So.... what are you wearing?

July 31, 2022 5:10 PM

Is there a way to peek in on another city and observe people walking around and just doing their thing - either in real time, or within a few days of when I'm looking? I want to know what they're wearing.

I'm packing for a multi-stop trip and I have the forecast, but I can't wrap my mind around what that weather is going to FEEL like in those places this week. For example: should I devote precious packing space to a proper coat, or does it look like I won't need it? It'd also be nice to see the general vibe is in terms of gear / footwear / fashion.

I'm imagining like, some sub-tribe of influencers who set up shop in plazas, town squares, transit stations, etc., and provide a glimpse into life in those places. But like, live-streaming? or within a week or two of right now?

I can provide the country / region for this particular use case if necessary, but every time I travel - domestically (US) or internationally - even just a few hours away - I wish I had this little bit of insight as I pack my bags.

posted by nkknkk to Travel & Transportation (9 answers total)

This might not be the most direct way or efficient way to answer your question, but you may want to look through instagram for the locations of places you'll be going. Don't look for the most liked photos of a place, but recently posted photos.
posted by lownote at 5:15 PM on July 31, 2022

Check out “walking around” vlogs that are very popular on Youtube. I have been able to get a sense about a vibe of a city, even on an individual neighborhood basis, and it’s residents that way.
posted by Cyber666 at 5:20 PM on July 31, 2022

I agree with lownote. Insta or Tiktok search for #[city name], sort by recent.

But also keep in mind that locals will be acclimatized to the weather in ways you may not be.
posted by ananci at 5:43 PM on July 31, 2022

I usually search for “live webcam [city etc]”. If it’s a more touristy destination, a lot of restaurants and bars have street-facing webcams.
posted by Silvery Fish at 6:22 PM on July 31, 2022

But also keep in mind that locals will be acclimatized to the weather in ways you may not be.

Yeah, I honestly think just looking at the weather report, and dressing for that makes more sense than trying to wear what the locals are wearing. When I lived in a hot climate, I remember feeling cold enough I needed to put on a long-sleeve shirt...I looked up the temperature and it was 82F!
posted by coffeecat at 6:26 PM on July 31, 2022

You can probably find clips from the local news in your destination cities online. A lot of times they’ll have reactions from neighbors or random people, but even if they don’t, you can infer certain things from what the field reporters are wearing. If they’re wearing parkas, yeah, it’s cold there. Short sleeves, it’s *really* hot. Most of the time they’ll be in shirtsleeves and a tie or a blouse, which doesn’t give you a ton of information, but at least let’s you know if you need a coat or not.
posted by kevinbelt at 7:31 PM on July 31, 2022

By all means look at pics but also consider relative humidity of your destination and how common AC is in your research.
posted by koahiatamadl at 12:36 AM on August 1, 2022

http://www.insecam.org/?
posted by pompomtom at 5:54 AM on August 1, 2022

I've done something similar by using Weatherspark's compare feature, which lets me compare two (or more) cities, so I can see that mid-October in Berlin is closer to late September where I am. Although humidity counts too!

But also, locals think of weather differently than tourists from other climates do, and tourists from different places experience the weather differently as well. My last international trip was to Bermuda in February 2020, and the locals all thought it was pretty cool, while the fellow tourists I talked to all thought it was pretty warm and pleasant. But the tourists were 80% Canadians and the remaining Americans were from like Chicago and Boston and Vermont.
posted by Superilla at 2:33 PM on August 1, 2022