When first coming to Seville I noticed a difference in food, pace of life, people´s mannerisms, and above all the fashion. Arriving to the airport in leggings and a t-shirt after a long day of travel from the US, I was surprised to see people around me wearing dresses and collared shirts. This was always such a bizarre concept to me as in America, airport fashion and fashion, in general, is focused on convenience and comfort. From the airport to school, people in the US are typically seen wearing sweatpants, sweatshirts, or athleisure clothing. In Seville, there is a drastic difference in everyday clothing style. Business casual is much more popular here and can be seen in almost all the main clothing stores in the city. It was interesting to see how many Zara´s were located just in the city center in my first couple of weeks here and learning in my Spanish History class that the brand actually originated in Spain, which might have influenced fashion. Spanish people, specifically in Seville, appear to dress fancier and have a very put together style that could relate to their different cultural norms. For example, in Spain it is common for social gatherings to occur outside of the home at restaurants or cafes. This creates more of a separation between at home life vs. outside life that could bleed into the fashion choices people make. Because going out to meet up with friends is more of an event, it might be more of an implicit norm for Spaniards to dress up more and look their best. Whereas in America, socializing often happens within the home, where people invite their friends over for sleepovers, to watch movies, and for other activities. Thus, leaving the house might be less special for an American, where they can wear the same comfy clothes inside as outside. I think the general emphasis on convenience and the on-the-go mentality in America heavily contributes to the relaxed style so prominent in our culture.
Outside source: https://oriettapolo.com/2021/01/19/how-is-european-fashion-different-from-american-fashion/
| While there are a few distinct differences in American vs. European fashion, there are certainly a lot of similarities as well. It’s hard to avoid these similarities or even completely ignore them considering that most of the world’s fashion trends are created by the same large conglomerate companies. oriettapolo.com |
