When I first came to study abroad in Madrid, I thought the fashion would be weird. You know, like really hipster clothing or strange accessories. Although there are some things I’ve had to get used to, the moda (which is fashion in Spanish) pleasantly surprised me.
First, all the clothes in Madrid are super cheap. Unless you’re planning to go to Louis Vuitton or Prada, you can go to most stores and easily walk out with 10 items for about $100-$150. This can be dangerous because although you are getting a “deal” it’s easy to walk out with more items than you planned for.
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| Primark, a popular fashion department store in Madrid |
Second, the fashion here is super advanced. I’m talking New York or Chicago style, if not better. The main shopping store here is called Primark, a 5-story tall store very similar to Forever21, but much better. They have everything you can imagine-trendy shoes, beauty products, all kinds of clothes, accessories, suitcases, and more for VERY cheap. Although it’s inexpensive, the fashion here is much more advanced than stores in the US. H&M here is extremely trendy, but not always the best in the US.
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| Lizzie Larson sporting a typical Madrid outfit with her white Adidas |
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| Two young madrileños with typical outfits for a day at Nebrija University |
So…because fashion is so modern and cheap, it’s obvious the Madrileños (people of Madrid) are super obsessed with fashion and how they look. You will never see someone wearing a T-shirt and shorts ever. This was hard for me to adjust to, because at Ole Miss I’m used to wearing a large t-shirt and Nike shorts with tennis shoes every day. One of my Spanish friends saw me wearing Nike tennis shoes the first week and she actually made fun of me asking, “Why do you have those on? Are you going to the gym or something?”
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| Madrileñas dressing for occasion with trendy sneakers |
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| Francesca Werner trying to blend in as a Madrid girl |
If you’re wearing tennis shoes, they’ve got to be “stylish” ones. The white tennis shoe game is amazing here. Everyone has his or her white Adidas or off-brand white sneakers to show off. People rarely wear Nike; it’s always white Adidas or some trendy platform tennis shoe. I’m not sure how platform tennis shoes are comfortable but I question a lot of things in this city.
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| off brand Adidas shoes from Primark |
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| close up image of the famous white Adidas shoes |
Besides looking good, I laugh every time I see Madrileños in the street because they all dress like it’s the tundra. In early March it’s been mid 60’s and even 70’s and everyone is dressed in puffy coats all day long. Don’t get me wrong, I hate to be cold but these people have got to be sweating.
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| Madrileñas wearing coats in 70 degree weather |
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| Madrileños smoking in between classes while sporting coats in warm weather |
Gracie D. is the Spring 2017 MOJO blogger in Madrid, Spain. She is currently a Junior studying integrated marketing communications at the University of Mississippi.