What to Wear in Israel?
If you wear something that's a natural material in a neutral color and somehow loosely wraps around you, you've hit the Israeli-Palestine look.
I was in Jerusalem for a winter, a spring and part of a summer. Most of this info applies to Jeru--a religious city for the most part and one of the most conservative.
TO SUMMARIZE:
Winter: COLD (Warm coat, ski-jacket to mid to long wool coat--think Northwest in US weather) longest possible rain-coat you can find (gets very windy and cold, windy rain is no fun in any place)
(December-February)
Spring: Mildly Cold. Still need a jacket, fleece is great for inside with no heat, always wore a sweater or fleece except in direct sunshine. Still coldish, not quite warm enough...
(March--mid-May)
Summer: HOT. Dripping!! Lightest cotton shirts you can find! The loosest, coolest capris. Cotton skirts and dresses were great! this time of year. With sandals.
(Mid May-September)
Autumn: (I don't know??) I wasn't there at the time, but either it was super hot still and uncomfortable or it was balmy. I landed on the last warm day before winter hit in full-force and that day at the airport was heavenly. But maybe not heavenly if I had to wait outside for two hours or something.
(September/October-November)
So I have a feeling that Autumn is what you wish that Summer felt like. Nice and hot/warm but not gross humid.
This means: Capris and t-shirts/tanks with scarves.
-Life is a little different if you have great accommodations and can choose your climate during the year. Then, you don't have to be so vigilant about what to bring so you can survive cold, wet winters and humid, exploding-hot Tel Aviv summers. (You don't even want to walk outside during Tel Aviv summers--or Galilee summers--for that matter. If you do, you should reward yourself with an ice cream cone. So humid!) If you're from the South or Michigan Lake area (USA), it might not feel so bad.
COLOR:
If you want to fit in, wear neutrals--and dark neutrals (black, black and more black--with maybe some white or beige, dark blue or burgundy thrown in) in natural fibers as they are going to make you fit in the most. A little color here and there fits. But to look the most authentic and the least like a tourist--wear neutrals.
In summer the palette lightens and brightens up a bit.
(My Mom went to Israel on a tour 3 years ago and said she was most comfortable when she was wearing this long-sleeved brown cotton shirt with black pants. All her colored shirts felt too loud.)
MATERIAL:
Try to chose as many
natural materials as you can.
If it is a natural material in a neutral color and wraps around you, in a loose way, you've hit the Isreali-Palestine look.
Spring/ Summer: Cotton, Linen, (polyester if it looks like cotton) and maybe rayon
Winter: Wool, Jeans, Synthetics for coats are okay.
* Wearing polyester--slinky or stiff, and especially patterned, just makes one stand out as a foreigner.
STYLE:
First, go Modest. This is the Middle East, right?
- That's like capri's instead of shorts (You don't see anyone really wearing shorts here--except in Tel Aviv by the beach and sometimes by teenage girls) and
- cover the shoulder
- Tanks are okay (even spaghetti-strap) but try to cover more often than not unless you're on the beach.
- A Scarf over the tank top
- Skirts should at least cover the knee (not too tight)
* Totally watch out for the wind and skirts that blow around. It is no fun to be walking towards a rabbi when the wind comes down a Jerusalem alley and you are dropping grocery bags in order to restrain a modest calf-length skirt who wants to play Marilyn Monroe. If you must know, I had a few close calls but I think I walked away unscathed. But wait, there was that one group of smiling Yeshiva boys.... See what I mean?
CULTURAL STYLES
There are so many cultures represented, you could wear almost any style and someone would think you belong to some Jewish, Arabian or Christian sub-culture.
is super accepted in Israel. Can't go wrong with alot of flowing skirts and scarves. Neutrals rule, but putting some color here works best.
Serious about the scarf thing. You can take almost any outfit (except maybe a polyester suit/skirt) and make it look Middle Eastern by adding a scarf. (But NOT a polyester one.) The scarf must look like it's made of a natural fiber.
This is so great too, because it makes you feel at home, among the Arab population ...if your skirts and shirts are long and not too tight and in more neutral colors.
If you don't mind being mistaken for a Haredi, this style works very nicely. It can even make you feel more included if you live near these neighborhoods. (Modest + black and white clothes and accessories. --A head wrap if you're really feeling indulgent)
- Casual Sophistication in Dark Colors
Two-words: Eastern Europeans. (And East-coast Jews) They dress nicer. It's a casual dress-up--like in a retirement community. Informal, but there's a little elegance to it. Maybe, one snappy thing per outfit. Casual pants and shirt, cool earrings. Casual everything, up-to-the-minute in shoes. Not too eye-catching, unless you want to catch some eyes. Buyer beware. Especially if you are blonde--and tend to smile.
You can't go wrong with beige and khaki, walker sandals, hiking boots, athletic gear and REI in a Mediterranean country. Just wear it with a (natural-fibered) scarf. :]
My favorite items in Israel:
Winter:
Black boots - great for winter rain and cold
Capri Jeans (with black boots) looked like pants without the extra weight in the suitcase.
Fleece sweatshirt zip-up
Patterned sweatshirt in greys and blacks (so I didn't feel so plain)
LOTS of plain-colored Old Navy long-sleeved shirts to be layered
Lots of Tank tops to double-layer under shirts for more warmth
Leggings (If I wore more tunic shirts--I would have wanted more of these.)
Fleece for pajamas
Long light-weight coat (white) that I bought for $3 at a kibbutz garage sale.
(Not super warm but great to cover me and hold off the rain.)
Summer:
Light-weight t-shirts that were modest.
(It was nice to have extra shirts to change into during the hot summer months)
Button up loose cotton shirts with a tank under
(if it was too sheer)
Tank tops with a scarf
(But I wouldn't do only tank tops only in Jerusalem--especially in the Jewish Quarter--
or Arab Quarter for that matter. Too much attention.)
Capri leggings with skirts in the summer
(more cotton-y, less like polyester tights)
Skirts-below knee length--were great!
Totally Recommend/Wished for: One of those light-weight down jackets.
(I now have one, it's awesome!)
A great rain/longer jacket with a hood--especially for when you're doing alot of walking and carrying things like groceries or shopping bags.
I would have brought a MUCH-WARMER jacket. The Middle East is cold in winter, y'all! Maybe not at the Dead Sea, but everywhere above that it's like Seattle or Vancouver something.
Better walking shoes/sandals
(I hardly ever wore the dressy clothes I brought. Sheer, patterned button-ups, shirts with jewels, winter skirts, red dresses, a suit jacket, spring-colored polyester dressy shirts, a GAP office button-down...)
Pretty much lived in my Old Navy wardrobe. If I had an office job, that would be different. More dressy, but still basics I think.
My black boots and dangly earrings became my dress-up features, making every outfit out of plain shirts and jeans feel a little more snazzy.
Other Cities:
Tel Aviv: little less conservative = more tank tops, some short shorts, more cleavage, more tight pants, bikini's etc. ... but it is by the beach and it's not really a religious city. So, more like any other city in the US.
Haifa: Teens and pre-teens who wore actual shorts (at the mall) in the summer. Bikini's were the norm on the beach.
