see. All in one city, how great is that? Truly great! So, I came to London loving it, and I still do, but I have learnt the reasons why some people don’t. It can become tiring, it can become too much, it can make you feel alone, overwhelmed and with all these things happening around you, it can make you feel that you can’t possibly do them all! Which takes me back to the love it or hate it statement, if you don’t have an affinity for London, you won’t put up with it, because the ‘too much’ sentiment will take over and you’ll be wondering why are you doing this to yourself? That probably means your happy place is in a less crowded place, a more peaceful place, most likely a smaller place, but chances are, you already know that.
If you, on the other hand, really love London, you’ll get through all those and find people that share the feeling to rant together on how the tube was late and the rain ruined your hair and the sky is gray and poluted and, and… and do it all while you’re on your way to this cool event that you’re really excited about. Because that’s how you harvest your love for London, it always gives you something back that can’t keep you mad at it.
And that’s the best thing – finding people that think alike and that get you, which again, is quite a hard thing to do in the city where we all land to ‘chase our dreams’. That makes everyone very aware of the sacrifices they’ve made to get there and therefore, feel that no distractions should be allowed. And that’s how 8 million people become more focus on themselves rather than developing human interaction. Now you see why I consider myself so, so lucky – to have my very best friend in the same city and to have met amazing people that have become some of my best friends, and whom I would have never met if it wasn’t for London.
All in all, London is truly unique, and if you’re here debating if to move here, take a minute to discover if London’s the city for you – if unsure, do it anyway and give it a try, it might grow on you! But if you’re here to decide if you should visit, what are you waiting for? Happy to be a guide always, so let me know if you need any tips!
It’s a long post so thank you for reading if you’ve made it so far and please send me your thoughts on it! Now I’ll let you see some of my pics from this year’s London Fashion Week because what would be a post about how my love for fashion brought me to London if it had no LFW mentions, right?
All my love, D.
I was wearing:
Fur coat – Shein
Top/Trousers/Purse – H&M
Boots – Bebo through TK Maxx
Pictures by Radana Hruba.