Guys: Stop Worrying About What to Wear in Europe

Hear! Hear!

But I was watching this show-- what was it called? It was on the same channel that carries Rick Steves (who is that guy who travels a lot and finds exuberance around every corner) Downtown Arbor maybe?

Anyway, this Mr Carson character had quite a bit to say on what is and what is not appropriate to wear at different times of the day and for different meals and I must say that if I were to keep up with him I think a carry-on bag would not be possible and that Rick Steves fellow seemed to think efficient packing adds flexibility to travel -- so put me in his camp!

Happy travels!

YES. I haven't worried about what I wear in my travels since...., well I never have. I dress practical and comfortable. Practical requires cargo shorts or shorts with many pockets because my wife wants to carry a tiny purse but still needs room for the important stuff like lipstick, lip gloss and whatever else she stuffs in my pockets. I bring Under Armour T shirts because they're cool on a hot day or a layer underneath on a cool day. I bring Tommy Bahama collared shirts because they pack easily without requiring ironing when I get there. If one or two have a floral or flamingo print... that's because I like that style. Baseball caps...Blue Jays, Flames are on top of the pile.

"Clean. Neat. Not embarrassing." ??

Pah! and Tish tosh, too.

I'm hoping for a summer version of a Homburg, like they wear in the early morning fishmarket auctions, with the smell to go along with it. That's just the topper. The main wardrobe will be as much clashing bright yellow and superman blue as I can mash into my carryon. And I hope this sash says 'slava ukraine' in whatever that strange type font is.

Thanks, you just reminded me to make an appointment with my barber (honestly!)

Your observations are pretty much accurate Americans do gives themselves by the way they walk. I agree with the "gait" observation.

Those twenty something year old Americans wear also their college/university T-shirt , be it the Yale, or Kansas , or Northwestern etc, etc. I've seen that quite often. That is a dead give-away too. I wear white sneakers too, Nikes. They also do stand out. as does my wearing the waist belt in front of the pants.

I am not saying anyone here is doing anything wrong. It is just that I am personally more comfortable by asking myself not what is the lowest standard tolerable in a culture, but instead, what I should do to show the level of respect that my hosts deserve. When I am in doubt, I aim high. The standard is never about what all the other tourists are doing; that’s immaterial. It is about the local cultural norm; exclusive of tourism. And yes, that norm is age dependent.

A norm is an accepted standard, model, or pattern of behavior that is
typical, expected, or considered "normal" within a specific group,
society, or context. It functions as a rule or average level of
performance/behavior that most people agree with, follow, or against
which others are evaluated.

This isn’t about clothing as much as it is a travel style. I hope it also helps preserve the culture that I am traveling to see and participate in. Or maybe it would if more agreed with me. What it is not about is not looking American. I would be proud to be seen as a polite and considerate American.

Last year I observed that over 50% of people were wearing white sneakers

Very funny, LADTM & most appreciated!

Those twenty something year old Americans wear also their
college/university T-shirt , be it the Yale, or Kansas , or
Northwestern etc, etc. I've seen that quite often.

I see this a lot here in Uppsala, but they're usually trendy young Swedes, recognizable by walking out of their high school at lunchtime with their friends, all speaking Swedish.

The big difference is fit. People generally wear their clothes tighter to the body in Europe, including sportswear.
If it’s not sportswear, it’s usually cut closer to the body or has more panels to fit body shape.

The easiest way to look European (or Asian) is to wear a NY Cap, just not Navy Blue.

Having lived/worked in Europe and traveled many times there, my dress code has morphed from including a nice blue blazer, to a notch below. Clean clothes in good form, muted in color (same as at home), and sweater, all serve me well in Europe. People know I am not a local given the combination of clothes, gait and sometimes carefully noting street signs and comparing such to a digital map.

Mr É's post above about dressing to show respect is excellent. It's less about what you wear than avoiding looking like a slob or like you have no self-awareness.

So everyone only saw NY baseball hats, not LA ones? I thought I saw LA baseball hats too last time I was in Paris, but that was six years ago, unfortunately during COVID. I’m going back again in a few months and I’m trying to figure out what kind of hat to wear on a sunny day.

And if you need a visual representation about proper clothing while in Europe, see the Griswold family in the movie, European Vacation.

At home or abroad, I wear my 'uniform'. Same outfit, all black, all the time.

all black, all the time.

Can't go wrong. Never going out of style.

As Americans the moment we open our mouths gives us away. For men so does Yankees and Dodgers ball caps ( in reality any baseball cap does), wearing flip flops and trying to find a place that has hamburgers. Sadly we are also fatter, less educated and pushy. In over 60 years of travel I’ve been witness to far too many cringe worthy moments by my fellow Americans.

We believe that wherever one goes one is ambassador of sorts for wherever one comes from. Whilst in most instances the world at large has grown more sartorially forgiving, that in turn places an even greater emphasis on behaviour as an indicator of the degree of respect a traveler has for the nation in which they are a guest.

I could generalize and still be correct, but i will be cautious and say, in Hungary:

As Americans the moment we open our mouths gives us away.

Not if you speak softly. On holiday everyone from everywhere in the world communicates in English. Mostly television English.

For men so does Yankees and Dodgers ball caps ( in reality any
baseball cap does),

Not even close. European and Asian kids have the majority now.

wearing flip flops

Not here, i give that to the very large asian population. But even then, not many.

and trying to find a place that has hamburgers.

If you come here and want to eat lunch like a local, I will take you to BurgerKing. No American tourists at all. Hungarian and European kids.

Sadly we are also fatter, less educated and pushy.

Fatter, maybe. Wealth does that. Less educated? Doubt it. Differently educated, yes. Not as well educated as we could be, yes.

In over 60 years of travel I’ve been witness to far too many cringe
worthy moments by my fellow Americans.

Only them? Yes, we are most attuned to what we are looking for and we are often looking for .... nvm

Ah, time to trot my favorite Thoreau quote:

“I say, beware of all enterprises that require new clothes, and not rather a new wearer of clothes. If there is not a new man, how can the new clothes be made to fit? If you have any enterprise before you, try it in your own clothes.”

― Henry David Thoreau

Now as we all know, that guy was a snappy dresser.

"Clothes maketh man"-- somebody said that? Was it from the movie the Kingsman or perhaps from The Devil Wears Prada or the sequel,The Devil Wear Prada 2?

Fashions change! In that Downtown Arborist thingy, Mr Carson took his posse to the beach and they wore bathing suits the covered every inch of their flesh and some of them even wore hats into the water. Not nowadays, I daresay.

Take your cue from the kids! They are our ambassadors to the future!

Happy travels!

We believe that wherever one goes one is ambassador of sorts for
wherever one comes from. Whilst in most instances the world at large
has grown more sartorially forgiving, that in turn places an even
greater emphasis on behaviour as an indicator of the degree of respect
a traveler has for the nation in which they are a guest.

GBP you nailed it

I certainly don't want to be an ambassador for anywhere. I only represent myself, and I probably don't do that very well.

Controversial opinion with the hat lovers I'd guess, but I think you look like a dork in a baseball cap if you're over 30, with very few exceptions. I'm not saying I'd never wear one (I own a New Era Yankees cap), it's fun to look like a dork for style sometimes, but yeah, the Seattle Sh*tehawks cap isn't impressing anybody. Especially if you wear it sat eating your dinner.

It's fairly pointless putting on airs and graces as far as your attire just for coming on vacation to Europe. If you don't dress with style in mind at home, you're probably getting it wrong in Europe too.

David, its from Latin - "vestis virum facit" from the Odyssey. Possibly the reaction of the Trojans to poorly dressed Greek visitors.

Repeated in Shakespeare I believe.

“The apparel oft proclaims the man” - Ah, yes. from Hamlet.

Good call!

Happy travels!

And when we don’t understand a point of view or culture that is not ours, it is best to ridicule it. Very adult. Time to move on.

What the heck is Television English?

Time to move on.

Just a bit of patter, love. The opinion of one guy on the internet that doesn't like baseball caps much. Don't mean nuttin'.

If I were to offer style tips for Americans coming to London specifically, an American brand that I love and have worn off and on for quarter of century is Carhartt. You're going to look quite on point around town in a fresh Carhartt chore coat or a clean pair of work pants. It doesn't matter if your sneakers are white. They make nice collared shirts that aren't too formal too. Carhartt WIP is the more fashion-forward end of the brand. I don't know if any of you own Pendleton shirts, but it is another great American brand that works for me.

I don't think you can go wrong with basics. I wear quite a lot of supermarket brand basics tees and long sleeves in various muted colours. I like to wear the supermarket stuff (TU at Sainsburys is on the better end of quality) with something nicer. I have an dark green Stone Island collared bomber jacket that I've owned for the best part of 30 years that I like to wear with plain cheap t-shirts and long sleeves.

When I was out earlier I was wearing a white George at Asda tee, a burnt orange Merino wool crew neck sweater from Asket and A.P.C. blue denims, 34" length with a little cuff even though they're not selvedge. White Converse Chuck Taylor 70's low. It's my first pair of 70's, and they are far and away better quality than regular Chucks these days. Converse aren't the best to recommend to a visitor doing 20 000 steps around London every day, but I also have a pair of Salomon XT-6 for covering the miles. They're quite a fashionable shoe here in the UK at the moment too.

Uniqlo, Asket and COS are a go - to for basics a cut above the supermarket brands. They probably all have some popularity in the US too. I picked up a used pair of cords (my first for many years) recently by French brand Octobre Editions. Their website is worth a look for a "European" casual gentleman's look.

My uniform while travelling in continental Europe for many years, particularly to my "second homes" of Amsterdam and Barcelona, was camo combat pants, a plain (usually black) tee and Nike Air Max. I looked for all the world like a pasty Scottish guerrilla fighter. I'm sure some could critique that outfit quite easily, but I'm always up for a bit of feedback on what I'm wearing.

I think sometimes visitors over-prepare with technical clothing for city holidays in Europe. It's different if you're out in the country walking for hours, but you don't need all that much protection against the elements if you're just in urban environments. I certainly find it rare that I have to be outside in pouring rain for any length of time. Really technical hiking gear does make you stand out a bit in cities unless the weather's really wild.

Claudia, i remember 20+ years ago most of the English i heard over here sounded more from the UK. But the last decade especially the kids seem to be less so. I asked some parents what happened and they said the kids were learning English more from US based media and the accent portrayed that. Makes it more difficult to identify where they are from. But I'll be honest, if someone in a restaurant is sitting 6 feet away and having a normal conversation I would have to concentrate a lot more than is appropriate to know what language they are speaking.

Re: to many cringe worth things attributed to Americans....how true going back to my first trip in 1971.

Whether these cringe worthy moments betray their background ,ie where they come from, they are impervious to their surroundings etc loud talking or antics, you name it. True, there are other nationalities, no doubt, ( just watch them) , doing likewise too which I have looked on with curiously.

The main difference between "them" and Americans is language since English is the international language The locals have an understanding of English ranging from passable, mediocre to fluency, depending on your interlocutor. They will hear and understand (some of it) what Americans are saying, whereas with these other nationalities , eg, Russian and the Chinese, they couldn't care less about any reaction, have any compunctions to their behaviour since rightly so they know you cannot understand the language.

Traveling over there are two absolutely blatant examples of egregious American behaviour that stand out, even considering the folly of youth, done by American girls in their early 20s, one incident on the day train to Budapest , the other (you guessed it) in a Paris cafe. Both examples produced a blunt reaction from local women.

Re: Clothes make the Man......That is the title of a 19th century novel in German literature, " Kleider machen Leute" by CF Meyer, from which we had to read excerpts in the anthology .

I will be going to Norway and Germany in July-August. I will wear my "German sandals" - the leather type with gripper soles. And I will wear socks. Not white but various dark colors. If you don't wear socks, your sandals get sweaty and little rocks intrude upon your travel bliss.

Traveling over there are two absolutely blatant examples of egregious American behaviour that stand out, even considering the folly of youth, done by American girls in their early 20s, one incident on the day train to Budapest , the other (you guessed it) in a Paris cafe. Both examples produced a blunt reaction from local women.

OK, Fred, give. What were these fauxes-pas?

@ Paul...You want to hear about the 2 egregious incidents. Come to think of these incidetns, there were 3, two in Paris, at a cafe and the Eiffel Tower, both occurring in the late 1990s.

The most recent one was that in 2015, my 3rd day trip to Budapest. I happened to sit with 3 American girls, all in their early 20s and all from the Midwest, Indiana, Iowa and MN. I had asked each of them. The coach was full, every seat was taken or just about. The Indiana girl had a voice that just carried, am sure she would have been heard thanks to her volume at the other end of the coach.

The entire coach were Hungarians ,most likely, or Czech., certainly no other anglophones , Germans or Asians. The women sitting diagonally opposite from us were plainly annoyed tat the loud talking and I mean , the Indiana girl's voice. That they were annoyed, just ticked at hearing her was plain to see, ie by their facial expression s. I sat in the aisle seat

Finally, one of the women had had enough, most likely the other 3 as well but were too polite to say anything at hearing this American English regardless if we understood their response or not. The most agitated of the 4 women across from us , this blond, decides to just scream at us, by her facial expression you can tell she was pretty ticked off, quite unnerved at the girl's loud vice

So, the woman just lets loose at us screaming something.. Not hard to guess what. Obviously, they had been constantly looking in our direction. By her tone, unmistakable bluntness , and her loudness, (she had also gotten up from seat too) , she most likely given this context screamed, "SHUT UP !" That seemed to me obvious by the body language and anger.

The 3 Midwest girls were startled , looked clueless and puzzled at each other , ie, with that clueless look meaning "you're talking to us?" They didn't say anything by way of reply to the Hungarian woman, momentarily just too taken aback. I butted in by saying I think she means for you lower your voice (yes, to put mildly ) . They were puzzled as to why the woman was so angry . I told the Indiana girl that you were talking too loud, ie your voice just ricocheted the woman is telling you most likely to shut up. Not most likely, I knew it by her tone and demeanor

For the rest of the ride to BP, the Indiana girl's voice at times would gradually drift louder and louder, her friends didn't tell her the volume was going up. I reminded her to lower it lest we get screamed at again .

Asket is a good shout- one of the few brands that actually holds up. They cost a little more but it saves you in the long run because you don't have to keep replacing things that fall apart.

Regarding Converse, that is pretty much what I exclusively wear, both here and travelling, unless we are doing long-distance trail walking (for that I like Merrell for low top walking shoes and Salomon for high tops when we are walking somewhere with a lot of hills). Tho I know Converse are not for everybody. I do notice when people on here talk about what they are bringing to wear there is quite a lot of "tactical" gear and when I see people around town dressed that way they do stand out. But honestly does it really matter? As long as you are polite and respectful I don't think most people care how you dress.

If I were to offer style tips for Americans coming to London specifically, an American brand that I love and have worn off and on for quarter of century is Carhartt. You're going to look quite on point around town in a fresh Carhartt chore coat or a clean pair of work pants.

This gave me a laugh (not in a critical way).

I live in rural Vermont, dairy farm up the road. I have horses at home. I wear Carhartt every day and so do all my neighbors. But I sure wouldn’t travel to Europe in my Carhartts; they smell like barn, even after washing!

But I agree, they are great quality clothes. I just don’t think of them as ever being “fresh” or suitable travel wear. 😂

Deb, I like Carhartt around too. I think things like my chore coat are really easy to wear because they're nice and simple and straightforward. I also regularly wear their "Simple Pant" which are quite wide straight leg work pants. They're on trend again this last few years because of their wide straight cut. I have a zip up jacket with a hood and two front pockets (I'm sure you know the type) that I've had for 25 or 30 years. It's worn through and ragged at the cuffs, but my Carhartt has "patina" that the youngsters' doesn't have :) It doesn't smell of barn though! I also own a nice Carhartt WIP wool sweater and a zip up hoody. I like a zip hoody for wearing with a t-shirt with a print. Back years ago there were very few stores importing Carhartt into the UK so it was a bit less common.

I also like Dickies pants and have a black pair of "874" at the moment. American workwear definitely has its place in urban settings too, if you can get the horsey smell out of it first :)

I know Converse are not for everybody.

I was maybe just trying to fit in with the idea that they wouldn't be good shoes for visitors. Many here would scoff at the idea of taking Converse on vacation as their main shoes. I think they're kinda cool to wear around town with jeans or chinos, and still a distinctly American shoe. I've certainly had times where Converse All Stars were all I had to wear and walked miles in them.

But honestly does it really matter?

Nah, not really. I find it interesting to talk about though. I like making conscious decisions about what I'm wearing when I'm out in a city so I look half decent, and clocking what others are wearing around me. I think it's one of the advantages of being in a city like London, even a neighbourhood like Hackney. I can understand how many people may not care and prefer to focus on the practical elements though.

Comfortable shoes.....?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wziXaEMzUM4

This. People who swear Europeans don’t wear American brands of shoes like Nike and Air Jordans are living in the 1990s. It is now harder to tell who are Americans and who are Europeans. Except Germans who still rock the socks/sandals look.

I remember Americans telling us not to wear jeans and sneakers/especially white and never to wear ball caps in Paris. We stay in the 8th arr. and on the weekends almost half of the locals under 50 were wearing jeans, white Nikes and wearing ball caps. The biggest tell IMO, is that Americans tend to leave bag and zippers open, riding on the Metro and walking around Europe, I’m always amazed how we tend to leave our backpacks and purses, half open. On the Metro, I could have stole items from 3 clueless tourists and I actually mentioned to American college girls to shut their bags. If you want to look local, please zip all bags.

The easiest way to tell an American tourist is by their haircuts. They are just different, generalising slightly.

@GerryM: Controversial opinion with the hat lovers I'd guess, but I think you look like a dork in a baseball cap if you're over 30, with very few exceptions.

In that case, what, in your opinion, is the correct hat for a man to wear to protect his head in the sun?

Kathleen if I want to fly under the radar I have a collection of flat caps. Tge problem is too often I get addressed in Hungarian by locals. I dont speak Hungarian so we have to start over each time. The tourists address me in English because everyone in Europe speaks English ... except those that dont.

When I dont care (most of the time), I have a white Aggie cap.

Very, very rare i see an American in a cap. Mostly Europeans and Asians and mostly NY. Although this year quite a few Walmart caps (burnt orange with a cow head on it) but they arent Americans either. Bad taste isnt limited to Americans. And some Bass Pro hats (Germans).

what, in your opinion, is the correct hat for a man to wear to protect his head in the sun?

I dunno. Wear whatever you like I suppose.

I'm really not a hat guy. I've never felt the need to protect my head using a hat. I've always got by without. I think I mentioned it the last time this came up, but I'd rock a Kangol and an Adidas tracky like LL if I had the bottle, but that would be purely for style rather than utility.

I have to wear a hat for sun protection. I usually wear a brown logo-less baseball cap (from Loro Piana I think...). I've had several people walk up to me and start talking in French or German (which is OK, I can get by) or Hungarian or Czech (which are complete mysteries to me). As I said earlier, tons of locals wear New York Yankees caps now, mostly black with white logos, but lots of grays and different colors. I have a panama hat for really hot sunny days in Italy. Hat, no hat, whatever hat, no one cares, I guess.

I've been told that this is popular in the UK

https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSljQcOxUpQ4RRPOnkx-XVagm0rTJs-JiUxSAuKJixcxtxd7eLOUNRXkbg&s=10

Here's a link to an article about the Kangol's place in hip hop, with a big pic of LL Cool J at the top.

https://www.highsnobiety.com/p/kangol-hip-hop-hats-buy-online/

People who swear Europeans don’t wear American brands of shoes like Nike and Air Jordans are living in the 1990s.

Nike didn't really have significant market share until well into the 90's in Europe, probably starting with Air Max. Adidas (and to a lesser extent, its estranged sibling, Puma) was dominant. Here in the UK, sneakers (we call them trainers) as a style item were driven by the football casual movement first, hip hop music second. Right through the 80's Adidas was second to none. The Adidas Gazelle might be thought of as Europe's Air Jordan in terms of its cultural significance. Heather's statement I quoted above does have some truth I think, but maybe not in the way they intended.

Socks 'n' sandals - yes. Socks 'n' Crocs, no.

One of my fave bits of recent badinage between locals and tourists is spotting people wearing a black oversized t-shirt with gray lettering that says

NY don't love you.

It's hard to not look like a tourist when you are in tourist spots and taking pictures of these areas. Many tourists in Europe are in fact Europeans on vacation. I've noticed that denim of many styles is worn everywhere by the locals and tourists alike. From observing travelers in various locations I feel that I can spot an American by their body language.