Who Needs Paris Fashion Week When You Have Granada?

If you’re wondering what students are wearing abroad, look no further! This week, I took pictures of IES Abroad Granada student outfits and asked questions about their experience dressing abroad. Packing clothes for your time abroad can be quite daunting. It’s hard to know what you’ll wear, what the weather will be like, and what other people are wearing. It’s important to give yourself some time to adjust. So far in Granada, I have noticed fashion trends here that are different from the U.S. To name a few, balloon pants, asymmetrical cuts, jorts, and lots of color. Although I do love a good trend, it's important to avoid blindly following what other people are wearing. Make sure you like what you buy and think about if it is something you will continue to wear in the future. Practicing this extra thought while shopping saves money and prevents clothing waste in the environment! Most importantly, you should dress how you feel most confident. Just because you are in another country does not mean you have to change everything about yourself. That being said, if style is something you are interested in, take your experience studying abroad as a chance to explore that style. Try something different!

Now for the outfits!

For context, this week was a bit cooler compared to previous weeks. Temperatures ranged from about 73-78° at the highest, with mornings ranging from 58-65°. After their picture, my classmates were asked to answer one or more of the following questions:

Do you have any tips for dressing abroad?

What are your best tips for exploring your style?

Has your style changed at all in the month we have been abroad?

Who is your style inspiration?

What is a clothing staple in your closet?

Here are their outfits and answers:

When asked who their style inspiration is, the student on the left stated that she draws inspiration from her best friend, who half her clothes are from. The student on the right’s tip for dressing abroad is to “buy clothes abroad.”

My housemate Safiya! When asked about a staple in her closet, Safiya responded with “star clips and a bow” explaining that she always has to have some sort of accessory on her hijab. A style tip from Safiya, specifically as a hijabi, is to match your hijab with your outfit! Another tip from Safiya for exploring your style is to buy things that you like and find a way to make them work together.

This student said that her style has changed in the month we have been abroad. She now implements more color into her outfits and wears more skirts, highlighting how the style in Granada is “elevated but also comfortable.” Her tip for exploring your style is to “push yourself out of your comfort zone.”

When asked if she had tips for dressing abroad, Sophie responded that she doesn’t have any!

A clothing staple in Nolan’s closet is wool sweaters.

Abby likes to explore her style by going to a thrift store and trying on the weirdest things she can find. Through this process, she typically finds something “shockingly cute” that she implements into her style. She stated that these are the items that other people tend to complement and like the most.

A self-feature! My tip for exploring your style is to mix something you are comfortable with, with something that is out of your comfort zone. For example, try a new top with your favorite pair of jeans, or try a new pair of shoes with one of your favorite outfits. This makes trying something new feel a little less scary.

Maddie’s tip for dressing abroad is to "research the weather first” because it is colder than she thought.

This student’s clothing staple is a good pair of jeans.

Micah's tip for dressing abroad is that “wearing shorts and large graphic t-shirts definitely makes you look like a tourist.” He suggests long jean shorts if you want to wear shorts here. Micah’s clothing staples are a leather jacket for colder weather and sunglasses for when it’s warm out.

Here’s Lyla rocking my 10 Euro rain jacket from Decathlon! Lyla’s tip for dressing abroad is to “pack some jorts because those go crazy here.” She also says it's important to pack comfortable shoes.