We will be visiting Italy in a few weeks. What do I bring to wear so that I will not look like a tourist. What are the trends on the streets? flats or heels? dark or faded jeans? colors? are purses large or small? I found I was always 7 years behind when I used to visit, although it is a long time since my last visit. help please!,

Well, I remember when I went to Italy I blent in so well that ITALIAN tourists thought I was a local resident and would ask me for directions. And I'm not even Italian :P I'll tell you what I did. I basically wore summer dresses, pants, pretty casual but not strikingly so. In other words, I wore what I normally wear here in Canada. Just dress sensibly.

I also had a small purse, nothing too big. Although big purses are cute so don't steer away from them just for fear of looking like a tourist =) And a digital camera in my purse. Not hanging around my neck. That's all, really.

I don't really know the details of Italian fashion and what's up to date or not... I just used common sense. I think whatever you wear is fine so long as you look decent.

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So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,
So long lives this,
And this gives light to thee.

Don't wear a fanny pack.Use a money belt tucked into your pants Use only a purse that can easily tuck under your arm; large or small Don't wear the shoulder bag across your stomach.
It is easier for a women to look less touristy. No white sneakers.I wear sandles most of the time. Jeans are good ;skirts instead of shorts. Large cotton /linen scarf wrapped loosly aroung neck a few times is popular. I am always misstaken for Italian or Spanish.

Men and women alike, especially young ones wear jeans and a simple tee shirt, frequently white. I saw that alot. So many young guys with their long hair, white tee and jeans. And beautiful shoes. Another thing, women show more cleavage, like a hint of it and maybe just a little more. But it comes off there as more earth-mother sexy rather than sleazy and inappropriate like here in the U.S. There is a healthier attitude toward that kind of thing. It's actually very beautiful. And usually the woman will also have a chain around her neck with a religious medallion that sits just above the beginning of her cleavage. It's very womanly. There are of course still times better to be more covered, like in business situations, or if you are going to be walking in an area you don't know too well and you are not sure of what kind of people you will pass on the street. I always feel so much more womanly and feminine and beautiful when I am in Italy, because that society has a different kind of appreciation of those things. Women there also are considered to have their own beauty at every stage of life. There is most definitely "something" about the Italian and French women. They carry their beauty with joy well into old age.

What's wrong with "looking like a tourist" when you obviously are one? I'm fascinated to know what a tourist looks like, apart from the usual camera? Is this a cultural thing? Italy is full of tourists from April to October ... Go to somewhere like Milan or Florence and of course you will see well-dressed women, in the smaller towns and villages however they look rather "normal" to me. Wear what you feel comfortable in.

Usually in Naples I recognize tourists because they dress in summer clothes even in March or October

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Black always seems to be in season in Italy. I was told by a vendor at Vesuvio that he could tell Americans by their sneakers, usually white. You should never wear a T-shirt with a name from the town you are in, it's a definite tip off. Of course, if you are with a tour group, there is nothing you can do when you follow the tour guide with the broken umbrella

I'm pasting a link to an aritlce I wrote a few years ago: How to Dress Italian style | Italy I really wanted to avoid looking like a tourist and I did. When people asked me for directions, even Italians sometimes, I knew I had accomplished my goal.
I haven't been back lately, but I imagine some things will never change. Italian women dress to be noticed, but not in a vulgar way.
My advice for dressing for a trip would be to pull some of your favorite pieces from your wardrobe - things that make you feel beautiful - then accessorize. Comfortable shoes are key to keeping a smile on your face.
Have a wonderful time!
Martha

Well the drawback in looking like a tourist is that is that you will be more subject to 'scippi' ( robberies ) - The reason why tourist are targeted is beacuse they are not quite so defensive as italians and also because I suppose they carry more high value items ( money , cameras etc ) - I went in Italy so many times in the past 24 years at least 4 times a year and I never suffered a robbery attempt while many American going there for thi first time get robbed.

The only obvious tourists that stand out here are the Germans - black shorts, black socks and sandals for both sexes, the whole family dressed the same - and the "Northen Europeans" (me included, although I have a head-start) - pastey white, turning to lobster colour! Trainers and white socks seem OK, but sandals (yuk! I hate them full stop) are a definite no-no with socks! (Most Italians in beach resorts wear the rubber "flip-flops" - usually without the between the toe thing)