An etiquette to dressing on holiday – from beaches to planes
A very body confident tourist recently garnered the anger of Mallorcans – and the attention of the international press – when he wandered the streets of Palma wearing only a pair of skimpy green Speedos. It wasn’t the choice of swimwear per se that he got so wrong, but rather the local etiquette.
“Do your research on what is acceptable,” says creative fashion consultant Carlotta Constant, who styled Nike Swimwear’s SS24 campaign. “Act as people in the town would expect. In some Spanish towns, you can go to the shop in a bikini, in other places, it’s seen as absurdly rude.”
Green Speedo Man isn’t the first person to embrace unsuitable holiday garb – there’s something about jetting off that seems to bring out the worst in people’s wardrobes. T-shirts with vulgar slogans, bikinis in posh restaurants and – gasp – the dreaded “mandal” with socks have all been known to make an appearance. Not only are these only-on-holiday outfits bad for the eyes, they’re bad for the environment too. Britain is big on fast fashion – and suitcases full of novelty garments are part of the problem.
However, if you’re an office suit wearer (or a home office pyjama wearer), going away means the chance to throw on something more exciting and embrace who you really want to be. How do you find the perfect balance, and avoid offending the local population in the process? Below, experts give their advice on what to wear – and what to avoid – on holiday.
On the plane – how to improve your chance of an upgrade
Get this bit wrong and your trip could end before it’s begun. Airlines reserve the right to refuse boarding to passengers whose clothing is deemed inappropriate.
“What an airline considers revealing or offensive is often left up to airline staff to decide, which means enforcing the dress code can be inconsistent,” says ex-crew member Jay Robert, who now runs airline social media community A Fly Guy’s Cabin Crew Lounge. “Clothing that fails to cover sensitive body parts and clothing with offensive words, slurs, or symbols are typically the main offenders.”
Will going the other way and donning a Panama hat and linen suit (or designer sunglasses and high heels) bag you an upgrade? In the era of athleisure, even those in First Class are more likely to sport a tracksuit – but dressing well can have perks.
“When I worked as a gate agent, I would select elderly passengers first and those who looked the part would be next on my list to get the First Class upgrade,” says Robert. “I recall a woman who was dressed to impress – she really stood out. I received a call from operations to move one passenger to First Class, so I called her to the podium, handed her a First Class boarding pass, and said, ‘I’m sorry, your outfit is too cute for economy’,” he reveals.
Some savvy flyers embrace more practical strategies for airline dressing, including one Phil Lisle who, according to Wales Online, wore his entire holiday wardrobe on a flight from Benidorm to Bristol to avoid paying an extra baggage fee. Lloyd Griffiths (one half of travel blogging duo Hand Luggage Only, alongside Yaya Onalaja-Aliu) also takes a sensible approach. “I’m a person who dribbles down themselves on every flight, so I always have to wear black on a plane,” he says.
As travelling by plane gets ever less luxurious, keeping cosy should also be top priority. “I would invest in really good loungewear,” says second-hand fashion stylist Jen Graham. “Try a brand called Pantee. I’ve had one of its tracksuits for six months and it’s not got a bobble on it.”
On a city break – how not to look like a tourist
Green Speedo Man may have been photographed in Mallorca, but he was strolling the streets of Palma – its city capital. Do that in London and you would provoke a similar reaction. “We have dress codes in the UK too. You wouldn’t show up to a club in shorts, a singlet and trainers,” says Onalaja-Aliu. “When some people travel, they don’t realise that they’re guests. There’s an expectation that whatever they’re comfortable with is what everybody else should be comfortable with.”
He sees the city as a place where you should dress to impress. “I like the idea of walking past and people saying, ‘Ooo, what is that person wearing?’. Pick at least one thing (whether it’s shoes, trousers or shirt) that looks good and stands out.”
The duo also recommend packing a signature scent (“not the ones you get in Duty Free”). Onalaja-Aliu’s secret weapon was the now-discontinued Open Sky by Byredo, a spicy mix with notes of pomelo, cannabis and Palo Santo.
“I kid you not. When we were in New York, several people ran up to our taxis asking ‘What are you wearing? What fragrance is this?’ over the course of one day,” he adds.
Looking to up your sartorial game with some extra-special tailoring? Vintage is your friend, says Graham. “I wish I could do a TV programme where I actually show people in the street a Windsor blazer (from the 1970s, I think), then one from a fast fashion brand which has copied it. The quality, the cut, the material, the finishings – you’d feel a million dollars in the 1970s one. And that fast fashion one would go in the washing machine, then the shoulder pads would move, there’d be threads everywhere, the buttons would come off.”
One final piece of advice: tone it down if you don’t want to look like a tourist, says Marissa Cox, author of Practising Parisienne. In Paris, that means avoiding “an outfit that’s very overdone with lots of accessories. All the stereotypical Parisian pieces together at once – beret, striped top, trench coat and ballerinas. Also too much make-up and hair over-coiffed. High heels during the day, or heels that you have trouble walking in (go for block heels if you want to wear heels).”
Is there anything Parisians would never wear? “Flip-flops (especially the plastic kind) and crocs are generally a non-non, as are leggings and jogging bottoms,” adds Cox.
At the beach – how to avoid being fined
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office has official travel advice for Spain-bound tourists who favour barely-there wear: “​​In some parts of Spain, it’s illegal to be in the street wearing only a bikini or swimming shorts. Being bare-chested is also illegal in some areas in Spain. You could be fined if you’re caught wearing swimwear on the seafront promenade or adjacent streets.”
Other parts of Europe have bikini bans too. In 2022, the mayor of Sorrento forbade swimwear and shirtlessness on its streets, and the same rules apply in Venice.
For the chicest way to cover up, embrace linen. And don’t worry about it getting crumpled in your suitcase. “I always tell people to not be afraid of creases from linen,” says Constant. “One of those things that no one really knows is that the more creases there are in linen, the more expensive it is.”
Local customs may trip visitors up, but so will cheap, see-through swimwear. Graham’s advice is to buy good quality, sustainable pieces. “I get swimwear on Vinted because you can buy it ‘new with tags’. Sustainable swimwear brands do tend to be pricier but you don’t need one bikini for each day. Take a couple and mix and match different tops and bottoms on different days,” she says.
Is there ever a case for swimwear off the beach? Constant thinks so. “It can be so versatile, and that’s what you want from your holiday wardrobe,” she says. “You want to pack light and have a capsule wardrobe to work with. Go for the same colourway so you can incorporate your swimwear into day-to-night looks. Pack accessories, then you can pair swimwear with a skirt and a see-through top and big chunky jewellery at a beach club.”
Meanwhile, the biggest fashion faux pas on the sand according to both Constant and Griffith is forgetting the SPF. “I burn in about 10 seconds. So I’m always covered up, under an umbrella, wearing Factor 50 and with a blanket over my feet,” says Griffiths.
Beware the fashion police on these holidays
Posh hotels
Check before you travel to a five-star. It may be balmy in the Caribbean, but men might be in trouble if they’ve only packed shorts: many hotel restaurants require trousers in the evenings. Meanwhile, trainers, T-shirts and shorts are banned in the American Bar at Gleneagles. And you’ll need a jacket and tie to take afternoon tea in the Palm Court at The Ritz.
Cruise ships
Trousers are de rigueur in some cruise ship restaurants (although you can get away with ‘smart tailored shorts’ at some venues on P&O ships while Disney’s most casual ones accept anything but swimwear and tank tops). You’ll need a dress or jacket and tie for ‘Black Tie’ evenings too – unless you’re on a Virgin Voyage, where you can wear whatever you want, and even attend a ‘pyjama party’ in nightwear.
Theme parks
Harbouring a desire to return to childhood by dressing as your favourite Disney character? Forget it: Disneyland forbids costumes for anyone over the age of 14. Obscene slogans and visible inappropriate tattoos are also out, as are garments that show “excessive portions of the skin”.
Active wear
Can you embrace exercise and fashion on holiday?
It’s finally time to look back on that C&A school skiwear with nostalgia: colour has returned in a big way. Onalaja-Aliu favours a one-piece in highlighter shades for the snow, while Constant recommends the brand Perfect Moment, known for its 1970s-inspired, form-fitting garments in red, white and blue.
For those who want to blend in, Constant recommends Burton. “It’s a snow-wear brand that’s a bit more fun. It’s comfortable and over-sized. It looks great on everyone”.
Meanwhile, the key to looking good while hiking is always to be comfortable. In some cases, wearing the wrong clothes can be downright dangerous, which may explain the ban on flip-flops and open-toed footwear on the hiking trails of Italy’s Cinque Terre.
The coolest brands currently in the activewear game? Pas Normal Studios for cycling, Patagonia and Arc’teryx for getting outdoors.
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