Spanish Fashion – Kara
I was lucky enough to spend the last 5 months studying in Oviedo, Spain. While I was there, I traveled around Spain to many cities and towns. Across Spain, fashion means a lot. In Spanish culture, your appearance says a lot about you. The Spanish take pride in what they look like, even when running out for five minutes to buy a loaf of bread.
Since I was there from early January through late May, I was able to see winter, spring and the beginning of summer fashion. Here is what I observed.
Older men and women usually dress more conventional, with a few simple statement pieces that will last a few seasons. Longer skirts with a simple shirt and nice long jacket and sensible yet cute shoes seemed to be the norm for the women. Suit jackets and Italian-inspired leather shoes with a button down and dress pants or a nice pair of jeans are the norm for men.
Young men and women, just as in the US and the rest of the world, are the trend setters.
Clothing:
I observed that much of the women’s clothing in Spain is not as tight-fitting as in the US. Shirts are bigger and skirts are longer and looser. Jeans are worn, but not as much, and the ones I did see seemed to be either really loose, more like the “boyfriend” jean style in the States, or skinny jeans. I didn’t see a lot of boot cut or flared jeans, unless they were worn by older women. Pants that I called “genie pants” area also a big trend. They are made of a light material, sometimes denim, and have elastic waists and elastic at the ankles and fit loosely. “Genie pants” are usually worn with sandals and a loose shirt. Leggings and tights are worn most often and are worn under dresses, skirts and long shirts. One of the biggest trends I saw was tights under shorts, paired with a blazer or leather jacket over a tank or tee and either boots, heels, flats or Oxfords. I didn’t see a lot of women wearing shorts without tights, and I got a few weird looks when I did so. But, hey, it was hot. Loose-fitting sun dresses and rompers are big for summer, I made sure to buy summer dress while I was there.
Young men wear jeans more often, a lot of times with the hems rolled into capris. These jeans are usually baggy, most Spanish guys don’t wear skinny jeans. They also wear a lot of button downs, plaid being the most popular print. Many of the guys wear graphic tees, and a lot of them have English statements. I always wanted to ask them if they actually knew what it meant. Since fútbol, or soccer, is big, and I mean HUGE, in Spain, many guys own multiple jerseys and jackets for their favorite teams. As in the States, Spanish guys also wear a lot of classic v-necks and tees.
Spanish night life is a huge part of their culture, and young people often stay out until 5 or 6 am on weekends. Because of this, Spanish girls always look their best at night. No matter how cold it is, the most popular attire is a dress or skirt and a pair of heels, even though most of the clubbing scene in Oviedo is in the oldest part of the city and walking across uneven cobblestone streets is unavoidable. On colder nights, the girls put on a pair of tights and a leather jacket and brave the temperatures. I didn’t notice a huge difference between day and night fashion for the guys, other than they are more likely to wear their button downs out at night than during the day.
Shoes:
Many Spanish women wear heels every day. Meaning high stilettos, not wedges or heeled sandals. Which is crazy because Spanish people walk everywhere. Spanish women also love boots, all kinds of boots. More casual shoes were flats and Converse, as well as high top sneakers in a variety of bright colors. Gladiator sandals are trending in Spain as well. An emerging trend is Oxfords for both men and women. Women usually wear them with the tights and shorts combo, but also with a summer dress for a more causal look. I couldn’t handle wearing heels as clumsy as I am, so I stuck to a pair of black boots for most of my trip. I was sad because I had to throw them out they were so worn by the end.
Young men wear Italian loafers when dressing up, but more often wear either Converse or high tops. Again, Oxfords are an emerging trend.
Accessories:
Accessories are important to Spanish people, and can make or break an outfit. It was interesting to see how different people with different styles wore these trends.
Every young Spaniard owns a leather jacket. This is not an exaggeration. I bought a black one (fake, of course, I can’t afford real leather) while I was there and wore it everywhere. Most styles are military inspired and are either black or brown. Blazers are also worn by both men and women in a variety of colors, making me wish I had brought mine. Plaid zip-up jackets are also worn by a lot of the guys.
Scarves are a must, especially in the cold months, for both men and women. Oviedo is in the mountains and has a rainy, chilly climate. However, there are plenty of lighter scarfs worn during the warm months. Scarves are so popular in Spain, the Spanish language has a different word for a winter scarf and a summer scarf. I bought a hand-made scarf in my “colors” of purple, blue and green at a market.
For women, big, dangly earrings are worn with everything, and feather earrings were beginning to be a huge thing. Statement rings and big bangles as well as thin belts are worn to add more personality to outfits, day or night. A lot of the girls seemed to prefer big bags and totes over little purses.
A lot of young men have their ears pierced and wear diamond studs. Baseball caps are worn a lot during the day.
Aviators are the most popular sunglasses among young people in Spain, and I wore mine everywhere.
Other:
Possibly my least favorite fashion statement was men’s hair. A lot of the young men had rat tails. Gross, right? I did love the women’s hair styles however, usually worn down straight with bangs, or slicked back in a sleek pony tail or pulled back loosely into a bun on the top of the head.
What do you think? Would you wear Spanish style?