Clothes to wear in Europe

Let me relate what our son did who spent a semester in Madrid. On the advice of his study abroad office and former students, he told a min amount of clothing with him. About what he would normally take to vacation -- about 3 or 4 changes. Also made the trip over easier because he did not have that much luggage. Once there the local students pointed him in the direction of their favorite clothing stores and some used clothing outlets. He purchased additional clothing but not a lot. Wore what he had pretty hard. We visited at Spring break and brought home nearly all of his American clothing that he had taken over. When he was ready to leave he sold or gave away most of his clothing except for what he could bring home in his luggage. The point his study abroad made was that students want to dress like their peer group that they associate with. It worked well for him.

I appreciate the help, however I don't see that scenario playing out for me. My parents won't be visiting me at all, so what I bring is what I'll have. I don't have a lot of extra money to be spending on clothes and I'd rather not gamble on selling them at the end of the trip. Thank you for the suggestion though, I do appreciate it.

Jake, don't worry. You will be looking American anyway, no matter what you're wearing - in the beginning that is. I used to study in California and when I first went there everybody could tell I looked European. That's the way it is. It's more than just pants and shirts. It's the kind of shoes, the kind of watch, your hair style... everything. After a couple of weeks in Germany you will have adapted. When you come to Germany, be yourself, be an American but open-minded young American, show people that you're eager to learn about the other culture, that's so much more important than just looks. If soccer jerseys (we call it football by the way) are your style go ahead and wear them. Tell people about soccer in the US and show your interest in German Bundesliga football. And as soon as you know where exactly you're going to be living share this information on here with us.

Being on the bad end of anti-American sentiment is not something that is bound to happen to you. Germany is one of the safest countries to live in.

You can wear your hat if you want, or you can leave it off. Wearing soccer jerseys is cool. German boys do tend to dress up a bit more, so you won't see a lot of saggy pants. Go to some web cams in some of the bigger cities here and look at what the teens have on. Your jeans, nikes or adidas shoes are fine and with whatever shirts you have. I would not stress too much about your clothes. If you are with an exchange program, why not ask the other kids who have gone before, about what they wore or what kind of clothes made them feel uncomfortable.

My wife is Belgian and she has an interesting analogy for this situation. She often spots Americans (usually women) who think by dressing "European" that they won't stick out. She says they blend in as well as she would if she walked through New York City in a cowgirl outfit. The lesson here is that no matter what you wear, your mannerism, body language and other subtle cues will identify you as a visitor, and the more you try to hide that fact through clothes, the more silly you may appear. So, be yourself, represent yourself well and you'll be fine.

By the way, most travelers who conform themselves well to the local mannerisms will rarely (if ever) encounter unprovoked anti-American sentiment. In my experience, many people who claim they experienced anti-American behavior probably provoked it by unintentionally acting in a manner that the locals found annoying.

Jake - my daughter went abroad last year. She took a LOT of clothes (well at least more than 3 or 4 changes!). She also purchased some things there. Most of the pics I have of her and her European friends, they all look the same - jeans, lots of jeans.

Some specific "male clothes" tips that I noticed with her male friends (and I stand to be corrected by our favorite posters who actually live in Germany) - the young men wore scarves too - I mean it was cold! But they sure did look good like that. And when going out, though they might still wear jeans, they did often wear a sweater or button down shirt as opposed to a tee-shirt.

And also - with regards to the anti-American thing. My daughter was in France, a country where there is sometimes perceived to be some anti-American sentiment. She didn't have any problems, or any problems of real note. One thing that I thought worked really well for her -She made it a point, the first few weeks, to stay away from English-first-language speakers. This did 2 things - made her speak a lot of French, since it was the language that they had in common. And it made her not just one of the group of American kids - she got out of her comfort zone a little bit and it really paid off. Her best friends were from all over, only a few Americans really - and of course you are hopefully going to Germany to get a different perspective on things, not what you'd get here.

Good luck - it was the BEST thing for my daughter, something she will always treasure - I hope you have a great year.

Thanks everyone. Now let me be more specific, because I'm not terribly worried about adapting to culture; that's what I'm good at =).

Would it be a bad idea to wear things that are inherently American, such as band T-Shirts (Tom Petty, Sublime, the Doors, etc.), RED SOX hat, or really anything written in English?

Sorry if it seems like I'm splitting hairs, but I'm living there for a year and just want to make sure I don't do anything regrettable that could have been avoided. These are specific things that people have told me are bad ideas, but I want second opinions form people who travel. Cheers.

Jake you are over worrying,, no one will attack you for wearing a band shirt, in fact they will likely think you look great.. ONE warning, and it may not be an issue for you,, but if you wear gansta style pants( crotch to knees) you may get some unwanted attention.
My son found that most teen males wore much more fitted clothes in France then at home( yes, I know you said Germany but the french teen does not dress that much differently then the German based on our German cousins photos, and hubby visited there last year with one other son. . The t shirts often were much closer fitting,, same with pants, BUT, as I said, I think way more will LIKE your cool clothes then not..

"Would it be a bad idea to wear things that are inherently American, such as band T-Shirts (Tom Petty, Sublime, the Doors, etc.)"

In my opinion, it would be a bad idea to wear that anywhere... but that's just the old fogey in me. I've seen plenty of German teenagers wearing similar shirts.

And as for the Red Sox hat? If you want to advertise yourself as a Sox fan, go for it. Of course, few people will know anything about the Red Sox, but it could be a conversation starter.

Jake, do wear whatever you feel comfortable in. And here are some links that might give you an idea what German young men wear these days: http://shop.hm.com/de/deptstart?dept=HERR&shoptype=Swww.zara.com

Hey Jake- I studied abroad two years ago and so many of the guys who went stood out in a bad way for wearing oversized clothes and being publicly intoxicated (but thats a different topic). Kudos to you for actually caring! The soccer stuff is fine to wear. My friend wore his soccer jerseys and they made for great conversation starters with locals. The Red Sox hat will make you look like an American, ball caps aren't very popular. Euro guys wear fedora hats. Europeans listen to a lot of the same music we do so the band shirts are cool to bring. Rick says in one of his books those kind of t-shirts are great little gifts to give to new local friends. Hopefully this helps you out. Studying abroad will be one of the greatest experiences of your life. Happy travels!

Victoria, I wear corduroys a lot and never baggy jeans. Yea i figured I am over worrying, but the last place I went was Brasil, and that's a whole different world.

Wow Tom, you must be an old fogey if you don't like the Doors or Petty. Ha just kidding. ;)

Hi, Jake. Our son spent a summer semester in Sevilla, Spain last year. On advice from profs and others, he took mostly shirts without writing on them, jeans and khakis, walking shorts. He dressed nice, but very casual, no baggy anything. He took his school hat along, but I can see from photos that he wore it sparingly. I don't think your Red Sox hat should be a problem. If you find it to be a problem, just wear it around the close friends you will undoubtedly make while there. From our son's experience and our experience in a couple of trips over there, we encountered no anti-American sentiments.

Jake, if this helps, a couple years ago when a 21 year old relative from Bavaria was visiting, high on his list of purchases was a Mariners baseball jersey and a Dallas Mavericks jersey. He also took home a couple of team baseball hats. These were not your 'once in a lifetime' trip souvenirs, he'd been here before a few times. I've also noticed a number of places I've seen MLB hats for sale in Germany.

Band t-shirts are not inherently American since music is rather universal. Bands do go on tour and sell their shirts everywhere, so you will feel at home wearing them.

If you are a Doors fan, look me up in Frankfurt, and I will take you to a church where Jim Morrison climbed up to the organ and jammed for an hour. This did not make the guy who was in charge of taking care of the church very happy, but Jim gave the guy 5 hundred dollar bills and the man left him alone to play to his hearts content.

"I just don't want to be seen as another obnoxious insensitive American tourist, because I know that's how the rest of the world sees many of us."

Umm...anyone else see the problem with that last sentence?

I didn't say all, but I've been reading a lot of stuff that says Americans are among the worst tourists in the world, and in some places restaurants will charge you more for a meal and stuff like that

I don't think Jake is asking us to help him craft a disguise so he can fool people. He's not a secret agent. Rather, he is (correctly) aware that what you wear at home may not feel right when you're somewhere very different.

For example what you wear on the east coast doesn't fit in on the west coast-- especially LA or San Diego. What you wear in San Francisco looks just plain weird in Lihue and what you wear on Molokai would make you noticably stick out in the SF Bay Area--even if it was appropriate for the weather. And I can't help reminding people of an earlier discussion where we learned someone from NYC doesn't have ANYTHING in their closet that is normally worn in Eugene.

Nothing wrong with trying to figure out what is appropriate so you don't drag along a bunch of stuff that you will never wear, or won't like wearing. Somehow this thread keeps returning to the idea that because you can't hide the fact you are American, you shouldn't give this issue a second thought. Not so.

The reason it's helpful to consider this question is other cultures don't place the same premium value on "individual expression" above all else the way we do in the US. So, once again, fishing around for what's appropriate for his age group is a good idea.

"I just don't want to be seen as another obnoxious insensitive American tourist, because I know that's how the rest of the world sees many of us"

Jake,

The truth is that not the clothes will give you up as American, it is actually your body language, your behaviour and in majoritify of the cases your physique.. I know what a lot of people/forums are saying, but many people don't understand the truth beneath.
Last year, when a friend of mine and I went to venice for 2 days, we palyed a game to see if we recognize Americans from a distance, before we heard them talking. Guess what? We were right 100% of the time. Even a girl who was leaving a camping, we guessed she was American. Why? because of the way she was walking: fast and sort of jumping.

Never heared or experienced this: "and in some places restaurants will charge you more for a meal" Jake

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29797555/

Tom,

In some small towns or rural areas of Italy I believe that Fedoras hats are still "in style".
Or in Austria (maybe).
Amazingly, this years they are in style for the ladies. Well, not my style though. :)

Jake, some discussion of this issue here:

http://www.ricksteves.com/graffiti/helpline/index.cfm/rurl/topic/27417/what-are-europeans-told-when-visiting-america.html

Others may want to read:

http://www.ricksteves.com/graffiti/helpline/index.cfm?topic=27439

While ball caps are not popular over here (my husband brought two with him and I don't think he has worn them yet), we see a moderate amount of American sports paraphernalia - particularly Yankees' apparel. We have worn our American clothes without a problem and blend in just fine. The one thing we did buy was new shoes. Our cross trainers did not blend in and now they are reserved solely for running in the park.

It is cold and you will probably want some solid colored sweaters and long-sleeved shirts. I have found clothes to be more expensive over here - especially if you are use to shopping in the Old Navy/Target range. We have avoided buying clothes here and I am glad we brought with us what we needed. I guess what I am saying is that if you are a tight budget I would bring with you what you plan on wearing and don't rely on having to buy clothes when you get here.

Also at first I was worried about wearing the same six shirts over and over again, but then I realized it doesn't really matter because I have on the same coat everyday anyways :)

I'd come at this from a different angle; why bother to hide your nationality? Do you really believe that the Germans will treat you badly because you are American?

If you have such a low opinion of German people are you sure moving there is a good idea? I can't imagine living in a place for a year being afraid of what will happen if people discover my nationality.

Jake,

This is what I pack. It's based on good travel clothes rather than not looking American. Note water-proof walking shoes and gore-tex parka.

http://www.polyvore.com/mens_travel_pack_list/set?id=1440268

Primarily, you will want to stay warm and dry. Warm is harder because you don't have room to take a bunch of heavy clothes so focus on layering. When it gets really cold while I'm traveling, I stop at a department store and pick up a knit cap and gloves. Knit scarves are common for everyone in winter.

I don't pack jeans because I pack light but jeans will be perfectly acceptable (so will cords).

Washing and drying clothes is expensive because energy is expensive. If you have a host, remember your laundry can cost them a fortune so conserve.

You will see American logo stuff in Europe worn by Europeans. Not too long ago, baseball caps were only worn by tourists but that's not always true now. The thing I would worry most about wearing a Red Sox cap is running into a Yankees fan.

"Euro guys wear fedora hats." OK, I'll allow for the benefit of the doubt that you may have seen young European men wearing fedora hats... but may I ask, in what corner of Europe did you see this in the past 30 years?

Brad, I do not know who told you that energy costs a fortune in Germany, but it must have been decades ago. My budget for electricty and gas last year was 54 euro a month and we do laundry almost every day since it was for 4 people. I do not have a dryer, but it is just because my apt. is little. I believe you are thinking about a very long time ago when this was the commone consensus, but it is no longer true.

Jake is going to be there for a year, so there is no need for him to pack light since he can bring 2 suitcases with him. I imagine he might want to buy some stuff here though. But he can certainly bring coats, sweaters, jeans, boots, etc. with him.

I am still wondering about the fedoras too. Where was this at???

Jake,

Many of the t-shirts made in Germany are with English words, so don't worry about it.
Your Red Sox hat will stick out if Germans would know who Red Sox are, but it's not a problem. Germans are not that anti-American.
As others told you, you WILL BE spotted as American, no matter what you wear.But why would this be a problem?

For the record (Peter), I'm not trying to hide my nationality, nor do I have a low opinion of German people. In fact, the reason I am going to Germany is because of the superior standards of education and living. I just don't want to be seen as another obnoxious insensitive American tourist, because I know that's how the rest of the world sees many of us.

Jake, I guessed you were a fan of the Germans - otherwise it would be silly to move there for a year. My post was to give you a sense of perspective.

You posted:
One thing I am concerned about is bringing my Red Sox hat with me. People tell me I will stand out and be an easy target for anti-American sentiment.

The only way this would be a valid concern is if Germany was a nation of anti-American bigots. As you obviously don't believe this of the German people you can have one less thing to worry about.

Jake- You'll have a blast.
You will be fine with your band shirts and Red Sox's hat. Just avoid novelity t-shirts with silly sayings. I actually saw an Italian student yesterday wearing a shirt that said, "American Rams Football". Convers and skinny jeans are in. I hope you have a great trip. Ask your host family what to bring. Also Germans are a lot more American friendly/tollerant than other European countries.

Peter, I believe you're being a bit harsh. Jake is SEVENTEEN for goodness sakes and about to embark on a brand new experience. He obviously doesn't have a low opinions of Germans or he wouldn't go there.

Jake, I participated in a two week program at a German school when I was 16, and then I studied abroad for a year in college. My classmates loved Americans, and wanted to get to know me because they like our culture, just as we like theirs. I don't think you will experience any "anti-American" problems unless like someone else said, you are completely obnoxious. Germans pay a LOT to wear some clothes that are popular among teens here (Nike, Addidas, Levis, etc.) So if you wear them, you'll probably look fashionable. If you were 35 years old, it may be another story... I also found that some teens WERE wearing the baggy clothes (which I personally don't like!) If you're going to be there for a year, you'll probably buy some clothes while you're there, too, and you'll find yourself buying some of the styles that are popular there and find yourself blending in a bit. That's what happened to me when I spent a year there. Jo's comments are right on, too. She lives there as an American, so she can offer great insight... Have you decided where you will be staying yet? You will never forget this experience and it will be a life-changing experience!!! (GO UCONN!)

Amy: maybe I sounded harsh but it was to make a point. It makes no sense to think, on one had, that Germans are great people but then also think they are anti-American bigots. The two things are contradictory.

I wanted him to sit down and think and then realise that his worries were unfounded. It's one thing to be told there will be no issue but to work it out yourself, logically, is bound to be more comforting.