10 years have passed by in the blink of an eye and I
can’t but reminisce and feel emotional when it comes to mind. I decided to move
to the UK anticipating the new adventures, willing to dip into the English
culture and more specifically the grandeur of London. I was aware that an
immense chapter in my life was about to begin; although my suitcase was quite
small, I knew I wasn´t coming for few months or a year but heading towards a
new journey. The memories are vivid from that 27th of January in 2012 that fell
on a Saturday that year travelling on the train from the airport to the centre
thinking “now what?!”. There have certainly been a lot to take in over the
years; numerous ‘trips on a vertical line of an up and down soul-stirring'
including 3 different jobs, several dates, break ups, 3 flat-shares and
uncountable encounters with people from all over the world whom I many times
waved goodbye to. Endless cloudy days, red busses, the famous ‘gravy’ and
unforgettable memories amongst the not so pleasant ones such as Brexit and high
rents, the uprising of corrupted political parties and all the rest of
challenging challenges I still find myself discovering and admiring this city.
Facts one can argue about this country are the things that can be of an
illustrative representation of the United Kingdom such as The Queen,
sightseeing like the Big Ben and the popular Union Jack.
The latter is this post’s main subject: seen as a
symbol of rebellion for some, of monarchy for others or perhaps the
capitalistic epitome, the Union Jack continues to make people talk and arouses
a lot of emotion. Since around the sixties, during the era of the most
irreverent punk, United Kingdom’s flag became an iconic symbol. A flag that was
created more than 300 years ago by superimposing the banners of England (red
cross), Northern Ireland (red cross in diagonal) and Scotland (white cross in
diagonal on a blue background). Great Britain which doesn’t include NI does not
have a flag; only the UK, which is a political term, and the different
territories that make it up: England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales.
The first version of the flag was born with the death
of the Queen of England, Elizabeth I in 1603 and with the establishment of the
King of Scotland as the New King of England a few years later. The flags of the
two countries overlapped to form one unified. A flag with a single right red
cross inscribed on the Scottish flag. In 1801, Great Britain and Northern
Ireland joined their bond and it was on this occasion that the new flag was
born under the name "Union Jack" with the small red X-shaped cross of
Ireland superimposed on the white X-shaped cross of Scotland’s. It is still the
English cross that occupies the predominant place since it is in London where
the court is located. Formalised in the early 19th century, the Union Jack
became a symbol of power, strong economics and alliance yet also of
colonization, given that the United Kingdom has been the first colonial power
in the world, which would set out to conquer Africa after having invaded vast
Antillean and Asian territories. Although, previously represented monarchy, the
meaning of the Union Jack took a different turn over the centuries that
followed. In fact, in our contemporary era, the Union Jack is one of the
divergent and controversial symbols associated with rock'n'roll, the punk
movement and therefore the revolutionary. Of all the artistic and cultural
spheres, music is where this symbol has been most proclaimed with many English
rock groups such as The Who, who used this symbol in their music videos,
posters and various album covers such as Who's Last. In addition, The Sex
Pistols, the emblematic group of the punk movement, used the "God Save the
Queen" and the flag in various ways to give another dimension to this
symbol.
When it comes to fashion, the Pattern has been under
the spotlight of advertising, industries and large companies around the world
looking to reach new generations. Thus, as happened with the image of Che
Guevara, which is found in t-shirt stores around the world, this symbol has
evolved to gain a new reason to exist aside from what it was initially invented
for. From trucks (Renault), printed on the roof of the Mini Cooper, to handbags
and clothing brands in the fast fashion industry, a good amount of
international brands have adopted it to the point of making it the most widely
used flag in the world. More specifically, in the world of fashion, it was at
the end of the 1960s that Look Magazine published a photo of the supermodel,
Twiggy, in a mini dress with the British flag when it was already a must-wear
by then, although with an expiration date. We’d have to go back to the early
years of Blair's Labour for this trend to be repeated creating a phenomenon
called 'Cool Britain'. The musical explosion came about when groups like Blur,
Oasis and the Spice Girls gave the flag one of its moments of greatest media
glory. It was when the spice quintet during the 1997 BRIT Awards, when Geri
Halliwell appeared in a dress similar to the one Twiggy wore in the sixties and
the result was for it to be titles as one of the 10 most iconic dresses of the
last 50 years. In the following years, designers such as Gucci, Paul Smith,
Katharine Hamnett, Vivianne Westwood, Alexander McQueen and Stella McCartney
had already included the flag in different pieces of their collections.
I could not be wearing anything else but a big Union Jack sweater this time; styling it with a white shirt underneath and a high-waisted suit trousers with a mini houndstooth pattern which is honestly one of my most precious acquisitions. Perhaps is not the most flattering one or the easiest one to style, but it makes me feel pretty nostalgic as this was the very first piece of clothing I bought when I got to this country 10 years ago today. With the excitement of being here yet jobless and barely with any money I decided I wanted this flag to be part of my little wardrobe. I am styling it with grey socks and brown shoes matching the colour of the outerwear, a beautiful long coat with geometric print in earthy colour tones. For this time of the year, a pair of gloves are a must, like the ones I am wearing, a green and brown biker style gloves flirting with the leather barrel bag. The grey fedora hat is the last touch adding an extra colour and quirkiness to the whole look.
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