All-American style

Since I'm in Europe for most of the year, my eye has become used to its fashion. I can't really describe it, but my brain now accepts it as the norm. So coming back to Toronto for the summer makes me really notice what Canadian mainstream fashion is.
I was at the Eaton's Centre yesterday and was introduced to Hollister. A store that didn't exist at the same time last year. It immediately made me think of Abercrombie which I'd also thought of the first time that I'd set foot into American Eagle. It's that Cali style that Canadians just seem to love. I also noticed that Abercrombie will have a store in the mall soon, and I'm surprised that it's taken this long. The number of people I know who order from the catalogues or go south of the border to get the stuff proved a long time ago that the demand in Canada was already there (sort of related, in Amsterdam, I was acutally surprised to see a store called America Today which sells Abercrombie stuff. I guess there's a little bit of a demand there too!)
Hollister just sold everything that I wouldn't see in Europe. The sweats, polos, and an excessive amount of jeans. Palm trees and beachy decor? The whole concept screams American-style.
I've noticed that Canadian men are quite preppy. The polos (with the upturned collar, of course). The khakis. The summer shorts and flip-flops.
The ladies are into booty shorts and flesh. It's a Lululemon bonanza (after much consideration, I've stuck to my veto-ing and have decided not to get a pair of their albeit, very comfortable and flattering pants - it would have been the Reverse Groove Pant). Lots of tight clothing, too short tops with love-handles and "muffin-tops" to match.
Now this is a huge generalization if I do say so myself. There are tons of people who don't wear anything I've mentioned above, but now I can understand why people in Neuch say that our students stand out so much. If you're used to seeing one thing, your eye immediately gravitates to those that are different.
I also have to say that teenie-boppers are out in full force in the summer - and I'm starting to feel old.
Sure, the recent emergence of Mango in Canada and the growth of Zara and craziness of H&M make me think that Canadians like to dabble in European fashion, but Canadians obviously still love to take trends south of the border, because that's what I've really noticed. Or maybe it just goes back to the fact that I'm used to European fashion so I've only noticed the American style because I haven't seen it for so long. Maybe there's just as many people out there who are wearing those European labels.
Though I live in a different fashion environment, I don't think that my taste has changed much. I still like the same stores. I'd say that I still dress quite bland. I've never been really daring. I still like wearing solid colours. Wearing an outfit without black scares me. I don't like to stand out in a crowd. Do I dress more "European" now? I doubt it, but when Abercrombie opens, don't expect me to be the first in line. Yes, I have some items from there...but I think I've hit my quota.