12 Madrid Fashion Style Tips According to Locals

While Barcelona is widely popular for its avant-garde food scene and beautiful beaches, Madrid—a traditional city rooted in history—remains one of my favorite places for fashion and shopping. Because it’s not a beach or resort town, the travel clothes, accessories, and shoes you buy are more suited for everyday life, so you’ll actually rewear them after your trip. After all, you can’t exactly wear the pareo you purchased in Ibiza on the streets of NYC!

Along with its booming food scene, the fashion scene in Madrid is better than ever. Because it’s very much a “working city,” Madrid offers all the top fashion brands like Zara, Massimo Dutti, and Mango (all Spanish brands, if you didn’t already know!) to cater to the working professional crowd. However, there are also great boutique brands in the city designed by Spanish creatives, like gender-neutral brand Palomo Spain, the sustainability-minded Colmillo de Morsa, and the popular shoe brand Flabelus. 

To navigate all that Madrid fashion has to offer, I’ve rounded up the 12 best style tricks I’ve learned from locals, starting at just $16.

Oversized Jeans

Free People We the Free Palmer Cuffed Baggy Jeans 

Sit outside any cafe in Madrid on the weekend and you will almost think that baggy, oversized pants are a Madrilenos uniform. The perfect look is usually paired with an oversized jacket as well (more on that later) and a simple white T-shirt. These slightly boho silhouette jeans by Free People are perfect to rock a “Madrid-style” look, no matter where you are. You can spot Madrilenos wearing all sorts of oversized jeans and trousers while shopping around busy Centro Canalejas and in the city’s coolest bars.

Platform Sandals

Madera Wedge Sandal

As the weather heats up, more people will start wearing sandals. The main rule of thumb for wearing them in the city is to look for a big platform that makes them look dressier. There are high platforms and big wedge espadrilles to choose between, but if you need a pair of comfortable shoes that can take a lot of mileage (whether that’s shopping or walking around the Prado museum and climbing flights of stairs), you can’t beat this Teva Madera Wedge Sandal. Leather straps, comfortable microfiber lining, and a supportive sole made from recycled materials all work together for a shoe that can withstand all-day wear and go with any outfit.

A White Shirt

Lyaner Women’s Casual Shirt Dress

Call it a boyfriend shirt or a dress—either way, this long white button-down is a great item to have when in Madrid. I’ve seen this style of oversized shirt worn over skinny jeans, denim shorts, and tailored suit pants. This particular shirt comes in a range of colors, but keep it classical like the people of Madrid do and grab it in white to wear casually or formally with a structured belt or silk scarf.

Oversized Jacket

TRF Oversized Denim Jacket With Scarf

Oversized anything is currently on trend in Madrid, and jackets are no exception. Because spring evenings usually have a chill to them, locals always have a jacket on hand, and denim is frequently the go-to style. This denim jacket by Spanish brand Zara is on-trend with its oversized fit, yet is versatile enough to lend itself well to a variety of occasions. To jazz up the jacket at night, accessorize with a silk scarf like most Madrilenos do. If denim isn’t your thing, pick up this white colored Trabjao jacket by Spanish brand Sisyphe instead.

Vest

Madewell Pinstripe Cutaway Long Vest

One of the hottest finds right now in basically every boutique and designer shop in Madrid is a tailored vest. This season, you’ll see a lot of Madrilenos wearing the whole set, even pairing them with some casual trainers. This Madewell Pinstripe Vest has Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman vibes that you can rock in a fancy luxury hotel like the Four Seasons Madrid or just out to lunch on a weekend.

Colored Pants

BTFBM High-waisted Palazzo Pants

Madrid is a working city, but that doesn’t mean locals only opt for basic clothing. Walk around the financial district in Madrid or visit a luxury hotel for afternoon tea, and you’ll see everyone wearing well-tailored colored pants. One of the colors of the season is pink, and these wide, straight-leg pink pants are perfect for everything from art gallery openings to late-night bar crawls.

Printed Silk Scarf

Halsbrook Multi-printed Silk Scarf

I don’t think I have met a single Madrileno who doesn’t have a silk scarf. In Madrid, both young and old don a silk scarf during the spring and use it as their go-to accessory to jazz up even the most casual-looking outfit. One of the most iconic brands in Spain is Vilagallo, which is known for its eye-popping fashion that uses lots of colour and prints, and its silk scarves are well worth the splurge. Pair it with the oversized denim jacket for a more casual vibe that’s perfect when the temperatures dip at night.

Espadrilles

Viscata Escala Canvas Espadrille Wedges

You can’t leave Madrid without buying a pair or two of the country’s most iconic fashion wear: espadrilles. These iconic comfy shoes are designed to keep your feet cool in the summer—they’re often made of cotton or canvas—while presenting a sophisticated style. There are many boutiques in the city that sell espadrilles, so you could easily shop around for your favorite when you arrive. But if you ask me, Viscata is a brand worth seeking out. There are multiple colours and different wedge heights to choose from, but I love the Escala Canvas High Wedge Heel best: it’s so comfortable that I can wear it all day and night in Madrid—even on the cobblestones!

Structured Belt

Syhood Straw Woven Elastic Waist Belt

A good structured belt is the ultimate accessory in Madrid; it’s perfect for holding up those baggy, oversized jeans and even tightening a dress at the waist to make it more figure-hugging. The popular style is all about big and chunky belts, so this set of three woven ones fits the bill perfectly.

A Blazer

Zara Embroidered Eyelet Blazer

Blazers are no longer just considered office wear, and the bigger the shoulder pads, the better in Madrid. You can spot them everywhere: the busy shop-filled streets of Chueca, a swanky luxury hotel like Edition Madrid, or a Michelin restaurant like Smoked Room (where I spotted someone wearing one as recently as last week). This embroidered eyelet Zara blazer is a great pick if you want a slimmer jacket that works well in both spring and fall in Madrid.

Mary Janes

Flabelus Cora Mary Jane Flat

One of the most famous shoe designers, Manolo Blahnik, hails from Spain, and although we may all dream of having a pair of his iconic Mary Janes or stilettos in our closet, other great Spanish shoe designers offer options for a fraction of the price. One of the most popular ballerina flats everyone is wearing around Madrid right now is the Cora Mary Jane Flats from Flabelus. These shoes are comfortable and soft to the touch (thanks to their unique velvet exterior), making them the perfect pair for a day of shopping in Madrid.

Lightweight Sneakers

Icebug Eli RB9X

Retiro Park is to Madrid as Central Park is to New York, and no matter when you visit, there are always locals running, training, and working out. These lightweight Icebug Runners are the perfect shoes to wear in Madrid: they’re made of breathable mesh for hot days, and they’re super comfortable for exploring the city on foot or taking a lap around Retiro.

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