SOCIAL SITUATION TOPIC 6
Suggestions About What Clothes To Wear.


Latin American Executive Opinions

• Joanna Borrell
• Roxana Danae Bannach
• María Esther Castillo
• Alejandro Ernesto Magdits
• Juan Emilio Vila Naranjo
• Miluska Pérez Velásquez
• Cira A. Valbuena


Key vocabulary related to this topic


Cultural points related to this topic

Joanna Borrell
República Dominicana
"El americano que visita a República Dominicana, la ropa casual no es de mucha utilidad..."
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Roxana Danae Bannach
Chile, Santiago
"Bueno la vestimenta casual creo que es mucho más formal que aquí..."
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María Esther Castillo
México, Monterrey, N.L.
"Bueno aquí la gente en México, este, bueno como se viste formalmente..."
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Alejandro Ernesto Magdits
Perú, Lima
"OK, vestirse con ropa casual cuando te invitan a una reunión informal..."
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Juan Emilio Vila Naranjo
Perú, Lima
"El ejecutivo en el Perú utiliza terno y corbata..."
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Miluska Pérez Velásquez
Perú, Lima
"Es muy importante para nosotros los peruanos, sobretodo para las citas de negocio, estar con corbata..."
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Cira A. Valbuena
Venezuela, Caracas
"La manera de vestir, normal, de los venezolanos en un ambiente de negocios es utilizar un traje..."
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bar (m) bar
bien vestido (adj) well dressed
camisa cerrada (f) button-down shirt
camiseta (f) t-shirt
corbata (f) tie
cuello (m) neck
discoteca (f) discotheque
falda (f) skirt
jeans (m) blue jeans
lanilla (f) wool
pantalón (m) slacks
polera (f) t-shirt
puesto operario (m) laborer position
ropa casual (f) casual clothes
saco (m) jacket
sandalia (f) sandal
tela ligera (f) light material
tenis (m) tennis shoes
terno (m) suit coat
traje (m) suit
traje sastre (m) tailored suit
utilidad (f) usefulness
utilizar to use
vestimenta (f) clothing, dress
vestirse to dress
zapato (m) shoe
Juan es un poco gordito. Juan is a little chubby.
María es más alta que Susana. María is taller than Susana.
Pepe tiene los ojos claros
y la tez blanca.
Pepe has light colored eyes
and white skin.
Mi tío es bastante peludo, alto y de barba abundante. My uncle is very hairy, tall, and with a full beard.
Mi prima es muy bonita, rubia y de nariz fina. My cousin is pretty, blonde, and has a thin nose.

A general rule of thumb for dress in Latin America is to move your formality notch towards the formal side. In other words, if you normally wear jeans, wear slacks, if you normally wear slacks, wear a tie, if you normally were a tie, wear a suit, etc. The same applies to the women. If you normally wear shorts, wear long pants, if you normally wear pants, wear a skirt, if you normally wear a skirt, wear a dress, if you normally wear a dress, wear a fancier gown. As Joanna Borrell observes, "you will find that casual clothes are not very useful." North American tendency is to be casual in dress and grooming. It is as if to say that what you do is more important than how you look. In Latin America, however, how you look says a lot about how professional you are. Miluska Perez makes the astute observation that you are even judged by the briefcase, calendar, pen, and calculator that you carry with you.