No shorts?

It seems that wearing shorts is not a good idea walking in the big cities in Spain?? So kacky trousers or jeans?
Sun block a must??
Thanks in advance!

happybird

Hi happybird_98!

We were talking about this same issue in the "About Spain" forum @ http://www.madridman.com/ubb/Forum16/HTML/000001.html

In cities like Madrid, Barcelona, and Sevilla, as well as most of the interior cities, wearing shorts is a big no-no espcecially when entering churches, cathedrals, or most businesses (other than shopping centers of course) is a big no-no. That is to say, you can do it (although you may be asked to leave a cathedral or other place of worship/religion) but you'll win long stares from the locals.

It's different on the coastal towns/cities where beaches are near. As I said in another forum, I wore shorts a few years ago during an unusually hot May and got LOTS of stares. Really, only children wear shorts or sometimes teens and young adults during the hottest of summer months. Most women wear light dresses and men wear thin pants. You could wear jeans, but you'll probably be the warmest in these. Try some some kind of pants and thin shirt during the warmest days.
The Spanish, as you'll see, have a kind of unwritten dress code in public. Most everyone is impressed with how well pressed and coordinated they are.

Have a great time in Spain!!

Saludos, MadridMan

[This message has been edited by MadridMan (edited 05-16-2000).]

I was in Spain for two months this past summer and I didnt' seem to get too many stares. Perhaps this is because it was summer time and there were more tourists there. But I do know that shorts in a cathedral are not welcome. I would also recommend that you dress up nicely when going to a nightclub. What would be considered overdressed in the US is about the minimum there.

MadridMan tiene razón, shorts in coastal cities is ok... but they dress up there too..

also, in the summer the spanish see more shorts because the rest of europe is using it as a playground. the english are particular fans of spain, as well as other europeans. so you are better off in shorts in the summer months than in spring or fall, but dressing up is never a bad idea.

¡VIVA ESPAÑA!

shorts and tank tops are a plus all over spain. just got back from there and that is all we wore no matter where we went or what time of day it was. people everwhere wear them. went into alot of palaces and cathedrals with no problem at all wearing them.... my advice dress how you want to, be comfortable!!!

I agree be comfortable. As long as you a respectful (like don't wear a hat into a cathedral)in the places you go into you'll be fine.

Was in Spain for 3 weeks. Local women wear skimpy tank tops - no shorts. You can definitely tell the tourists, the only ones wearing shorts. But no problem, no one stares. Most locals in smaller towns wear dresses, long pants, if dresses or skirts are worn, they are VERY short. So what the heck.

This reminds me of when my mother first went to spain in the early '50s, to Benidorm when it was still a pretty fishing village. She went with her friend who was a very beautiful girl, legs like a racehorse etc. This friend had made herself a skimpy loose top/short dress to slip over her bikini for trips between the beach and hotel. As they were heading back to the hotel on their first day she was stopped by a very angry policeman who ordered her to go inside and cover up. Imagine having legs that were an incitement to public unrest!
I love the way Spanish men look so smart and neatly-attired with their shirts tucked into belted trousers. I can't think of another country in Europe where people look so good in clothes. Except Italy. So many European countries are losing their cultural identities to the "individuality" mantra of - I'm sorry - America. I think that most people over 20 shouldn't wear shorts for aesthetic reasons alone. And the day Spanish males start wearing white turtlenecks and trainers and eating Big Macs instead of tortilla I'll shoot myself.
Here endeth the rant.

Hi Crann,
Just a little correction. In the 50's we were living under a dictatorship.You were not supposed to wear "no decent" clothes, you were not allowd to kiss in public, in fact you couldn't express yourself in any way. In 1975 Franco, the dictator, died and Spain began to open. Things have change a lot since Franco. So please friends, don't think that if you were shorts you are going to get into trobles.
I really don't understand why most of the people that post messages about this topic say that we (Spaniards) don't wear shorts. When I was living there I wore shorts in summer, I wore jeans, t-shirts, sneakers and everything else that American people wear nowdays. Maybe it is because I am a young girl, well, my mom is not that young and she wears shorts too.

Oh dear Nuria, I'm sorry if I was offensive. I didn't mean to be. My mother eventually lived in Spain for two years in the 50s and we know things were very different under Franco than they are now. Anyway, I think this particular girl's legs would have upset the police just as much in Ibiza or Venice Beach in the year 2000. There's guapa and there's incendiary devices I suppose.

Hi,
I am sorry if sometimes seems I am upset. The reason is that I still cannot express myself very well in English and sometimes I don't know the right words. I would like to be less "agressive" but I guess I need more time in the States to learn more English. So PLEASE, forgive me if I say something wrong and I would love if you correct my English

Nuria, don't worry too much about this. My ladyfriend (una madrileña), who has been living in the US is almost afraid to say anything because she has learned how sensitive we "Americans" are and that it's easy to offend people by just being yourself. I have learned a lot about myself and my own culture by comparing it to the ways of Spaniards and think we "Americans" are over-the-top sensitive about almost everything. We're SO afraid about how we should interact with others that we.... DON'T! I realize this should be posted in the "About Spain" forum so I'll say something about shorts in Spain...

I think if it's hot and you want to wear shorts then go ahead! Who really cares? If you feel the need to totally blend in then wear a sport coat and long pants in the deadly heat of summer and sweat your brains out. hehehe.. Be comfortable and enjoy the sights of Spain.

Saludos, MadridMan

I would agree that the people of Madrid are somewhat formal in a lot of the things they do but I didn't find shorts made me stand out in the daytime on my last visit. It was quite obvious I was a tourist and while we're not talking National Lampoon's Vacation here, there is no point pretending you're something you're not.
However, if you are going to go somewhere more formal such as a church then I would agree that you should leave the shorts behind.
I think it is only sensible to dress up a little in the evenings as well.
Derek

i was pretty young when i first started going to spain, and i went pretty much from grade school casual america, to rural pueblo La Mancha to stay with friends... i wanted to wear star wars t-shirts and they had polo-style and oxford shirts...

my best friend's father and mother are very traditional and came of age probably somewhere in the late 40's and early 50's (they had 6 children and were older than average parents), so their approach is much different than the younger spain today... but i remember that as kids we could wear shorts during the day but at night we had to wear pants and nice shirts... we didn't dare wear t-shirts and shorts at night. nobody in the whole town did this!

now today many of my friends from this pueblo, who mostly live and work in Madrid (and other places) still approach dressing this way... but i also have friends that grew up in Madrid who are much more casual than the pueblo style...

so i guess it depends on who you ask as to what answer you will receive for how to dress... but i like the statement from Crann which implies that pants are more "mature" than shorts... but conversely, shorts aren't "wrong" either... i wore them all the time for running and soccer and that seldom trip to the beach...