Amsterdam Fashion: From nightlife to the main street
By Kellie Murphy
I was on holiday in Amsterdam last week (which is the worst thing you could do when you have a ton of assignments due the week after your quick getaway), but turns out it’s the best thing you can do when you have an article due on fashion. I was in Amsterdam for five days and during my time there I fell in love with the city. The city is filled with canals, a system formed in the Netherlands golden age of the sixteenth to seventeenth century and because of this the canals form a grid system of beautiful architecture. I spent my days trailing through the city, walking on footpaths lined with bikes and bordered by the dark water in the canals, while trying to avoid getting knocked down by cyclists. The city was beautiful and if I could go back I would but what I can do is tell you about Amsterdam’s fashion which I loved almost as much as the canals. I think the clothes shops also deserve an honourable mention and the thought of shopping always takes my mind off the stress of assignments!
I think what I loved most during the day wear in Amsterdam was the coats. Amsterdam was cold during October, but it was more dry then what we have to suffer through in Cork, so the coats I saw acted accordingly. Your puffy jacket will stick out in the Streets of Amsterdam like mine did but I quickly got over it when confronted with the fact that I couldn’t fit a trench coat into my carry-on suitcase. Cosy trench coats filled the footpaths by the canals, and they looked so warm. Both tourists and locals alike wore wool coats and they looked like the comfiest things on the planet, especially when I was stuck with my jacket that was built to withstand rain, not cold. The colour of choice for the wool coats was tan which meant that the footpath was always peppered with tan coats wherever you went, creating a colour that became familiar to me over the short period I was there. However, other colours appeared in my eyeline when I was in line for museums and wandering from my hotel to Amsterdam’s centre, showing me just how much warmth was appreciated while still looking fashionable. This is my ethos and I love to see some Dutch women achieving my goals. And they really pulled through in their wool coats which I saw in so many shades, I was unbelievably jealous. The tourists favoured neutrals, colours that could be paired with all of their outfits so black and tan were a particular favourite and seen frequently in areas like Westermarkt, where you can find the Anne Frank house, the Westerkerk church and lots of cafes. The locals however weren’t so limited to their wardrobe choices, so they were free to wear other bright colours even though black was also a favourite. I met up with a Dutch friend while I was on holiday who wore a beautiful tan trench coat, made out of leather and absolutely gorgeous. I didn’t get to wear a warm wool coat while there but a quick glance on various shop apps shows me I’m spoilt for choice. You can find trench coats almost everywhere like Stradivarius which sells a very beautiful dark green wool coat. Bershka has a variety of wool coats from pink to grey costing from €40- €90. Nine Crows in Cork City sells jackets from €15 and you’re sure to find a coat there that will help you look as cosmopolitan as I wish I did in Westermarkt.
The fashion for nights out took a different turn, but a welcome one. It seems that warmth is sacrificed for the fit and I love it, I absolutely love it. It’s been ages since I went to the club and I was hoping that when I went to Amsterdam I would be able to rectify that mistake. Alas, I was finishing a course of antibiotics so alcohol was not my best friend, and it turns out that you shouldn’t drink for seventy two hours after finishing your course of antibiotics so I had to kiss the club rat dreams goodbye and hop back on the plane more sober then anyone has any right to be when they’ve gone on a holiday for the first time in years. I wasn’t entirely sure what the go-to outfit was for a night out, except for looking at the people I saw passing me in the street. Leather pants seemed to be the trousers of choice and I can see why. Leather pants are comfy, fancy and they look really cool. They’re the ideal pants for when you want to do everything. You can dance to your heart's content in them without having to worry about your dress or skirt rising, you can match them to countless tops and they maximize your wardrobe. The ideal top seemed to be crop tops or bralettes. You can probably imagine that the outfit looked really class, and it did, but the ability to feel your hands was probably lost because of this. But who values the ability to feel your limbs when you’re going on a night out? I once got a chest infection after a night out and it was one of the best nights out I had, no regrets whatsoever. In pubs the rule seemed to be different. I went out with my friend and sister and we ended up in a few pubs. In pubs warmth is prioritised and the clothes are more relaxed. The outfits in pubs seemed to be normal daywear clothes, clothes that you would wear shopping, in college and at work before popping into the pub with some friends to catch up. Which is exactly what my sister and I did. Wool coats featured but so did heavy jackets, jeans were a mainstay. It was obvious everyone was prioritising not getting sick so if crop tops were worn, they were bundled under coats and thick scarves. Overall the clothes worn in pubs conveyed a relaxed, cosy feeling and it made for comforting surroundings.
The question arises of where would you buy some clothes in Amsterdam. There was the high street where you could go into as many shops as you’d like and shop to your heart's content. But Amsterdam has a lot of vintage shops of high quality and affordable prices. They’re hidden around the canals and closer to the tourist areas the more expensive. Of course this fact didn’t occur to me even though it’s common sense and I ended up spending €30 for a top in a vintage shop. I’m going to try and help you all out if you’re ever in Amsterdam and want to do some quick shopping. These vintage shops include Zipper, Episode and Laura dols which I unfortunately never got to visit but was told about! The NDSM wharf is considered trendy and used to be Amsterdam’s harbour. Here you can find a flea market on the weekends that costs only €7.50 for entry and once inside you can find clothes! Vintage shops are numerous in Amsterdam and seem like a popular place to buy clothes for both tourists and the locals and I’d highly recommend visiting them or finding your own shops to visit.
The fashion in Amsterdam was bright, warm and trendy and I can’t wait to recreate some looks that I saw there, from the tourists admiring the canals to the locals shopping in the book markets.