When packing for Ireland, I didn’t think much of what to bring. I felt that my clothes were “normal” and I wouldn’t stand out, yet surprisingly, I feel if I was in a group of Irish peers, anyone would be able to tell I’m an exchange student simply by my outfit.
While I have yet to interact with local Irish students, in seeing them in the library and on the streets, my French roommate and I have begun to decipher what exactly is “trendy” in Ireland right now. In all honesty, I still don’t know. There is a wide, vastly different variety of popular clothing and trends, so let’s discuss.
Hair:
If you have seen Peaky Blinders on Netflix, then you know the haircut I am talking about (if you haven’t, please look it up). There was definitely an attempt to emulate this haircut, but done in a more “bowl-cut” fashion with straight across bangs that wrap around the head and the sides of the head shaved. There’s various levels of how much the sides are shaved- just around the ears, in the bowl-cut fashion, or completely up the sides. Every boy I have passed on the street has some variation of this haircut- I actually have not seen any other haircut!
Shoes:
White adidas sneakers. Every guy, every outfit.
Pants:
Irish men love super skinny jeans. So tight that I am not sure how they don’t rip them when walking up the library stairs. Most of them also have rips up and down the entire leg. I will say it can be trendy when done right, but practical? Hardly. It has rained for two weeks straight here in Ireland- you think those pants will keep you dry? No, they won’t.
You know the billowy elephant pants that people who take a gap year/ vacation in Thailand come back with? Yeah, those, but in camo or tie-dye styles. Here in Ireland, it appears to be made out of sweatpant material though, so essentially it is a bit of a “cooler” sweatpant. I can get behind that trend.
Jackets:
The Irish weather fluctuates by the minute: sunny one minute, pouring the next, then a bit of extreme wind. The jackets here are not meant to be functional in any possible way. Think big puffer jackets, cropped fluffy jackets, or non-waterproof 80’s style windbreakers. Very cute, but when you see people braving these in torrential downpours, is it really worth it just to make the outfit?
I am not sure what to categorize this as:
Tracksuits. Now, I am not sure if this is a specific style or trend in Ireland (I guess like “hipster” or “E-girls” in the U.S.), but I love it! At first, I did laugh a little whenever I saw it, simply because growing up, every British or Irish soccer coach had one, so I always thought it was a “soccer coach” thing- so my surprise to see they were actually trendy and ahead of their time! The tracksuits are a jacket/jogger combo- same color, of course- and look so comfortable! If the shops were open, I’d have 5 by now.
