AMERICAN FASHION THROUGH THE LENS AMERICAN FASHION THROUGH THE LENS OF A EUROPEAN OF A EUROPEAN

By Kata Mesterházy '23

Believe it or not, in my school in Hungary we don’t have a dress code, but everyone dresses the same way as we do at KO

All of these can be traced back to cultural differences

People in the US like to put comfort first, while in Europe dressing up is more normal You would never see anyone wear sweatpants at the mall or to the movies Being overdressed is a more usual problem than being underdressed.

For example, we only wear leggings at home or when we are doing sports. If we go out to get lunch with our friends we at least put jeans and a cute top on. Since the market for activewear is not as big in Europe as it is in the US, we do not have stores like Lulu Lemon or Aerie either. I also have to mention the culture of the gray sweatpants. Everyone owns gray sweatpants, and this is something Europeans actually adapted from the U.S.

The only difference is that we wouldn't wear gray sweatpants out on the streets. Europeans only dress for comfort when we are staying home. The moment we leave the house, the least is that we put on jeans This is socially accepted behavior, and others find it weird when someone leaves the house without dressing up.

When I came to KO, it was very surprising to me how common wearing flannels over a hoodie is In Europe you barely see guys wearing this outfit, but you can see them go to school in a shirt occasionally

As for footwear, I have never heard of Golden Goose before I just really liked the shoes with that “V” on the side, that everyone was wearing in KO Golden Goose only has locations in the US, so I was happy to discover this new interesting brand

Jordans are very popular on both continents, but most people don't know the history behind those sneakers. It is definitely more special to Americans since Michael Jordan is a national icon for the country.

Although the popularity of sneakers is similar, when it comes to Crocs we have huge differences No one would go out on the streets wearing Crocs, but in the US people wear them to the mall, school, and other public places In Hungary, my grandma wears Crocs when she goes out to the garden to water her plants

There are many cultural differences that I recognize between Europeans and Americans, but clothing is definitely one of the biggest ones. Both cultures have their advantages, but it is very interesting that we are so connected in every aspect, yet we think so differently of fashion in different parts of the world. As a European, I prefer dressing up, but I would love to hear the experience of an American on European fashion too to discover the roots of these differences more.