You’ve heard it before: “Europeans dress so much better than Americans…so much more….sophisticated”. Is it true? What exactly do Spaniards wear and what should you wear (and not wear) to make sure you fit in here and don’t get those awkward stares that Spaniards are not afraid to give you. In this post, I will talk all about what to wear in Spain, including what to wear to work as a teacher, and how to dress casually. Believe it or not, Europeans do dress better than Americans, but it’s not over-the-top. With some easy guidelines, you’ll fit right in.

Dressing for Work as an Auxiliar de Conversación

Here is an excerpt from a post I wrote about what to wear in Spain as an Auxiliar TWO YEARS AGO:

I have been wanting to write a post like this for a while now, but I’m afraid that it will come off as self-indulgent or self-centered because once again, I am showing you a lot of pictures of ME and I am showing you clothes that I think look good. But then I remember, this is my blog and my place to write what I want. You have the choice to not click these links and of course, you may choose to never come back, but I hope that you will. I like to write about things in my life and well, clothes are a part of it. But I have been considering just going with the birthday suit route too. We shall see.

Get ready for a good laugh. I am about to show you my clothes. I won’t say fashion because um, I cannot and should not ever use “I”, “me” or any other reference to myself and the word “fashion” in the same sentence… Or paragraph for that matter. Start your hearty chuckle here.

But whatever, laugh away because I am going to show you some of my clothing choices for my teacher life as an auxiliar! Before coming to Spain, I was worried about my lack of professional wardrobe. I own… Leggings, jeans, summer dresses, workout clothes, sweaters, party dresses….and a healthy stock of sweat pants. So what am I supposed to wear? I was pleased to learn that teachers in Spain have a much more casual look and are often seen in jeans and a sweater or T-shirt. On some days, I am more “put together” than many of the teachers. So rest assured, future wannabe auxiliar, your current wardrobe will be more than sufficient. But you will also spend a lot of money on new clothes because…Europe. When in Rome, right?

Here are some of my Auxiliar looks! Also I think these Yellow doors in the bus station bathroom make for a nice backdrop. Really highlight the look, no?

In general, Spaniards are more relaxed when it comes to, well, most things than their American counter-parts, but with that being said, there are some basic ‘rules’ that they stick to, and you should try to as well.

Dress for the season, not for the weather. This means that if it’s between October and May, but it’s unusally warm, resist the urge to whip out the shorts and t shirts and sandals. Spanairds will still be rocking their jeans, sweaters, and scarves. You don’t have to do all that, but don’t wear sandals. People will ask you if you’re cold.
Avoid wearing gym clothes casually. I know the athleisure movement is very big in the US, but it’s not here. If you’re walking to/ from the gym in gym clothes, that’s one thing. If you go to work, or out to eat in your gym leggings/ gym shorts/ baggy t-shirts, people will stare at you.
Sloppy is never a good look. You don’t have to be completely made up, but wearing flip flops and baggy shorts and a hoodie just looks very… American.

DO wear (to work)

Clothes:

Jeans
Other pants that are not stretchy fabric (ie leggings)
T-shirts (plain, or with writing/ pictures is ok as long as it’s not vulgar, but I have seen plenty of students with vulgar t-shirts)
Sweaters
Dresses (with or without tights)
Skirts
Polo/ collared shirt (you will probably be more dressed than many of the teachers)
Tank tops (not like night-out-on-the-town tank tops, though)

Shoes:

Cute sandals
Heels (but not Jimmy Choos/ any other pumps. More like wedges)
Boots and booties
Sneakers (any sneaker is fine! I often wore fake Converses)

DON’T wear:

Clothes:

A suit (men or women)- you will be soooooooooooooooooooo over dressed
Gym clothes (running shorts, baggy tshirts, gym tank tops)
Shorts in the winter
Leggings or yoga pants (sorry girls, Spanish girls DO NOT wear leggings in public, even casually)
Hoodies (it just looks sloppy…)

Shoes:

Flip flops (this always looks bad unless you are at the pool!)
dress shoes (over the top)
Slippers
Sandals between the months of October and June (even if its 80* in May, you WILL BE stared at if you wear sandals too early)

Some looks for work:

Sweater (small store), jeans (Lefties), boots (H&M), water bottle (Decathlon)

tshirt (H&M), jeans (H&M), shoes (online), bag (Massimo Dutti)

Dress (Zara), tights, booties (Stradivarius)

Sweater (H&M), jeans (Lefties)

Dress (Mango) with tights and booties (H&M)

DO wear (casually)

Outside of work, people tend to wear nice things as well. Wear whatever you want, but avoid wearing things on the list below.

DON’T wear (casually)

Leggings
Yoga pants
Sweats
Workout gear (except at the gym)
Flip flops

A few looks with Americans and Spaniards, outside of work:

On me: sweater (Bershka), skirt (Zara), tights, booties (Zap Shop)- This was on Thanksgiving.

On me: sweater (Nordstrom in the US), romper dress (Zara), tights, booties

On me: dress (Bershka) with tights and booties

On me: sweater from Bershka and same romper dress as above (Zara) with tights and booties

Jeans (Zara), sweater (Zara), scarf (not mine, don’t know, and I didn’t actually wear it with the outfit)

So You’re Going to Be an Auxiliar de Conversación: Getting Dressed in Madrid