What to wear in the US?
 

Ok, I have read the posts on proper attire when in US & I don't think it really helps. One person says one thing & others say something else. I need to know the what the real deal is on attire. I will be in the US for 2 days then it's off to Canada for the rest of our vacation. Thanks for any help.

p.s. If someone is wondering why I´m asking this, it is because many people ask these kind of questions on the Europe board and as a European I find it hard to belive some people actually have this kind of problems. Maybe I´ve been ignorant on my previous trips to the US, but this time I want to have the proper attire.

Running around naked in the US is against the law, lol!

Where are you going in the US? City, beach, country? Hiking, fine dining, sightseeing?

Usually, in the US, we see a bit of everything. I bet you wonder why that is...well, the fact of the matter is that we have visitors from around the globe, each with their own sense of fashion and style. Therefore it is very, very, difficult to generalize.

"Running around naked in the US is against the law"

It is?! Oooops..... :">

Maybe it would help if you said where you are going in the US.

dcespedes, what you do in your own backyard is your own business, LOL ;)

Helsinkiflyer: Are you visiting a hot or moderate climate? That will also impact what you decide to pack.

"Maybe I´ve been ignorant on my previous trips to the US, but this time I want to have the proper attire."

<i>What <b>did</b> you wear</i> last time you visited the US that has you so worried?

This far I´ve brought what I could quite easily carry and what was appropriate concidering the weather. I haven´t really given much thought for this clothing issue. Maybe that´s because I´m a man. =) I think I shouldn´t worry so much. Thank you all for your help.

Just don't wear white socks with sandals, <i> please!</i> :D

seetheworld is right! Years ago, my step-father did this while visiting my husband and I in San Antonio. We were walking along the river when a barge full of people stopped so the barge operator could make fun of him wearing white socks with shoes! Everybody laughed, including my step-father, who indulged them even further by posing :-D

&quot;I think I shouldn't worry so much&quot; -- amen! I hope you enjoy a great trip! :-)

You really didn't say where you'll be going or what you'll be doing. I'm assuming you're coming for a vacation and not on business. Dress in the US is very casual. So, dress for the weather, either shorts, t-shirt or polo type shirt, sneakers or sandals. Previous posters are correct - NO socks with sandals! If it's cooler, swap the shorts for jeans or casual long cotton pants like khakis. Americans wear jeans everywhere. Bring a windbreaker or sweatshirt for cooler weather. Restaurants are also casual. You can wear shorts and jeans in most or you'll always be OK with khakis and a polo type shirt except at a few fine dining city places. This goes for men and women. Hope this helps. Have fun.

Nobody really cares what you wear. One man's treasure another man's junk!!

Let's put it this way: However you dress, you'll see someone just like you............ :-) (Even if you wear socks with your sandals ...... :p )

When I see men 25-45 wearing socks with sandals, I assume that they are programmers. In Silicon Valley, many enginerds wear these two together.

Two days ago - at a beach in Santa Cruz, I saw a male &amp; female couple and both were wearing mismatched striped shirts and plaid pants in brownish colors. They did not match each other and they did not match themselves. It was quite odd, but we also see people wearing two different tie-dye prints for shirt and pants.

Although I don't do it myself, I have told visitors in the past they could wear anything they find at GAP and they won't look &quot;out of place&quot; in the states.

who cares?

this is not a legitimate question as it's clear from the poster that this is only meant to prove some sort of point or stir up controversy concerning the same question being asked by americans on the european board. don't know what the point is and anyway it's clear that it's lost on everyone from the responses.

If you are male and wear your Speedo on the beach, you may be arrested for &quot;grape smuggling&quot;, a common foreign crime. :-))

First of all gain like 50 lbs, then wear a huge white t-shirt with any kind of print on it, jeans and nasty big tennis shoes. In summary, dress like a slob and you'll fit in fine. If you dress up and look classy you'll stand out like a sore thumb.

What a lovely person you must be, Stephanie. I believe it's what inside that counts most. I do hope that you are not an American.

Really, about all you have to worry about is if you go to a fancy upscale restaurant or nightclub. Then, you will need a sport jacket, shirt and tie. Other than that, anything seems to go. What ever you are comfortable with.

I see the tourists that come to our city, and I can't help but wonder what on earth they wear when they are home. Slobhood seems to just come naturally to some people.

How about clean and neat?

The assumption is that there places in the world where people all look and dress like fashion models and somehow Americans are terribly tacky.

Having travelled interntaionally, I've seen a lot of poorly dressed locals everywhere, including France, italy, and Brazil.

Mike, you owe me a new monitor as I just spewed diet ginger ale all over mine! LOL!

I live in a universty town where the university has an enrollment during the fall and spring semesters of 33,000.

Believe me, you see just about everything. If the attire is legal, you will see it! Some of the hairdos are equally striking -- bright red, jet black, shaved on the sides, dyed in the middle, etc.

I would not worry much about it. I don't think flipflops, a tank top, and cutoffs are appropriate for a fine restaurant or the Metropolitan Opera, but even there you can find some, shall we say, highly informal costumes.

But if you don't get arrested, the attire is OK. That seems to be the new standard.

Don't worry about what to wear. As you see, Americans always want to look like Europeans, so you will be instantly in fashion here! In any case, you can always go shopping for some &quot;American&quot; clothes when you get here! :-)

Black. All black. Only black. Except if you are in a hot climate. Then add a white belt.

Gold chains are always appropriate. A Mr. T starter kit always makes a nice statement.

You should dress like in the following pictures. This is the current style everywhere in the USA (except for New York City where they wear black, as the previous poster mentioned):
http://www.kaiku.com/KPUKU1.jpg
http://www.kaiku.com/KPUKU3.jpg

And white shoes to match the white belt in the hot climate.

I just noticed, helsinkiflyer, that you are a guy. So, you should dress like the person in blue in the center of the second photo.

Boston and New York dress more subtle in color than Florida and L.A.
But in all the big cities you do see everything from locals to tourists. For only two days, I wouldn't change my stlye. Welcome and have great time,
mimi in Boston

Geez you guys. I believe Helsinkiflyer was just poking gentle fun at similar questions asked by Americans re: attire in various European countries. His tongue was in his cheek! I, for one, enjoyed it. (And MrWunrfl's pictures which were definitely in the spirit of the Helsinkiflyer's post.)

But now Helsinkiflyer, it's time for you to ask the much more difficult question: What is the proper attire in Canada?

How did this post end up back here after almost 2 years? It always amazes me when that happens!

Settled years ago ... black. black and more black. But nothing brown, even when you smile, lol, altho one or two never learned this lesson.

wow, someone must have had a lot of time on their hands and gone looking for old posts!;)

I know - old post came up under my saved ones. Pretty funny. Let's keep it going!!!

OK, to really look hip in America, make sure you buy all your clothes when you get here at stores called WalMart, Kmart, and maybe even food chains, like Shop-Rite. Wear lots of matching Fruit of the Loom sweats with big white sneakers, and you'll fit right in... ;-)

I'd like to hear from the original poster, and see how the trip went, that is if they actually remember!

US is so big &amp; diverse, you really can't give advice unless you know where the person is going. If you're in LA, you wear certain stuff, and likewise if you're in the South, or NY, or wherever.

Gosh, when I travel I wear what's comfortable. I try to be clean and neat but I don't know the people there and they don't know me so why should I bend to their idea of fashion.

US dress is generally very casual...depends on where you're going and weather; generally jeans always work anytime/everywhere during the day; and if it's hot -- shorts. At night generally jeans or nice black pants work every where. If you are going to a nice restaurant -- nice pants/shirt works; generally you don't need a suit or suit/tie unless going to a more formal event or restaurant.

You can easily group your dress depending on where you will be:

Hawaii, Texas, Iowa, NYC, and Maine all suggest similar attire.

Oregon, Oklahoma, Kansas, Utah, SF, Florida and West Virgina are also alike.

Boston, Arizona, Alaska, New Mexico, Ney Jersey and New Orleans can also share a wardrobe.

basingstroke2 has resurrected a 2005 thread, for reasons only known to basingstroke2.

bardo1: whahhhhhhh???????

Given the recent weather trends, this might be the rare moment when your Los Angeles wardrobe would also work in Chicago.

I heard LA got snow?

nning around naked is not against the law everywhere. In my area, if you wanted to bike, roller blade, stroll or sunbathe on the Burlington VT bike path in the buff-- it's perfectly legal. There's a naked bike ride every year.You can be naked downtown.
But if you flash someone specifically or act lewd, then you can be arrested.

Reason for resurrection? I logged on, it was there as number 1and I enjoyed the tongue-in-cheekiness of the post. Didn't pay attention to the date until it was later brought up. Why it was there when I logged on is only known to Fodors.

Apologies, basingstoke2. I always wonder why years-old thread get resurrected, didn't know that sometimes Fodors malfunctions such a thread like that can jump up as #1. Again, sorry.