Fashion Culture Shock

If any of you have been to boarding school, you'll know exactly what this is about.

As a teen, none of it made sense to me. What did a 4 cm tank top strap have that a 3.5 cm one didn't? I made it my personal mission to be as difficult about the dress code as possible. However...

The return to Europe made me realise I wasn't nearly as free-spirited as I'd thought! Imagine growing up in a country where hips-to-knees is the cover-up zone - and then being hit with hot pants!

Every encounter turned me into the heroine of a Jane Austen novel. Ankles?! Scandalous!

Fashion culture shock wasn't just about length though. As a naturally fabulous person, I couldn't have wished for better fashion than Senegalese - colourful, extravagant, and beautifully accessorised. Sunday outfits alone had more colour than a German would wear in a year. German Sunday "outfits" could best be described as... demure. A harsher person might even say drab.

You can imagine my disappointment.

This kind of colour shock wasn't restricted to Sundays either. I'll never forget arriving to an interview for a place in biochemistry studies, where everyone down to the student aid was wearing navy blue. And then in I walked with my baby pink blazer!

In the end, I decided to stay fabulous and to appreciate German fashion. It's a straight-forward, practical style that reflects German culture - and it's easy to adapt to your own preferences! Vibrant Senegalese fabrics might still turn heads in our small village, but there are a few who appreciate them - for example my aunt, who continues to resist stereotypes by dressing in exquisite powder tones. Cheers to baby pink!