There’s a reason the most fashionable looks are inspired by the Europeans. They stick to the classics, whereas Americans follow fast trends. Europeans know how to take a timeless look and evolve it to match the time, without compromising style. Take a note from the most fashionable continent and copy these looks.
Workwear in Europe is quite possible the biggest look right now. Blazers and slouchy pants or blazers and shorts, button ups and loafers. If you bought it for your 9-5, the Europeans are probably wearing it for a night out in the city. Here, we typically pair workwear with heels or flats, but overseas they are wearing it with sleek sneakers. Since Europeans do a lot more walking in their commute than a typical American does, they need a more practical yet stylish footwear option to pair with their suit.
In Italy, this past summer it was 90 degrees almost everyday I was there, but everyday I saw at least a dozen Italian women in workwear. I saw a woman in a mint green suit and I audibly gasped at the sight because I had never seen someone look so sheik. Italians in general dress very well, the men also wore full suits each day, even just for grabbing dinner. Pairing blazers with biker shorts is an easy way to dress up your athletic attire and still pull off a cute look.
Workwear dresses you up but also ages you up, which for someone like myself who looks much younger than they are, can be a huge plus. Even just a white button up with jeans gives off such an elevated look compared to a white tee and jean shorts. Same color scheme, same general look but the first one you can repeat over and over and never look dull.
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Lingerie has found its way incorporated into everyday attire and being shown off. A look that Americans have embraced but Europeans have perfected. It’s a fine line you walk when trying to create a sexy and sophisticated look with lingerie as your apparel, but if we take note of European fashion, we too can create the same look.
Whether it’s a bodysuit paired with a suit, a slip worn as a dress, or a a bra as a shirt, if you follow European fashion, you can pull off your best look yet. Taking a lacie bralette and pairing it with a long maxi skirt, gets rid of the bulk of an extra layer for a cleaner, more put together look. Having a bodysuit paired with black jeans gives a sexy look that isn’t too over the top. My favorite lingerie as apparel look of all time is taking a silk slip and wearing it as a dress. Silk is such a beautiful material that absolutely needs to be seen. Pairing a slip with hoops and heels gives you an elegant look perfect for an evening at the theatre.
Retailers are all over these looks, mass producing faux silk, so they aren’t hard to come by. The key to this look is subtly. Wearing a lace teddie with shorts makes the look obvious, and takes away from the teddie itself. Europeans have perfected this look in pairing it with something more conservative, the contrast in the lingerie and the other apparel items you wear with it, are what takes it from just lingerie to a gorgeous outfit.
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Accessories can make an outfit, but they are also the first thing that can ruin an outfit. Accessories, like the lingerie should be more subtle. You won’t find Europeans wearing chunky necklaces and clanking bracelets. Like most European fashion, they stick to the classics. Pearl earring, hoops, small chain necklace all add to an outfit but don’t take away from it. Tassel earrings when paired with a loud necklace, come off as tacky and gives an overdone look.
If you are going to have a statement accessory, stick to one. No matchy matchy sets of dangling teal earrings and bubble necklaces if you want matching jewelry, stick to silver and gold sets. A statement earring every now and then can add to a look. Just make sure the outfit is more subtle so that the outfit doesn’t come off as busy.
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The purse that I use everyday, should not even constitute as a purse, it’s basically a tote bag that could fit an entire army inside if necessary, and they Europeans would cringe at the sight of me. Like their jewelry, they don’t want their purse to take away from the rest of their outfit. And the glorified briefcase that I use as a purse would not cut it. Practically for day to day many of us carry around snacks, medicine, makeup and anything else we may need when out day to day. But what I actually carry around is an entire pantry and medicine cabinet when in reality, I don’t use or need half the stuff I bring.
Sticking to a small purse ensures that you only bring the necessities, it also makes your life so much easier because you aren’t constantly worried if your wallet fell out of your purse because you can’t find it in your Mary Poppins bag. Getting a few small, well made leather bags that you can switch around depending on your outfit, will be a much better investment than that $400 Michael Kors purse that makes you a target for pickpockets and you end up throwing useless junk in.
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Put your baseball and cowboy hats back down. European fashion for as adorable as it may be, it’s also practical. Since Europeans do commute outdoors more than the average American, they need something to keep them warm in the winter. They, sadly, aren’t into big floppy beach hats, but wide brimmed wool hats and burets are in every European woman closet. Like other accessories, these can really elevate a look, but unlike the purses and jewelry these can steal the show. An olive hat with a neutral outfit can take an outfit from bland to sophistication.
It’s an easy way to cover up your unwashed hair or look put together in winter when we are all just trying to survive. Throwing on a hat also gives you a mysterious look, wear a burgundy hat and look like Carmen Sandiago.
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Fanny packs have gotten a bad rep over the years. Moms at Disney pulling out their granola bars to calm down Tommy cause there’s a fourth five minute wait to see Donald Duck. And college girls at Panama for spring break trying to hide their Smirnoff Ice’s from Brad from Sigma Chi. But fanny packs don’t deserve all the hate they get. Fanny packs are peak European fashion right now, and for many reasons. First, they are super practical. Like a small purse, they can carry all of their essentials but with the fanny pack they can also carry their lattes and have an extra hand free. The ease of a fanny pack is what is most appealing about it but many Americans shy away for fear of compromising fashion. I am here to tell you, I will never compromise fashion so this wouldn’t be on the list if it wasn’t also incredibly stylish.
Fanny packs can come in all forms and many are even calling them belt bags, to try and erase all the negativity they’ve gotten in the past. The most stylish ones often are leather or pho leather. They go around your hips where a belt would and have a small pouch for anything you wish to carry. When traveling they are perfect because you don’t have to worry about keeping your purse in front of you and your hand on your bag at all times. The fanny pack takes away all those needs so you can travel worry free and in style.
This trend has a lot to do with the first trend of suits. Many are loving the simplicity of being able to throw on an outfit and not have to worry if it matches because the whole thing is the same color. I think every girl has thrown on an all black outfit and loved the way you didn’t have to worry about patterns or small details matching. This takes that to a brighter level.
If you ever watch a fashion show you’ll see this exemplified. Gigi and Bella Hadid will be walking down the runway in matching lavender hues and several pounds of accessories. Those models took those looks from the runways to the streets in a white tee and white dress pants. Mixing fabrications but staying within the same color scheme has also been a fun but simple way to pull off the look. A silk skirt in emerald green paired with the same shade in a sweater.
The trend has become so popular that its evolving to matching to two piece sets. Most retailers nowadays when you shop online even have a separate category called “two piece sets” which is essentially an entire outfit that matches from head to toe. Whether it’s a crop top and skirt all in the same pattern or pants and a sweater, this simple but sheik trend is thanks to our European friends.
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Europeans keep it simple when it comes to makeup. Contouring, highlighting all the extra steps the Kardashians engrained in us was necessary, the Europeans prove otherwise. This is not to say that Europeans do not wear makeup, most do. But when they wear makeup they stick to the one aspect of wow rule. Meaning that if they have a bright blue eyeshadow, they pair it with a natural lip. Or, if they are wearing a cherry red lip, they keep it natural looking with their eyes. They stick to the basics of makeup; mascara, eyeliner, eyeshadow, foundation, blush and lipstick. But, even when using these products they create the most natural look possible. No need to bake your makeup just pick one element that you want to stand out and keep the rest simple.
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When it comes to outerwear, Europeans opt for the most fashionable coats, not those puffy NorthFace ones we bundle up in. They invest in high quality and warm materials to keep them warm without looking like the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man.
They often opt for wool when looking for coats so that they can stay warm and when it comes to styles, the longer the better. Trench coat styles or elongated blazers are what you’ll see in the European streets. When it comes to winter, the first part of your outfit anyone sees is your coat. Although those puffy coats may be necessary from time to time, it just doesn’t seem right putting over a long gown for attending a winter wedding.
One of my biggest struggles in winter is trying to stay warm but also find something that is fashionable and practical. Teddy coats, which are called that because they literally look like a teddy bear, are also another solution. They are about the coziest coat you’ll find but are much dressier than the popular sherpa coats. Coats like this come in neutral colors but getting something like a cheetah print or a fuzzy red can really make you stand out. You can throw this coat on with jeans when heading out or you can wear it with a dress, it’s a great option to being able to stay warm but not ruin an outfit.
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One of the reasons that European fashion os so highly regarded is because it sticks to the basics. They know what works. Neutral colors and classic fabrics will never go out of style. Jeans, white button ups, loafers, blazers, black pants will never go out of fashion. Europeans are known for their simplistic yet sophisticated looks. They transform these looks by taking tan pants and a cream sweater by throwing on a red belt bag for a bold color. Or a snakeskin loafer. Their color scheme seems to be mostly blacks, tans, grays and whites. But they have statement items that elevate the look from bland to high fashion. We have a lot to thank the Europeans for, but above all, we should thank them for their sense of style.
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