Common Attire

[HDM]

I am so sorry, please accept my apologies for offending you last month. I am truly sorry that you don't care.

But how did you know my pants were off when I typed that?

 

[austgirl]

lol ... get your hand off it ! im sure people give you the you know whats with dumb questions but come on... be nice!

 

[diego7david]

do the cloths really matter? the minute a yankee opens his mouth they will know you're not a porteno.

 

[Joe]

I've only been here for a couple of weeks, but one thing that surprised me was how often people speak Spanish to me expecting I'm a local (No one in Mexico ever tried to speak Spanish with me...) I knew that most Argentines are of European heritage, but it is southern European not with my Irish-American ruddy complexion. But my gray/brown hair is not at all unusual. After living in Asia for many years, it is nice being invisible.

I would echo some previous comments that just standard US casual work attire is common. Also blue jeans are quite common even for older men especially on the weekends.

I love my shorts, so I wear then anyway, but it is a clear yanqui identifier...

 

[Recoleta Carolina]

dear hdm, i read your comments and really, not very nice. i work as a flight attendant and i know that its very important to be sensitive culture wise with every country you go to, so someone asking what is appropriate to wear isnt an absurd question at all... it could mean the difference between getting robbed or not, offending the locals or not.. so keep your pants on hdm!

if someone has a question that you deem silly or irrelevant... who cares...

Good for you! There is no such thing as a silly or irrelevant question. And, how rude and obnoxious of anyone to put someone down for asking something that apparently is important to them.

 

[wineguy999]

This is all darned entertaining. I am new to this site, but can't help wondering exactly which Buenos Aires some of you folks are in. Argentinos are crazy about polos and t-shirts from The Gap, Banana Republic and Armani Exchange, wear their jeans proudly, love their cargo shorts, AND their name-brand athletic shoes (worn, I might add, with white athletic socks). Yes, fashion conciousness abounds, but "casual" and "sport" have very different meanings in ARG than in most other places. I don't want to offend (much), but it is astounding how unobservant people can be.

 

[erindanelle]

Im Australian and have a mix of my own clothes and clothes bought here. I don't feel that my outfits make me standout whatsover. None the less, Argentines will know straight away that your foreign. My argentine boyfriend says its clear from your 'ojos claros' (light coloured eyes), bone structure in your face, height and body build. Dressing appropriately will of course help you blend in, but ultimately, they seem to have a knack of spotting a foreigner before you've even opened your mouth!

This has never caused me any problems. In my barrio in provincia, people are more intrigued to know where im from and why im here and live where I do.

 

[diego7david]

with all the responses this seems to be a "warm" topic
i have to interject with one of my first big mistakes language wise down here during my first hot summer, when i went around introducing myself and saying, hola, me llamo david, soy caliente. thinking with the heat it was a bland, non-offensive way to start a conversation. little did i know for three months that "soy caliente' meant, i'm horny, not so much that i was hot !

but:
asking about cloths falls into a couple of categories
1. what to bring to fit the climate or what is a bargain to buy here so i dont bring it.
2. what is appropriate to fit the culture
3. what to wear and do so as not to be attractive to be a victim of crime
4. how to try and fit in so i dont get ripped off, and i will still maintain that no matter how one dresses, the minute you speak, if your not from buenos aires, they will know you are a tourist. (although to be fair, some of you really have learned the language and im jealous)
addendum
i personally find almost every where i've been in argentina to be very welcoming to me, as a foreigner (with a smile and an hola), and so far, to my low intellectual level, have not felt particularly "ripped off" anywhere.

 

[dsc]

"soy caliente' meant, i'm horny, not so much that i was hot !

That's hilarious

Reminds me of this link I've bookmarked on embarrassing mistakes in Spanish:

http://spanish.about.com/od/tipsforlearningspanish/a/embarrass.htm

Best is the 2nd last one on page 3..

 

[RWS]

. . . . Argentinos are crazy about polos and t-shirts from The Gap, Banana Republic and Armani Exchange, wear their jeans proudly, love their cargo shorts, AND their name-brand athletic shoes (worn, I might add, with white athletic socks). . . .

So much depends upon income, age, social class, and personal taste. I know that, although I do see advertising garments (clothes marked with companies' names or emblems) in Buenos Aires, as elsewhere, few men or women among my acquaintances ever seem to wear them. Instead, the men, at least, appear usually to wear clothes made for them.