11 Fashion Faux Pas You'll Only Find in Barcelona

This is a classic Catalan move which can be seen pretty much any day of the week, whatever the week. Black shorts and a black t-shirt in the summer. Black trousers and a black jumper with a black coat in the winter. Black is the new black as far as some Catalans are concerned.

Like a hipster, but not really. Rather, just as much hipster as can be found at Zara or Pull & Bear, occasionally paired with a retro jacket from a vintage store off La Rambla. No need to have read Kerouac or to buy organic coffee, it’s all about the image really.

Granted, no local would ever be caught dead wearing this classic fashion faux pas. Yet year after year at least a handful of tourists can be spotted sporting this most unfortunate of footwear choices. You can have sandals or you can have socks. Just don’t have both.

It seems that the Spanish fashion brand is a little like Marmite: you either love it or hate it. Known for its bright colours, quirky patterns and unusual shapes, Desigual manages to provoke an impressively strong feeling of dislike in many people.

There’s a time and a place for football shirts (especially if you’re a tourist) and that time usually involves there being a football match being on that day. If it’s not game day, keep the shirt at home. Unless you happen to play for Barça, then you might be excused.

It seems that in Barcelona tourists always have a way of standing out from the locals. It could be the tank top-and-shorts look in October when everyone else is in their winter coat. It could be the day-glow pink t-shirt and matching trainers. It could even be the ‘I Love Barcelona’ hoodie. But it’s always something.

It might seem like a fun idea, something light-hearted and a little cheeky. But making your best friend wear a dress or dressing him up as a baby is not something the residents of Barcelona really want to put up with when they’re out for a drink on a Friday night. Same goes for bachelorette parties: those pink tiaras and frilly tutus are just bad taste.

Don’t get us wrong, beachwear is definitely a thing in Barcelona, the locals just tend to prefer it to stay at the beach. Despite this people are regularly spotted wearing bikinis and swim shorts in the city, much to the locals’ discontent.

While Barcelona is just a few hours away from the natural beauty of the Pyrenees, the city itself is very much a civilised place. Despite this, many residents opt to wear outdoor wear whatever the occasion, sporting hiking shoes, lightweight trousers and breathable t-shirts. Comfortable it may be, stylish it is not.

As a Spanish brand, Zara has conquered the high street which means that nearly everyone in Barcelona has at least something bought in a Zara store. On the other hand, some people seem to have nothing but clothes bought at a Zara store, usually resulting in them looking like they work there.

It’s just not cool to walk out in shorts and a t-shirt when it’s cold outside. Granted, the definition of ‘cold’ in Barcelona differs to that of ‘cold’ in Berlin or London, but when everyone else is wearing jeans and a jumper, it’s probably telling you something.