what to wear and not look like a tourist

Old Apr 30th, 2007, 11:49 AM
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As to the question of 'Who cares if I look like a tourist?' - the key point is that if you look like one, you will be treated like one: someone who just got off the bus or turnip truck and hasn't a clue. Look like an expat that's living in that location (i.e. dress carefully in real clothes) and voila, you are welcomed as a local, unhasseled, treated with cordial respect and generally speaking, will have a more "authentic" time. You will become a traveller, not merely a tourist. One of my personal thrills is walking into a small cafe in Rome to be greeted with "Salve!" - the ancient Latin traditional Roman greeting, rather than even the "Buongiorno" extended to visitors. Secret: Wear immaculately fitted, carefully tailored (check the outfit in a full length mirror before packing it), low-key classic clothes in a neutral color, very few very carefully selected accessories, good quality shoes and handbag, neat hair. Carry yourself like Audrey Hepburn or Jackie O. And - trust me - the tourists will all be coming up to you, hesitantly asking directions....

And if you are a man - never EVER wear shorts in public except at a resort. Ever. Most civilizations regard grown men in shorts as faintly comical. (I agree, especially if they waddle...;-) Proof? You'll never ever see a local in the things - even Bermudians wear them long and with knee socks, for pete's sake. Too hot? That's what linen or rayon blends are for....
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Old Apr 30th, 2007, 04:00 PM
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keouac wrote "Like it or not, everybody in the Western world wears more or less the same clothes."

That's true if you mean that the same range of clothes are worn from Japan to Vilnius. But it's a fairly wide range, nonetheless.
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Old Apr 30th, 2007, 04:26 PM
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Dead horse or no, I appreciate everyone's advice and experience. We leave for our first trip to Paris on Friday, and the vacation I've been dreaming of is definitely not the "shorts-tshirt-and-baseball-cap" variety.

Just a note on the comfort vs. style discussion: I'm much more comfortable when I feel I'm dressed appropriately and in a way that's respectful of my "hosts." Maybe it's ego, or maybe it's just how I was raised, but to me making a little effort to look "put together" when out and about is just good manners. (And I'm not talking about cashmere and pearls here, just something a cut above the yoga-clothes-and-flip-flops uniform that seems to be ubiquitous here in LA.)
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Old Apr 30th, 2007, 04:28 PM
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This has been great fun reading all of your views. I grew up in Palermo, Sicily......I haven't been back for a very long time. Going back next month. I'm no longer fluent...in fact I can barely speak Italian any longer.

To 'blend in', I would have to buy my clothes when I get there; keep my mouth eternally shut...perhaps be a deaf and dumb mute!! NEVER ever show my personality/manorisms etc.....because I AM an American!!! So perhaps I should just dress comfortably...jeans and my white nike's.

Enjoyed the bit about representing our country......doubt my clothes and manorisms will be of much influence given America's current world approval rating.

Lastly.....Italy is NOT a war zone....those beautifully wonderful people love tourists....just don't have valuables hanging out......just like you wouldn't in New York City. Italy never had the gunslinger days....you know, those that we seem to refuse to give up in the USA.

The tips about clothing in churchs was valuable....thank you.
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Old Apr 30th, 2007, 04:49 PM
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What do I wear at home? Mostly casual Boss but I have lots of Canali, Armani and, of course, Prada. So what do I take to Italy? Lots of...well, you get the picture. Why would I dress any differently abroad? But I do have a 70s style black woolen pinstriped jacket by Dubuc, our home-grown genius, that screams "I am CANADIAN!" and I wear it everywhere in Europe because no-one has anything like it....
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Old Apr 30th, 2007, 07:38 PM
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On my latest trip to Venice last month, I was addressed at least three or four times in Italian, on various questions-time, how to get somewhere, which vaporetto to take, etc. and I'm blond, so obviously, someone must think I'm local, or close enough. The same is true in Paris-I can't ever remember being addressed in anything but French unless I happen or happened to be speaking English with someone or reading in English.

And Bunny, "Salve" is used in certain parts of Italy more than "buon giorno" -in Northern Italy they tend to say the latter.

Jim, sorry, but you have an overly rosy opinion of Italians when you say "they love tourists" I'd say they tolerate them, some more good naturedly than others, but love? nope-a lot of Italians can't handle them, refuse to help when there is a problem, and are downright rude. I know how shocking that must seem, but, it does happen to be true.

A 23 year old girl who worked in a gelateria on Via dei Serpenti (an excellent gelateria, btw, that I know well, since I've stayed on that street before) in Rome was stabbed to death in Termini metro station two days ago by two young Roma prostitutes-a horrific crime-happened during the day-she was stabbed in the eye with the point of an umbrella, and it pierced her cerebral vein. No one helped the poor girl, and there were Italians all around-that's being discussed a lot in the papers at the moment-the lack of caring. So don't overdo it on how wonderful the Italians are, go back with more realistic expectations, -otherwise, you're you'll be setting yourself up for disappointment if you expect too much love and you get indifference instead.

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Old May 1st, 2007, 08:38 AM
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Right, Kerouac. I thought of this thread yesterday while I was getting my hair done on rue de Sèvres. A very attractive Frenchman came in for a haircut -- tall, thin, of a certain age, and wearing beige linen shorts.
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Old May 1st, 2007, 08:53 AM
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I'm one of those people who finds the general tone of dress in Italy to be a bit different than in the US. I know there are places where adult men will gop about their day wearing short pants; there are many more places where they just won't. The expression "bella figura" doesn't come out of nowhere - as writer Beppe Severgnini writes in his book of that name (La Bella Figura: A Field Guide to the Italian Mind), "Only in Italian is there an expression like fare bella figura. Think about that. It's an aesthetic judgement - it means "to make a goof figure" - which is not quite the same thing as making "a good impression."

In a town of any size we love to take a passeggiata - the stroll before dinner when people say hello to friends, see how the kids have grown, show off a new dress or piece of jewelry, or today, new cell phone. I don't know about the south, or in a resort town (which would be an exception in the first place), but from Rome north, I don't think you're going to see an adult male out in shorts in the evening - outside of his immediate neighborhood, anyway. Because besides wanting to fare bella figura, adults like to keep a kind of dignity that comes with long pants, a pressed shirt, shined shoes.

As a sidebar, my good friend in Rome always looks put-together, there and when visiting here. (And yes, he does like to get that necktie off asap after work, just like anybody.) But the funny thing, when they visit the US his wife likes to get dress shirts at Brooks Brothers - she seems to like them better than the Italian ones I like so much. And I think she likes that they are different from the prevailing look in Rome. The funnier thing, when they were visiting last time Drea asked me where he could get a caftan. Yes, a caftan. Much to the dismay of his wife, mother and sisters, when he goes to their house at the beach on summer weekends, he never wants to put on pants, but just a caftan over his bathing suit. I'm guessing this is only for wear around the house, as Barbara would not appear with a caftan-wearing husband in public.
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Old May 1st, 2007, 08:54 AM
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Sometimes you cannot help looking like a tourist and I wouldn't bother trying to blend in. I was in Rome in February and the weather was warm 60-65F and I was wearing a sweater or a light jacket. I saw lots of locals wearing down jackets buttoned up. I wouldn't have wanted to blend in.

Wear what's comfortable. I find sneakers are better for walking around all day on cobble stones than shoes, better cushioning. Also, I live in NYC, and no way did Italians in Rome look more 'sophisticated' or whatever than people in NY.
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Old May 1st, 2007, 08:57 AM
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But by no means do I mean NEVER or ALWAYS about any of the above. There are always exceptions - we're dealing with free countries after all.
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Old May 1st, 2007, 09:07 AM
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<<Sometimes you cannot help looking like a tourist and I wouldn't bother trying to blend in. I was in Rome in February and the weather was warm 60-65F and I was wearing a sweater or a light jacket. I saw lots of locals wearing down jackets buttoned up. I wouldn't have wanted to blend in.
>>
Touche, Anya. Acclimatization means a lot: Floridians feel a real chill at 50 degrees; Alaskans don't put a coat on until it's practically freezing. Back home in Nebraska we were in cars all the time, so most folks need a jacket and a coat and nothing in between. In NYC it seems we need a minimum of about 6 stages and types of outerwear to bridge the changes in weather and temperature. And to bring it full circle, when I visit Florida in February, my sister who lives there wears a sweater while I go in shirtsleeves - it's as cold as it will get all year on her island, but it's the warmest I will be all winter!
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Old May 1st, 2007, 09:13 AM
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'no way did Italians in Rome look more 'sophisticated' or whatever than people in NY.'
It depends where you spend your time in eather city.
 
Old May 1st, 2007, 09:25 AM
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tomas, what you say is true. I worked at Brooks Brothers and Mr Bennetoni of Benetton wore our button down shirts and Kahakis as his uniform. His friend, Mr. Dumas of Hermés always wore his jacket and tie. I am a Francophile even thopugh my parents were born in Italy. Good taste is all over in every country. Friends in France, Italy, Here in Boston do wear shorts(long, no tail showing) in their own neighborhood and visiting friends. Common sense, going into plush shops, dining out in special restaurants, you "doll up"
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Old May 1st, 2007, 09:45 AM
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some of you faschist fashionistas are ridiculous.

i'm no american (russian living in canada) but i think this whole "dress to impress" sphiel is ridiculous. who the shit are you impressing, really? julius caesar? oh crap, nevermind. you gotta think of how presentable you look when you run into francesco totti.

give me a break LOL

i paid $160 for my 3 quarter camo G-STAR shorts, and $180 for my white DC ShoesUSA kicks, which are f'n AMAZING.

they're fashionable, they look great and they feel great. why shouldn't i be wearing them?

and what's wrong with baseball hats? what if i feel like wearing a hat? or should i just grease up my hair with gel and walk down the street from Termini station like i'm a catwalk model.

Get real. People are going to wear what's comfortable, not try to "fit it" what others think is cool.
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Old May 1st, 2007, 10:17 AM
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We were in Stresa last September and loved the evening passeggiata.
There were people of all nationalities taking part and everyone was nicely dressed.
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Old May 1st, 2007, 11:45 AM
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"I live in NYC, and no way did Italians in Rome look more 'sophisticated' or whatever than people in NY."

I disagree! I love NYC, now, but I was disappointed to discover that most everyone dressed so grungy. Everyone wore grey. Coming from a smaller town, I was kind of hoping that everyone in Manahttan would look fabulous! I buy off the rack at Ross's, and was better dressed than most.

Italy, now - I met lots of guys who lived with their mothers, couldn't afford a car or a big night out, and yet who dressed like old-fashioned movie stars.

Back to the original post - It might not be Parisian, but I always thought that a nice sundress looked sexy and sophisticated on women. 'Cause Paris isn't about blending in, Paris is about looking beautiful! I stayed in a mostly immigrant neighborhood in the 10e arrondissiment, and even there all the women looked like Naomi Campbell.
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Old May 1st, 2007, 12:32 PM
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"Italy, now - I met lots of guys who lived with their mothers, couldn't afford a car or a big night out, and yet who dressed like old-fashioned movie stars."

Except that he doesn't live in Italy, I would think that you had met my brother.
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Old May 1st, 2007, 01:05 PM
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Last week in Paris, after a long day of walking all overthe city, I came back to my hotel and turned on the TV and started watching a French police drama. I started to laugh when the main character in the show was wearing white trainers/sneakers. Here was this Frenchman wearing the one thing that everyone says not to wear. I thought of the numerous posts on this forum about what not to wear and really it doesn't matter. Wear what is comfortable and wear what you like!

Francesca
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Old May 1st, 2007, 02:19 PM
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Just a moment ago, I passed a co-worker in the hallway. She was wearing a very nice mauve pantsuit in a tweed fabric. On her feet were the famous white sneakers. I suddenly realized the "horror" of white sneakers.

It's not the sneakers themselves, it's what you wear with them. Tweed, polyester, wool, etc. don't really go with sneakers - you might get away with sneakers if they are a close match to the pants color (then they aren't so noticeable), but the white sneakers with a mauve suit just don't work.

Jeans, khakis, etc. do go well with sneakers - even white ones. The styles match.
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Old May 1st, 2007, 05:03 PM
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Bunny continues:

As to the question of "why not be taken for a tourist?"

Because, cheri, you'll be taken for more than that:

1) Prices. When you ask "How much is this?" you'll be given the big/big/big/bucks tourista number -and probably pay it because you'll be so grateful to have "negotiated" a 10% discount. I pay the local price; tourists pay the rent.

2) Service: When you get seated in the rear of the restaurant and given the tourista menu, you'll get the "spaghetti/whatever bolognese", not the fresh menu the chef is capable of doing. You'll pay three times the amount, and get waltzed around the room accordingly....

3) You'll get literally taken for a ride by the cabbies, who have a special 'scenic route' for clueless tourists who don't know it's only a block back to their hotel. You'll get all the "supplements" charged - and none of the cordial chat about the local soccer scores.

4) You'll be hassled in the local markets: "Lady! Lady! Lady! Buy! Buy! Buy!...." and never know the pleasure of a pleasant stroll and thoughtful negotiation.

5) You'll get back on the bus/train at the appointed time (Thank God!, say the locals) and complain about the services, the food, the lack of English, the toilets, the....

I think I've made my point: fit in; don't be an a** on purpose.

Cheers and bonne regards,,
Bunny Hopkins
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