Pants acceptable for men to wear?

this is a topic of frequent and heated discussion. Use the search box (top right of the screen) to find some recent discussions.

Sherry, this topic has been posted many times here, and I've heard mixed stuff about Shorts.

My last few times visiting, I don't recall seeing many men with shorts. My husband wore light linen or khaki type pants.

Also June may not be necessarily warm. I was in Paris in June and it was rather cool. Double check the weather in a few weeks... as I will be too since I will be there the same as you! LOL

You will get a variety of responses from Never, Ever to I'll Wear What I Please.

In my experience, European men only wear shorts to the beach, pool or during an athletic activity. Everywhere else men wear pants.

Take a look at my visual men's packing list. It's not exactly what I pack, and probably not exactly what your boyfriend would choose, but it gives you a good idea.

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

Sherry,
See below to see another post

http://www.ricksteves.com/graffiti/helpline/index.cfm/rurl/topic/13087/is-wearing-shorts-out-of-the-question-in-europe-please-advise-thanks.html

I actually saw men in capri type pants last summer on the Berlin/Prague/Vienna Rick Steves tour. We saw two types of men wearing them. The first were foreign tourist, generally, older American men, who had three way converteble pants and the'd only removed the bottom part of their conversion. The second group was more interesting as they seemed to be young Europeans. There weren't a lot of the latter, but they sure had a different look than the American Men. ; ) Also, it was really, really, really, really hot--40 degrees celsius and higher--so that was a huge factor.

Pam

He should wear what is comfy and easy to care for. While it is true that, thankfully, shorts are not commonly worn by men in Europe, that shouldnt matter if that's what he chooses to do. We have read many posts about :fitting in" and "not looking like a tourist". That is simply not possible. You will both be seen as tourists no matter what. Light long pants are actually better as they provide a measure of sun protection. Paul never wore shorts during 5 1/2 months in Europe from May thru late October. We encountered some very hot weather. He is not your boyfriend!

Bring a pair of shorts. If he feels uncomfortable wearing them, then they don't take much room in the luggage. But I guarantee he'll soon feel comfortable wearing them.

Bring those shorts right along. So long as they don't look too geeky (those rodeo clown 'shorts' do look out of place) you'll do all right. Austrians wear Lederhosen all summer and neat shorts of moderate length are acceptable in most places. You can't look like a local anyway - multiple clues give you away just walking in - so enjoy the warm days in comfort.

Oh yes, if it's cool outside (55 degrees/10 C) then shorts definitely look strange to Europeans. That 'wear shorts in winter' fashion has not caught on - blessedly so.

" Austrians wear lederhosen all summer"

On what planet?

This debate on shorts will never end! At least in Belgium, outside of the cities, locals commonly wear shorts in the summer. And also, realize, that if you don't see locals wearing shorts in a large European city, perhaps the reason is because they have to go work? How many of us would (or could) wear shorts to our jobs here?

"Pants acceptable for men to wear?"

I am sorry to do this, but I had a little chuckle. I read "pants acceptable for men to wear?" and wondered if they didn't wear pants, what else they would wear!lol

Anyway, my son and hubby are not taking shorts but if your boyfriend is comfortable wearing them and they're not like the Abercrombie pants I've seen with a zillion baggy pockets, shredded at the edges and have all sorts of things hanging off them, then they should be okay, but check temps before you go.

Pat
Lederhosen are acceptable anywhere outside of Vienna; they may not show up - except for the velvety 'tourist' variety in bigger cities, but out in the country younger folks still wear them. They used to be more common, true, but what I meant to say was that in Central Europe men like to be casual also in summer weather. Jeans have taken the Lederhosen's popularity, but long pants are not de rigueur in rural areas.

Lederhosen anywhere outside the Alpine region will draw a crowd, though.

Pat
In Austria,Lederhosen are acceptable anywhere outside of Vienna; they may not show up - except for the velvety 'tourist' variety - in bigger cities, but out in the country younger folks still wear them. They used to be more common, true, but what I meant to say was that in Central Europe men like to be casual also in summer weather. Jeans have taken the Lederhosen's popularity, but long pants are not de rigueur in rural areas.

Lederhosen anywhere outside the Alpine region will draw a crowd, though.

In Nuremberg Germany, I was heading to the the tourist office in the city center for the daily walking tour. There were two separate tours leaving at the same time: one in German, the other in English. Two separate clusters of people formed outside the office waiting for the tours to begin, from 50 yards away I knew exactly which tour was which. The cluster with everyone wearing long pants was waiting to for the German tour, the cluster waiting for the English tour was exclusively wearing shorts:) This was during the World Cup in 2006 when the US was playing their match, so everyone on the English tour was from the US.

Thank you all so much for your help!!! I think I'll let him know to pack a pair of shorts just in case and play it by ear. I know we'll stick out like tourists no matter what, but I'd rather not look like the typical hawaiian shirt and tennis shoes with socks kind =) Thanks so much everyone for your input!

Hi Sherry, I've posted this before, but I'll post again. I'm an American living in Europe & here's the lowdown: Shorts shouldn't be worn in any European city, unless you want to stick out like a yokel.

The only beef I have with the Rick Steves franchise is the "comfort is the only thing that matters" mantra that many of his followers (not necessarily Steve himself) purport. Please understand: Traveling "close to the ground" also means looking like the locals, which means looking fashionable in most cases. Comfort & class need not be mutually exclusive.

After a trip when I view my pictures, what I find satisfying- and know most others would too- is seeing how I "fit in" with the European scenery. What we wear- just as as much as what we say & how we act- reflects the respect we feel towards the country we are visiting. At a time when America & Americans need all the good P.R. we can get, I wish more American travelers would take this to heart.

Rick Steves on wearing shorts in Europe:"If you're trying to blend in, realize that shorts are uncommon in Europe. They're considered exclusively beachwear, for use in coastal or lakeside resort towns. While most Europeans won't be offended if you wear shorts, you might be on the receiving end of some stares. Shorts are especially uncommon on older women and in big cities, and the cutoff temperature for "hot enough for shorts" is much higher than in the US. Especially in southern Europe, no matter how hot it is, grown adults look goofy in shorts."

Patton,

Thanks so much for that insight from someone actually living there. I'll take that to heart. I lived in Spain for a semester, but I lived in a beach town , so it was a little bit different than the rest of Europe. I did see shorts, but it was only as beach attire. That was why I wanted to see what the rest of Europe was like. I like to try to be culturally sensitive.

I understand that Europeans uphold fashion, but the problem with this when you're backpacking is you have such a limited amount of room in your suitcase, and you're going from hostel to hostel. It is not exactly an environment conducive to looking your best.

However, I appreciate your advice and insight and will take it all into consideration with the shorts.

Not sure about all of Europe but Paris - take shorts. I went in late May 2004 & lived in shorts. I had no problems getting into museums nor did I get any weird stares. It gets hot & sweaty, and shorts will cool you down. Just make sure they are dress shorts (like golf shorts).

Theres alot of comments about 'trying to fit in'. Be kind & polite, learn some of the language and that will take you farther than any dress code.

I saw a series of RS travelogues recently and to my amusement found shorts in abundance in the background of the reports from Greece, Spain, and even France. These must all have been American tourists, because as even Rick says, "shorts are uncommon in Europe."

If you ever have had to spend all day in a large European city in mid-summer's humidity, you will understand why Europeans leave the big cities en masse for vacation elsewhere. While I don't advocate wearing shorts any time other than the warm months, just have at it. Your dollars will be as welcome (and since Americans are also known as great tippers, the service staff will not upbraid you for being out of uniform).

I was in Athens, Paris, Munich, Frankfurt and Venice in July of 2004, and noticed men wearing 3/4 length shorts in each of those cities. It was very hot in Athens at the time (39-40*C), but they were quite common everywhere we went.