Gorgeous European women and effortless style

[Bobobobbins]

Just returned from Barcelona and my god did I feel like the dowdy Brit abroad despite being generally considered fairly well put-together here in the UK 😂

What is it about European women? Everywhere I went I saw hoards of striking local women of all ages wandering around effortlessly dressed in simple tailored trousers and tank tops. Barely any makeup, just a great tan and some silver jewellery. Hair was never particularly coiffed or styled, but I notice it's always quite nicely coloured with a simple cut and then left to dry into a natural wave.

Am I looking at this through rose tinted holiday glasses? If I saw the same women on the tube in rainy London, would they look less chic? I struggle to think so!

What's their secret?

She sounds like a less extreme version of the brother of a woman I know. He wouldn't be described as stylish by anyone, but she says his wardrobe is just jeans and plain white t-shirts. I'd feel grim wearing the same colour day in and out.

I'm not sure this idea is true. I think it's a romanticism.

There are beautiful and stylish women all over the world. I was squashed on a train today and there were three young women squashed near me. I was admiring each of their very particular style and beauty. In the UK. All slim, all looked very different, but really good and individual and beautiful.

They did not look depressed, pasty, lumpy, or badly dressed.

It wasn't a glossy look, but they all had a great look.

I don't think that any country has an Intrinsically better look.

99% of people look 'ok'. Very few people look amazing, wherever you go. Even in affluent areas, most people just look ok.

And that's OK.

I was working my patented “beach grandma” look of linen shorts, a floaty cotton shirt and big sun hat to avoid getting burnt to fuck.
But was she as funny as you @Shoopshoopshoopshoopshoop?

I live in Barcelona.
A couple of misconceptions on the thread. Firstly that living in the centre of the city is comparable to living in the centre of a UK city in terms of price. Living in Raval, Sant Pere, Parallel which are all.alap bang in the city centre = mostly working class neighbourhoods much cheaper than neighbourhoods a little outside the centre.

Secondly, people aren't super elegant in their choices of clothes. But there are two differences which make women here.look better.

1. Far fewer people wear too much make up
2. Far fewer people are fat.

I’ve lived and worked in different European cities, also the US. Women in eg Milan are much thinner and smaller-framed. They hardly drink (alcohol), don’t snack, and many smoke. They spend way more than us on good clothes, shoes and handbags, and keep their hair looking coiffed, but in a natural way. No tattoos, tight, ill-fitting clothes and Pandora bracelets, or anything close to the Per Una flouncy vibe.

We (me) are the opposite.

You should visit Madrid and northern Spain especially Bilbao on a Sunday when they visit church and that's when your jaw would drop how amazing people dress even their babies.

I think smaller boobs make clothes “look” better. I think French women are getting fatter since supermarkets got bigger.

I always think European women look amazing. We English are just fat and pasty.

Must agree on the smaller boobs. I really don’t understand the appeal of boob-jobs.

That is a ridiculous statement.

I have also noticed this and wonder how they pull it off

I'm a ĺittle perturbed at the low opinion people seem to have about themselves.

Maybe that's the difference.

European woman don't indulge in self-hatred.

Has anybody read ‘French Women don’t get Fat?’

it’s been a while since I did but I remember: always walk, don’t take the lift; tiny portions; good skin routine; hair and nails immaculate; guard your cashmere sweaters with your life. And never wear athleisure stuff.

Agree about the low self esteem though, we do have a kind of internalised inferiority complex towards (some) European nations. Obviously some French women do get fat! Like here, it’s usually linked to social class/ income. I felt the book was rather stereotyping, but with a grain of truth.

Yeah, the thing never mentioned on these threads is that British women are as a whole and on average poorer than French women and women in many other northern European countries. Less leisure time, less choice, less disposable income, fewer resources.

Any recommendations for where people who want simple, good quality, flattering clothes like the aforementioned euro women wear can shop?

I never really understand these threads. I’ve been to Barcelona twice and never witnessed this. Women covered a spectrum like here. I’ve also been to nearly every European major capital and seen the variety as well. On top of this I work for a large global firm and all the eu women come in all shapes and sizes with varying degrees of style. Just like British women.

i sompetimes suspect the op in such threads saw one or two women looking great and ignored everyone else.

I think it’s much easier to look good in any outfit if you are slim. Speaking for myself at least, it’s so much easier to get dressed when I am slim and toned. I think posture is also important.
I am not British, but think British women generally dress quite fun and are a bit more playful with fashion than for example the French. I like that.

I think it's more about what you buy rather than where you buy it @Bunnyflop7 . After all, they have a lot of the same shops in France, Italy and Spain. Zara, H&M etc. I think it's about buying classic things that really flatter you rather than fast fashion items. Look for nice fabrics, good cut, colours that flatter you. You can find those things in places like Zara and Mango, you just have to know what suits you.

I think the whole "quality" and money thing is massively overrated. My SIL buys her clothes from zones industrielles and places like Wish, also the supermarket. She still looks great.

My neighbour here in northern Spain just got back from a week in Lanzarote. He said it was full of English people and the English women are gorgeous. The women all had the same look, with fair hair and beautiful skin, he said.
I didn't enquire further, but I just thought someone here might like to hear this after reading various threads on here lately about the "pasty... overweight... shit hair... badly-dressed" British.

This will be a wealth thing. You were in the central part of a city, so similar to nice parts of London, you will see slim well-dressed people.

I was on holiday in a nice coastal part of Spain recently and I can assure you that the Spanish woman on the beach were not any slimmer or more glamorous than we are.

I have lived in Milan for most of my adult life and I can tell you there are plenty of badly dressed people around! I don't mix with any British people really, all my friends are Italian, but even after all these years, I am still the stand out Brit, despite dressing like them. The main difference is size, I'm just bigger and made differently. I have thin mousey, wavy hair, I'm stockier & they all small framed and have thick dark shiny locks too.

None of my Italian female friends work out but none of them are overweight either, but they all drink much more than me (beer, prosecco) but they do eat differently, lots of salad just with olive oil & vinegar, grilled meat, grilled fish, veg & fruit, zero dairy. None of them have a sweet tooth either whereas I do. It's also perfectly acceptable here to say someone is fat, the Dr will tell you too. Everyone discusses their weight, the state of their livers, and cholesterol levels around the dinner table!

I would say most of my friends dress in simple non patterned classics, usually good quality clothes, but not that cost a fortune too and certainly not designer, the majority own very few clothes actually, clothes cost and Italians generally are not well paid, but don't buy cheap throwaway clothes either ( although in recent years Primark has opened here.) They never go out in clothes that are not clean or ironed and they are usually made of natural fibres.

On a recent holiday I noticed how easy it was to spot British female tourists, my Italian friends loved their style actually, a few described them as brave and why? because they were individually! Polka dot, flowery or 'loud' bikinis some with high waists, floppy hats, long dresses in the evenings (long dresses are defo a UK thing, i've never seen an Italian woman in a long dress with white trainers). My Italian girlfriends were all in the same black string bikinis, simple earrings and a simple necklace, they don't wear cheap costume jewelry but something inherited or given as a gift. Footwear is usually flat leather sandals such as Birkenstocks. They all dress in a very similar way and yes the puffer jackets & scarves come out as soon as the temp drops to what would be a hot day in the UK. It's all about being seen to dress appropriately and not necessarily individually. One day this summer I wore knee length bermuda shorts, with birkenstocks and a simple white t-shirt and I was told I look like a 'stereotype German tourist' apparently, I'm sure though and olive skinned Italian would have looked a lot less German

Regarding the heat, you just get used to it, today's 29° and I'm not overly hot! When I go to UK in the summer months, everyone is in summer clothes and I am freezing in a jumper and coat usually, so works both ways!

Jesus Christ, you lot need to work on your self-esteem.

I went to Croatia and Slovenia this summer. I agree completely.