This past May, 12-fellow Fanshawe merchandising travelers and myself, crossed the Atlantic to a city with a familiar name, but a fashion sense that sets it apart.

I just love London, England. It's undeniable that Paris is gorgeous, but London just has a better vibe.

Londoners know how to dress, but they have to pay for it. Our dismal dollar definitely doesn't stack up to the English currency, in fact, 10 pounds (British dollars) is approximately $25 Canadian with the exchange.

But despite the price, everyone it seems over there has such unique personal style. They look so put together, yet casual.

Many well-known people in the fashion-know, in my opinion, come from Britain. Icons like Kate Moss, Victoria and David Beckham, Elton John, The Beatles, just to name a few.

And what a treat it was to see the men in England looking different and fashionable. It would put most Canadian men to shame. It's pretty obvious that British and European men know how to dress.

It might be because England, interms of fashion, in my opinion is ahead of Canadians by about two and- a-half years.

The English are into eco-friendly everything. From hemp bags to clothing, many different kinds of companies had jumped on the ‘green band-wagon.' Besides fashion, Londoners, like Parisians, stay green by taking the ‘underground,' their term for the subway. This gives any Brit extra pocket money, in not having to pay for gas. As a matter of fact I don't remember seeing a gas station.

We did most of our shopping on Oxford Street. Sound familiar? Oxford Street in England had all the cool and semi-affordable shopping sores. Such as Marks and Spencer's, TopShop, Miss Selfridge, River Island and French Connection. We also made our way down to a place called Camden. This was a market-type set up with the most unique little vendors and shops I have ever seen.

Piccadilly Circus is the London version of New York City's Time Square. With flashing billboards, heavy traffic and live theatres, London is a perfect mix of tourist and local folks. London does have a great nightlife, but it comes at a high price. For some clubs the going rate for cover is around 20 pounds ($45 CAD).

Fashion note: Both men and women were wearing scarves for both warmth and fashion purpose. Thin, thick, long, loose around the neck to perfectly draped seemed to be on every fabulous Brit. High-end to low end stores selling all different kinds of scarves in different materials and colours.