I am going to visit France, Germany and Italy and was wondering if people (35-50 years old, male & female professionals)there pretty much all dress the same or are there detectable differences? I'm thinking that here are, and my people watching might be more interesting if I knew the variations ahead of time.

Also, do any of you have two wardrobes - one for use in the US and one for travel in Europe?

I'm not trying to start a fashion war, so please don't slam me with insults or try to put down any country.

Of course they do, the EU uniform.

When they converted to the euro, they signed a pledge to wear the EU uniform.

Do all Americans dress the same?

The difference is that everyone in France wears a beret, people in Germany all wear lederhosen, and Italians wear low-cut shirts.

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But seriously, they are all Westernized, affluent, industrial countries and dress pretty much the same. What may differ are the labels. Also you will see a difference between what people wear in the city vs. rural vs. coastal resort areas (pretty much the same as it is in the U.S.)

I don't know anyone who has two wardrobes--not sure what the logic would be in that?

Just wondering if there were some generalizations about color, fabrics, or shoes that OFTEN applied to one or all the countries I mentioned.

Is the EU uniform all black and cost a fortune? Just kidding.

>Is the EU uniform all black and cost a fortune?<

Yes.

My travel clothes are the same that I wear to my office every day. I don't think you would see any difference in clothing country to country unless there was some kind of festival in which historical costumes were worn. What surprises me all the time is how difficult it is to distinguish anyone's background by clothing until you happen to hear whatever language they are speaking.

It's been my observation that Italians (both men and women) dress beautifully, very fashionable. I felt even more so than the French. I found the Spanish less fashionable, but nevertheless well dressed. Just my opinions and based strictly on what looks good to me. I'm certainly no fashion maven!

Women in Italy and France are very skilled at accessorizing. They often wear beautifully arranged scarves and tasteful jewelry.

I don't have "two wardrobes" but do have clothes I wear more on our trips to Europe than I do at home. Mostly black and beige, with pieces that mix and match.

I definitely have two wardrobes...actually about three or four. One for Southern California, one for Paris, one for Southeast Asia, and one for west Africa and other rugged travel places...and...oh, a half of one for other places in Europe...like Scandinavia where the weather is rainy and cold. Now of course, I can wear them all in California. I'm into clothes...clothing is wearable art to me. I love to dress and dress up... and so do my friends...As far as I'm concerned...the more wardrobes the merrier!Ha...HA..HA.. Happy Travels!

gee..do all Americans or Canadians dress the same? What kind of question is that?

No - I don;t have different wardrobes - my NYC clothes are just fine in europe.

Naturally you don;t NEED to dress differently in Europe - you can wear what ever you choose,

But - if you don;t want to advetise your self as an American tourist IMHO you only need to dress differently in Europe if you dress VERY casually here (ie nothing but jeans, shorts, tees and massive bright white athletic shoes).

If you wear regular clothes here - with a mix of nice, business casual and regular casual you will be fine in europe.

Of course not. Some Italians are monks. They dress differently. Though they are only male and professional, not female.

Best wishes,

Rex

Not 2 wardrobes, but I do take the best outfits from my everyday clothes, ones that look good on me and pack well.

I have never studied to comment upon different countries and style. Generally speaking I notice people to be nicely dressed and a bit less casual than in the U.S.

Just as we should not assume that everyone on this board is American, I realized that we (I) should not assume that everyone in America lives in the same climate!

So of course, you would have two wardrobes if you lived in a place where it was either warmer all the time (e.g., San Diego) or colder (Minneapolis?).

I think someone noted in here recently that they saw less prints and more solids in Europe than they do here, fwiw.

This reminds me of the "Do Europeans Worry" thread.

Why do we obsess so much about this? They don't. Good points made on that thread.

Do all Americans dress the same????

"Is the EU uniform all black and cost a fortune? "
<i>Yes except the French wear a scarf with it. </i>

No, the fashion police wear all black

The EU uniform was originally planned to be black tops with blue pants, but this was rejected as 'banding' by the dress committee.

I am in my 40's, white and English (sorry, but in the UK we often have to fill in forms stating our age and ethnic origins!). I travel to Europe a couple of times a year, and I never worry about what to wear. I take a smart black jacket which I can wear with smart black trousers or skirt, and it teams well with jeans and white t-shirt for a bit more of a casual look. I wear comfortable loafers/docksiders for day wear, and take a pair of spiky heels (Yes, with pointy toes a la Cruella de Vil!) for evening when I don't expect to walk great distances. I tend to travel in cooler weather so a black 3/4 length mac from GAP goes with anything and looks very smart with jeans and flats (but not trainers) or trousers and heels. In hotter weather (ie July/August) I wear loose floaty dresses or skirt and t-shirt/vest combined with &quot;nice&quot; sandals and polished toenails (absolutely essential). You can get away with flipflops if your feet are well pedicured, and you have pretty flipflops - my latest have shells and butterflies on them!

I don't think what I wear necessarily singles me out as a tourist, but it is when I attempt to communicate with locals that they realise I am not one of them......

I do have some nicer outfits that I sort of save for European travel. I like to wear the longer dresses &amp; jumpers, but they are still fairly casual. I noticed many women my age,(early 50's), dressed this way in Italy. I prefer to be a step above pants &amp; jeans. Like someone mentioned, the Europeans do tend to dress up more than some Americans. I have a French foreign exchange sister who always dresses very classy. It did seem, though, that the Germans were a bit more casual. I guess it does come down to what you are comfortable wearing.