Why Blend In?
Jan 24th, 2006, 04:08 PM
#21
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Light blue Nikes reminds me of a problem with the blending in advice.
Unless you really keep up with fashions, it's not as easy to blend in as you may think. Last time I was in Europe (it was Scandinavia), brightly-colored decorated shoes (like Campers) were a lot more popular than subdued black shoes. So bright shoes would have been less, not more, conspicuous.
Similarly, I remember one trip to Italy a few years back when orange was the color of the day. There were plenty of women in orange outfits, and the shop windows were full of orange clothes. No, I'm not kidding. If anybody on this forum had said they were packing orange clothes to go to Italy, they would have been ridiculed unmercifully.
And, of course, most of the Americans who are so worried about blending in don't expect Europeans or other foreign visitors to dress just like Americans when they visit the US. So it has to be something other than just being inconspicuous that's at work here. That's why I think it's that "I'm so sophisticated that people think I'm European" thing.
Unless you really keep up with fashions, it's not as easy to blend in as you may think. Last time I was in Europe (it was Scandinavia), brightly-colored decorated shoes (like Campers) were a lot more popular than subdued black shoes. So bright shoes would have been less, not more, conspicuous.
Similarly, I remember one trip to Italy a few years back when orange was the color of the day. There were plenty of women in orange outfits, and the shop windows were full of orange clothes. No, I'm not kidding. If anybody on this forum had said they were packing orange clothes to go to Italy, they would have been ridiculed unmercifully.
And, of course, most of the Americans who are so worried about blending in don't expect Europeans or other foreign visitors to dress just like Americans when they visit the US. So it has to be something other than just being inconspicuous that's at work here. That's why I think it's that "I'm so sophisticated that people think I'm European" thing.
Jan 24th, 2006, 04:17 PM
#23
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Took the words out of my mouth, logos999 - I too found it remarkably difficult to "blend in" in China. And in Hanoi I found an American of Vietnamese parentage who was having almost as much trouble, partly because he only spoke the Saigon dialect with a Tennessee accent, partly because he was chubby and wearing shorts, and partly because he was continually ill as a consequence of nobody telling him not to drink the tap water. (I'm not making this up). Being well and truly hardened from these experiences I have no intention of trying to "blend in" in Europe, nor indeed any particular desire to.
After reading many posts on this issue I have the impression that most Europeans don't take out their aversion for George W. Bush by hurling stones or even verbal abuse at passing Americans, but I may be wrong.
After reading many posts on this issue I have the impression that most Europeans don't take out their aversion for George W. Bush by hurling stones or even verbal abuse at passing Americans, but I may be wrong.
Jan 24th, 2006, 04:26 PM
#24
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I don't make a specific effort to blend in, but I do try to dress appropriately for the destination I am visiting. I don't wear shorts to church or a sun hat to the opera. (Actually, since we usually travel in cooler weather, we don't bother to pack shorts or sun hats .. but you get the point.)
I do wear a lot of black because that's what's in my closet. Slacks during the day, skirt or dress for special ocassions. For daily touring, my husband tends to wear tan, olive or gray trousers, a turtle necked shirt, and a suede windbreaker. For theater or fine dining, out comes the faithful navy blazer and the trench coat.
Apparently, we do blend in. In every country we've ever visited, we've been asked for directions -- usually in the language of the country. Sometimes we're even able to help.
I do wear a lot of black because that's what's in my closet. Slacks during the day, skirt or dress for special ocassions. For daily touring, my husband tends to wear tan, olive or gray trousers, a turtle necked shirt, and a suede windbreaker. For theater or fine dining, out comes the faithful navy blazer and the trench coat.
Apparently, we do blend in. In every country we've ever visited, we've been asked for directions -- usually in the language of the country. Sometimes we're even able to help.
Jan 24th, 2006, 05:12 PM
#26
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I think most people want to blend in at home too - otherwise why do so many of us dress the same? I don;t know if it's the herd instinct (if the zebras all look the same it's harder for the lion to pick out which one to eat) or just a level of personal reassurane that you're doing the right thing.
An American tourist will never truly blend in in europe (unless you outfit yourself completely there - our clothes and shoes are a dead giveaway to europeans - as theirs are to us) but I think the effort to not stand out too much is basically protective.
An American tourist will never truly blend in in europe (unless you outfit yourself completely there - our clothes and shoes are a dead giveaway to europeans - as theirs are to us) but I think the effort to not stand out too much is basically protective.
Jan 24th, 2006, 05:22 PM
#29
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Talking about blending in...Did you see Bachelor in Paris?
He's in his little Smart car, lost, and he askes a farmer: Ou est Paris?
Only it comes out: ooo eee le parriss.
What a dork. Couldn't he have at least learned a couple of baisc phrases & how to pronounce them? So much for sex appeal...
He's in his little Smart car, lost, and he askes a farmer: Ou est Paris?
Only it comes out: ooo eee le parriss.
What a dork. Couldn't he have at least learned a couple of baisc phrases & how to pronounce them? So much for sex appeal...
Jan 24th, 2006, 05:38 PM
#30
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LOL lol930 -- The bachelor is certainly a dork in Paris, but a hottie in Tennessee where he's from, I'm sure.
Mildred -- As a rule, for me, and only me, I wear more black than usual when I travel to Paris in the fall (the two times I've been there). Not only do I blend in, but it's always fashionable in the fall/winter months, it hides dirt, and it goes with everything.
I went on my own to the post office while there, and they were remodeling the larger room, so we were all crammed into a tiny space. In true French fashion, they tried to make the wait more comfortable by offering petit fors and juice. I was approached in French, perhaps because of how I looked, and the fact that I didn't have the 35 postcards I'd written to the States in my hand.
I was approached in French again, and I had to quickly remember the short French lessons to say "I'm sorry, I don't speak French, do you speak English?" I was greeted with a smile and a great conversation followed.
I dress to blend in so people don't write me off as some pig American with bad taste in clothes. I do it so pickpockets don't target me from 100 meters away. I do it because it's also partly my personal style -- that I don't need MY clothes to make a statement, I prefer my personality to do the work.
That said, you have to do what you like, and wear what you want.
Happy travels.
Jules
Mildred -- As a rule, for me, and only me, I wear more black than usual when I travel to Paris in the fall (the two times I've been there). Not only do I blend in, but it's always fashionable in the fall/winter months, it hides dirt, and it goes with everything.
I went on my own to the post office while there, and they were remodeling the larger room, so we were all crammed into a tiny space. In true French fashion, they tried to make the wait more comfortable by offering petit fors and juice. I was approached in French, perhaps because of how I looked, and the fact that I didn't have the 35 postcards I'd written to the States in my hand.
I was approached in French again, and I had to quickly remember the short French lessons to say "I'm sorry, I don't speak French, do you speak English?" I was greeted with a smile and a great conversation followed.
I dress to blend in so people don't write me off as some pig American with bad taste in clothes. I do it so pickpockets don't target me from 100 meters away. I do it because it's also partly my personal style -- that I don't need MY clothes to make a statement, I prefer my personality to do the work.
That said, you have to do what you like, and wear what you want.
Happy travels.
Jules
Jan 24th, 2006, 05:59 PM
#31
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For what it's worth, I'm almost always approached in the local language, even when I'm wearing jeans. It makes sense when you think about it. Why wouldn't people approach you in the local language, rather than trying to intuit your language based upon your clothes?
If you saw somebody on the street in the USA wearing socks and sandals, would you speak to them in German (assuming you spoke German) unless they spoke German first?
And, again FWIW, I've been asked for directions in Europe lots of times, even when wearing running shoes or a blue shirt instead of a black one.
If you saw somebody on the street in the USA wearing socks and sandals, would you speak to them in German (assuming you spoke German) unless they spoke German first?
And, again FWIW, I've been asked for directions in Europe lots of times, even when wearing running shoes or a blue shirt instead of a black one.
Jan 24th, 2006, 06:16 PM
#33
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I have just returned from my local mall for my nightly mallwalk. If I tried to blend in there, I'd be wearing pants that are 3 sizes too large and hang way too low and tops that are either grossly oversized or way tooooo tight and short with belly hanging out (not me, of course LOL).
Just for those who are planning a trip to Austin, shoes were in all colors, types, styles. So if you come here, come as you please!
Happy travels y'all!
Just for those who are planning a trip to Austin, shoes were in all colors, types, styles. So if you come here, come as you please!
Happy travels y'all!
Jan 24th, 2006, 07:21 PM
#35
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Have found all of your replies most interesting. Not being a "blend in" person in my lifetime in general, the constant reference on this site of such a thing in terms of dress has truly fascinated me. You have all given me greater insights into the concept. Thanks for all the great posts. Mildred
Jan 24th, 2006, 07:51 PM
#37
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Well I think the assumption is that if you don't blend in you are doing something wrong. I don't especially want to look European, I just want to look like me dressed nicely with what I own. I think what I wear to Europe might be different from what they wear, but maybe it will give them some ideas.
Jan 24th, 2006, 08:16 PM
#38
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There's no way to "blend in" anyway in terms of fashion - blend in with what? When I go to my home in France if I wanted to "blend ïn" in terms of fashion with my neighbors, I'd don a blue floral print housecoat and a navy cardigan and some stodgy 60s-type tie-up shoes with a 1/2 inch heel and drive a deux-chevaux to market.
If I wanted to "blend in" with the Brits who inhabit the Dordogne, I'd wear a too-tight floral sleeveless dress, exposing flabby white arms and equally white legs and a straw "garden" hat and carry a large "satchel" to market and exclaim loudly about the "claret" I was going to buy.
A lot of the clothes I own were bought in France because I spend a lot of time there, so I don't worry about "blending in" when I'm in a big city like Paris or Lyon - I tend to wear clothes and shoes I bought in France when there so I think I pretty much look like the average French woman my age who went shopping about the same time I did. Whether that makes me look more "blended" than the average American tourist, I don't know ...I know I'm comfortable and feel good about the way I'm dressed, but it's not as though I couldn't have dressed myself equally well from the other side of the ocean and "blended in" just as well.
I don't think on average the things that French women are wearing are all that different from what American women are wearing. That said, I think American women over 50 are more likely to wear things that French women their age would deem "too young" - my sense is that middle-aged French women are a bit more conservative than I am in terms of everyday dress. I have the same conservative items in my wardrobe that they have, but I don't necessarily take them on vacation to France, preferring to be a little more casual when on vacation.
But wardrobe aside, if you speak French fluently and without an accent you can blend in and no one will ever question what you are clothed in. Language proficiency is the very best "blender."
If I wanted to "blend in" with the Brits who inhabit the Dordogne, I'd wear a too-tight floral sleeveless dress, exposing flabby white arms and equally white legs and a straw "garden" hat and carry a large "satchel" to market and exclaim loudly about the "claret" I was going to buy.
A lot of the clothes I own were bought in France because I spend a lot of time there, so I don't worry about "blending in" when I'm in a big city like Paris or Lyon - I tend to wear clothes and shoes I bought in France when there so I think I pretty much look like the average French woman my age who went shopping about the same time I did. Whether that makes me look more "blended" than the average American tourist, I don't know ...I know I'm comfortable and feel good about the way I'm dressed, but it's not as though I couldn't have dressed myself equally well from the other side of the ocean and "blended in" just as well.
I don't think on average the things that French women are wearing are all that different from what American women are wearing. That said, I think American women over 50 are more likely to wear things that French women their age would deem "too young" - my sense is that middle-aged French women are a bit more conservative than I am in terms of everyday dress. I have the same conservative items in my wardrobe that they have, but I don't necessarily take them on vacation to France, preferring to be a little more casual when on vacation.
But wardrobe aside, if you speak French fluently and without an accent you can blend in and no one will ever question what you are clothed in. Language proficiency is the very best "blender."
Jan 24th, 2006, 08:44 PM
#39
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I think most American tourists will be perceived as Americans, regardless of what they wear. However, I do suspect that those make at least a minimal attempt to assimilate (e.g., wearing clothing similar to the locals, attempting the language), may be held in slightly higher regard by the French, which may, at times lead to better treatment (better tables, rooms, service, etc.) It's not so much that one is trying to "fool" the French into thinking one is local, but that one is showing a form of respect for regional preferences. That's my theory, anyway.
I'm sure there are plenty of people who will say that they've always been treated royally in their brightly colored nylon track suits, blazing white shoes, and bulging fanny packs. Likewise, there are probably those who have worn black, spoken French, and yet still endured poor treatment. However, personally, I'd rather err on the side of blending in. It doesn't really take much effort or expense, and actually, I find it quite practical.
I'm sure there are plenty of people who will say that they've always been treated royally in their brightly colored nylon track suits, blazing white shoes, and bulging fanny packs. Likewise, there are probably those who have worn black, spoken French, and yet still endured poor treatment. However, personally, I'd rather err on the side of blending in. It doesn't really take much effort or expense, and actually, I find it quite practical.
Jan 24th, 2006, 08:50 PM
#40
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I wear clothes when I travel what I wear at home which tends to be conservative (maybe boring to some people) and I do tend to wear a lot of black because I like it. Black also happens to be a color that is good to travel with. Of course going to Hawaii or Mexico I always brought more resort summery clothes. I think one should just be themselves and hopefully that will be dressed appropriately for the occasion and the weather and will also include good manners and awareness of local customs.
