As they say, Europeans are always a few steps ahead of us when it comes to fashion. After spending a week in Madrid and Toledo, Spain, it became increasingly obvious how different fashion is in the U.S. than that of foreign countries. Some of the styles, though they may not hit the United States for months, or even years, will be sure to take off.
The women in Spain seem to subscribe to two distinct styles. The first is the punk rocker/80s look. I saw a lot of women in skinny legged jeans, but these jeans are different that the ones here because they also have extremely baggy thighs. It was as if skinny jeans and parachute pants mated and had a little denim baby. While I wasn’t a big fan, others were, and I am sure women in the U.S. will like them.
The punk rockers also donned scarves and colored shoes reminiscent of the 1980s. When I was a kid living in Germany, I don’t remember getting the chance to have plain, brown boots. Instead, they were a mix of purple, blue and neon yellow. It seems that those living in Europe have clung to those styles of shoes, because men and women wore red, green and pink Chuck Taylors. In addition, men and women have been wearing light scarves during the mild, spring weather. Usually, these colorful scarves had a checkered semi-Arab style, flowers or fringe. I love these scarves, and already had two checkered ones before my trip, but I left with an olive green scarf with fringe and embroidered flamenco-style scarf.
The other style of Spaniard women dress to the nines. They wear dress pants (even when shopping or hanging out), wide belts around their waists, high heels and dress shirts. What is different, however, is that the dress shirts are fitted and come down past the waistline. Most women wear these dress shirts with bright colored, wide belts. It looks fantastic! So fantastic, that I got a shirt just like it, a wide belt, and a scarf. To complete my outfit, I purchased ballerina flats and a pair of jeans that button on the side rather than in the front. (But should you go overseas and shop, I warn you. First, you must figure out if the price is worth it and covert euros into dollars. Second, all sizes are in Europeans sizes, unlike the sizes we have).
The fashions we should not adopt from Europe are wearing white dresses with colored undergarments, wearing skirts so short you cannot bend at the waist and t-shirts with written comments on the front. In Gran Via, I saw a woman in a white dress, with bright blue undergarments. Everyone behind her could see through her dress. Not cool – and she wasn’t the only one. Most of the ladies going out in Sol could not have been comfortable. The dresses were so short and so tight that they could not bend over without showing more than they might have intended. Lastly, it seems that a trend is coming back – women wearing t-shirts that make comments about the hotness of their own bodies. Please, just don’t do it. It’s sometimes crude, sometimes stretching the truth, and a little immature.
Regardless of your style, I am sure there is something in the European culture you will like.
My scarf
Where Vantage Point was shot
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