lucky03

I'm just amazed and confused about all the queries about dress and the "code." It seems like if one used common sense, dressed neatly, practically, traveled lightly , with more or less color-coordinated stuff, and most importantly, wearing very comfortable shoes, that is all one needs to do.

Not to offend anyone, but these questions about what to wear to Harrod's, and how many pairs of this or that, etc., gee whiz, it's Europe where people pretty much dress as we do. Yes, many dress better as in Italy and some can be a little slobby as some of us Americans, not all, as some of you seem to suggest.

But let's not get so crazy with anxiety abiut the "dress code!!!"

Buffyhart

I was in London, Dublin, Belfast and Barcelona in August-everyone wears whatever-of course it was during the heatwave...there were plenty of people in trainers-white even that were not American. Jeans-mixed apparel. I wear neither and am more into dress pants/skirts in darker colors when I travel and felt fine there-a bit hot though.
I think you should wear what is comfortable because there is so much walking etc and you need to be comfy.
Go with what you know..respect the customs (some places-no sleevless etc) and I think it is most important that you feel good and enjoy yourself-but hey-thats just me...no need to buy a whole new set of clothing..unless you need a good excuse!

ira

Dear lucky,

Some people are not concerned about their appearance, some people are concerned about their appearance, some people are very, very concerned about their appearance.

Bitter

lucky03: Get in line. Some of us have been wondering the same thing for years! There is a thread right now about the stupidest thing you have heard a tourist say. Threads about clothes include many comments that also could be placed on that thread. Actually, the questions don't bother me so much, b/c we all have our silly questions (although the frequency is annoying). The replies are sometimes bizarre. There are still people who don't think Europeans ever wear anything but black, and never wear shorts, jeans or tennis shoes (trainers). And there are those people who really think wearing high heals and a scarf around their neck while in Paris will hide the fact that they are a tourist. But, hey, humor one reason I visit this website!

TravelMaster

Further to Ira's comments, I want to be comfortable when I travel and part of being comfortable is not 'looking like a tourist', unfortunately my dazed/amazed expressions & the fact that I'm usually lost does give it away. So while you can never be 'overdressed', when you are trying to dress comfortably you can sometimes be 'inappropriately' dressed.

Just my opinion.

Z

PCHsmiles

Clearly registration has been a huge bust in one department ... travel apparel. This incessant debate about jeans, shoes, colors ... it is a tired debate ... (attired debate, lol, get it!).

Fodors fine print promised only the well dressed would be permitted to sign on ... there was supposed to be a dress code screening process. It was to be added as a special question, for id sake. Such as, do you feel the urge to leave your sports coat at home, and do you con your wife into coming on here to ask for you?

Why so many dress posts? Mystery solved. The editors really need to weed out the folks who dress in what could be termed the backpacker style, suitable for camping out, and that's all.

Giovanna

Agree that the subject has been done to death, but so have a number of other inquiries. For example, must sees in major cities. Should be obvious to anyone who does a little research and has a guide book or two. Same thing with hotels. Same queries over and over about the same hotels, or locations of hotels. Afraid it just goes with the territory as new people sign on and don't do/don't know about searches.

I do find it interesting in the "what to wear" threads how different the responses are from women than men (when you can tell by the screen names). Most guys could care less and don't get all the hoopla about clothes. Many women go into great detail about what to pack. There are exceptions, of course, but this seems to most often by the case.

NorthSideSue

When I was 20, I worried about what others thought of me.
When I was 40 I said what the hell do I care what others think of me.
As I now apprach 60, I realize no one was ever thinking about me!

Marilyn

NorthSideSue, LOL, and that's true wisdom!

capo

And what's with this "Norse Code" I've heard about? Do people in Scandinavia really wear clothing with dashes and polka dots?

WhoAmI

Capo - maybe it's got something to do with bi-nary code, when some people can't decide whether they prefer to wear one thing or the other.

aquaman

A Swedish friend recently told me a funny story about a fellow Swede, a woman, who was looking for fabric with polka dots on it while she was here on vacation. She accidentally slipped back into Swedish when she asked the American sales person if he had any fabric with "pricks" on it.

KT

No, Capo, you've misheard it. It's not the Norse Code. It's the Moors Code. People in north Africa (or is it in northern England and southern Scotland?) wear the dots and dashes.

As for me, I prefer the Code of Civil Procedure. As long as you proceed civilly, wear what you want.

flanneruk

Blame it on George Washington and his fellow terrorists.

Granted, many American posters are puzzled about this "not looking like a tourist" obsession. But it's a concern you never hear from any other nationality.

Now America's not the only country ever to have invented endless myths about how awful things were before the revolution. But only the American rebels started the list of the ancien regime's sins by worrying how they would look to everyone else.

The Signatories may have expressed it exceptionally elegantly. But they've hard-wired "whatever will the neighbours think?" into the American psyche.

capo

Moors Code...HaHa...c'est magnifique!

BrimhamRocks

I thought the Moors Code was about British sheep with dots and dashes painted on their sides?

'(Harrumph) Fine weather we're having, Dot. Baaaaa.'

'Baaaaa, yes, bleedin' cold out here, it is. Now, I'm afraid I must Dash.'

xnyxny

Some people are very confident and pleased with their appearance and don't need or want reassurance from others.

BrimhamRocks

You're right, xnyxny.

(You rook MAHVELLOUS, by the way.)

Scarlett

Brimham Rocks,
You are looking pretty good yourself! Dashing even
Of course, some of us are actually clothing rebels and will break out now and then and wear Color!! or Black when it is hot!!