Europe is supposedly the place to be for cutting edge of fashion. The runways of Paris and Milan are world-renowned for their daring attire and haute couture.

But all I know is that if European fashion is an indication of what’s coming to the United States in a few years, it’s a fashion trend I don’t want to follow.

Spaniards are incredibly fashionable people. The black pants I consider my bar pants have suddenly become casual, everyday pants.

For someone who’s accustomed to buying half of her wardrobe at Target and Goodwill, it’s been quite an adjustment seeing people who dress to the nines just to go out for coffee.

In fact, there is not a Target equivalent in Spain that I’ve found yet. When I walk in the popular clothing chain store Zara wearing my American jeans and tennis shoes, I get looks that indicate I am polluting the atmosphere by merely setting foot in the store.

Obviously not everybody is well-dressed – teen-agers absolutely love jeans, and secondhand Levi jeans are apparently all the rage. But t-shirts, sweatshirts and tennis shoes are a quick indication of a foreigner, and it makes me understand why American dress is considered sloppy.

Yet I don’t think I’ll be switching to a European style of dress any time soon.

One fashionable outfit for women includes skin-tight straight-leg pants (apparently European women don’t have thighs) paired with gigantic shoes that look like they were made for moon walking.

European men have similar fashion pit falls – carrot-shaped pants that get caught inside their shoes are hot right now. The guy wearing them could look like Brad Pitt, but I’m too distracted by his skinny pants to notice.

Shoes are really the determining factor in defining European style.

Every once in a while a clever American will manage to avoid the oh-so-obvious American ensemble of t-shirt, baggy jeans and baseball cap. But no matter what clothing she has on, the shoes give her away. Europeans shun pointy athletic running shoes and big clunky brown leather shoes that Americans are fascinated with.

Athletic wear can be a tough call when playing “Spot the American.” With soccer being a European obsession, men especially wear their athletic clothing out around the city.

Yet this is also a top choice for tourists and travelling Americans. The thing to look for is the brand – Adidas wearers are more than likely Europeans, while Nikes are most definitely not.

Apparently, Europeans did not go through the fashion horror that was the late ’80s and early ’90s. In many of the trendy clothing stores, brands like Pepe and Guess fly off the racks.

As an American, it’d be hard for me even to consider buying anything from those labels no matter what is it – I just get bad images of that little triangle on the back butt pocket of Guess jeans circa 1989.

That’s not to say that European fashion is bad.

There are many things I could go for if not for my budget, like calf-length jackets or cute leather boots. And it’s nice to see people taking pride in what they wear instead of grabbing the first thing out of their closets.

Yet European style applied to Spaniards really makes no sense. European fashion is based on tall and skinny models. But Spanish women only have the skinny part going for them.

At 5 feet even, I’m almost at average height in Spain. It’s unusual to see a 5 foot 10 inch woman. But none of the clothes even in Spanish-based stores account for the height difference.

After a frustrating day of attempting to shop for pants and long-sleeved shirts in short lengths, I asked some short Spanish people where they buy their clothes.

Spaniards don’t buy petite sizes since there aren’t any – they just hem everything. Hmm, no. Hemmed jeans are just not the same.

I know at least one thing I’ve learned from European fashion is not to take it too seriously, since it doesn’t appeal too much to me here anyway. But I also realize it probably wouldn’t hurt my wardrobe to throw out a few of my tacky Goodwill shirts.

Amie Van Overmeer is a senior in journalism and mass communication from Rock Rapids.