clothing question

Christy, I think , since you are young, that you should just go for it.. I personally think that look is quite cute on the younger folk and I don't think you would be that out of place in most major ciites. I do think that when its 100 degrees out that you may want to skip the leggings though, as there is no way they are cool whens its that hot!!

Sometimes its not what you wear but how you wear it, in Paris we saw some pretty wild looks last summer, not a lot, but the ones that dressed uniquely really stand out to me for the confidence they radiate.. you are never going to see these people again, wear something wild and smile away,, I means its not like you are asking about white sneakers and fanny packs..LOL

When we were in Paris we did see that look a lot. One clothing mistake I made was trying to take plain, practical clothes. For me being youg, I couldn't stand when I was around all the cute fashions so and I ended buying some new clothes in Paris! Practical clothes are still good sometimes, but you need your cute stuff too.

Christy: I see that you're an LA gal. I'm writing this tonight from Venice Beach (LA, not Italy) and after some of the outfits I've seen here, I wanted to suggest that while in Paris just wear what you'd wear on Venice Beach! Where else but Venice Beach LA would a shirt and shorts be considered over-dressed? (You know what I mean!)

thanks! I was so concerned at first about packing light and wearing things i could mix and match and whatever. Then i was like... im going to be in europe...i dont want to just wear jeans and a t shirt and dress "practically"...im 22 not 52 (not that thats old or anything...) so i decided to just wear what i wear here as long as it is not dry clean...im pretty casual and i think those short dresses with the leggings are perfect for daytime and can be dressed up at night... i just wanted to make sure that it isnt out of fashion over there... one more thing... i also wear these pants called "t parties" that are basically yoga pants... people in la wear them and they are super comfy... ill def be wearing them on the plane but if you know what im talking about do you think that they are too casual for the city? or are they too tight? (they are spandex)
thanks!!!!!

In April in Paris and London lots of the young women were wearing the short dress-like tops over cut-off black tights (sometimes white ones) or very tight jeans. Looked very cute. Sometimes the tights were lacy, and not opaque. The yoga pants? No, my step-daughter from LA doesn't wear those outdoors when she visits us in Montreal and I doubt she would in Paris, either.

And when my daughter said she could pick out the American girls because they were all wearing "pajama bottoms" - she may have been referring to the yoga pants. Skip those. She did wear and buy many of the long tops this past year in France.

This was also something that I was thinking about as well :) Thanks for posting the question (and thanks for the answers) :)

I would like to ask another question though... would this be suitable to wear in a church?? I am a little unsure on whether tights are appropriate :-/

Thanks
Leeana

We saw lots of long tops with leggings (we actually see those in the States), but if it's really hot I am not sure the leggings would be that comfortable.

One thing I regretted was talking my daughter out of taking her "cute" clothes, because of this notion about blending in. You will see so many varieties of fashion from all over, that you won't stick out. The only time an American sticks out in my opinion is when they dress sloppy i.e. pj pants, sweats, Hawaiian shirts, tube socks and the famous fanny packs. Oh, acrylic nails (claws as I call them), poofy hair (mall bangs), and lots of hairspray and makeup. Other than that, our folks looked a lot better to my eyes this year than years ago.

Just don't go generic and boring thinking you will fit in. I won't ever give my kids that advice again, and neither will I take it myself.

thanks again everyone. i had a feeling about the pants... they are just so comfy...but ill save them for here :)

Hi Christy, My 2 daughters and I will be bringing our yoga pants to Europe for our 5 week trip, but for certain situations only. On the plane, on the longer train rides and for just hanging out in our room at the hostels, I think we will be going for comfort. But for shopping or going out? Nope.

now that i think about it... people in la wear them TO yoga class...haha i lived in brentwood and everyone is always wearing them to walk places or whatever...i wear them a lot too, to run errands and such...ill definitely bring them for the plane and night train...
O and Karen, Whats wrong with wearing pj bottoms on a looooong flight? you are sleeping (or supposed to)

The Yoga pants I bought (black) for wearing on the plane looked so good (dressy, flared a bit at the bottom) and was great fitting that I wore it out to dinner with nice tops. No one would have guessed. I think there are definitely "Yoga pants" and then there are "Yoga/fashion" pants. The latter is what I bought :-). Comfort on long train rides and plane rides is essential but one can still look "smart".

Thanks everyone! Karen, I guess when i was thinking pj pants i was thinking more sweats, leggins, jumpsuit like clothes that people do wear out, but i understand your point if they were like flannel pjs with the stripes or whatever! (which i would not wear anywhere in public)

Linda, I think youll be fine in the leggings and tops. I think they are perfect for any age, and much better that you wearing pants up to your bra and a fanny pack like some moms! your daughter should be happy you are concerned about your style! As for the leggings being hot, i wear them alll the time in hot weather and its nice, the ones i wear are like spandex so much thinner than any other pants i wear. Im sure dresses and skirts are cooler but i dont wear skirts too much and ive never really felt that i was too hot in the leggings. plus, i like to not have to worry about my skirt or dress flying up (which ALWAYS happens to me even with barely any wind and a decent length skirt) so ill bring skirts and dresses that i dont think will cause a problem but i like being carefree about what i wear, and not having to hold my skirt down! (and not pockets to pick poket)

Elli, i think we are talking about the same yoga pants (they arent really for yoga) and i ware them out with a nice top too. Probably wont in Europe because it sounds like they are just not as casual, but maybe dress them up for daytime or save them for the train/plain (we will be on trains for a lloooooong time during our trip)

Thanks again!

My daughter was referring to the girls walking around the airports in their pajama bottoms. This was after her flight returning from France to Atlanta. Her point was that she had become more aware of what she looked like in public and the airport is definitely public. We wear comfortable clothing on the plane but they are still daytime clothes to be worn outside the home. Even when the kids were little I would not have dressed them in pajamas for a flight.

There may be a wide variety of yoga pants - some that look more like pants and some that look more like pajamas. If you are asking about clothes in terms of "will I look out of place" then you obviously care about how you look to others. If you don't care how you look, then wear whatever you want. My daughter told me that in Strasbourg she was the only one who would walk to the gym in sports clothes. The others wore their street clothes and changed into the sports clothes once they were there. Though she continued to wear the sports clothes, she only did this when she really was on the way to or from exercising. She dressed up - meaning put on nice jeans, the all important scarf & makeup just to go to the store! It was definitely a different sort of look than what I see around our own neighborhood.

What Eli said about wearing "cute clothes" is right on. I like that we bring nicer clothes to travel around Europe - nicer than what I would wear to Disney World. We look great in our pictures and I know I'm cooler in my skirt & summer top than I would be in a cotton tee & jeans. And again Christy - you are young and can get away with a lot more without looking totally odd. If you are fashionable in LA (my old hometown) - you will certainly have fashionable clothes for Europe. Just don't do the beach wear thing outside of the beach!

One other comment - after re-reading Sylvias post about wearing the yoga pants on the train. My first trip to Europe was when I was 19. I brought 2 pairs of jeans and 1 skirt. Returning to London from Spain we were on the trains for 2 1/2 days straight. I wore my jeans - BIG mistake. Sitting in them for that length of time (remember, this was before stretchy jeans) was VERY uncomfortable. I have 2 long travel skirts that I wear on planes and during our long car rides. I can tuck my feet underneath me for warmth and it is so much more comfortable than sitting in pants! I imagine the yoga pants would also be pretty comfortable.

Just wanted to say my 21 year old daughter and I are both planning on taking leggings and long tunic type tops to Europe in a few weeks. I am 54, 5"10 and slender (size8) and if my tunic tops are long enough, which they are, I feel attractive and comfortable in them. Would you think I looked "inappropriate" because of my age? They are perfect for the plane and long train rides. We debated the yoga pant issue and decided we'd do the legging route instead.
Just wondering?

Linda - I think the only potential downside to leggings & tunics is would you be hot with the leggings? Our family trips to Europe have all been during the summer and except for a few days in Ireland we have enjoyed VERY hot and sunny weather. But since we took our trip this year in March, in order to vist our daughter, I haven't been keeping up with the weather throughout Europe.

But as to whether to wear "cute" or "comfortable" - my two concessions to being in my 40s is: No shorts (skirts & capris are better alternatives for me) and I do wear boring walking sandals because I can't walk in high heels for more than a block! Otherwise, I think that traveling is a great time to wear nice clothes. I love good food so always want to try some good restaurants and while we don't go places where you'd need a coat and tie, we defintely try some that are at least midrange. We always bring clothes that would be appropriate for that sort of place.

And I should probably not give an opinion on yoga pants as I really might not be picturing the same thing that everyone else is. My "travel skirts" are elastic waistband so not exactly high fasion - but I do reserve those for the long car days, plane ride, etc. The more tailored clothes come out for the city days. And I think someone else on this board spoke about wearing colors - the "Europeans all wear black" thing seems to be only for winter. I did wear mostly black in Strasbourg in March and thought I looked very chic, but in photos taken in May my daughter and her friends are all in bright, pretty colors. She was lamenting the lack of yellow in the stores here when she got home - said it was all over the place in Stras. And again, she did buy many of the long tops & wore them mostly over jeans - but that just may be she's not a legging kind of girl.

Chrisy, you may want to give some consideration to the shoes you are going to wear with the leggings/dresses. In LA, people use cars and don't walk much so you can wear those cute little flats or flip flops. In Europe you'll be walking a lot more so you may want to get some cute stylish flats that give you a lot of support (perhaps some Privos or Keene's). You will be fine with your clothes . . . just think of your feet.Have Fun!

i will be bringing my rainbow sandals which are super comfy and durable. (i swear they are the best for walking and look a lot better than walking sandals in my opinion...I wear them everywhere and i happen to be one of the few la people who walk everywhere (parking in the santa monica area vcan be HORRIBLE. so im sure ill be able to use them and ill be bringing a pair of cute ballet flats that i can pack in my day bag and wear when i get dressed up for dinner...thanks for the advice though

ps. on the rainbow note...make sure you wear them for quite a while before you leave as they have to mold to your foot and can cause blister for the first couple of weeks, so buying new ones before you go is NOT a good idea...but i think that goes for most shoes