I've read that Italians are quite fashionable, and also that certain dress is required in cathedrals and churches (skirt/dress and no sleeveless for ladies). I've also read it's inappropriate for men (or women) to wear athletic shoes in restaurants and that shorts are also frowned on. Is it true that athletic shoes will make you an obvious and uncouth tourist? And what kind of shoes would you recommend for me to wear sightseeing and doing lots of walking? I want to dress fashionably, but cute shoes and comfort don't always correspond. Any advice for mens and womens footwear appreciated! (Traveling in September)

There have been a lot of threads on this subject. Search above for walking shoes or similar.

It would be so much simpler if Fodors just set up a separate forum for fashion.

Hi trav,

You are a tourist. Stop worrying.

If you would like to read some of the many, many threads that already exist on this topic, type "shoes AND italy" into the text box at the top of this page.

Be comfortable....and "kingdom and pgmargate" - stop being snobs.

Lots of brands - e.g. Easy Spirit - make shoes that are comfy but which are not athletic shoes. I took two pairs of black, Easy Spirit ankle high boots with me. Of course, I felt quite unfashionable around the ladies in Paris in their stiletto heeled boots...but heck, I don't think they would have worn them if they were going to be on their feet 12 hours a day for a week.

As for clothes: Just try not to look like a big ol' pasty sloppy fat American...cover your behind, cover your thighs, cover your arms unless they are gorgeous, don't wear t-shirts with writing on them, and think about whether it's a good idea to display the American flag on your person...

I think an unfashionable traveler should be ashamed of him/her self.
After you arrive, go to the most expensive department store you can find and spend at least $1800 on the best clothes available. For men, a susit of at least $900 is mandatory with a shirt that costs $250, shoes at $400, and socks at $100 and a tie at $100.
Anything less is plebian and uncouth.
Then you will be ready to go.
For women, it takes at least $1,000 for a suitable dress and $600 for shoes.
I really don't see how you can get out of the store looking half right for less than $2,000 unless you hit a sale.

Even then, these will be ready to wear garments which will brand you as Bourgeois, but not hopelessly so. At least that level of style will indicate some smattering of culture and perhaps even education.

If you could go perhaps $3,000 you could acquire something of refinement.
It would be an entry level garment, but at least you would be edging into gentile refinement and you would be appropriately dressed for a foray into a church or a synagogue of some social distinction.
Just don't turn up in the peanut gallery of La Sacala or the Rome Opera house dressed like that. The people in blue jeans will not know what to make of you. Better wear a coat over the outfit, too, because the doorman at the hotel will expect a bigger tip.
Luxury does have its downside.

Some people have to dress up....
some people just have to show up.

Amy- Most days most people are nicer. Some of the above are never nice, but it must make them feel better to dump on people. Maybe this is the only place they feel some sort of power. Too bad. Meanness is so unbecoming, so unfashionable and so common.

Ira is always helpful and right.

I have been to Italy many times and also have worked for an very famous American clothing designer. Whether or not you can wear trainers to a restaurant depends on what kind of restaurant you are dining at. I see nothing wrong with wearing trainers at a casual cafe, epecially if it is al fresco dining. And as others have written above, you don't have to buy WHITE trainers. There are many styles available in black or gray, especially for men. As for shorts, people in the big cities don't wear them except for sport activities. My strongest advice: dress appropriately for your activity. Don't wear a mink coat to sit on the Spanish Steps; don't wear trainers and jeans to the opera.

You are correct when you write that many Italians are fashionable. Sadly, theirs is an art that few of us can emulate.

We just got back from Rome last week and we saw many many Italians (judging from their speech) wearing athletic shoes (and blue jeans).

Shorts are reserved for vacation spots such as hiking in the mountains or on the beach. Makes sense. Keep in mind that Italians go on vacation too so you won't be the only tourists wherever you go.

The churches post dress requirements and for the most part require legs above the knees to be covered. Slacks are okay for ladies. If it's warm, wear short sleeved shirts with slacks or a skirt and you won't have to worry. Please note that neither men nor women may wear shorts in the churches. Some churches don't enforce this very well, but other churches have ushers all the time who gently request you to cover up or leave. Since you won't know ahead of time, it's better to be prepared rather than miss a church you want to visit.

You can easily wear slacks, shirts or blouses and either walking or athletic shoes and be comfortable. You are a tourist so you will look like a tourist. That's okay. Tourists pump a lot of money into an economy and most locals appreciate it.

We found everyone to be kind, helpful and friendly.

Just back from Europe. For just walking about, there are very few rules as such. In Paris we saw Parisians in jeans everywhere, though I will say jogging outfits and white sneakers are rare. It was too cold for shorts.

In general, if you wear darker clothing appropriate to the weather, you will be OK.

And to pgmargate: Emmitt and Janeq couldn't possibly post any drivel since you have a monopoly on it. And congratulations to you and m kingdom on your recent wedding.

Hi, Amy... I like ECCO walking shoes the best. They're very comfortable and flexible. I also like Mephisto, which are not real flexible... they take awhile to break in, but they're very supportive --also very expensive. Better to buy them in Paris, as they're half the price as in the US. As someone else said, Easy Spirit is a good brand too, and they don't have to be white. I have a nice pair of black Easy Spirit. Some people like SAS walking shoes, and another good brand is Clark, made in England. I have also been hearing good things recently about Born walking shoes.

Best,
Sandy

Thank you for the good advice on walking shoes (to those who gave it) and fashion in general for travel. I will definitely check out ecco. Sorry to anyone who was so offended he/she just couldn't help sounding off a nasty quip; I foolishly thought I would get helpful advice from all responders. What I am interested in doing is not standing out as a tacky American, but rather being comfortable and prepared for a lot of walking while still maintaining my "cute factor." I would be interested in any additional good fashion advice. If you don't have anything helpful to offer, please don't respond.

Churches in Italy are quite different from churches in the USA, in fact. No one stops you at the entrance to an American church and tells you to go away or cover yourself up because you're inappropriately dressed, whereas it happens all the time in Italy.

I am American, and I dress as I do at home. Hopefully none think me tacky! I dress appropiately for the place I'm in at the moment. I certainly dress differently in cities than from in the countryside or at the beach...I do the same at home.

I don't wear "power suits"in Paris..I'm not in business, but I do dress to suit a cityscape. I don't wear shorts in the city..I don't wear them at home except by my pool or garden..I really don't want all the sun and heat on my legs and I don't want to sit on filthy metro seats with exposed skin! Same reason I don't wear sandals...step into a pile of Paris dog poop on the street and it goes right between your toes...I'll take a closed shoe any day!

I'm sorry I didn't search shoes and italy first since I did, in fact, find other posts along this same line regarding shoes (thanks, Lesli). I'm a reasonable peson, and I appreciate jody's response. I should dress as I do at home. My interest was not in how to put on airs as some of you seem to think. Jody's advice made perfect sense. Wear the appropriate article for the circumstances. I thought maybe others had good luck with a certain brand of euro style shoe. BTW, pgmargate, if it's such drivel, why are you so interested? You can just go around being your ugly self, wearing the wrong shoes for the occasion and no doubt those ugly square sunglasses (people are laughing behind your back). It's ok. There's room in the world for you too.

pgmargate: Amy's post was clearly labeled as a question about 'travel wear.' If you think questions about clothing choices are "drivel" then why didn't you just skip over it? Questions about appropriate clothing are common on this and other travel message boards and are entirely appropriate. Your snotty comments, on the other hand, are not.

Pomegranate and M_Kingdom. You're not snobs, you're both two low-class people without any smarts or manners and both need to take a few courses in anger management. I have never seen 2 people that harbor such anger and resentment.

Most of the people are nice and helpful on Fodors. There always has to be a few that have to answer in a mean-spirited way.

Hey Pomegranate why did you keep answering her posts if it was so trivial? The both of you need to grow up and get a life.