What people wear. Buenos Aires edition.

When traveling it's always interesting to see what people wear. My first foreign travel was to France in 1973, and back then the variety in what people from different countries wore was much more evident. The French - even young people - ironed their jeans! We American college students wore 1973 casual clothing. Brits were easy to pick out even before they spoke - the older ones in gorgeous tweeds and woolens, younger ones in extreme London style. Germans wore very sturdy shoes. Etc.

Fast forward to 2023 - wait, could that possibly be 50 years?? - and fashion has become global, at least in the west. Although in Asia, Middle East, Indian Subcontinent, Thailand, etc, many people still seem to wear clothing suited for the weather - things that have been worn for centuries - in western countries, and Buenos Aires is no exception, it's jeans and hoodies and puffers, black pants and denim jackets, sneakers or short boots. A few dresses and suits here and there. Not much athleisure here unless actually going to the gym. A few distressed jeans. A variety of clothing and accessories, depending on personal style/age/background.

I haven't seen what I'd call a recognizable Buenos Aires style, although now that the weather has turned towards winter I've seen more ponchos, quite a few on men. They look great! Recently we were at a Mexican dinner, one of a series of theme dinners, this one about Frida Kahlo (more on this later) and after dinner one of the men at a table near us stood up and threw a serape-like shawl around himself - really beautiful plain oatmeal color, gorgeous rustic weave. Sorry no photo! The men, at least in the city, seem to wear the shawl/wrap style more than ponchos. We shall see as the weather gets colder.

Random candid/stealth pics from around the city. Take a look:

Downtown.

Modern wrap.

Another wrap.

At San Telmo Market.

On a shopping street.

Waiting for coffee.

Lookin' sharp, Argentinian flag scarf tied around the strap of his bag.

Riding the bus.

At a museum.

On a street corner.

Modern poncho.

Another modern poncho.

Going to fancy lunch in fancy shoes.

Nice fall outfit.

Mom and daughter.

A coke and a cigarette. Still a few smokers here, not many.

Stylin' in the cafe.

Tall boots and motorcycle - a combo that never goes out of style.

Dudes in the park.

Walkin' the dog.

Young 'uns.

Classic look with brown leather.

Ladies who shop.

Cute boots.

Tie-dye and bicycle.

Terrific leather jacket on a Scottish woman at an ExPats social.

Outside the Chacarita flea market.

City police outfit. They are all so very young.

Street cleaner with great hat.

Mom and daughter in lucious blue and red leather.

Disco boots.

It will be interesting to travel to other South American countries and see the clothing and style differences. Buenos Aires has a strong European influence. Uruguay felt the same, especially in Montevideo and Colonia.

Wrapping up this clothing blog with visits to the Museo de la Historia del Traje, the Museum of the History of Clothing and Costume, and to the gorgeous shopping "palace" Galerías Pacífico:

Galerías Pacífico

The old and the new.

The interior of the Galerías.

Recycled fashion display in the Galerías Pacífico.

El Museo de la Historia del Traje

From a recent event and fashion parade at the museum.

Sadly, on the day of my visit to the museum their permanent collection wasn't open to view. But they had a nice exhibition of clothing by an Argentinian designer, Paco Jamandreu, of his designs from the '40's through the '80's.

I have absolutely no idea what the story is on this last photo - there didn't seem to be any signage about it. The tassel loafers are a nice touch.

The ladies room in the clothing museum was a blast from the past.

You can't see in this photo how gorgeous the floor and the marble steps are, even if worn down.

They're justifiably proud of the bathroom fixtures.

Final clothing pic, ending this blog in a "Bar Notable", in fact, the oldest cafe/bar in Buenos Aires:

Suits from another era on life-size statues of Jorge Luis Borges and Adolfo Bioy Casares seated at their regular table in La Biela, located across from the entrance to the Recoleta Cemetery. La Biela, in the heart of Recoleta, is considered to be the oldest cafe in the city (although many bars call themselves the oldest!); back before Recoleta existed as a neighborhood, the cafe originally served refreshments to the passengers of horse-drawn carriages that passed by on their way from San Telmo to country homes north of the city.

Fashion forward, backward, neutral or denier, it's all fun.