Help! My husband is getting stressed about our July trip to Tuscany area since he is usually a shorts and t-shirt guy in the summer. We will mainly tour the Tuscany area ( wine tours, cooking classes, hikes, picnics, etc) so can he wear shorts then? We will visit a few larger cities (Rome, Siena, Florence)and know he needs to "dress up" ie long pants. Any suggestions on where to look for light weight, nice looking versitile pants for him?
Hi Jody - Your husband really does not need to do anything special. Shop wherever you normally do. Italian men seem to be getting a little less stylish in their daytime wear of late. I am a painter and when I am out during the day I wear shorts and tee shirts, but I try to look neat and fresh. There are shorts and tee shirts and there are shorts and tee shirts, if you know what I mean. I always dress for dinner - casual slacks and a stylish pair of shoes. If I wear a tee shirt I will often dress it up with a lightweight casual sport jacket. We try and make dinners special even though we almost always eat in casual places. We like to be respectful and present a good image of Americans. I would always wear long pants in a large city, but that's just my choice. Plenty of tourists dress just as they do at home.
We'll be in Santa Margherita Ligure and Positano in June, both beach resorts. I would imagine even some Italian men wear shorts during the day in these towns especially in warm weather. I told my husband that shorts would be okay during the day, but not for dinner. Good advice?
Carole
Posts: 1073 | Location: Laguna Beach, CA | Registered: 09 February 2006
Originally posted by jodyleigh: My husband is getting stressed about our July trip to Tuscany area since he is usually a shorts and t-shirt guy in the summer.
Personally, what would stress me would be to look around and realize that I'm the only person in the area whose wearing shorts and a t-shirt.
How about those convertable pants with the zip-off legs that convert to and from shorts easily. I think they look pretty good. If he looks around and lots of others are in shorts, he can be in shorts too. If he realizes he's the only one in shorts, he can zip his legs on and look pretty presentable.
Now, about that t-shirt...
________________ When life gives you lemons, make limoncello.
Originally posted by LoveItaly: We'll be in Santa Margherita Ligure and Positano in June, both beach resorts. I would imagine even some Italian men wear shorts during the day in these towns especially in warm weather. I told my husband that shorts would be okay during the day, but not for dinner. Good advice? Carole
Good advice. Shorts are normal at beach resorts. He won't feel at all out of place. Just tell him to put his pants on for dinner.
________________ When life gives you lemons, make limoncello.
Originally posted by LoveItaly: We'll be in Santa Margherita Ligure and Positano in June, both beach resorts. I would imagine even some Italian men wear shorts during the day in these towns especially in warm weather. I told my husband that shorts would be okay during the day, but not for dinner. Good advice?
Carole
Yes, Carole - good advice. Shorts are always OK at the sea or for sports, but more and more young Italian men are wearing shorts (the long variety) in town too.
Italian men do wear shorts in villages and resort areas. You will not see them being worn in cities and metropolitan areas. In much of Tuscany, longer shorts are quite acceptable--just don't wear the short tennis type shorts than men often wear at least in CA. It will probably be hot in July and so you will want to wear shorts whenever you can. Women tend to wear short skirts rather than shorts.
Thanks everyone! My husband is thrilled to know that he can wear "day shorts" in the heat! We'll bring some long pants for the evenings and cities, and of course I will be decked out in the latest fashions (HA) so he will want to dress accordingly!
If you are in beach areas or even for sightseeing, H&M sells white/beige/etc 100% linen pants that look great and are also extremly fashionable. They are breathable and light so they would feel great in July heat.
Posts: 110 | Location: NJ | Registered: 27 January 2006
Yes, Carole - good advice. Shorts are always OK at the sea or for sports, but more and more young Italian men are wearing shorts (the long variety) in town too.
The long variety tend to not be exactly shorts, but denim and and linen "man-capri's". I have found that they are a bit more common in northern europe then they are in Italy, but they are very popular.
Posts: 110 | Location: NJ | Registered: 27 January 2006
JOdy, if your husband is sensitive to the heat or the sun, have him cnsider wearing rather wide-legged very lightweight (and light color) trousers rather than shorts. He will find that in non-AC places these can be cooler than shorts at times. Yet, if he opts for shorts, do rember: NO SOCKS. Shorts are acceptable but not if worn with socks.
Patrick! With all due respect, and with a "to each their own" ... In other words, taken with a grain of salt ...
Those things are functional but, man, they are uuuuuuugly! They might be OK for the adventure excursion, hiking trip-plus train/backpack crowd, but I think a bit of linen longies easily changed into beats them easily and conveniently and inexpensively any day. I mean, they have zippers -- around them. And they are nylon. NYLON! I don't know .. maybe after a bit of barbera, who would care. Yeah, maybe.
Cheers!
Posts: 493 | Location: Logan, Utah, USA | Registered: 02 June 2006
Patrick, my husband is thrilled with the idea of zip offs, it's just those darn fashion crazy teenagers that are giving him a hard time! And since he is 5'10" with short, muscular legs ( think soccer player build), you are correct that he would not wear man capris (at least not very well!) Thanks everyone for all of the suggestions. Maybe we'll send pictures of our new Italian outfits after our trip.
I have similar issues to deal with, and was pleased last year with a couple of lightweight shirts and pants my husband got at Patagonia (they have a "city" line, as opposed to their regular hikey-campy stuff), and some loose linen pants and shirt for evening. As for shorts, my friend's husband in Rome wears longer length ones all over the city, but paired with a Lacoste shirt and loafers and he looks very stylish and comfortable.
I use the zip shorts for trips into churches where long pants are required...and I hate them. The zipper seams are always in the worst spot to rub and irritate when walking.
Maybe it's my climbing background which never allowed for any excess luggage when in cities, but I have been wearing shorts and t-shirts in European cities for the last 30 years and have never felt out of place.
Granted, I'm not going to very many fancy restaurants, but IMO the only thing that matters to the owners is that you have cash in your pocket and the only thing that matters to those around you is that you aren't standing up and snapping your fingers for service.....besides, no one can see your legs once you are seated anyway.
For better or worse, modern society accepts an extremely wide variance in dress no matter what the venue. There are few places where there is a rigid dress code (and I don't go to those places very often).
Posts: 507 | Location: Northern Virginia | Registered: 22 May 2006
My husband wears long shorts all summer, though prefers lightweight long trousers for the evening, because he tends to be top of the menu for mozzies.
We (including teen daughters fashion police)have been trying to persuade him to at least try calf length - he is tall and rangy and would look good in them, but thinks they are 'too young' looking.(And shorts somehow are not........ ) I spend my summer in crop length linens so maybe he is afraid we would look 'twins' (memories of the matching the cableknit sweater look from the 60s perhaps!)
Posts: 847 | Location: London, UK | Registered: 20 September 2006
I'd consider getting a couple of button down shirts for him to wear. My husband is very happy with several he's gotten at REI - Quicksilver makes some. They're very light weight, quick and easy to wash and look really nice and "wick away" moisture too. Our experience is that Italian men wear far more button-downs than tee shirts. The pants/shorts part is less important in my opinion. The shirt seems more "respectable" if you know what I mean, even if worn with shorts.
Posts: 156 | Location: Cool, CA | Registered: 17 February 2003
Originally posted by NP: I'd consider getting a couple of button down shirts for him to wear...The shirt seems more "respectable" if you know what I mean, even if worn with shorts.
I agree.
________________ When life gives you lemons, make limoncello.
Last summer we even saw several elderly gentlemen wearing the longer shorts. Different styles of them popped up all over, from highly tailored looking to baggy and wrinkly looking. They were pretty much the norm all through July and August, even in Rome. Generally speaking, sandals or loafers were the shoes of choice but we saw an alarming number of Crocs on Italian men, too.
Originally posted by valerie: Last summer we even saw several elderly gentlemen wearing the longer shorts...we saw an alarming number of Crocs on Italian men, too.
What's next, Italians doing their shopping at the mall and going to McDonald's for dinner?
Italia is not supposed to change. How dare they depart from my own vision of perfection!
Maybe I can still go to Disney's Epcot Center and find the ideal stereotype of Italy.
________________ When life gives you lemons, make limoncello.
) I spend my summer in crop length linens so maybe he is afraid we would look 'twins' (memories of the matching the cableknit sweater look from the 60s perhaps!)