Style tips from a Croatian- Be TRENDY when visiting Croatia

Croatia is a beautiful city filled with beautiful tall women. Almost every local that I met had brown hair, slinky tall body, and was overall very well put together!

I met this lovely woman, Helena, during my journey in Split Croatia. She made an impression on me the first day that I met her. I thought to my self, "this woman has style, I'm digging it." Helena is one of those people that just has that energy/glow that makes you want to be around her and the girl has style!

She was so kind to let me interview her to learn more about the Croatian style. I wanted to know what it meant to be "stylish" when living in Croatia. 

Trendy is the Key to everything

The main thing that you will need to know about being fashionable while in Croatia is wear what ever the current trend is!! The women in Croatia spend well above their means to dress the part! It is apart of their culture to look very well put together and they would not be caught dead wearing sweats to go grab coffee. You will get very weird looks if you're dressed super casual in coffee shops. 

Walk like a Croatian

If you're walking the Promenade on the Riva during a Saturday morning from 9am- 1pm you will see it filled with locals enjoying their coffee time with family and friends. Helena describes walking the promenade as "walking the catwalk strutting your stuff" (as you would if you were in a fashion show). This is a morning where all the locals are out and looking their absolute best!

Croatian women are very confident when they go the beach. Helena describes Croatian women going to the beach as "owning it and love to show off their bodies!" She also states that she absolutely loooveess when she gets time to go the beaches! They embrace their body and will wear what ever swim suit they want. You'll catch Croatian women wearing 2 piece bikinis probably showing more skin than you're used to. 

** Find some great swim pieces year round on Ella Vita before your trip to Croatia! 

Snag these local looks with similar items on www.ellavita.co (click on pics)

How "they" find fashion influence

Many Croatian women do not turn to fashion magazines as a means of inspiration for the hot trends. Instead, they follow social media influencers. Many women will follow French or Scandinavian influencers on Instagram.

Where to shop while in Croatia

Helena states "People are not afraid to look the same". Shopping at Zara or at the mall of Split is where you'll catch almost every local shopping. Zara is a one stop shop for all your fashion needs. The shops in Old Town are more touristy which means that it is going to be more expensive.

However, one of her favorite handbag stores is this store in Old Town that literally has no name! She described it as "the bag place." This store carries handbags imported from China with no big mark up so the prices are very reasonable, and there are the same quality that you will find at most other stores in the area. When I asked Helena how to find this bag store if it has no name I felt like I was on a top secret mission. Here are her directions: "It's in old town... Slaviceva... Central, see the bakery in alley, then go up hill then turn first left.. you'll see wrist watches, then you'll see the Tommy and the pink lavender building, then go 10 meters across and there is the store!!" I definitely laughed and thought to my self "wow they take their style secrets very serious here!"

Helena also said if you don't find a bag here then you just go to Zara and get a handbag! So remember, when in doubt, Zara has everything! :) 

Other popular brands in Croatia: Michael Kors, Guess, Diesel, Replay, and Miss Sixty. These brands can all be found in the Mall of Split.  

If you don't want to stand out in the crowd then you best be wearing some nice sunglasses! Wearing sunglasses is one of their main staples! 

**Be prepared and snag a few sunglasses on Ella Vita before you head to Croatia! 

Helena's favorite go to's:

High waisted jeansPreferably linen shirts but also loves tee shirtsSailor shoes (espadrilles) Jumpsuits/ rompersRed lipstick when going out is a must!Something sparkly or with glitter when going out with her girls or going on a dateI've also seen her quite frequently having a jean jacket handy

Hair Trends

The majority of women just wear their hair naturally as in they don't color it at or color crazy colors. Just your typical brunette or blonde. Some artsy people would experiment a little. Most women will have long natural hair.

Shoe Trends

Just pretty much wear flats or smaller height of heels. The younger women/girls will wear sneakers (usually same kind of brand, color, etc). Nothing is too crazy for the shoe trends. Again, they follow what ever the world trend is at the time.  

Helena's take on Croatian Men's style

She states with laughter "Men would very generally be fashionably unconscious." They are not very trendy so if you come across a guy that looks fashionable then that is pretty darn unusual. Helena also explains "Men in Croatia are just really manly men!"  So my take on that is that they don't need fashion to impress the ladies! 

Now you're all prepared to look like a local in Croatia so go book that trip!! 

I'd love to hear from you!! Let me of any questions you may have and please post pics of your awesome outfits and tag #ellavita #ellavita_co!! 

Xoxo, 

Tiffany 

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