Comments on: What Do I Wear There? Study Abroad- Answering Your Questions

By: shayu

shayu — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 19:43:52 +0000

@emily -
where in india are u commin”?
cause if u commin to mumbai no problem bout dressin..evry1 here wear evrything frm shorts to skirts to tank tops et al..i wud rathr suggest, u come here and shop cause thrs plenty to choose frm & value for ur money :)

By: Jade

Jade — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 17:02:57 +0000

@Emily: I’m heading to India the same time as you too!
I hear that people in India are still pretty conservative fashion-wise even in the big cities, because you never know who you’re going to meet. I suppose the usual sexy ensembles will fly in the evenings at clubs frequented by Western expatriates, but long-sleeved shirts and skirts are the best bet. (From those who came back from there)

Also, look up the ’salwar kameez’, a traditional Indian garb for females. You may be able to pick a few quirky and bejewelled ones off the markets when you arrive in India or imported ones (more expensive) in the ethnic enclaves near your city.

Good luck..I’m gonna get myself a couple salwar kameez and try to “merge” with the local girls. :p

By: Ashley

Ashley — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 20:52:50 +0000

Although this is totally irrelevant to the topic of this post, you guys should do a post on outfits for family thanksgiving dinner. Finding something cute and that your grandmother would completely approve of can sometimes be hard.

By: M

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 00:36:10 +0000

For those going to Muslim countries and are concerned about making creative style choices with head coverings or modest clothing, there are a couple blogs you can check out for inspiration. These ladies mostly live in the US or UK, so there might still be cultural differences, but for basic covering up ideas, they’re helpful:

We Love Hijab
http://welovehijab.com/
Site with video tutorials of various hijab styles, features on hijab-friendly clothing items, etc.

Muslim Style Queen aka Islamic Fashion
http://caribmuslimah.wordpress.com/
This blog consists entirely of outfit posts. Some of the items are expensive, some are not. This is a great site to get ideas from – just looking at the outfits, you can figure out what are the basic pieces for covering up (long skirts, maxi dresses, cardigans/jackets, etc.) but also still look cute. **For those of you who will be in a Muslim country during warmer months, check out the archived posts for summer months (e.g. June, July, August).**

Hijabs High
http://www.hijabshigh.com/
I’ve heard this site referred to as “the Muslim Sartorialist”. It’s still pretty new, but you might find something that piques your interest there.

By: tui

tui — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 19:19:03 +0000

Here is my request for those of you that are going to study abroad: check out some fashion blogs from the country that you are going to!

In comments of the resent post, someone was going to Finland. So, my advice for anyone going to Scandinavia: pack a lot of warm clothes! It can be really freezing over here. Here are two very different type of Finnish fashion blogs, and the first one also has translations to english:
http://mungolife.blogspot.com/
http://psilovefashion.blogspot.com/

So there you might get some tips for what to wear in Scandinavia! And have a great time over here!

By: pritha

pritha — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 18:03:26 +0000

@emily…in india the temperature might get a little too hot sometimes, especially during june/july…the best option would be tunics or cotton tops…they let you breathe and are amazingly comfortable as well. I would also like to warn you to avoid wearing shorts or shorter skirts even though they seem heaven during summers.

By: Tamara

Tamara — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 16:58:52 +0000

Great post! I like to see that you’re so open to suggestions and questions.

I could give some advice about South America, for any of you girls coming to study here. I’ve been in NY, London and Paris, and I`ve notices (also reading CF) that girls in those places dress up much more for every day than we Southamericans do, and also wear much more make-up. It also depends on the school: here we have private schools and public schools, and “dress code” (implicit) in private schools is always somewhat more expensive and dressy.

Another thing: in South America, the bigger cities (were the best and biggest schools are) are usually located in warm and specially humid weathers. Anti-frizz here is a must, even for us straight haired girls, and so are anti grease skin products (anti acne, black dots, visible pores, etc).

By: m

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 15:51:55 +0000

just want to mention that in addition to looking at a country’s weather, don’t forget to look up the specific region as well. some countries have vastly different weather (& therefore fashion) depending on region, just like the US – china comes to mind. beijing is very hot & dusty in the summer & very dusty in spring. hong kong is extremely muggy in the spring & summer. so dress accordingly & always ask someone from the area or has been there & in the season(s) when you are going.

By: Milana

Milana — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 11:23:50 +0000

Love the fact that you’re answering the readers’ questions! Great post and keep up the good work, Colleen!

/Milana

By: Katie

Katie — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 07:10:44 +0000

Scotland would be amazing — I’m studying in St. Andrews, but I know a lot of people also going to Edinburgh and Sterling. So if you could give some tips for that, I know I’d read it like a Bible!