Hey! Us women of shall we say, more mature years, also make an effort and not just the young 'uns! And are just as likely, or even more likely in my experience, to have an 'urban neanderthal' in tow

SM

SMa - In my case that's not a "likely" it's a definite. If he had his way he'd have socks in his sandals and a hankie with 4 knots on his head I have to lay his clothes out each night. I let him put what he likes on during the day - what a mistake.

Until I put a stop to it, my other half used to wear socks with awful looking sandals and he would tuck his t-shirt into his swimming trunks with his shorts over the top. Then again, at that time, he would tuck his shirt into his underpants and his pyjama tops in his pyjama bottoms. Men - what is it with this tucking in business!??

They're thinking of Harvest Festival! 'All is Safely Gathered in'! Just joking, honest!

Just caught up with this again and I'm still laughing. Not going away until the end of September when I'm back to Tunisia for a couple of weeks and as BA have a decent luggage allowance I'm not too worried. The funniest sight I saw round the pool one year was an Arab couple, the wife in a full burkha, with her husband in a yellow baseball cap, yellow shorts, red football shirt and sandals :rofl. I'm going to practise tying a sarong as I can never get it right but I'll probably settle for normal Tunisian kaftans to cover up, though I've got a couple of Egyptian galabayas as well. I did treat myself to a straw hat in the market today as I could never get on with scarves round my head. I'd love to get hold of a decent Australian Akubra but I doubt they pack as well as my straw hat.

I have to say my husband looks quite erm.....delish in his holiday stuff.

just come back, and spent ages round the pool watching a retired mother and her daughter strut there stuff, in bikinis, 4/5 inch gold or white stilletos, and bright red lippy.....not to mention the sound of clip clop, clip clop all day.......from the pair as they strutted there stuff!

it got even worse when the bikini tops came off, and the shoes stayed on!

OOHH please, What possesses them? It can't be comfortable in stilettos all day! I can understand a nice pair of comfy wedges, not stillys though.

Just catching up on this thread. LOL. and wanted to say cricketwatcher that I have enjoyed your posts. I like to see the way British guys dress on holiday and provided there is not too much of the footyshirt thing going on I'm impressed that they dont want to spend all their hols in front of a mirror checking out how they look and making sure they get every outfit just right, I am sure there is a good compromise out there.

It's much better for a guy to have tried but not tried too hard, dont think may women want blokes who work harder on their clothes & look than they do themselves. You know where you are with the average British guy and it leaves more space in the case for your ITSA and saress. Saw a few ITSA's at Lykia last week and wondered if the people were HT'ers.

Sounds like you are gonna look fab kazza.

Considering the amount of male toiletries now proliferating the market, I think you girls have got something to worry about. Special tissues for wiping bald heads? Manscara? Someones having a joke, yes?
As for mens clothing, classic always wins. You never go out of fashion, and I think that there's nothing more ridiculous than a bloke still trying it on even though the years have obviously gone by!

Right guys, as the original poster to this topic, I thought it only fair that i share with you my recent experience of how i got it so wrong (again !) on my hols !
got back nearly 2 weeks ago from a fab holiday to fuengirola, went with the intention of being a 'euro chic babe', NOT A CHANCE !
firstly, realised that you cannot cover a sunburnt nose with spot coverer, the word 'clown' comes to mind,
secondly, realised that if you are having a bad hair day, do not, under no curcumstances, nick your 7ry old daughter's hairband, makes you look like you are badly trying to cover up a bad hair day,
thirdly, make sure when you are on a beach full of beautiful spanish people, that when you are at the watersedge playing bat n ball that you wear a bikini top that you are not going to fall out of , ( oh, the shame !)
fourthly, when on a spanish beach, with your brolley, trying to blend in with the locals, on a windy day, make sure that when, ( cos your're british ) that your brolley blows a mile down the beach, that you are wearing a bikini top ( as you are running like a gimp on the hot sand ) that isn't going to end up round your muffin top .
lastly, when you get home, and you upload your photo's, don't be dissapointed if you look like a shiny faced, frizzy haired older version of yourself, thats just the wonder of digital photo's !!!!!!!!
seriously, though, this is a year after year thing for me, its an age thing, I used to be gorgeous, honest !!!!!!!!!!!
cheers all,
juby

Oh, dear, Juby! I tried not to laugh, honest! You poor thing, max embarrasment, and total loss of Euro cool.

Juby you are a star! You really are!

Bless you Juby you're a star and I'm sure you'll be long remembered in Spain for your personality and sense of humour rather than your stylistic misadventures.

Aw bless you all !!!
I am sooo on a mission next year to be that gorgeous 'eurochic' beach babe, it hurts !
you are right though, we gotta laugh at our british slapdash that comes naturally to us, how do we do it ?
The ability to be so 'unchic' on a european beach is a trait I will no doubt pass on to many a 'juby' generation to come, for years and years, god help them ..................hehehehehe !
They'll call it 'the curse of juby ' no doubt !
Actually, not a bad thing to have on your headstone, 'SHE TRIED SO HARD TO BE A EUROCHIC BABE, BUT IN THE END, IT WAS HER DOWNFALL '
nice one, gonna use it !
cheers all,
juby

Juby, chic doesn't become the British. You'll have to turn up in Windsmoor and Hunter wellies, with a natty headscarf with pictures of horses to be right! Not to mention the Barbour jacket!

The Spanish women (and men) of a certain age and whatever size always seem to get it right. We see them out walking on the seafront on a Sunday afternoon dressed in beige, tans, browns, bottle green and golds and looking good. Tried it and it looked all wrong.
Then we see the rest of the world and sometimes wonder if they (usually men) got up last and had to have what was left in the "dressing up" case - striped shorts with flowered shirts - 3/4 trousers to fit a 12 years old with vests which hardly cover their middle with the inevitable bandana. Men in football strip and trainers who have never been near a football field and think they look good.

I too failed miserably in the 'chicness' on my holiday.

You know how bikini tops sometimes have a little padding in them? So they don't dry off that quick? Plus it was so hot I was in and out the pool quite a lot. Well if you are a stoopid engleeeeeez layyyydeeee like me you will keep forgetting that popping on your grey or red tshirt to go off for a wander to the shop or for a drink more often than not results in damp patches spreading breasts outwards, resembling someone who quite possibly has recently given birth and is expressing milk willy nilly.

Tip. Wear white or black.

Or, do the chic lady thing and have a dry bikini to change into when coming out of the pool.

The thing that really gets me is those people that insist on wearing two different patterns together. It always looks dreadful. I'm sure they don't look in a mirror before venturing out!!

My husband is only 5'5" tall and as such has short legs. However he still looks good in plain 3/4 casual trousers (albeit I had to shorten them) and a check/stripe cotton shirt worn loose with sandals and most certainly no socks!
He is 57 so it proves that even at that age you can still look trendy, comfy and cool. He also looks good in a suit and tie!

For myself (a size 18) I love the loose tops worn with trousers. They cover a multitude of sins!!

Pippa