How to dress for summer in Barcelona


 

Barcelona is widely regarded as being a very cool, stylish and fashionable European city. When you’re walking through the busy city streets it’s not hard to see that stylish identity seep through. Expensive, high-end clothes shops appear on pretty much every street corner throughout the city.
 
That idea of visiting a stylish city and not looking like you belong there can play on the mind. So, I am going to take you through how you can dress for the summer and look like you are a Barcelona local yourself.
 
With the temperature often hitting the 30-degree mark in the Catalan capital, it is unlikely you will want to wear trousers, boots and long sleeve tops during the day. Even the locals don’t wear an outfit like that in the height of summer.
 
Going for subtly will be the key and layering up with light materials is highly recommended.
 
I would just like to quickly add that your choice of clothes will depend heavily on what type of day you choose to have on your holiday.
 
If you’re going for the more tourist day and trying to see as many sights as you can, then some choices of clothing will be better over others. The same can also be said if you plan on chilling on the beach, going out for food, etc.
 
So, from top to bottom:

Sunglasses

Sunglasses display

Sunglasses in a shop for sale.- Wikipedia Commons

Sunglasses are a must, anyone going on holiday knows to take a pair of sunglasses with them. A must-have accessory when spending all day in the sun, but the style of the sunglasses will really make or break it for you this summer.
 
A classic pair of Ray-Bans, Oakley or a non-branded circular-shaped pair will stand you in good stead. It’s very important here to match the shape of the sunglasses with your face shape. It stands out like a saw thumb when you see someone wearing a pair of sunglasses that doesn’t suit their particular face shape.

light shirt/polo shirt/ t-shirt

T-shirts

A collection of t-shirt on a clothing rack. – Photo by Keagan Henman on Unsplash

For this, you will need to go light. And when I mean light, I mean very light. Trust me, walking through the streets, visiting the tourists’ attractions and going in and out of that metro station is going to make you sweat in the summer, so wearing a light shirt/ t-shirt or polo will definitely help.
 
I would suggest going simple with these tops. Most retail clothes shops in the city are going simple with their designs and you can see it has taken to the locals well and for good reason, it looks cool.
 
As I mentioned before, I would recommend layering up, especially for evening wear. Going to restaurants, bars, etc, a checkered shirt over a plain t-shirt can go along way, a smart casual look for those nights out is the way to go.

Shorts

Most styles of shorts are good really, denim, chino, cargo, all can work, look good and can be worn in height of summer. If it was me, I would go with darker colours for shorts simply because dark colours usually look better with more tops and shirts, whereas with lighter colours, it’s a little more tricky.
 
You may still be going to want to try and go for lighter materials with shorts.
 
With shorts though, you can go more experimental with the style and design compared with tops. There is more flexibility with what looks cool, when it comes to clothes for the bottom half of your body, with patterns, colours, etc

Light shoes/flip flops

Girl on beach

Girl sitting on a beach with flip flops. – Photo by Salvador Martin Yeste on Unsplash

I was in two minds whether to include flip flops in this list because I was so against adding sandals, they could be considered to be the same. There’s not too much difference besides that I can understand the reason behind wearing flip flops in the summer and not sandals.
Anyway, durable light shoes like some trainers, boat shoes, Converse‘ and Vans‘, or even brogues, will be great for those long walks up to La Sagrada Familia and beyond. You can’t really go wrong when it comes to the style, most look cool and they all maintain a similar style.
 
Barcelona is great and one of many reasons for that is because you have the beach and city next door to each other. So for this reason, I would suggest going for light shoes slightly more than the flip flops because if you do decide to go shopping after the beach then doing that in flip flops is not ideal.

Accessories

Hat on floor

A summer hat on the ground. – Photo by Luz Mendoza on Unsplash

Jewellery is a popular addition to most outfits you will see in Barcelona and for good reason. They can add a real texture and uniqueness to someone’s look. Rings, bracelets, necklaces, even the odd hat can go a long way in cementing yourself as a real fashion icon in Barcelona. No need to go overboard with this, a minimalistic approach would suit most people, a couple of each would be enough (obviously not the with the hats).
 
They can look great on both men and women, and really enhance that timeless Mediterranean vibe.
 
Hats can look great and be very beneficial if you’re spending all day under the Catalan sun. A baseball cap, a fisherman hat or bucket hats are all good ideas. But if you really want to jazz it up a bit, then a Fedora or a trilby would be a great, cool option if you really want to nail that European look.
 
There we have it then, simple yet effective, stylish yet subtle, with an outfit like this, you will not have a problem blending in with the fashionable locals of Barcelona and oozing class. when it’s you walking through those streets, eating at that tapas restaurant or laying on that bright white beach, how you look will not be a problem.

 

 

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