dojodesign

© TPWP

Romanian people are one of the most elegant people in terms of their clothing style. Because of the french influence in the country, Romanian women tend to wear feminine fashion clothes like dresses and skirts. Since the late 1980's, American influence has changed the dressing habits of people within the country a bit, and more people now wear casual clothing like blue jeans. But they still tend to pair these with elegant and stylish blouses or shirts.

Young people are dressing in more modern styles, but not all young people are embracing the latest fashions. In Romania, modesty is still considered to be important. After 1989, the Chinese and Turkish clothing industry flooded the Romanian market with cheaper clothing, which was not all of the best quality. Women tend to wear makeup and high heels on a daily basis, while men care about making sure their outfits are matching.

© Art Comments

The Romanian luxury market can be described as mature, and it is one of the largest in Eastern Europe. Local brands have mostly failed to gain entry into the exclusive category of designer fashion clothes here, but that may change as growth is expected to continue in this sector in spite of the economic downturn. This forecast is due to Romanian's appetite for status symbols. Romania can seem like a country of contrasts to a foreigner.

The prestige of owning a luxury brand and standing out from the crowd is very important here, and since first impressions matter so much Romanians are willing to forgo many basics to splurge on status symbols. The best selling luxury products in the Romanian market are expensive perfumes, accessories, champagne, and fashion, especially menswear. Luxury brands like Gucci continue to enter this market, and Burberry and Prada are expected to follow soon.

© See-ming Lee 李思明 SML

Romanians have a novel way of celebrating a wedding. There it is all about family and community rather than just focused on the bridal couple. Everyone dresses up in their best fashion clothes and the bridegroom's party goes over to the bride's house where she and her party joins them.

Then they all walk together to the town hall or wherever the wedding location is in a huge procession with all of their friends. The ceremony is followed by a four or five day drunken fest for the whole extended family on both sides and all of their friends. In these festivities the bridal pair is almost an afterthought, but the point is that It is a fun time for everyone involved. This is in sharp contrast to the strict formality that one often observes in American and western European weddings.