European holiday dressing - unwritten rules?

[Hollygoheavenly]

What are the rules for European resort dressing please folks?

At a resort in Mallorca with the family and Wednesday and Thursday everyone was dressed incredibly smartly (linen shirts, smart dresses, polo shirts, Louboutins(!)), and Friday, when we had the opportunity to dress up nicely, everyone else was much more casual 😅

I didn’t grow up in an European household and have only ever done one resort holiday before, which was VERY casual in the evenings, despite it being a very upmarket chain. We took an entire weeks worth of nice clothes to the previous resort and wore them but looked very overdressed. I thought this time I’d save on time, effort and luggage allowance by bringing just 3 days worth of nice outfits for the evening but appear to have gotten it wrong. I’m wondering if I’m missing something? Are there unwritten rules to resort evening attire? Grateful for any input!

Some resorts require no shorts/no flipflop for dinners or business casual for dinners (and common sense clothing for the day) but not all. Sounds like you ended in Ikos Porto Petro or Jumeirah as other upscale resorts in Mallorca wouldn't have Louboutin line-ups.

I'm always a bit bemused by this 😂! At what age does it switch over? I've never dressed my 7yo in a suit even for smart weddings - just smart shorts and a shirt. Similarly, on holiday even for smart dinners it would be shorts and a shirt. Maybe around 9-10?

Well, I went with the outfit below. (when it loads...)

It had the added benefit of being inflatable so I could wear it in the pool too. (I'm not a strong swimmer.)

In the evening, I generally wore something less cumbersome after having swept half the buffet off the table on the first night! 🙄

@Hollygoheavenly I feel as long as you are in smart clothes you are fine anywhere. summer shirts and dressy shorts or chinos and polo shirts would be the norm. I absolutely hate to see men in football strips though!!! usually have their beer guts hanging out too!!

Most nights wherever we go on holiday we go back to the hotel and change out of daytime shorts and t shirts whatever into something fresh eg linen dress, shirt and chino type jeans to go out to the theatre, dinner etc. When the kids were little it was especially good to have a break and freshen up this way. Not sure it’s just a European thing.

Been going abroad for years, different countries, different resorts. Some with kids, some without and ALWAYS get dressed up at night. Make up, nice jewellery, sandals/wedges. It’s one of my favourite parts of holiday. BUT just returned from a holiday with my friend who didn’t get dressed up at night at all. Wore shorts and t shirts or oversized t shirts. Did I care? Not a jot. Dress for yourself. It’s only you that’s ever going to look back on the pics! So do what u want. So you’re not looking back disappointed:) xx

Is there anyone anywhere outside of Russia wearing Louboutins?!

In most upmarket Mediterranean resorts heels are definitely a thing. Not sure I've ever seen a European woman wearing a nice dress and trainers. Maybe in Germany, or Scandinavia? But in Italy, South France etc, heels are very much the norm in the evening. Though maybe all the women are gold-diggers and mistresses? I'm not sure how one might tell! If you were going for the 'boho' look, nice flat sandals / flip-flops could work. But definitely not trainers. Unless maybe in a youth-oriented party resort, like Kavos? Not sure what they're wearing.

There are no unwritten rules for dressing on holidays afaik. However if you need a bit of help iamsaraouardii on Instagram is great to follow for summer holiday dressing.

But I'm sure you look great as you are

I found in Italy and some parts of Spain and Portugal most local / southern European men wore long trousers and generally long sleeved proper shirts in the evening, shoes not trainers. Northern European men wore shorts, t shirts, trainers, plus drinking beer in large glasses as opposed to wine or small beers. Women were less apparent but I would say southern European women wore dresses and tended to be shaped but not figure hugging Lycra and knee length usually whereas us northern lot wore shorter or fu length dresses and with figure hugging Lycra, revealing or conversely baggy, go figure. You couldn’t really tell the Germans from the Brits just by looking but you could identify the Spanish easily!

Hmmm - ‘upmarket’ is a broad term. I have never seen women wearing high heels in the real sense of the word for the last fifteen years. You can always tell the try hard gfs/paid for company as they are the only ones!

Are you sure they were holidaymakers and not there for a business event? I find Spanish people dress incredibly smartly for work and it may explain why people were dressed up during the week and less so at the weekend. I stayed in a nice hotel in Spain fairly recently and went down to breakfast in a nice dress and sandals only to find myself surrounded by people in suits and ties and very elegant formal wear. I felt mortified at how underdressed I was until most of them got up at the same time and headed into a meeting room for what was clearly some kind of conference. Those of us who were left were all dressed much less fancily 🤣

I am Italian, my husband is French and we have loads of Spanish friends. Don’t worry how you dress we can spot British, Irish and German tourists everywhere by the way they dress. it is just another style, we consider it trashier and flashier for evening or on the other hand some just dress as they were at the beach and add heels or just jewellery, or just shorts and t shirts like there were ready to go to hike, which we find hilarious and a bit disrespectful :-)
I am getting used to the style now that I am in the uk but I went to a charity night in Manchester sponsored by a lot of firms, including mine, and the women looked really really flashy, very heavy make up, very slutty tight evening dresses… I could not see one single classy elegant evening dress, I was a bit shocked…. So I guess I need a bit more time in the country!

As usual here, first post nails it.

Dress how you want to not the way you think others want you to dress

Personally, I love quirky dressers. Street theatre! People watching! I love it out and about.

I live in Europe. Lots around here OP.

Go for whatever you feel comfortable with. And have a fab holiday!

Though maybe all the women are gold-diggers and mistresses?

Oh god, there's always one, isn't there?!

🙄

No, there’s more than one. See the post at 22.14 🙄.

Well that’s us told!

Us Brits don’t have a stylish bone in our bodies according to the Italian and her French dh. Oh to be super stylish like you, and the Spanish, of course.

I think you definitely need more time if you think that describing something as “slutty” is ok.

We do tend to dress up in the evenings but that generally because I look a right sight during the day!

Sounds like you ended in Ikos Porto Petro or Jumeirah as other upscale resorts in Mallorca wouldn't have Louboutin line-ups.

Well, there's the Four Seasons and the new Mandarin Oriental... but yes, OP's question should perhaps be "What to wear at very upscale places". (And as someone who knows Majorca well I'm very keen to know where OP is!)

I never dress up, just couldn't be bothered. No-one cares. Dress however you enjoy dressing!

That’s the catch - Italian, French and Spanish do care. We judge people by how they are dressed, as British judge people on the school they went to, their accent and which area they live. We have dress codes, brands and they speak on the way we are, our social class, our upbringing. Going to an event with the wrong dress is actually considered rude and disrespectful. We forgive British though, so don’t worry!

Been on loads of these types of holidays in Europe. Yes we dress up in the evenings, but not really dressy. I take lightweight summer dresses and skirts / tops. DH wears long shorts and a proper shirt (short sleeved). I only wear smarter flip-flops or low heeled sandals. Most other people dress similarly. Summer clothes don't take up much room in a suitcase, so I often take some I don't get round to wearing and wear others 2 or 3 times depending on how long the holiday is. (It's cooler then, and loose clothes don't tend to get sweaty anyway.)

Now i am busy googling Four Seasons/ MO Mallorca.

Look up La Residencia too.