Opening up a can of worms!
 

When I posted my trip report, I didn't mention clothing. Now that my jet-lag has abated I am ready to tackle this! First I must say that I am a dedicated Fodorite, and have used this site for lots of help on lots of trips. I have received a ton of valuable information from all of you.

BUT---one place that there is misinformation is about clothing, in mho. At the risk of looking too "touristy" and (God forbid!) American, I took the advice of not taking either jeans or athletic shoes. I wish I had. I made it a point to notice what people were wearing all along the whole trip through Bavaria and Italy for 3 weeks. I came to the conclusion that I (and other Fodorites?) were the only ones NOT wearing jeans and athletic shoes!

As I was watching people I would try to guess where they were from. Many times the very ones I couldn't place, and who looked the most international, were wearing jeans and athletic shoes.

Now I am not talking about looking sloppy! I am talking about stylishly put together, chic-ly accessorized, neat and clean.

Everyone, including Japanese tourists, New Zealanders, and European tourists, were all wearing athletic shoes. I, of course, was wearing my Wolkies and Eccos, which were great, but on some of our day-long excursions was wishing I did have my athletic shoes! I even have black ones that I could have taken.

My husband, who has traveled very extensively all over the world on business, is not concerned with what anyone says he should wear. So he was in his jeans and athletic shoes, and fit right in. I was the one who felt over-dressed more often than not!

My advice is to go how you will feel the most comfortable (especially for walking), and a lot like you would dress at home! I live in the SF Bay Area, and people here do dress pretty well on average, even in jeans!

Who told you not to wear jeans and trainers???????? I certainly did not! I used to work for a major American fashion designer, and I always tell people on this site to wear what is APPROPRIATE for their activity. If you are touring sites, wearing jeans and trainers is most appropriate. However, I wouldn't wear these articles of clothing to a 5-star restaurant or the theatre.

You have to learn to separate the wheat from the chaff on this forum, sweetie.

Jeans and trainers when you travel? I hope not. Save that for home.

And I thought this was going to be about airplane food ...

You learned a valuable lesson - you just gota take care of your feet.

jeans- only problem is they take so long to dry if you are doing laundry.
tennies- bright, new white ones may show up a bit, but there are so many other colors.

We all KNOW who the "fashion police" are around here and we also know that almost inevitably it seems to be the females that post who are most "concerned" about "what to wear" while, I assume, their "dear (but oh so unconcerned about "fahion") husband" couldn't care less.

Well, if I'm right then who needs the "self-determination" lessons?

This board is great for some things and, obviously, lousy for others..just like life itself.

As a European fashionista, I have to agree that the "no-jeans" policy was definitely bad fashion advice. You were right in your observations, "Chic", that most Europeans routinely wear jeans for casual outtings..If you can dress them up with a Cavalli jacket or a Vuitton purse- all the better.. :) Jeans have become a sine-qua-non in anyone's wardrobe and it is a preposterous concept that you can tell someone's nationality by the fact that they are wearing them...

Wearing sneakers with them is a little bit less prevalent among the women... On the other hand, if you look at recent Prada collections, sneaker-inspired footwear is all the rage...
Anyway, I would say- wear shoes you are comfortable in...

At any rate, I think that style is innate and not acquired and the best way to look good is to feel good in your own clothes- whether they be jeans or an evening-gown...

Note: for 5-star restaurants, if this was even your dining destination (though hard to see how someone spending their vacation there can stay thin and gorgeous :) ), stick to a little black dress...I find that the most convenient, small thing to pack, no matter where I go...But, since most of normal people's traveling time is spent in sightseeing and not 5 star restaurants- jeans are perfect.....

Best of luck on your travels,
Sempronia

Very funny, sfowler!!

When I travel, comfort is much more important than making a fashion statement, although I agree w/ThinG that I wouldn't go too casual for a fancy restaraunt or theatre. And if people can spot me as American, I'm quite OK with that.

I agree with janeg that there is no reason not to wear jeans unless you plan to do laundry along the way. For our next trip to Germany and Austria next May, I plan to take a pair of stretch jeans (lighter weight and take less time to dry) and a 2 pair of lightweight slacks. If the weather is chilly, I always have my lightweight silk long underwear I can put on.

But I don't wear athletic shoes altho I guess you could. On my last trip, I wore my Merrell's and they were fabulously comfortable. I also took my SAS flats for going out to dinner, etc.

I feel like a broken record because my advice is always the same..Wear what you want as long is clean and look decent.. Dont worry about what the Fodors fashion police unrealistic theory of how a tourist should look.

To me, the most pathetic part of this whole fashion thing is how hung up, paranoid and fearful some people are about wearing the "wrong" clothing on their travels.

Interesting. I just had to log in when usually I just come in and that's that. Yesterday I couldn't get in directly and had to go through fodors.com.

Ah clothing once again. How I wish it would die and everyone would just wear what they wish and quit asking others to make those decisions for them.

I personally wear jeans a lot where I live (also SF Bay Area), but I absolutely detest athletic shoes or what some now call "tennis shoes." I don't own a pair and probably never will.

My take is this: It depends where you are going and how old you are whether or not jeans and athletic shoes are appropriate. No one my age in any country I have ever visited wears jeans. My husband dresses as he wishes, which is less dressy than I would sometimes prefer but that's okay too, except when we go to the theater, opera, concert, etc. Say what you will, some occasions call for looking more dressy.

Neither of us wear shorts, never did even when we were young. I have never figured out why people think wearing them makes you cooler, when a long skirt, which catches breezes far better, is better looking and actually does keeps you cooler.

Now the old argument about wearing dark clothes and how it is bashed by so many (usually men). Don't you realize that darker colors don't show the wear and tear lighter colors do. Additionally when most of your things are one color they all go together, allowing you to make up many outfits and pack less. And I don't care what anyone says, my own observation is that black is worn extensively by the women in Europe. Perhaps not the teen-age or 20 somethings, but more mature women do wear darker colors.

I have once again had my say and lots of you will disagree. That's why it is so futile to start these threads. The way you dress is very subjective and I would never presume to tell anyone else what to wear, only describe what I wear and what I have seen worn in Europe. The rest is up to each individual.

I don't think that many people on Fodors really tell someone not to take jeans or athletic shoes, so it is surprising to me when someone takes to heart the few people who do and ignores all the others who say you can. I never tell anyone not to wear jeans because I do all the time and consider them a staple when traveling. I don't wear athletic shoes, though, I don't like them and don't own any except an old pair I wear for gardening.

I really think the issue is WHERE you are going and that you dress appropriately for that. This is missing from your advice and comments. I do agree one should not wear jeans and athletic shoes to the opera, nice restaurants, etc. I don't think it makes the slightest bit of difference for daytime touring of tourist sites, or museums, souvenir shops, etc.

I think it really does make a difference how they fit and their style, though, as well as what kind of accessories and top you are wearing with them, but I won't get into that. It still doesn't matter for the daytime tourist stuff. One thing I always find amusing is those who talke about neatly-pressed jeans and how that is okay. I don't press my jeans, that sort of is contradictory to me, as one great thing about them is they don't need pressing if they are of real denim twill fabric and jeans shouldn't be pressed or they look too disco 70s. I used to work in Hollywood at that time and I remember a lot of people would actually dry clean their jeans, as well as press them (this was for "dress" or office attire, ha ha).

OK, for the last time:
EVERYONE WEARS JEANS IN EUROPE!

The only place where I wouldn't wear jeans is in the Opera or a very formal restaurant. I was at a party last week, and at least half the women there (mostly between 35 and 45 years old) wore jeans, not with sneakers but with high heels, and a smart blouse or jacket. Chanel jacket with jeans is particularly popular at the moment.
For day (for the school run, shopping), women wear sneakers, Todds, flat shoes, flipflops, anything comfortable.

Re: <i>And I thought this was going to be about airplane food ... </i>

Nice one! :) Or an episode of <i>Fear Factor</i>.

While I can't say I've made an exhaustive study of clothing while in Europe, it seems to me that jeans are far more prevalent than athletic shoes, especially with Europeans. That's just my observation; I'm not saying one shouldn't wear athletic shoes.

&quot;I'm going to Europe. What should I wear?&quot; That's the problem right there!

There are so many different activities and styles of travel, how can anyone ask for or give that sort of advice? Are you going to be in the city or the country? Are you dining in expensive restaurants every evening or on a budget?

If the question is more specific, like what can I wear on the plane that will be comfortable but still look nice, or how dressed up do I have to be for the opera, then advice can be useful.

I've always thought the &quot;fashion police&quot; on here were a bit of an over-the-top joke. Aren't they? I can't believe anyone would take some of the advice seriously!

Whenever I travel I wear my jeans on the plane with a nice sweater or jacket which will be the heaviest item I will be taking. I also wear my heaviest shoes on the plane so I wont have to pack all the heavy stuff, which means jeans.

I may be &quot;older&quot; but I am fit and try to look stylish for my own sake just like I do at home. You have some good advice here chicgeek, it is a shame you didn't take your jeans from past advice.

Just got back from Italy and noticed women of all ages wearing nice jeans. Bobby Brown once said the women over 40 should stop wearing red lipstick or brightly colored lipstick and they should stop wearing jeans. Luckily, Italian women would ignore that advice. They all looked fantastic. Nice well fitted jeans, beautiful leather shoes with heels, blazer and a scarf. Now that is casual chic IMO. Did not see any Italian women over 16 wearing tennis shoes (Superga or Nike) but lots wearing sleek slip on loafers or heels.

Bobby Brown said that? Hah! Well let it be known that Capo once said that Bobby Brown should quit giving women over 40 fashion advice.

That's been my observation, Calamari, more leather loafer-type shoes than athletic shoes with jeans, on both men and women.