Final word on appropriate clothing for travel in Europe?

If it doesn't get you arrested and/or kicked out of the country, it is appropriate.

Not that people shouldn't wear what makes them comfortable but that is pretty different from how people dress in Portugal. I just got back and people are much more conservative there.

I agree. Some of the outfits we saw were pretty comical. Made for great people watching while relaxing with a drink!

In Sweden, everyone was casually stylish. The men were dressed typically European with the fitted suit jacket and pants. I saw no shorts, thank goodness. The colors were mostly subdued except for sneakers, which were white, orange, green or any other vibrant color. If there was color, it was an accent…except for some orange pants on the young people.

I think the issue is less what you wear, than what you bring. To pack as light as possible, what you bring needs to work in many situations and work with the other items you bring. If being comfortable means wearing something that might need to be changed to go out to dinner, or to visit a church, then yet another change to go to the Opera...as another thread is discussing, then you might want to rethink. If comfortable means you need dress/leather shoes for one outfit, athletic shoes for another, sandals, flip flops, or yet another pair of footwear...then again, you might want to rethink. Same for shirts that have to go with certain pants, or items that have a single use or application. Ideally (though not practical) if you had but one outfit that worked for everything...that would be all you need.

Oh-oh, you mean people actually look at what other travelers in Europe are wearing (other than maybe their travel companion)?
If so, I'm definitely in trouble, as I fear I would not pass the rigorous scrutiny of the clothing police.

Guessing by your comments you judged these people for how they were dressed. That's natural. And if you wear a clown suit then others will judge you to. Not fair is it? But its reality. If I look confused at an intersection while dressed somewhat well, and next to me is the guy in the clown suit, which of us do you think will be approached by a good Samaritan offering help? Which will get the better seat in the nice restaurant? Geee, that just isn't fair! is it? So yes, wear what is comfortable for you, appropriate to the climate and enjoy your trip

Last month, we saw a guy dressed as Santa Claus one evening at Diocletian's Palace in Split. Classic red hat, sunglasses, long white beard, white t-shirt and red shorts. And no one cared.

...then I guess I could add that if you do a search on this forum for "short-shorts" you will find a post that nearly completely had concensus that they were "inappropriate" unless you were female, young, had the figure, and wore tights with them. So I think the "wear whatever you want" mantra has both limits and still requires some scrutiny for the locale you are travelling to. I do tend to wear more casual when I travel, but can pull something together for a "better dressed" option, and without much effort can look appropriate on a beach, all based on minimal items in my bag.

Yes, wear a santa claus suit if you want. Wear short shorts everywhere but churches in southern Europe. Anything goes.

BUT what people are missing here is that for many of us, it's not about "what we can get away with". We CAN get away with anything, see above examples. It's about feeling confident. I don't know about you, but if I were parading around a clown suit in the Louvre, I'd feel weird and not have a good time. I feel better, and therefore travel better, when I look nice and in line (somewhat) with both local norms and my own sense of personal style. Nowhere in Europe (or the US) are some of the insane outfits normal. I would never tell anyone what to wear (outside of dress code rules), but I will certainly give my opinion when asked. That opinion does not include clown suits :)

Mira, it's the dumbing down of society to the lowest common denominator. It provides cover for the masses and marginalizes those that have higher expectations in life. It also makes it easier to spot American and British tourists.

"...it's the dumbing down of society to the lowest common denominator." Gosh, am I part of the dumb masses wearing clean, in good form, boring I suppose in darker colors, clothes that are great for travel and most/all nearby folks don't give a fig when I walk by?

/s/ Am so confused

To paraphrase an old Beck's ad campaign, "Germans don't do fashion, Germans do beer."

I have very few fashion rules. One is I don't accept fashion advice or criticism from men wearing shorts, sandals and white socks.

I'm more forgiving regarding a speedo (as long as it's not a thong). :-)

I had to laugh when I saw the title of this thread. I sincerely doubt that there will ever be a 'final word' on any subject posted on this forum. After all, what fun would it be if we couldn't keep bringing up and rehashing the same old nuggets all the time, whenever someone gets bored.

Thank you, Keith. "She only does it to provoke."

Bruce, based on what you described don't think you were in anyway involved in my comment. And really, I don't much care about the subject. Its a big world, and everyone is pretty much free to follow their callings. It just seemed like some were requiring that others validate their decisions. Cant do that.

Thanks for the responses.
I thought that I was describing what some folks were wearing, but it seems that I was judging them.
Mea culpa.
To those who think I only do it to provoke, you may be right. I'll have to do aniother self-examination.
And to those of you who were smart enough to stay away from northern Europe right now, congratulations. The weather here in Germany is like November.
But I have not judged anyone for wearing a winter jacket in June.