Welcome! You are here because you want to know what not to wear as a tourist in Europe. Now that I have you here, I want to tell you that, for the ‘regular’ tourist visiting any city in Europe, you will be branded a tourist. Second, I want to ask you who cares? Is your day ruined if an Oslo resident pegs you as a tourist? I hope not. All kidding aside, I see a lot of articles about who is wearing what where and the accompanying implications that being branded a tourist is somehow shameful. Honestly, it is one thing (and laudable) to respect whatever culture you are in but going crazy to “not be a tourist” makes no sense. Making that effort speaks volumes to the locals. But unless you plan on hanging around office buildings and commuting to the suburbs everyday, you are a tourist because you have a map active on your phone and don’t know where you are going or you are in the impossibly long line to enter the Colosseum in Rome in July. There is no escaping it. For some reason, many people obsess about dressing like a local and while I think being sloppy or disrespectful in any way (dress or behavior) is uncool anywhere, even in your hometown, I think folks should worry less about having the perfect sweater or shoes and focus more on enjoying the experience! Let me break this down a bit more and pardon the sarcasm…or not.
First, the Internet has made the fashion lag all but disappear. It used to be that what was showcasing in Milan or Paris took a couple of years to show up in the states. Not true anymore. Furthermore, no one dresses like the runways, so who cares anyway. But Zara and Mango and H&M and other international stores are literally all over and carry roughly the same clothes. Thus, people dress the same. I find things pretty casual these days. Look at these pictures I just snapped last week in Paris of Parisians on the street during commute time.
As you can see, these folks could be anywhere. At least they could be anywhere USA. These outfits can’t be what not to wear! Someone convinced you to buy some blazer for your upcoming trip you will never wear in your normal day to day life? Waste. You got nervous and bought the “in” shoes for your trip to Brussels? Great, now your feet will hurt. Do not succumb to internet pressure about what locals wear. There is a difference between noticing and caring. If someone in London is headed to work on the tube and you are in the station also headed into the city, do you think the commuter looks at you and cares if you are wearing a black boot or a sneaker? They may notice you (more likely because you don’t know where you are going) but NEWSFLASH–you are not special that way. I am not special either. One day last week I had lunch in the Marias–lovely, upscale area. Two locals were lunching across from where I was seated. They were my age or a bit older (50s). The one facing me had a Chanel brooch pinned right in the middle of her otherwise fairly drab brown turtleneck sweater. I was coming in from the rain so my hair looked fantastic (not). Did either one of these women even look up at me when I was seated directly across from them? No. Did I want them to? Also no. In other words, I had wet-ish hair, a rain jacket over another jacket, jeans and sneakers on. When they got up to leave, the woman with the brooch had joggers on and Ugg type boots and her friend had faded black jeans on and a gray sweater. It doesn’t matter what you are wearing as long as it isn’t offensive. Think about your own life getting to work or a restaurant or running errands. Do you care what the person behind you in line at the market was wearing? If you do, is there something wrong with you? Ponder that.
To be fair, I took some pictures of the windows of various shops so you could see what was being sold in February 2024. It is worth noting (at least to me) that I never saw one person in Paris wearing any color or print like you see in the pictures below. I did see some red sneakers, but that was about the extent of colorful so who is buying all these colors, I cannot say. These were “regular” stores, not the high end stores. Apologies for the glare; I get anxious about shop people seeing me take pictures!
So there you have Paris fashion in late winter 2024. (What is in in Paris is being thin, but I digress!) Things I saw or didn’t see often: men wear scarves just like women do. It was difficult to see someone without a scarf. I saw very few men wearing baseball caps but I did see a few women wearing them. The blouses I saw in the shops tended to be a bit “blousier” with puffier sleeves. Jeans were a mix of skinny, straight, and the wide leg. One style did not dominate. Women carried smaller purses but the locals usually had another bag with them such as a canvas/reusable grocery type bag or a large tote. This appeared to be mainly used for picking stuff up at the market (of course!). Having said all this, I LOVE getting influenced by other cultures’ dress. Every time I return from Italy or France or England I get all into scarves. Then I buy a bunch of scarves and don’t really wear them as they just aren’t my every day here in my every day. I imagine if I ever get to India I will want to add some beautiful color to my wardrobe or house. It would be fun! But I could never dress like a local in India.
I will say even Europe’s casual is more put together than America’s, which is nice. So when I say things are casual there, you will stand out if your t-shirt is 3 times bigger than you are or has holes, etc.; all the things Americans are called out for. But my message here is to be respectful (note many churches require shoulders and knees be covered) and comfortable enough to walk around a city and take it all in! Don’t stress too much and enjoy being you.