<p>I finally decided that the family needed to get out of this wet miserable place and booked a trip. Our stops will include Paris and St Petersburg. I know that Europeans, especially the ones living in those two cities, are much more fashion conscious than jeans and T-shirt Americans. If you traveled to those places recently, what would you suggest to pack for ladies (young and young at heart)? We will also see a ballet performance, and I suspect that Europeans would not wear something other than their “good” Birkenstocks to an opera house (like some in Seattle do ;)). I want to pack lightly (it is only 2 weeks or so) and dress comfortably, but I also do not want to stick out like a sore thumb! Your advice is appreciated!</p>
<p>what time of year?</p>
<p>No shorts. A simple black t-shirt material dress will do for most dress up occasions. (The Travelsmith catalog carries nice ones.) I’m not a shoe person, so I’d probably bring either a pair of dressy sandals (not Birkenstocks!) or ballet flats for evening wear. I also don’t wear baseball caps and things with American flags on them in Europe. (Not so much in the US either.) :)</p>
<p>Sorry, it will be at end of June/beginning of July.</p>
<p>[Rick</a> Steves’ Europe: Tricks for Packing Light: 2001](<a href=“http://www.ricksteves.com/graffiti/archives/packlight_01.htm]Rick”>http://www.ricksteves.com/graffiti/archives/packlight_01.htm)</p>
<p>There are some great comfortable shoes now, that are much better looking than easy spirits or birkenstocks.
( I like born)</p>
<p>Well I may not be a big help for Paris—I do go frequently, but during the winter. I always bring a suit with a skirt and heels for the opera and/or an
upscale restaurant. Im big on wearing black, so that slacks, skirts and shoes
are interchangeable. And I ALWAYS follow the French lead and accessorize with a well tied silk scarf. More importantly, learn the proper way of addressing people (EVERYONE expects a greeting with their proper title-
madame, monsieur etc along with a merci, a bonjour etc) Politesse is more
important than what you are wearing.</p>
<p>I’ve taken the family to Europe a couple of times and have been there many other times. I’m probably the last person to get fashion advice from but we did wear shorts, t-shirts, and either tennies or flip-flops but then, I don’t really care that much what other people think about the way I dress. When in Italy we took care to dress appropriately to be able to tour the Vatican and other major cathedrals (jeans for me and conservative skirts for my Ds) - the Italians are fussy in this regard with their religious sites. I generally didn’t feel that out of place and people in France didn’t seem to notice so much but that’s because it was hot out and there were some French wearing shorts as well. It was kind of funny in England though where we’d get stares by people who you’d think have never ever seen anyone wearing shorts before. I think we pretty much had ‘California’ written all over us. We just laughed about it.</p>
<p>I haven’t been to the ballet in Paris (or anywhere else) so I have no advice there. I also haven’t been to St. Petersburg.</p>
<p>Try to avoid the items that scream “AMERICAN TOURIST.” That would include shorts/tee shirts, white tennis/athletic shoes, baseball caps and fanny packs. (T shirts are actually OK on teens/kids but adults in Europe don’t usually wear them, particularly not in the more conservative Russia.) For shoes, I recommend getting something european (walk shop, a popular chain found in malls is a good place - or try zappos.com or shoes.com) so you don’t stick out too much. When traveling, looking “international” as apposed to AMERICAN is a good thing – for many reasons.</p>
<p>Many thanks! I will definitely surf those travel websites, but I find that CCers give the best advice! Good thing to know about T-shirts and shorts!</p>
<p>(I really meant “…Europeans would wear something other than Burkenstocks…”, but it is too late to edit. DD called from school when I was typing that, and my heart usually stalls for a second when she calls me in the middle of her classes. Of course, there was nothing serious)</p>
<p>Instead os shorts try sundresses and a light cardigan…if hot no sweater, if cooler just layer. My girls found casual dresses could go lots of different places. And yes…they used scarfs as accessories!!!</p>
<p>Buy the scarf in Europe. That way you can have the latest trendy color/style. If you buy it from a street vendor, it will be cheap.</p>
<p>In the summer in Europe I like black pants and white shirt. Cooler than the black shirt.</p>
<p>I wear sneakers/running shoes without shame, every since I noticed that the nuns who sing at Sacre Coeur (one of the sublime experiences of a trip to Paris) wear running shoes. Black leather ones, but running shoes nonetheless. If it’s good enough for French nuns, it’s good enough for me. I do carry a pair of lightweight flats for the rare occasions I don’t want to look to American.</p>
<p>As my daughter says: “in Europe, you’re going to look American. There’s a neon sign over your head that flashes “AMERICAN!” at five second intervals. The goal is to turn it off, not make it disappear.”</p>
<p>It’s been a few years since I’ve been to Europe, but there is one way to be casual and comfortable without looking like an American: dress like an Australian. It’s like “American” except with sweat suits instead of shorts and polo shirts.</p>
<p>We played “spot the American” on our recent trip to Italy. Except for the really obvious ones (baseball caps, fanny packs, shorts) we were usually wrong. So try for a compromise since not much of anyone will mistake you for a native no matter what you do. You absolutely have to wear the most comfortable shoes you can find, no matter what they look like (except for bright white). Even your dress shoes must hold up to some comfortable walking. Other than that, as others have said, simple, classic, comfortable and mostly black and neutral is the way to go. There is nothing wrong with nice jeans with a good shirt, but they are heavy and take forever to dry. I also agree about a scarf. Makes you feel much more “blendable”. You will also need a simple water-proof jacket that has a little bit of a dressy look to it. These are big cities with people going about their workday and anyone dressed for a beach resort is going to stick out, especially if they are over 30. So, to summarize, aim to blend, be inoffensive, and be comfortable.</p>
<p>You’ve already gotten tons of great suggestions. I second the black t-shirt dress - Travelsmith’s is nice, and Athleta makes a great one, too. And absolutely yes to the street-vendor scarves, once you’re there.</p>
<p>I’ve also had really good luck with judicious use of the Gap Favorite Tees - they can be dressed up or down very easily, and they wash and dry quickly too. And they are wonderfully inexpensive.</p>
<p>Geox shoes are both continental & comfortable. The one other thing I’ve gotten extensive, happy use out of (to the point where I probably need to replace it) is an old Eileen Fisher mandarin jacket, long, in black, which is soft and comfortable but can look really sharp and dressy when necessary - and it is washable.</p>
<p>And when exactly are you in St. Petersburg, BunsenBurner? I’ll be there in July, as part of the infamous inlaws cruise. :eek: Do you think we can have a Russian CC meetup?</p>
<p>Yes to the jacket. I have a similar Chico’s jacket. Absolutely does not wrinkle even after being stuffed in a backpack. Dressy, warm and practical. I got more use out of that one piece of clothing than any other. Wore it on the plane, for warmth, and to dress up an outfit with a scarf.</p>
<p>On our trip to Italy two summers ago, I packed black bottoms, including comfortable (flowy, not tight) skirts, and one dark brown cotton knit flowy skirt, below the knee. Wider leg pants are in style now and also very comfortable. Also white short sleeve linen shirts and nice cotton v-neck Ts and a few dressier items. My white tops did not get any dirtier than pastels would. A black cardigan is a good idea. Although tourists wear all sorts of things, I prefer not to be pinpointed as an obvious tourist. For one thing, it makes you a target for pickpockets. Stay away from pastel bottoms and bright beachy colors. keep in mind that it could be hot, so don’t wear clingy synthetics that will be too warm.</p>
<p>Dear CCers, thank you, merci, spasibo (sp?)! Great advice, as usual! I suspect it will be very easy to spot Americans in Europe this summer - they all will be dressed in dark bottoms and white or cream-colored tops :)! I think I can manage to put together a “non-American” wardrobe using the clothes that I already have, so the pre-trip $$$ damage will be minimized. Now, if I can convince my H to leave behind his NASA hat, t-shirts and shorts, as well as his signature white socks/sandals combo :rolleyes:, we’ll be OK. The teenager, on the other hand, can’t wait to be able to wear her skirts and dresses.</p>
<p>Your H can still go as-is with his t-shirts, short, and sandals (but hopefully not the white socks). :)</p>
<p>DO NOT WEAR SNEAKERS, DO NOT BE LOUD. </p>
<p>As a woman, I would have ballet slipper shoes (black patent leather) for evenings, sandals and walking shoes for the day. In the summer I usualy like to travel with linen tops and bottoms, sun dresses for day, and black wrap dresses for night.</p>
<p>My husband usually brings a lot of nice t-shirts (he’ll throw a linen shirt over a t-shirt), nice jeans or linen pants. But if we go out to a nice place at night, he’ll have a dress shirt and a jacket. He always travels with a suit or a jacket.</p>
<p>My 2 girls wear a lot of sun dresses. I limit them number of shoes they could bring when we travel abroad. They’ll usually have a large bag for day (to carry all of their “most haves”) and a nicer, smaller bag for night.</p>
<p>Loose the white socks! A well traveled person told me years ago that those white socks were the tell tale sign of an American overseas.</p>