Fashion and looking nice are both very important to people in Spanish-speaking cultures, and that includes everybody, not just women and adults. In general, people of all ages do not wear athletic clothing on the streets. Even when it is warm, people do not wear shorts in the cities, only at the beach. They do wear jeans sometimes but rarely with tennis shoes, and even sandals and open-toed shoes are not seen so much in the cities. Kids also usually wear closed-toed, dark shoes outside of their homes. Since most inhabitants of Spanish-speaking countries live in the cities rather than in the suburbs, this means almost everyone dresses well. It is also true, though, that American fashion that has been influenced by hip-hop and other trends is gradually making its way all over the Spanish-speaking world.

If you were to go out to dinner with your parents in a restaurant, your father would be expected to wear a blazer but not necessarily a tie. Your mother would wear nice pants or a skirt or dress. It is very rare to see adults wearing jeans when they
are out for the evening.

Color choices are quite different from those in the U.S.A. For instance, you will generally not see pink or baby blue colors for very young children’s clothing, rather, most kids wear bright colors like orange, red and green. Many kids also wear beige and blue. Novelty clothing that has been made with fabrics printed with princesses or dragons, or clothing that advertises movies is rare, but as American culture extends its influence through the foreign media, it is becoming more usual for kids in Mexico or Latin America to dress like American kids.

Kids are required to dress rather formally for school. At private schools boys must often wear ties and girls must wear skirts. There is always a uniform. In Chile, a boy always wears a tie to school and each school has its own color. Since many kids can tell what school someone goes to by the color or style of the uniform, it plays an important part in forming the identity of the student within his or her community. Although many girls wear uniforms to school, they accessorize them in ways that show off their individuality!