East London Style 101: The perfect jacket

So in moving to London, I have been keeping an eye on how British girls dress...and as it turns out, there are absolutely no rules whatsoever! Amazing! They wear exactly what they want, where they want to, and how they want to...it is perfectly acceptable to wear cat-eye eyeliner at 9am and Converse sneakers and skinny jeans to a club. You have to love a place that no one is judging your clothing, and you have complete freedom fashion wise!

But I have noticed, the major staple of the East London crowd is the funky, trendy, black leather jacket. Think a mix of motorcycle jacket and hoodie...much like the one Kristin Stewart is wearing here (and bonus - she obviously knows what she is doing since she is dating the hottest man in London!)

So Friday I set out on my quest for this ever important clothing item - when it is rainy and somewhat cold, you can never have too many jackets, right?!

I decided to focus my search for my new jacket in the funky, cool, Camden Town. Super trendy, a little over the top (okay, a lot over the top) and has some super cool second hand and vintage shops (among a million other cheaper clothing and jewelry booths) and I was thinking that a second hand coat might be just what I needed - already broken in and well loved so I wouldn't look like I was trying too hard...

I hunted through about 15 thrift shops, went into a ton of leather stores, and came up with nothing...I wanted real leather, of course, and all the side booths had fake leather knock-off of the jacket I wanted. The second hand shops' jackets were either kind of dingy and dirty, didn't fit right, or a little too old school for what I needed. Then I found it! Perfection, in a vintage shop, only 10 pounds! Put it on...and of course, just a little too small... :(

Finally I admitted defeat, was starving, needed a coffee, and was tired of sales guys trying to lure me into their booths and sell me things I had no desire to own...so I set off to find the tube station (an adventure for me in itself)...as I was walking along the street to the tube stop, I passed a shop that said leather...so on a whim I walked in to see what they might have. No expectations whatsoever...and voila! There were about 3 that fit the bill, were real leather, and on sale!!! (okay, in reality they are probably on sale every day, and the cute Turkish salesman was very charming) But after much deliberation I managed to locate the perfect one, the perfect fit, and maybe not the perfect price, but at this point I was desperate and a jacket lasts forever, right? :)

Now I am a content girl...great jacket to rock out the days and nights in...pair it with a gray hoodie, jeans, and boots for a laid back look, or a mini skirt for a hip trendy look...I'm in love...too bad it is almost spring and soon it will be irrelevant for several months! :)

Photos: Kristin Stewart rocking a great jacket; Camden Locks; Camden Town Stables; Bridge across the canal at Camden Town; My new jacket!