Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As a non-US person living in the US for 20+ years, the chasms between Americans and others grows smaller all the time..... Sure, someone from Ohio visits London or Berlin and is like "everyone dresses so much better here!" But when you go to the crappy suburbs of Berlin, or the rural parts of germany or the chavs of the UK.... lots of fat, ill dressed people wearing sneakers and track suits. Just like if you go to NYC, people dress a lot better than rural North Dakota.

At this point, the only really obvious American marker of clothes is college gear. WHAT is with the college shirts (says every person who moved to the US, ever)???

Actually it's college gear for real colleges that is distinctive. There seems to be a trend outside the US for college gear for fake colleges. Plus there is the Franklin & Marshall line of clothing, unrelated to the college of the same name.

There are always brand differences among countries, even when the item is pretty much the same. Black puffy coats are ubiquitous in the UK for example, but North Face tends to be more american.

Anonymous wrote:As a non-US person living in the US for 20+ years, the chasms between Americans and others grows smaller all the time..... Sure, someone from Ohio visits London or Berlin and is like "everyone dresses so much better here!" But when you go to the crappy suburbs of Berlin, or the rural parts of germany or the chavs of the UK.... lots of fat, ill dressed people wearing sneakers and track suits. Just like if you go to NYC, people dress a lot better than rural North Dakota.

At this point, the only really obvious American marker of clothes is college gear. WHAT is with the college shirts (says every person who moved to the US, ever)???

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’ve heard Kate Spade is a giveaway but what do you think distinguishes someone in say London or Paris as an American before they even open their mouth to share that information?

What do you wear that you feel makes you appear American?

Kate Middleton wears Kate Spade.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Big athletic shoes when not exercising.

This is a good one, and a faux pas I avoid at all costs - even when I had plantar fasciitis!

Anonymous wrote:As a non-US person living in the US for 20+ years, the chasms between Americans and others grows smaller all the time..... Sure, someone from Ohio visits London or Berlin and is like "everyone dresses so much better here!" But when you go to the crappy suburbs of Berlin, or the rural parts of germany or the chavs of the UK.... lots of fat, ill dressed people wearing sneakers and track suits. Just like if you go to NYC, people dress a lot better than rural North Dakota.

At this point, the only really obvious American marker of clothes is college gear. WHAT is with the college shirts (says every person who moved to the US, ever)???

Anonymous wrote:I’ve heard Kate Spade is a giveaway but what do you think distinguishes someone in say London or Paris as an American before they even open their mouth to share that information?

What do you wear that you feel makes you appear American?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Big athletic shoes when not exercising.

Europeans have long worn fashion sneakers.

I lived in Berlin, Munich, Amsterdam and Barcelona and way back in the early 2000s you would see the retro pumas and Adidas, etc., on women. They were very practical because you walk everywhere over there and lots of cobblestone streets.

I was a very big anti-running shoes/sneakers outside of the gym until I lived there. I adopted the retro sneaker look (they are not bulky) for wear with jeans when my wedges or casual boots/sandals are impractical.

Back then (and pretty much still), people did not wear athletic wear outside of the gym (and gyms were scarce and in Germany had bars and smoking). My husband and I would go in street clothes to the gym and ALWAYS change back into street clothes post workout even if we planned to shower at home.

I am 100% full-blooded American, but I was always asked if I were Spanish or Italian by locals over there. I have olive skin and blue eyes, and a small roman nose. I still can easily pass as European. But, I wear a helluva lot of Lulu working from home and working out mid-day and I don't change out of it to go to the grocery store--so right there is a big tip off.

I have a minimalist, classic style that could pretty much be from anywhere. I don't wear heavy make-up, fake eyelashes or have heavily highlighted hair or beach waves (all very American--think Navarro cheerleader--ha). I get my brunette hair highlighted/low lights very minimally to break up the color only twice a year.