What do the Madrilenos wear?

Before arriving in Spain, I thought a lot about the clothing and what I should pack. I wanted to try and "blend in" as a native madrileno and wear the clothes that they wear. I did some research on the internet and read the following: Spaniards never wear shorts, they don't wear bright colors, and they always wear black. Well, hmmn. I was going to be in Madrid during the two hottest months of the year - July and August - when the average temperature is around 95 degrees. No shorts? That couldn't be. I packed three pairs of shorts, a few dresses, one skirt, some jeans, and some other pants (linen, cloth, etc).  

So I arrived in this beautiful city, and the first thing that I noticed was that ... all of the girls were wearing shorts! Drat - I wish I had brought more! The girls who weren't wearing shorts were wearing dresses or long skirts. A few girls were wearing pants. As the temperature dropped later in the evening (as in, dropped from 95 degrees to 75/80 degrees), a lot of girls would wear pants. Usually when going out at night, girls wore jeans and a blouse or a dress. Oh, and there were lots of bright colors - maybe not the neon pinks and yellows that have become popular in the US over time, but they definitely don't wear just black.

Like all cosmopolitan areas, some of the people were very fashionable. In the hip neighborhood of Malasana, there was lots of great street fashion. Lots of boys wore their jeans/pants rolled up a little bit with boat shoes and a button-down shirt (hello, Brooklyn, anyone?). Lots of girls wore one piece shirt/pants combos (I have no idea what those are called), or dresses with crazy cut-out designs).  

Anyways, the lesson learned? Madrilenos look like everyone else in the world. I should have just planned on wearing what I normally wear when it's 95 degrees outside! On Sunday when I pack my suitcase, I will show you everything I packed compared to what I actually wore (hint: I may have only worn 1/2 of what I brought, ugh.)

Check out some of the fashion in these photos below: