MercyGrace

I'd like updated information (If it is different from the 2007 blog or thread). I am female and will be traveling with my husband and two sons (late teens) to UK, France and Geneva in early June.

I'd love information on shoes (comfortable, walking a lot) for the men and for myself.

Also, for me are dresses practical? Khaki or stone slacks? Black slacks? Split skirt (gauchos? or wide-leg capris?) for me? (I'll also be bringing long-sleeve tees and sweaters (I'm sun-sensitive) and Wallaroo hat(s) and scarves).
We've convinced the men not to wear jeans, and probably not shorts too often. They'll be wearing dark and khaki slacks and button or polo shirts. What about "ThinkGeek" t-shirts? (ThinkGeek.com) (mostly the science ones)

What about the cuter Crocs for my footwear? (Ballet-flats or the old Alice)? What about Sketcher shape-ups in black? For men, are dark or black lace-up athletic or sneakers acceptable? (We heard we should wear 'loafers')
Thank you so much for any assistance offered. I'm grateful!

Dukey1

Topping this...and since you are "convinced" men "don't wear jeans" I think you've obviously been talking to somebody who hasn't BEEN in Europe for quite some time

elina

Maybe not shorts, but what is wrong with jeans in early June?

For the rest: wear whatever you like, people will not care. Gauchos sound (and look) a bit weird though. And I have no idea what is Wallaroo hat.

adrienne

I agree - wear what you want - everyone else does!

What is an "old alice?" I believe gauchos were popular 30 years ago but who cares??? Wear them anyway.

Comfortable shoes - ballet shoes are not comfortable for walking all day on concrete or cobbles. Go to a local shoe store and have the sales person fit you properly in supportive shoes. You can do a search here on shoes and read some of the hundreds of threads. Everyone has different ideas about what is comfortable so your feet need to make the decision.

<< What about "ThinkGeek" t-shirts >>

I took a look at those tee shirts and I wouldn't wear them anyplace but, again, wear what you want.

denisea

there is a thread on comfortable shoes that is recent...take a look at that...wouldn't wear ballet flats for a day of walking; not durable and no arch support

for women, there is a thread posted by mariacallas2 on great travel wear...search for it; also suggestions on great walking shoes on this thread

I think black pants and a black skirt are good options for travel; you can dress them up more than khakis and they hide more spills/stains

I think nice jeans are appropriate for most places (darker, no rips, holes, etc...)but agree with previous post on the ThinkGeek T shirts...I wouldn't wear logo or statement T shirts in Europe...also leave the flip flops at home

J62

You are way over thinking this. The official fashion police were eliminated in the UK in 2008, and in France in 2010, so you can wear what you wish.

Khakis, polo shirts, and loafers? There is no such must-dress-preppy dress code for Europe. Jeans are perfectly ok. Whoever told you the weren't is off base. Even in hot weather.

The only clothing I've heard of being forbidden is burqas in France, but that's a new development.

What do you mean by "are they acceptable" regarding shoes. It's ok to wear whatever you find comfortable, including (dare I say) white sneakers or even sandals with exposed toes (gasp!), or sandals with over the calf black socks & shorts, if that's your kind of thing.

If you plan on dining in some nicer restaurants then I'd recommend a wardrobe that isn't exclusively logo t-shirts, jeans and white sneakers, but beyond that bring what you feel good in.

historytraveler

Really anthing goes. Jeans are fine for men and women their only problem being they do tend to take up a bit more luggage space. For women, I probably wouldn't advise wearing shorts in any major cities unless I was under twenty. For some reason they work better for men. As for shoes, comfort is the only real criteria. Gauchos ( if talking about a split skirt) are still in fashion or have made a comeback. I have a pair ( I admit they're a couple years old) and like them...between a skirt and a pant. Don't let anyone convince you that there are any rules. There are not.

dorfan2

I was way too worried about what to wear my 1st trip to Europe (London) and felt stupid after I got there. Absolutely wear jeans - everyone else does. As for shoes, I wore fashionable Crocs (no holes-suede accent) once and for trip last month, wore black Sketchers walking shoes. They were OK, but Crocs had more cushion. I did wear some Merrell shoes (that looked a lot like my Crocs) on the plane - easy to slip on and off. Be sure to check the weather before you leave and dress accordingly - dress comfortably!

Sassafrass

OMG, you will see lots of the young men in jeans (black jeans and blue), and other people too, but they fit nicely, not big and sloppy like some US kids wear them. They tend to look a bit more dressed up in their jeans than lots of Americans do - IMHO. I personally hated the t-shirts, and think those would make you stand out more than anything else - again, just my opinion. What about some, nice, plain, cotton shirts with regular collars - something that looks good with jeans?

As to shoes for yourself, there are so many great styles now. Born makes some good looking lace-up walking shoes - I have three pairs. They also make some nice sandals. Also, Keens and Tevas are great sandals, and Bear Traps has some new t-straps for summer (just bought a pair for summer trips). Go shopping and you will find lots of choices. Have fun planning.

cathies

The only observation I want to make is that in general, the Italians are very stylish. Their version of jeans and a shirt and sweater will consist of perfectly tailored jeans, a beautiful shirt and a fine knit sweater or blazer accompanied by polished shoes and great accessories. We were on a train one day and watching a group of Italian teenage boys being obnoxious on the train, and even they were immaculately dressed - no jeans hanging off their butts etc.

Polo shirts for the guys will be a good choice - comfortable and if you are careful with your packing, they don't need ironing.

You are a tourist, so you need to be comfortable and able to cope with long days of walking. But you might want to keep in mind that the Italians won't be wearing gauchos etc.

sap

While it's true that ballet flats generally offer no support, I actually did find some great walking-quality support ballerinas a few months ago from Merrell. (I have serious foot issues and miles of daily walking is definitely a concern.)

Mine have the sole of a tennis shoe, but a traditional ballerina top so they look equally great with skirts, dresses & capris as they do with jeans. I noticed that their official website doesn't have the style I bought anymore, but there are several similar types.

StCirq

I've never even heard of half the things you mention wearing, but I'm quite sure if I saw someone dressed in gaucho pants, a thinkgeek science t-shirt, a Wallaroo hat, and old Alice crocks - whatever they are - walking down the street of my town in France I'd fall over in my tracks, as would the rest of the town. It'd be in the local paper within 24 hours.

historytraveler

Perhaps in a smaller town, but in Paris last fall, I saw a girl in paisley pantaloons, a bulky sweater, a cap and heels and no one paid her any attention at all. However, it's probably much better to error on the side of conservatism.

Mimar

Lots of people wear jeans in Europe. Darker, neat, well-fitting ones. But the problem with jeans when traveling is they're heavy to carry and take literally hours to get dry in European dryers. They're not something you can wash out and hang up to dry overnight.

november_moon

Please don't make the boys run around Paris in khakis and polos looking like preppy little nerds unless of course they are preppy little nerds and wear that normally. They will never forgive you when you get there and they see all the boys their age wearing jeans, t-shirts, hoodies, etc. You all should wear whatever it is you normally wear in cities or the countryside.

russwuf

"Updates on What not to Wear in Europe"...


news flash....what not to wear? ...definitely wear clothes...yes...definitely.
Honestly, why do we have to have this discussion every like month? WEAR WHAT IS COMFORTABLE.

gruezi

I say wear what you feel comfortable in. But if you really want to know, we lived in Switzerland for 4 years and travelled extensively in Europe.

My experience is that men in Europe wear jeans <i>everywhere</i>. But, they do tend to wear good looking fitted jeans and not with sports sneakers.

Cathies is right. Esp. teenagers in Europe typically look much sharper than in the US.

(My girls got spoiled there with how nicely the boys dressed and how much they cared about fashion.)

But, no one wears khakis! Except maybe men in capri length khakis in lake areas... Nice jeans dressed up a bit get men into most restaurants - including very nice ones in Switzerland.

We had my husband store his khakis away for his trips home to CT! In June weather he often wore jeans with black or tan loafers and a linen jacket over a cotton button down shirt. This was a typical outfit for men his age (50).

I have a number of wide leg capris I bought there. I wear them back in the US because they are so comfortable - so I know what you mean. Yes, women there wear them. Also, I never wore sneakers there - not even for hiking when I needed real hiking shoes. I wore nice flats in Switzerland and in Italy nice sandals. Think comfortable but not for athletics. "Dress" sneakers are also quite popular in Switzerland now - by this I mean sneakers that really you would not really wear for sports... perhaps with little stripes on them... with jeans and a nice top and even a light scarf - yes, even in June... A good bag and nice sunglasses are a must. Hats? No, no.

For shoe ideas - and what I mean by sneakers - go here and click on neue kollektionen:

http://www.geox.com/site/conteiner.asp

Hope this is helpful!

Have a great trip.

annw

Jeans for the kids--one nicer pair of slacks for dining out well. For you-- would recommend black slacks or jeans or silk slacks (take up no room; get the washable kind) if the weather permits but frankly would leave the gauchos at home. Have never seen them in Europe but maybe they are a trend for 2011? If so I would be surprised!

For shoes, take a look at Paul Green and Naot sandals-- Naot has a cute, punky pair that have great support and are very walkable.

kerouac

Okay, here's my photo report from last June: http://tinyurl.com/62my3gx

Mainhattengirl

Jeans are the best, as far as I am concerned and it is all I ever wear. You don't have to wash them every single time you wear them and there are light denims that aren't as heavy material. I don't have a dryer and my jeans are usually dry the next day. If the waist band is a little damp, use the hair dryer on it.

I only wear Sketchers, since about 2 years. I have a white pair, a black pair and a sort of Mary-Jane pair. Best thing I ever put on my feet.