it's Tuesday morning here in London.  in fact, it's very early Tuesday morning in parts of the U.S. as well, though the people i know there are probably just walking in from a night on the town... 

i've just woken up and checked the weather for the day -- particularly interested because i have several appointments to go to around the city today, and in London that means a LOT of walking outdoors.

naturally, it is raining.  and not just the calm, gray skies and slight spitting drizzle so common to London weather, but actual heavy, solid rain -- predicted to last all day.

the thing i have failed to figure out since moving here is how women get around London in their pressed work clothes, expensive heeled shoes and meticulously-styled hair without looking like a wreck by the time they get where they're going.  London is not a driving city.  despite the fact that the motorways are thick with vehicles, the bulk of the city's population walks and uses mass-transportation to get around.

when you have to walk 15 minutes from your front door to the nearest tube (subway) station, wait for the train, ride the crowded train for 30 minutes and then walk another 10-15 minutes outside to get to wherever you're going it's nearly impossible to look GOOD upon arrival.

i spent the last 10 years living and working in Los Angeles where the weather was technically perfect.  rain almost never hit your face or messed up your makeup, and wind pretty much never gusted crazily, mussing your hairstyle.  the only thing you really needed to do in LA was decide if you wanted long or short sleeves that day.  getting ready was simple.

so, today i take my proverbial hat off to the women of London who get around this dim, dirty, hopelessly drenched city and still manage to look put-together.  i don't know how they do it.  i know i look like a trainwreck struggling to balance an umbrella with my large handbag, wet shoes (and feet), wildly mussed hair and rumpled clothes.  how do you keep your hair from getting all stuck in your lipstick or gloss as it blows around?

i swear that when i leave home i DO look good -- i just haven't figured out how to CONTINUE looking good after moving through the inclimate and highly inconvenient weather of London.  i don't want to be one of those women who apply their makeup and accessories while riding the tube (i think it's rather tacky, not to mention highly inconvenient).

if anyone reading this is a British gal, feel free to comment here and let me know your survival secrets.  surely there's something i can do other than invest in waterproof mascara and giant rubber boots...

R.C.
9/2/2008 04:19:48 pm

it's Wednesday now and i'd just like to mention that the BBC1 morning weather just said it would be "BREEZY" today. then they said "about 40 to 45 miles per hour."

last time i checked, 45mph wind was a little more than breezy...

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rwb
9/2/2008 09:02:50 pm

Those Brits! Masters of understatement!

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