Differences in Clothing

You typically don't see anyone with white socks. This is probably one way our boys stand out. I have seen white ankle socks for women, but typically socks are black or printed.

Babies wear tights in the winter - both boys and girls.

In the winter all ages wear undershirts. They may take them off it gets warmer in the day.

Scarves are very popular, even sometimes in summer.

They will normally wear socks or slippers in their house, though they will go with bare feet when it's hot. It's customary to offer slippers to your guests when they come to visit.

Both boys and girls wear hats quite a bit. We've always tried to have our boys wear hats in the summer since it keeps the sun off their faces and helps their sun-sensitive eyes.

Men will often wear socks with sandals. Children often do the same thing, though it's less common with older children.

Men wear long straight shorts and even capris here.

They normally "compartmentalize" their clothes more than we do. They have certain clothes for recreation, certain for going shopping or going out, clothes for work, and their everyday clothes. Where we might also wear our everyday clothes for recreation, they will typically change.

Women tend to wear heels or dressy shoes a lot more than in the States. They look great, but I just don't think my feet could handle a lot of walking in them! I'm always amazed by ladies who are walking down the street in jeans and a pair of high heels.

As soon as it gets cold, ladies will either wear socks or nylons. I've received a few comments over this one when I wasn't doing it.

In addition to wearing slippers at home, they also wear slippers at school. All the students change before entering the school. It seems like a way to cut down on mud and wetness in the school. You will sometimes see employees in grocery stores or little shops that are also wearing slippers. Often this is just a pair of slip on sandals or crocs.

Often children's shirts will have English words on them. The one problem with this is that we're not always sure the parents know what the shirt says. Sometimes the words have a double meaning or sexual connotation, even on young children.

Clothing overall is much more expensive here, especially if you want to get something nice that will last. We haven't bought any clothes here yet, but we did have to buy a pair of tennis shoes. We paid 20 Euros, which is about $25. No Pay*less here!

The reason we bought new shoes is because children here wear velcro shoes much longer than children in the States typically do. When changing into and out of shoes and slippers several times a day, it does make it a lot easier. One of our boys was often the last one in his class to be ready after school, so since his pair was already worn out from wearing them all last year, we decided to buy him a pair with velcro. It has made his morning and afternoon routine much easier for everyone!

Shoes here are measured in cm rather than the sizes we are used to. It probably makes more sense that way actually, since it's based on length of the foot.

Spandex pants seem to be pretty popular, especially with the teens and 20's.

The best way to describe swimming clothes here would be tinier. Swimming shorts seem to be getting more popular with the guys.

I would say in general, Europeans dress more neatly than Americans do. It may be different in their home, but when they go out in public, they look presentable. You don't see them wearing their pajama pants to Tes*co.

These are some observations I've made so far!