A Quick Note on Fashion

When packing for my two year stint in Macedonia, I wondered how the people dressed and where they purchased their attire. I packed for the cold weather because I was arriving in late September and was concerned that I wouldn’t be able to get what I needed in Macedonia.

I discovered that I didn’t need to be concerned. While you can find the basic necessities (underwear, winter accessories, jeans, shoes etc.) in every town that I’ve visited, you may have a little trouble in the small towns finding the newer more fashionable items (suits, coats, blouses, shirts) in your size or preferred color. Many shop owners will try to order what you want if they don’t have it in stock. However, you can always travel to a larger town and most of the time, find what you want. Skopje has everything, so spending a Saturday in the capital, shopping at the city malls and drinking coffee at the cafes is an avocation (private joke: Hey Jess, this is the second time I’ve used this word) for many Macedonians.

The following comments are based on my daily observations while residing in Negotino. They may not be applicable to all small towns and villages. The children in the schools I’ve been in dress like children in America. Same goes with the teenagers. The girls prefer the low waist cut tight jeans while the teenage boys prefer the washed out baggier styles. Things change quite a bit for the girls in the evening hours when many of them head down to the plaza or the cafes and discos. Then they are dressed as though they were modeling clothes for a fashion magazine. High-heeled, knee-high boots are very popular. I am amazed every evening when I return to Kocho’s home, at the agility and balance of the females as they descend the steep, cobblestoned, pockmarked streets to the center in spiked heels.

During their leisure time, young men prefer track suits. They are everywhere this time of the year. Matching tops and bottoms are in fashion right now. The retired men seem to wear suit jackets and comfortable slacks as they stroll around the plaza or sit on the benches discussing whatever they discuss. Mothers and middle-aged women seem to prefer the outfits that you would see in suburban America. The older women, for the most part, dress in black (I believe this has a cultural meaning that I have to learn about in greater detail).

I have yet to see a department store during my wanderings. This doesn’t mean that there aren’t any. Most of the shops I’ve seen are specialty shops. If you want shoes, you go to a shoe store; if you want a shirt, you go to a shirt store; if you want a toy, you go to a toy store. Quite often the stock is limited in the smaller shops, so you must settle for what you can get and not what you may want. This is ideal for all real men (defined as men who hate to shop) who can walk into a shop and tell the clerk, “I’ll take whatever shirt you have in the size closest to mine and in any color closest to black). No stressful decisions to make regarding material (cotton or a cotton-blend), color (fushia or raspberry); designer (Ralph Laure or store brand) or neck size/sleeve length. You take they have and get out of there as soon as possible. After all, you went there to get a shirt and nothing else and you got one. What a system!

This was a short fashion report but as I travel around the country, I will gather more material for Fashion Report II. Just remember, that if you can’t find it somewhere in Macedonia, then you probably don’t need it.