Brazil is a country with a peculiar way of dressing, and Salvador is where you can see this most clearly. That is because although  fashion is universal, only certain types of clothing adapt in the country, and those are mainly the ones that have sex appeal and aren’t too warm.

Always look for the tighter pants and the shorter shirts. Loose clothes are currently not a big hit in Salvador. Colors can be freely  chosen, although the bright ones are kept for summer. High heeled boots and sandals are very welcome, although low sandals are used  all year round.

During the summer is when Salvador girls show off what they have worked on their bodies all year long. You’ll see lots of flat tummies,  short skirts, low cuts, etc. Since locals stay at the beach until 7pm, you´ll see lots of beach wear on the streets at night.

Your bikini and kanga will be your outfit for lunch and walking on the street, and even to go to the mall, with a top and maybe a skirt  when necessary. That will work for any event you have during the day in Salvador: day parties, barbecues, lunches, ecotourism,  shopping, and of course, the beach.

The main outfit for the beach right now is bikini under a tight top and skirt. But anything will work:  short dresses, shorts, kangas, etc, even a light long dress.

During a summer night girls may look nothing different from how they look during the day. There will be no heavy make up or big  hair, and hardly any fancy outfit, unless there is a fancy party or wedding. There may be some big earrings or necklaces, but not  both. For the shoes, there will be plenty of high heel sandals as well as just slippers. Aside from the accessories, outfits can be  detailed into 3 main occasions:

1) Clubs:
For clubs, you may see tops and shirts/pants in some sort of shining fabric, sleeveless dresses and tops, lots of low-cut black outfits, necklaces, shining color tops, and plenty of high heels. Usually the strongest sex appeal clothing are worn at night clubs.

2) Street Parties:
On open-air parties there are really no rules except to dress casual and sexy. You’ll see all sorts of this mix, and they will be  adapted to any “tribe” taste: the hippies, the preppies, the surfers, the classic ones. This will usually mean: any top, with any  pants/skirt, and any sandal. Many girls will even wear their bikini tops.

(all found in Shopping Iguatemi)

3) Bars and live music:
This is an “in between” outfit of the clubs and the streets. If it’s an indoor bar, then it’s similar to clubs, with a little less shine If it’s an outdoor bar, or a live music event, then it’s just like the street-parties fashion. Be sure to check out a clothes store called Vero,  run by a friend of mine, and one of the best deals in town for the 20 something crowd.