How hot is it in Spain during this time. What type of clothes is best. We were in Barcelona 2 yrs. ago in late May and everyone was dressed in blacks, browns and navy. Is this the norm for June/July..We are from Florida and tend to go summer(light colors) almost year round. Ladies I need your help..my 18 yrs old granddaughter will be with us.

Granny-- Madrid and the south? Hot hot hot. You will find that Spanish women over 60 dress rather conservatively-- none of the bright florals and pastels that the florida crowd wears, SMILE SMILE. MadridMan did a post on what his lady friend's mother dressed like-- a hoot of a post and so true!!! Look it up! Anyway, your grandaughter will know what to wear: tell her to think NY City in the summer and she'll be fine (yeah, light weight black and brown with some wild pink.turquoise tank/spaghetti strap tops etc.. for HER, not you!!). As for you... I bet you will be fine even if you do go with Florida kinda style. And so what-- your granny status will get you respect! Still, got anything that looks more Eileen Fisher/Ann Taylor-like?

I'm just answering again because MM 'buried' this post where it belongs (packing), but in so doing de-activated it. And I am sure you all want to comment on the color schemes...

Okay! Okay!! You've NUDGED me into it, rgf. hehehe.... You'll find my/that post here in the "Packing" forum from last September entitled " What kind of clothes do Spaniards wear? ". Keep in mind that I was writing with MADRID as my experience. I'm sure those in Barcelona dress MUCH more refined and FRENCH-ish. hehehe...

Saludos, MadridMan

Yeah, MM, you've nudged me into it too, so here I write.... in invitation to others to comment on this THREAD. too good, eh?

[This message has been edited by rgf (edited 02-27-2001).]

I was in Madrid and Barcelona from about July 8 to the beginning of August and it was really hot! I'm from Tucson, so I understand heat, but in Barcelona it was also humid. (I was in Granada and Cordoba during the same time period quite a while ago and it was in the upper 90's.) Air conditioning was not always available. I wore Exofficio skorts. They were longer than most shorts and had a skirt-like look about them. My favorite combo was a light beige skort with a white or black sleeveless shell and leather sandals. I felt conservative enough (I was with a group of students, so I had to dress the teacher role!) but was comfortable. I didn't notice people staring, though if they were, it was clearly to marvel at my great fashion sense . Older French women still dress nicely and not like they are all in mourning, and my American friend who is married to a Spaniard and spends every summer in Granada dresses in colors and casual clothes (she likes color coordinated sports clothes like long shorts and matching t-shirts or culottes and t-shirts), so I don't worry about it very much. I don't wear very revealing or extreme clothes and try to look "put together"...like a casual Friday at work perhaps? How do people know if we are really old ladies who happen to look great or younger ladies who have spent way too much time in the sun?

Now as for your grandaughter, I have the same problem in trying to tell my young female students what to wear. I saw a lot of spaghetti strap and tank top numbers, but I can't say that I saw shorts cut quite to the heights of Tucson shorts...unless the girls were at the beach! Our kids have to carry their passports in carriers, so dresses become difficult. Jeans were ok...though hot. I am still trying to resolve the problem of how to handle the more revealing attire while touring cathedrals. I don't want to feel like a disrespectful American who cannot conform to dress codes, and I don't think most of my female students would ordinarily dress like they do informally when they go to church! When in doubt, we usually go slightly more conservative...even if our girls grumble!