Standing out like a tourist...

[arlean]

In my area almost everyone is well dressed. The women wear scarves like they wear jewelry in some other countries. It is really quite attractive. I see few shorts, but occasionally I see them. In winter, boots are big. I mean nice ones, many (but not all) with heels. Some are ankle height but some cover the entire calf and are worn with dresses as well as slacks. Some people here are pretty proud of how "Argentina women" dress. As one man told me, an Argentina woman will not go out for a loaf of bread unless she has her makeup on and her hair fixed and is well dressed. Well I have seen some who would do a lot less running out for a loaf of bread. But to a great extent this is true. When we were first here in Buenos Aires we stayed at a hospedage (Latin American version of a bed and breakfast, sort of) and in the family's living quarters, on the refrigerator, we saw a sign when they happened to leave the door open. It said, "Argentines are the most beautiful people in the world!" In my experience this is pretty much their attitude. Pride is not considered a sin in Buenos Aires! But I, also, consider the Argentines very attractive!

 

[Hop]

Personally, I have never been able to blend in no matter where I am, and I long ago gave up trying.

I have also come to terms with the fact that I am never going to look Argentine, no matter what I wear. You can certainly try to dress like the locals, but it will still be obvious that you're not from around here because it goes beyond clothes. Porteños walk a certain way and carry themselves in a certain way. Someone once told me that they could tell I wasn't Argentine just from my face! I've stopped worrying about looking like the locals and it was quite a relief finally accepting that I'm always going to stand out.

 

[Ries]

What is a "sensible shoe"? And GAP probably comes from "La Salada", not from China (Ar..gen..TINA, Ar..gen..TINA!) And only chetos wear Lacoste collar shirts, as if they were always coming from a tennis game, like the bad guy in a John Hughes movie.

since mark is porteno, that kinda proves my point-

but just to be clear, a lot of adult men in my area of the United States wear these- and I cannot imagine an argentine male wearing one, ever...

A SAS shoe- the ultimate old man shoe in the USA, worn with jeans that have an ironed crease down the front, a striped golf shirt from Walmart, and a meshback hat with the name of a cruise line printed on it.

 

[nikad]

Ok, so speaking about dress, where do all the GAP sweatshirts and t-shirts come from? There is no GAP here and I swear I see no less than 3 of them a day.

Most are fake and come from La Salada in its diff flavors.

 

[nikad]

A tip: if you wear backpacks, do it just on one shoulder, both shoulders give you away. Go with casual brown, blue, gray, black color palettes and you should be fine.

Shoes should never look big ( unless you are under 15 yo ) if you are white and your shoes look too big it looks weird, belts have to be subtle for men, try to avoid t shirts with big legends or drawings ( unless you are under 15 yo ), the only hats guys would wear are caps, do not wear too much white in winter or fall, jeans over your waist ( aka mom jeans ) are a big no no, no matter how old you are or how overweight you are.

Do not wear shorts unless it is really very hot and for street very casual wear ( do not go with the ones with a hundred pockets ), t shirts should fit you nicely ( forget about the tents or xxxl sizes ).

These are some quick things that come to my head. There are of course other factors ( such as height, weight and hair color ) that will give you away nevertheless and there is nothing you can do about it Some facial features will also make you stand out ( very small noses on men, or big boobs on women )

Of course ( but this is kinda obvious ) No cowboy gear of any kind, no Hawaiian shirts!

 

[Amargo]

A tip: if you wear backpacks, do it just on one shoulder, both shoulders give you away. Go with casual brown, blue, gray, black color palettes and you should be fine.

Shoes should never look big ( unless you are under 15 yo ) if you are white and your shoes look too big it looks weird, belts have to be subtle for men, try to avoid t shirts with big legends or drawings ( unless you are under 15 yo ), the only hats guys would wear are caps, do not wear too much white in winter or fall, jeans over your waist ( aka mom jeans ) are a big no no, no matter how old you are or how overweight you are.

Do not wear shorts unless it is really very hot and for street very casual wear ( do not go with the ones with a hundred pockets ), t shirts should fit you nicely ( forget about the tents or xxxl sizes ).

These are some quick things that come to my head. There are of course other factors ( such as height, weight and hair color ) that will give you away nevertheless and there is nothing you can do about it Some facial features will also make you stand out ( very small noses on men, or big boobs on women )

Of course ( but this is kinda obvious ) No cowboy gear of any kind, no Hawaiian shirts!

Yes, plus haircuts. Don't want to spoil anyone's business, but I remember a lot of threads of people asking for an expat hairdresser. Well, make sure you get an Argentine haircut.

Plus the body language: a couple would walk side to side and would talk and gesticulate appropriately. Many times I see a foreigner looking for the way walking slightly in the front of her wife, who just follows him. This is not usual in Argentina. Plus make sure, if the sidewalk is too narrow, that you let your wife walk through first!

 

[tomdesigns]

I noticed that also...I am thinking, black market knockoffs imported from China.

Same with most of the Nike and Adidas clothing you see so often!

Yeah its dead obvious most of the time especially when you can see the patch of white cloth behind the logo on the inside of the garment. I see that all the time here.

 

[joelie]

A friend of mine who is a taxi driver says he always knows when the person is Australian - they wear sandals and have a water bottle.

 

[WindyCityJames]

When I lived in BA last year and wanted to speak English I would always look for men wearing cargo pants. Cargo pants are a big red flag and seem to only be worn by Australians or those from the USA. I rarely wore shorts and I would never wear them to dinner or to a bar. Clothes, overall, are worn much more fitted. Someone said, leave the XL t-shirts at home and they are correct. As for backpacks, you can always wear them with the backpack in front of you...you will blend in on the subte. BA has great malls and you will have no problem finding clothes for you, your husband, of your children. When in doubt, check out Alto Palermo, Abasto, Galerías Pacífico, Paseo Alcorta, or Patio Bullrich.

 

[steveinbsas]

Well, where I live now everyone knows I am the ONLY Yankee (or non Mercosur foreigner) here!

I dress like I've been working in my workshop or garden all day (I usually do) and I don't wear my Zegna suits or sportcoats or Bruno Magli shoes around the villa.

Last night I forgot to lock the kitchen (back) door.

Of course nothing happened.

(I do wear my Lucchese boots, but nobody knows what brand they are and couldn't care less...they just look big cause they're size 13.)