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She wore the Nina Ricci ensemble for a BAFTA Tea Party hosted in Beverly Hills. It comprised extra-long black trousers, a sheer, long-sleeve turtleneck tucked in, and a tan bralette underneath.

The outfit’s color palette suited Hudson, and her see-through shirt was a fun choice. Still, her pants were so oversized that they distracted from the overall look.

Dilara Findikoglu designed her black Golden Globes gown, which had a high neckline, a floor-length skirt, torso cutouts, and fringe at the shoulders.

While the lower half of the outfit looked chic on Ortega, the top half was too overpowering for her petite frame. A different neckline could have improved the look.

The musician hit the Grammys red carpet in a custom Valentino set. It included skinny, silver trousers covered in sequins and a matching blazer, which he wore open over a lace top.

The latter piece was unique and stood out on the red carpet. Unfortunately, his suit did the same, but for the wrong reasons. It looked more like a costume than a high-fashion ensemble.

The musician, who is known for her daring style, wore Celine in the form of black barrel trousers and a white button-up blouse.

The classic outfit could have worked for Cyrus if she’d gone without her puffy leather jacket. It restricted the neckline of her top and was decorated with too many large gold brooches.

As Chanel hosted the dinner, Sánchez Bezos wore a Karl Lagerfeld design from the fashion house’s spring 1986 collection.

The gown’s ruched bodice with a single sleeve and leather belt looked fine, but its matching skirt was too long. Some simple tailoring to make it shorter and give it shape would have improved the look.

It made for one of Sánchez Bezos’ worst looks this year.

The businessman wore a dramatic Dolce & Gabbana set that featured skinny trousers, a satin shirt, and a robe-style jacket printed with scenes in silver.

The top of his Oscars outfit looked too much like sleepwear, and his main accessory — a graded NBA trading card worn as a necklace — didn’t make sense.

Chrome Hearts designed the supermodel’s gown, which had a halter neckline, a form-fitted bodice, and sheer panels across the chest, hips, and legs.

The latter detailing made the dress look incomplete, and its pale-yellow color washed out Klum.

She posed on the pink carpet wearing a yellow feathered skirt, neon-orange pumps, and a white structural tank top that sat above her torso rather than against it.

The white piece and her black clutch didn’t match the outfit’s vibrancy. The same top in a brighter color, maybe the same orange as her shoes, would have made it more cohesive.

For the “Costume Art” gala, where the dress code was “Fashion is Art,” Stiller wore a standard suit with a white shirt and an orange tie, a nod to the New York Knicks.

The outfit might have worked at a standard red-carpet event, but it wasn’t the right choice for the Met Gala. He missed the theme entirely.

She wore a Marc Jacobs gown that was crafted from black lace over tan, pink, purple, and orange fabric.

It hugged most of her body except at the feet and shoulders, where the fabric was gathered into puffy bunches. The outfit had no clear meaning, and it looked strange on the red carpet.

The “Heated Rivalry” star wore Balenciaga in the form of a baby-blue suit with black velvet detailing and a train attached at the waist.

It seemed like Williams was going for a daring look, especially since he chose to forgo a shirt. Unfortunately, the outfit looked unfinished, and his makeup was too strong.

Balenciaga designed her three-piece ensemble for the Tonys. It featured a baggy white top with a train, high-waisted trousers, and elbow-length white gloves.

Each piece looked a little too big on Barrymore, and the pants made her outfit look too casual. Swapping the latter for a skirt might have made it better.

The model and musician aimed to honor Missy Elliot with his pleather, full-length coat from the Chinese fashion brand Annakiki.

The coat, however, didn’t look much like the one she wore in “The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)” music video, so the meaning was lost on the red carpet.

Its uniquely shaped hood also distracted from the rest of the piece.

The basketball player chose a black satin suit for the awards ceremony, which looked sleek on the red carpet and paired well with his gold jewelry.

Still, the pleated pants he chose, which flared at the ankles, looked a bit too short for his tall frame. Looser-fitting trousers would have suited the outfit better.

She wore a Balenciaga set that comprised embellished gold trousers and a loose-fitting blue halter top with a plunging neckline. The actor also wore a colorful gemstone necklace, an updo hairstyle, and burgundy leather gloves.

While Woodley became an Emmy winner, taking home the outstanding guest actress in a drama series award, her outfit wasn’t as successful.

She should have ditched the accessories and worn a more form-fitting top.

The first time my husband and I ate together at an American restaurant, he was alarmed when the server took his credit card away to swipe it after the meal. 

He was also totally perplexed by the need to sign a receipt, which apparently isn’t the norm in the UK. 

In UK restaurants, the server typically brings the entire card machine to your table. While they supervise, you insert your card and follow any on-screen prompts before grabbing your receipt and leaving. 

Though my husband thinks that taking a customer’s card away after a meal is a security hazard — someone could copy your card details out of view — I prefer the convenience of simply handing my card to a server and letting them take care of the rest. 

Growing up in New England, where October is essentially a monthlong celebration of pumpkin spice and apple-picking, I was startled to find that the rest of the world doesn’t worship autumn in quite the same way. 

My husband is completely baffled by the idea of actively making plans to admire fall foliage. He could not stop laughing when I first explained that some people in the US go for walks or drives just to look at the changing leaves.

When I mentioned that this is often called “leaf-peeping,” he nearly collapsed. 

He’s also confused by the concept of going on hayrides (“Where do you even go? Why would you pay for that?”), driving to a farm to pick pumpkins, or getting lost in a corn maze. 

Halloween is one of my favorite holidays, and it’s a huge deal in the US. I love the decorations, the horror-movie marathons, and the seasonal treats.

And so, I was gutted to find that the sum total of Halloween spirit in our Scottish city amounted to a flyer advertising a children’s spooky story hour at the library and a lone bin of sad-looking pumpkins at the supermarket. 

The UK is famed for its “pub culture,” or the socializing and social drinking that happens in its many cozy bars and pubs. 

Although buying a round of drinks is an optional act of generosity in the US, it’s standard practice in the UK. Members of a group will rotate who is responsible for each round, and skipping your turn is seen as rude. 

Though I can definitely see the advantages of electing a single member of your group to fight their way through a crowded bar, I find the US method of independent drink-buying means that you can imbibe at your own pace and don’t have to keep tabs on your friends’ drinks. 

Speaking of tabs, it’s somewhat unusual to open one at a UK bar unless you’re a true regular. Tipping is also not standard, though it’s certainly appreciated. 

One big thing I’ve learned from living abroad and being married to someone who didn’t grow up in the US is that overt, casual patriotism is a very American thing.

Most people in the US probably wouldn’t bat an eyelash if you flew an American flag outside your home or showed up for a lunch date in a red, white, and blue baseball cap.

Plus, popular music in the US often features lyrics that proclaim pride in being American, and many cars are plastered with patriotic bumper stickers. 

Patriotism is different in the UK, at least in the more urban areas where I’ve lived. In my experience, donning a patriotic T-shirt as everyday wear or flying a Scottish flag on your front lawn would be unusual.

You might wave a Scottish flag at a rugby game, but my partner and I have noticed that people in the UK aren’t as fixated on “doing” patriotism as many Americans are. 

In the US, blow-drying your hair or charging your electric toothbrush in the bathroom is no big deal. 

But in the UK, these feel like rare occurrences. For safety reasons, you’re not allowed to have power sockets in your bathroom unless they’re a certain distance away from the bathtub or shower, which isn’t always possible in small spaces. 

I’m sure there are safety guidelines to follow for installing electrical sockets in bathrooms in the US, too, but based on prevalence of outlets in these spaces, they seem to be far less strict.

Despite the UK’s (sort of) prohibition on power outlets or light switches in bathrooms, it’s common to have an electric shower unit right in the shower stall. 

These units heat water with electricity, so you’ll still have hot water in the shower even if your boiler breaks down. You push a button to turn them on, and they usually include an attached showerhead and temperature dials. 

I wasn’t very familiar with these until I moved, since these are generally not allowed under US building codes.

In the US, throwing out your own trash and returning your tray when in a casual café or fast-food restaurant is normal — and leaving a mess behind for staff to clean up is usually frowned upon.

In the UK, it seems more acceptable for diners to leave their food wrappers, beverage cups, and trays at their tables for employees to collect. 

Though picking up after yourself is appreciated no matter where you are, my husband admits to feeling much more social pressure to clear his own table when we’re visiting the US. 

I grew up with the impression that brewed drip coffee — the kind many Americans make in a machine in a kitchen or break room – is the standard, baseline type of coffee. In the US, it may be, but that’s not so in the UK. 

My husband considers espresso-based coffee drinks to be the norm. Ask for “just coffee” in a UK restaurant or café, and you’ll likely be asked what kind of coffee you mean.

In fact, most places I’ve dined in the UK don’t even prepare drip or filter coffee. If you ask for black coffee, you’ll usually be served an Americano, which is a shot of espresso in hot water. 

Similar beverage confusion has happened when we’ve been in the US, and my husband asks for “regular tea.” In the UK, “tea” is common shorthand for what people in the US would call black or breakfast tea. 

Ask for tea in the UK, and you’ll be asked whether you’d like milk or sugar. In the US, you’ll likely be asked what kind of tea you’d prefer. 

Ordering pancakes in the UK will get you a plate of what many in the US would call crêpes. These are thin, papery pancakes that can be sweet or savory, depending on how they’re prepared. 

If you want a stack of fluffy, pillowy pancakes, you’ll have to ask for “American” ones. In my experience, though, your chances of having them served with real maple syrup are slimmer than a crêpe. 

Interestingly, I’ve also seen UK grocery stores sell packages of miniature, precooked American-style pancakes that are sometimes pre-soaked with syrup. 

Even after living in the UK for years, I still found it a little unsettling to walk by shelves of unrefrigerated eggs in a grocery store on a hot summer day. 

In the US, eggs are often washed and this process removes a protective outer coating called the cuticle, which is thought to help prevent bacterial contamination. The eggs are then refrigerated to better keep them from becoming contaminated with harmful bacteria. 

Eggs in the UK are sold at room temperature because they aren’t washed before sale.

I’ve also found that brown eggs seem much more common than white ones in the UK. My husband initially assumed US grocery stores only sold white eggs because those are the kind he always sees used in American television shows and movies. 

For the first time since the 1800s, the UK uses more electricity from renewable sources than from fossil fuels. In contrast, less than 25% of US energy comes from renewable sources. 

Considering this environmental victory, I’m always shocked to see how much excess plastic packaging is still used in UK food stores. 

In the UK, it’s not uncommon to see plastic wrapping around individual pieces of produce, such as bananas, heads of lettuce, and single apples. Plastic containers are used more frequently than cardboard boxes to hold items such as berries, plums, and peaches. 

The US certainly uses a lot of packaging, but grocery stores often have optional plastic bags for produce.

In the US, medical care is not free, though there are a few special government health plans that provide insurance support to certain groups, such as low-income families and seniors.

In most cases, those in the US have their healthcare partially covered through their employer.

Medical care in the UK is provided by the National Health Service (NHS), and it is government-funded and free for all residents.

In the UK, it’s not unusual to go your entire life without paying a single medical bill. 

Though the care I received under the NHS while living in Scotland was high quality, both my husband and I have noticed that wait times for appointments and treatment under the NHS can vary wildly depending on the circumstances. 

In April 2018, I developed a non-life-threatening health issue that required an appointment with a specialist. I was placed on a waiting list and was eventually seen in January 2019, nearly a year and a half later. 

In contrast, when my husband was diagnosed with a serious health problem in 2018, he was brought in for treatment and continued care within 24 hours. 

On the bright side, in the UK, there are no stacks of insurance forms to fill out or claims to navigate.

When scheduling a minor operation through the NHS in Scotland, I was surprised by a nurse’s instructions to bring my own pillow and ibuprofen to the hospital. This is something I’d never been asked to do in the US. 

My husband confirmed that, largely due to the taxpayer-funded nature of the NHS, patients are sometimes encouraged to bring their own basic supplies from home. 

This isn’t the norm everywhere in the UK, and policies can vary by hospital, but it’s not unheard of.

In Scotland, prescription medicine has been free for everyone since 2011. England is the only part of the UK that still charges for NHS prescriptions. By law, you can be charged around £10, or about $13, per prescription in England. 

In contrast, the average American can spend well over $1,000 on retail pharmaceuticals a year, according to data from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. 

In the UK, it often felt surreal to pick up a prescription for a month’s supply of medication without swiping a health-insurance card or opening my wallet. To my husband, the need for US residents to pay for necessary medication is equally unusual. 

This story was originally published on August 22, 2022, and most recently updated on September 18, 2026.