Winter sun and stylish Europeans

[DidIMakeaMistake]

In the Canaries, in an upmarket hotel. Just in awe at the class and style of some of the Europeans vs us Brits!!!

Lady 1, very nice linen trousers, Birkenstocks, pale pink toes and finger nails, blue linen shirt with vest underneath, thick gold band on first finger…effortless bun.

Me, garish burgundy Xmas nails, H&M dress and a pair of fit flops! I just cant pull it off.

There are plenty of badly dressed Europeans outside your 5* hotel. Just as there are well-dressed Brits. They do exist, honestly. I really don't understand the putting other Brits down. No other nationality seems to do it.

I agree lots of stylish european women on holiday

I’m not putting down, it’s just perhaps the access to different clothing brands they have?

In my opinion, it’s the care with which everything is put together, both in terms of colour and in maintenance (ironed and new looking).

Hair, nails, skin…the rest looks effortless but it probably isn’t…

it is a 5 star hotel but not a hugely expensive one.

lovely mix of nationalities and people making an effort in different ways.

I agree here! I’ve only got to look at some of the French people I know where parents have holiday home… they may be stylish “en vac” but not where they live! Basically in that part of France eg leopard print (and not the stylish sort) and other brands are on sale locally, gets better if you go into a town/city. The local lingerie shop in the French town is a cliche too, lots of skimpy red and black lace bras and basques and knickers, not that stylish but “sexy”. Some of it looks quite dated too.

And I’ve seen lots of Germans on holiday not looking stylish and getting very sunburned. In lots of vest tops and shorts (nothing stylish), maybe Birkenstocks. Hair scraped back not in stylish bun.

I’m not picking on 2 nationalities by the way, just giving examples. The French

You can literally buy a linen shirt and linen trousers in H&M where you bought your address.

Birkinstocks, also available in the UK.

and pale nail varnish, and gold minimalist jewellery…

That reminds me, I need to paint my nails before we go away!

Enjoy your holiday OP and be proud of your Christmas nails - at least you're making the effort 💅

@graciasinmorzine perhaps they are just better put together then. But a lot more polyester featuring amongst the brits. In the evenings out comes the cashmere (not the Brits).

We'll have to disagree on that. Yet another look at the scruffy, untidy possibly overweight Brits on holiday.

I have access to lots of brands here in London and if I do go abroad and feel “out of place” then I usually invest in the local stylish brands. But then I also like vintage and a good browse abroad there picks up some nice bargains too.

A lot of Southern Europeans in particular are olive skinned and petite. That gives a massive headstart compared to someone pale, prone to sunburn and larger proportions.

I wouldn’t necessarily bring out cashmere but I do have some, I find it a bugger to care for. When I’m abroad in the past linen or silk comes out. I can do palazzo pants and I’ve been taken for French (stylish) or Swedish (when blonder) before by foreigners.

I don't mean this in a bitchy way, but your wording in OP doesn't really conjure the image of anything particularly special so the issue may be that you're not very practised in analysing and breaking down outfits or looks to see how they tick? So that's why you keep 'missing the mark' when putting together your own looks, as you seem to feel? it may be innate for some but 'style' is something to work at for many people, and I think other cultures are often more honest about that than UK where it's all kept more unspoken.

I love to people-watch, especially on vacation. It does seem some women have an effortless looking glamour about them. I think it comes down to good quality clothing, and good accessories, including sunglasses.

Somehow linen trousers and top would just be a wrinkly mess on me.

thanks @mdinbc i think that’s probably it. I was thinking if the lady was wearing what I was wearing, she’d pull it off a hell of a lot better than me!

They put a lot of work into looking effortlessly chic 😁. I live in Lyon, France, 12-apartment block in the city centre in a posh arrondissement and I’m in awe of how polished my neighbours look.

They are, without exception and of all ages from 5 to 85, very slim and in the 16 years I’ve been here I haven’t seen any of them gain weight / lose weight, so the expensive clothes that they buy fit them well for years on end. They ‘dress up’ all the time. Even if they are just taking their kids / grand children to the park or picking them up from school, they wear leather shoes / sandals, cashmere jumpers, linen shift dresses, wool coats. Whether boho / messy bun, or short crop, their hair is always styled. Make up ditto. And always great accessories. None of them are fashionable: they wear classic styles with their own twist.

I don’t think I’ve ever seen any of them wearing trainers (unless they are going running) and I’ve never, ever, ever seen any of them in ‘leisure wear’ except possibly teenage boys.

Being slim and staying slim really helps. But so does prioritising polish over comfort, and putting the effort in.

Foreigner here. Being slim definitely helps. That's easier in countries where most people still cook from scratch and there's leas interest in fast/poor quality food - that said, eating habits are changing everywhere. Fast.

Colour and texture combinations. When I first moved to the U.K., I could not believe the apparent random way many people would pair their tops and bottoms. If you give this some thought, even cheap clothes will look "right". Most Europeans don't buy expensive stuff - they simply know how to put it together.

Dress for your body shape and not for trends. This is really important. I think by and large, Europeans know what style suits them and don't wear styles that don't flatter their body shape, however trendy.

In winter, wear winter clothes. The amount of women (men less so) wearing skimpy clothes in the harsh weather here is quite remarkable. I admire being able to stand the temperature in a short skirt and sandals. However, it never looks stylish in my opinion. European women would wear a stylish coat, some form of trousers probably, long-sleeved short or whatever - this has more affinity with the season and make more "sense".

I could go on. But let me frame all the above by telling you a little secret - there's massive cultural pressure in Europe (southern Europe, I should say) to look polished in public at all times. That doesn't happen in the U.K. and I adore that. I also love how people don't give a shit here about what clothes go with what; what season it is; or what body shape they have. They wear what the hell they want. That's FREEDOM, people! And one of the main reasons why I like living here so much.

Might be outing myself here but we moved from South Island of New Zealand to our current place in Lyon. At the time my wardrobe consisted of outdoor gear and various cheap and cheerful top / jeans combinations. Very little make up and hair generally cut twice a year and scraped back into a ponytail the rest of the time. I definitely wasn’t thin (still ain’t). I felt so so

another thing they never do is wear waterproofs unless they are actually going to the countryside / mountains. When it’s cold they wear beautiful wool or leather coats, and big scarves, plus an umbrella if it’s raining. No one shoves on a fleecy / waterproof and trainers just because it’s cold / wet.

French, Italian and Spanish women do look great but a little same-y, in France navy and beige and Italy and Spain black and white. France and Italy might have olive green sometimes. Black shoes, black or camel handbag. Everyone of course does wear jeans, whichever wash is currently in fashion. These are of course gross generalisations 😅but the anything-goes UK style is fun too.

Meh I think Londoners can have a specific edge that you don’t see in the polished, tasteful well dressed Europeans.