How to look like a German

As promised, I'm going to take some time to point out some of the common differences dress and style between Germans and Americans. And remember, this blog entry could not have been possible without Mom's fabulous photography skills.

Okay, first: Shoes

In general I find that Germans have superior shoes to Americans. Shoes are primarily casual and designed for walking (because heels will get caught in the cobblestones) - but not giant white sneakers. I have a limited selection of shoe pictures, but let me give you a general idea of what I mean.



These are some typical German shoes. The other thing that's common (and I assume that it's limited to summer) is Teva-style sandals. This isn't a great picture, but you get the idea.



It's also important to note that all sandals can be worn with socks (possible explaining the lack of Chaco-style sandals).

Second: Hair

In the U.S.A., when people dye their hair it's often to disguise gray or to add some highlights. Either way, people dye hair to other colors that hair might have. In contrast, when Germans dye their hair, it's to colors not found in nature.




You'll notice that it's rare that the whole head is dyed. Mostly it's just patches of hair.

The other thing about hair here is prevalence of men with ponytails. Again, not a bad thing, just much more common.




And let's be honest, in Jena people are at a disadvantage, since this is one of the salons.




Moving on to the point that you've all been waiting for.

Third: The Length of Men's Pants

Probably you all know that European men wear capri pants. It's true, and let's be honest - it's a perfectly reasonable piece of attire in the summer. Here are some pictures.




And the capris seem like an excellent choice when compared to the alternative. Men in really short shorts. And, alarmingly it's mostly older men.



I'm afraid that these pictures don't fully convey the horror of this situation, but trust me. It's pretty amazing. Old men in short shorts. That's reason enough to come to Germany.

Okay, I hope that you've enjoyed your introduction to German fashion. There are a few other things that I could document, like the high frequency of scarves and the prevalence of those damn skinny jeans. but we'll leave it here for today.