Do you think women of certain nationalities dress up more than others? - YouLookFab Forum

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Dressing

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Do you think women of certain nationalities dress up more than others?

Greek Goddess

I was browsing through the photographs on another style forum and I realised that women in some countries tend to dress more formally than others. For instance, here in Greece women rarely ''go out '' in denim jeans. I got my first pair this year (at 57!) and I would only wear them at home or doing jobs around the garden. I would always dress up in something smart to go out or to any particular event.At work I can wear whatever I wish but I choose to wear smart and elegant such as good trousers and a nice blouse, with a jacket in the cooler months. I would never wear 'scrubs' or old clothes around the house, not even when decorating. Most of my friends here are the same. What do you think?

Dressing

24 replies

Latest reply was from Mamapicklejuice

Karie

(website)

Veteran

I totally agree. When looking at different photos of people from other countries, I always notice how others seem to dress up more, and us Americans are the sloppiest of all!

Mochi

Veteran

The style quotient is much higher for Japanese women, I can attest.

Anonymous

The women in Central America dress up a lot more than the women here in the U.S. I miss living down there because I like to dress up, and I could do that without feeling overdressed.

Thistle

Veteran

I definately agree. Sounds like everyone dresses up more than us Americans. Perhaps we are a more casual culture and it shows, or perhaps we just really like our denim.

Anonymous

I agree and think that American men, at least in the midsection of the US, are even worse. It's common to see ball caps indoors, even worn backwards and in restaurants! Where are their manners?
Women and men in Italy and Spain dress up much more than Americans from what I've seen.

cade

I am a German who has lived in the States for 30+ years and go back and forth all the time. I agree with your observation that most Europeans dress far less casually than their American counterparts even if their disposable income is comparable. I have even been told that I do * look* different , and not just because I would never wear sneakers with jeans. ;-))

Mona

Veteran

I agree that North America is the most casually dressed up part of the world.

Ornella

(website)

Veteran

Italian ladies, hands down.
And men, they are equally dressed up and groomed.

South of Europe in general is where I've observed high style quotient.

TylerAnne

I agree with Mochi. When I lived in Japan, I only ever saw a woman wear jeans with sneakers ONE TIME. The rest of the time jeans (if worn at all) were worn with dressier shoes.

Greek Goddess

I have visited Florida several times in the past. I used to take a near empty suitcase and fill it with clothes from the shops in Miami. We ran a rock and roll show in hotels here and we would both dress up,my husband loved the suits in the Cuban tailors shops and I loved the evening wear...good days.

Each time we went out though I dressed as I would at home and our friends told us we were overdressed. They bought us tickets to a New year dinner at the Country club and we dressed nicely for it. Most people turned up dressed in shorts and polo shirts, I was really shocked at that for such an event. Watching people being served a wonderful dinner and handed champagne while they stood in shorts and sneakers looked surreal to me.

milehighstyle (Linda)

Veteran

My son has a school friend whose family is from a Spanish speaking country (sorry I don't know exactly where) and the Mom always looks like she's going to the opera when cooking huge fabulous meals for kids' birthday parties. I am in awe of her.

jayne

Veteran

I agree with the assessment of continental Europe being very well dressed. although I think in Scandanavia and eastern europe you will find alot of jeans, especially at work (ironically). Norwegians, at least, dress up much more for dinner and parties than I feel americans did/do (I am originally from US). But for work the opposite is true. SO I had to learn to dress down to fit in at the workplace. And I am trying to learn to dress up to go out for events...instead of jeans on weekends. That part of my culture has really stuck with me.

hedgiehog

Veteran

I am originally from British Hoduras, married to an Englishman and have had the good fortune of living in several countries so I have seen many different levels of dressing up. I remember my mother wearing a lovely dress to go out for a Friday night dinner or visiting friends. As a child, I wore a uniform to school so I never really learned how to dress casually. I never even owned a pair of jeans until I moved to America. I still don't feel comfortable going out to dinner in jeans/shorts and flip flops, even though I live in Florida. Because of that, I tend to wear skirts a lot. When I'm in Europe or the UK, I feel very comfortable going out because it's what I'm used to.

cheryle (Dianthus)

(website)

Veteran

I have even noticed it locally. I have often noticed a woman at a store and immediately thought she was Eastern European based on her clothes, hair, and make-up and the language or accent confirm it. They seem to dress less simply and have a flair.

Mamapicklejuice

Veteran

Goodness, denim doesn't always equal sloppy OR casual! I've seen plenty of dressy YLF-denim inspired outfits that knock the socks off non-denim ensembles.

I'm always curious what the aim of a thread like this is, as the end result always seems to be "Americans are slobs."

To me, denim is the quintessential American fabric and jeans are pretty iconic at this point of American fashion. You would have to pry denim out of my cold, dead hands before I gave up that wardrobe staple as a stay-at-home-mom.

Vildy

Veteran

And perhaps certain communities within U.S., too. I live in a majority black city, Camden NJ.
Brian Williams did a report on it as the poorest and most violent city. There are nicer areas and he didn't show them, but just as many drug gangs and murders. So there is a large population that fits with the Williams piece, thuggish guys, etc, but there are also older folks who like to dress nice. It's a treat to go to the local supermarket late Sunday mornings because you still get folks fresh from church. Lots of suits on the ladies and the gentlemen.
And walking down my own street one day, a few neighbor women were out chatting on the weekend and called out to me, "You're like US. You DRESS!"

Ginkgo

Veteran

A couple of years ago we stayed with my husband's cousins in Warsaw, and they had planned on a daytime excursion to the theater to see Phantom of the Opera; well, all I had in my carry-on bag were a couple of pairs of jeans and non-dressy tops and I had only one pair of Clarks walking shoes with me, The relatives may have been still living in their communist era apartment but they dressed up very nicely and it was noticed that I did not. Since then I have planned a better travel capsule where I can easily "up my game" and blend in with the locals.

Can anyone suggest good "real" European fashion blogs, not the ones with the fashion show groupies?

Mochi

Veteran

I agree that denim can be pretty stylish. In the right context, so can Converse sneakers.

But IMO opinion there is no excuse for the proliferation of backwards baseball caps in a non-casual situation. (To be honest, I hate the look, period.)

Jules

Veteran

Oh yeah, I live in a Greek area of Toronto and even second generation - the women are dressier than those of us from a few kms to the east in a waspy super-casual area known as the beaches. Actually, I love my area because it is so mixed - I can never be over OR under-dressed. Vive la diference!

sinead

I do think there are lots of stylish ladies on this forum- and there have been plenty of posts where their stylishness has come up against the US casual norm. It's happened to me- I had a friend ask me to change before we went out once and really, it was just that I didn't have on jeans. Sigh. Jeans are fine, but do they really have to be worn everywhere? Wish I knew how the US started down this 'casual always' road.

Jaime

(website)

Veteran

Yes! And women of certain nationalities also dress down more than others. I will leave it at that.

Isabel

Veteran

Yes, I definitely think that is true. Americans have really cornered the "casual" market. Even when I am in Canada, I never see women in track/yoga/sweatpants. Never. Yet I see it quite a bit here. It is the same in Portugal.

But even here in the US, my foreign friends or friends with foreign moms, do not dress anywhere as casual as my American friends. The biggest difference here is sneakers and workout gear. I wear jeans and I especially love dark jeans. But I rarely wear sneakers unless I am hiking or biking or maybe a run to the town dump.

Vildy, I love your story. That is actually very true. I also notice that Black women around here tend to dress much less casually. I NEVER see Black women in workout clothes and rarely in white sneakers.

MP, I don't think that anyone said that Americans were slobs. But it is undeniable that the US is a much more casual society when it comes to dressing than many others. That is not a judgement, it is an observation.

annagybe

(website)

Veteran

I've been all across Russia, Vladivstok to Saint Petersburg. Russian woman love to dress up. I once killed myself by trying to blend in, I walked about 7 km in 3 in stiletto heels. I almost died.

Mamapicklejuice

Veteran

Isabel, I'm not questioning the casualness of American style culture, but one poster called Americans "the sloppiest of all" and another questioned "where our manners are." It's not to call anyone out - it was really just an observation on how these threads tend to go. No big deal.

I adore the dressier eras of American history, but I'm still grateful I can bundle up in comfortable clothes to play with my little ones at home during cold NE winters. Silver linings to casual cultures.