What should my teen boys wear in Paris?

[Anonymous]

What should teens wear in Europe when touring around in the summer when it's 90+ degrees? I have a boy and a girl who also dress very casually. At the same time, some of the religious cultural attractions require that you not be showing too much skin.

[Anonymous]

[Anonymous]

Wear what you want, just avoid crocs (also you cant take long walk in the heat with crocs), baseball caps especially worn backward and most of all sandals or crocs with white socks (or any socks). No funny packs

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wear what you want, just avoid crocs (also you cant take long walk in the heat with crocs), baseball caps especially worn backward and most of all sandals or crocs with white socks (or any socks). No funny packs

Ok, so can an older teen boy wear athletic shorts and a t-shirt to tour the Vatican or Sistine Chapel in the middle of summer? Or do I need to purchase chino-type shorts and polos? I'm assuming for dinner, long pants and a polo?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wear what you want, just avoid crocs (also you cant take long walk in the heat with crocs), baseball caps especially worn backward and most of all sandals or crocs with white socks (or any socks). No funny packs

Ok, so can an older teen boy wear athletic shorts and a t-shirt to tour the Vatican or Sistine Chapel in the middle of summer?

https://www.vaticanmuseumsrome.com/dress-code-vatican-museums

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:no one thinks you’re European no matter how hard you try
one xpat US couple I know even insisted in cutting their daughter’s hair “like a French girl” lol

amazing! what sort of haircut did they give her - like a little gamine pixie or something else?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:please don't wear crocs anywhere- the French hate us enough as it is

I don’t wear crocs, but why do we care if the French hate us?

Modern Family had a skit with the character Mitch and he’s walking down the street eating something and shabby clothes. He asks questions and they keep answering him in English. He says “ Excusez moi” and they answer “McDonalds and the Eiffel Tower are that way.” He asks the next guy how does everyone know I’m American? The guy points to him eating while walking around in shabby clothes. It was funny, you had to see it.

It’s stereotypes. Wearing crocs would identify him as American tourist. Shorts and tshirts will too. Even in Manhattan wearing crocs will identify you as a slow walking tourist.

I LOVE that episode - except the funny thing is he isn't wearing especially shabby clothes. He's wearing relatively nicish clothes - just not French looking. Then he goes to a French store and buys a whole new outfit, and suddenly everyone thinks he's French.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It depends when you go. Who are these weird posters who think that teens in Germany and France do not wear shorts? Sure, going to a nice restaurant in the evening would need to wear pants, but for sightseeing shorts are acceptable attire.

I’m one of the “weird” posters who said I would have the boys leave the shorts home - based on the fact that the trip is coming up, according to OP, and so shorts in Nov/Dec/Jan would just look goofy and off-season right now in Paris, even if it’s unseasonably warm.

I don’t understand all the posters who think wanting to dress nicely on a vacation in a major European city (or any major city, anywhere) is some sort of weird cosplay. My family steps up our game a little on vacation - it’s a sign of self-respect, we look nice for pictures, get treated a bit more nicely in restaurants and shops. We’re not talking about suits, for god’s sake. We’re talking about pants/nice jeans instead of shorts in Nov/Dec. Is it really such a sacrifice to be less of a slob than you are at home? Have a sense of occasion.

The real question is why are you such slobs at home?

[Anonymous]

When my kids were a little younger and wouldn't push back on how I dressed them, I always made them wear nicer clothes when we were in Europe. Partly because I don't want to be so obviously American, but also because I wanted our pictures to look great.

I'm so glad that I did. I frequently caught my kids in candids messing around with some pretty spectacular scenery and the photos are so great. They didn't care what they wore then. Now they're slobs in athletic shorts and hoodies.

For heaven's sake, at least make then wear something decent on the flights. Represent.