tweak

hi. sorry to post so many times. i don't get to use the net much.<BR><BR>there is some discussion as to what a tourist should wear in spain during june, july and august. i'm 21, and am used to shorts, jeans, tank tops and baby tees in the summer months (like most north americans). i like to try to blend in with the locals, but i don't really have much money to spend on &quot;outfits&quot;, and have a huge limit on the amount of clothes i can bring as well.... any suggestions?? or even help with which colors? what do people in that age bracket wear in the heat? i'm also wondering about shoes.<BR><BR>thanks!!!

MHS

It was @4 years ago, but our guide in Spain was in her 20s - wore jeans (well fitted) and Ts. This was in Sept. When she wanted to be dressier, it was linen or cotton slacks. Do take a top or two with short sleeves for those places where sleeveless would not be appropriate (church). Shoes - comfortable for lots of walking &amp; walking on cobblestones. A twisted ankle doesn't make for fun times. Plenty of shorts along beach area in southern Spain. (and topless bathing suits)

NatalieM

Hi! We just got back from our first trip to Spain, and pondered all those posts about what to wear. We found that we could hardly distinguish clothing there from what we see in the US...I had heard jeans were seldom worn, &amp; we saw them everywhere, even faded. We didn't see the ratty jean, bare midriff, Brittney Spears look that is popular among teens and early 20's here. Shorts were more common in Souhthern Spain &amp; beach areas. Even in the cathedrals, we saw people wearing everything and anything. We never saw anyone chastised or asked to leave, even when they were dressed or behaving in a way we thought was disrespectful. We did notice the Spanish tend to dress up more at night than we do, but I would think a pair of casual pants and a nice blouse or two would be fine anywhere. Lots of black and pastels. For shoes, comfort is most important...white sneakers were seldom seen, and do seem associated with American tourists for some reason. I wore teva sandals for lots of walking, but that's what I'm used to hiking in here. I wouldn't spend money on outfits...take what you like and have fun! Feel free to e-mail me with more questions if you'd like to. Natalie [email protected]

wemr

Amazing how some women define themselves by the cloths they wear. Why do you think your &quot;outfit&quot; determines who you are? And the shoes. Who is looking at your shoes to figure out who you are? And if so, why should you care?<BR><BR>If you want to blend in, be yourself and forget about your outfit.<BR><BR>Wear bright orange shoes and be yourself. They know who you are anyway.

Bootman4U

I agree totally with WEMR above...the Spanish will be wearing everything and a lot of that everything will be imitations or the same as clothes here. Spain can be very HOT in the summer..drier in Madrid and humid in Barcelona. Wear comfortable clothes..shorts or jeans are perfectly acceptable..it is the bare shoulders legs and midriffs that are not acceptable in churches. And don't think for a second, depending on where you are, that the Spanish don't like to &quot;bare it&quot;...they're no fools. Wear what you want..they do know who you are and will be glad to see you.

Lesli

This thread has some good info that might actually answer your question (including links to some websites re Spanish fashion): <BR><BR>http://www.fodors.com/forums/pgMessages.jsp?fid=2&amp;tid=34409897<BR><BR>For others like this, type &quot;clothing&quot; in the text search box and then click on Spain.<BR><BR>You might also want to search or post on the message boards at madridman.com and/or multimadirid.com. Both are for all of Spain (not just Madrid) and I know I've seen discussions of style there. And for more people your age, try the Thorn Tree board on lonelyplanet.com

olivia

I don't think there's anything wrong with wanting to &quot;do as the Romans do&quot; so to speak. It's all part of the fun in my opinion.

rj

Hi Tweak;
I just returned from Spain a couple of days ago. I was in the North. I was surprised to see lots of young people and not so young, wearing jeans of all sorts and tank tops and cropped tops. I did see bare midrifts, lots of piercings and tatoos. There's a chain of stores in Spain called ZARA that carries trendy nice clothes at excellent prices. If you need something buy it there. They have shoes, too. As for colors-- that's something that the Spanish are not afraid of. They are wearing a lot of red this year and mustard colors as well. Their shoes are rather flamboyant, too. You'll love it.

Graziella5

Hi only to say I haave seen Zara stores in Miami , Buenos AIres,
Montevideo.... I agree they are good.

tommy

I remember when I was in Spain, it seemed to me that with each season there was a new trend and everybody followed it. It could be a color or a specific item, and not necessarily something popular in the U.S. at the moment. For example, I remember everyone was wearing Camper style shoes when I was there. (Seems the U.S. has finally caught up with that one.)
Since you are young, and therefore even more susceptible to trends, I suggest you bring what you normally wear in the U.S., and plan to buy one or two of the fun trendy items you discover once you get there if you feel out of place.

lillehavfrue

Wear what you would normally wear according to the weather. You don't need a whole new wardrobe to travel. Shorts and tank tops and baby tees are just fine.

olga

Tank tops and fitted capri pants are very wearable right now, we wear them with flat sandals during the day and high heel ones for evening. The same with A-line skirts in denim or solid colors and cargo pants.

Go to www.mango.es and www.zara.com, they are the most popular clothing brands for spanish girls. Whatever they have, that's what you'll see in the street, because most other brands just copy them.
You wont have problems with dress codes at churches, not in the summer, unless you wear a swimsuit!