Socks!

[shivver]

I was reading an article yesterday that listed the attributes that, when you're traveling in a foreign country, broadcast to the natives that you're an American, and one of the items listed is "wearing white socks". Now, you have to understand, I have no fashion sense no matter what country I'm in, including my own, so I have no idea and I have to ask: what color socks are you supposed to wear?

Please enlighten me, so that I can endeavor to not be so damned American when I'm traveling abroad. There's nothing I can do about my accent, but I can certainly try to make my footwear fit in.

Comments

[thisbluespirit]

For the UK, if your socks are going to be seen (you're not wearing boots/there's a visible gap between your shoes and jeans/trousers at any point), your socks should match your shoes, or at least be dark or light to tone in. Socks with sandals are mocked, especially white socks. White socks are a bit, well, sports things. But I don't think it would automatically proclaim you as being from the US to us!

I wouldn't worry, though - everyone shows their different nationalities when abroad. You see people on trains and you know where they're from, because clothes and mannerisms and the way we look and behave gives us away - especially when in pairs or groups. I mean, wear what you're comfortable with and you'll be happy and so what to the rest. (It's also like when you're watching a UK show and there's one US character or the reverse and you start thinking the one character is definitely fake, and they're not, it's just how odd they suddenly look against everyone else. Except of course, when they are fake, because TV, but you know what I mean!)

[shivver13.livejournal.com]

Well, at the very least, I wouldn't wear socks with sandals. That's pretty standard, I think (though I do see people wearing them here). I think the next time I visit the UK (which I really hope will be soon), I'll invest in some black and dark gray socks.

Mostly I'm concerned with being so obviously American that I become a target (of either scams or thieves). I'm not so worried about regular people picking up that I'm a foreigner. I did notice the difference between what women wear in the UK and in the US (or at least the US West Coast). In the UK, women never wear t-shirts and jeans - even the most casual women, in the park playing with their kids are wearing blouses and trousers. (Which is another thing that marks me as a foreigner - I wear jeans all the time.) And they never wear trainers - always nice shoes or sandals. I did notice that men don't wear t-shirts much either - the only t-shirts I saw when I was in the UK was on some teenagers in a group who seemed to be part of a school outing, and even I could tell they were foreigners, since they were not in uniform. (my guess was that they were Norwegian).

[thisbluespirit]

Where were you and what time of year was it? Because trainers, jeans and T-shirt aren't uncommon casual wear here at all! Darker jeans are more common than the lighter, but still around. It would be less common in city centres or winter, obviously - trainers are way too chilly in winter.

[shivver13.livejournal.com]

It was September, 2014, and we visited Bath, York, Edinburgh, and London. The weather was very nice the whole time - I don't think there was a speck of rain, though it was a little chilly in Scotland. We were very surprised that there was so little casual clothing.