The same sneaker gets into every club in Berlin and into none in Marbella. Dress codes are not rules but language, and every city speaks a different one.
There is no European dress code, there are twelve. Berlin punishes effort, Marbella rewards it. Zurich expects a jacket, Cologne expects nothing. Speak the language of the city and you get in and feel right.
Smart casual
The most common dress code and the vaguest. It means: no sportswear, no shorts, no flip-flops, but jeans or chinos, shirt or blouse, leather shoes or clean sneakers. The right choice in hotel bars and rooftops.
Elegant
Jacket, dress, closed shoes. In clubs such as La Suite in Marbella, P1 in Munich or Kaufleuten in Zurich the door decides by it. Sneakers are a risk here, even expensive ones.
All white
The beach club code from Nikki Beach to Purobeach: white clothes, light, linen, sunglasses. Compulsory at white parties, on normal days a sign that you know where you are.
Berlin
Black, functional, comfortable. Sneakers, cargo, T-shirt. Go to Berghain in a suit and you look like someone who does not want to stay. The rule applies to all Berlin clubs and most bars.
The suitcase for twelve cities
Dark jeans, a white shirt or blouse, a dark jacket or a leather jacket, clean white sneakers, a pair of leather shoes, something white for the beach club, black for Berlin. With that you get in everywhere, except where you did not want to go anyway.
Frequently asked questions
What does smart casual mean?
No sportswear, no shorts, no flip-flops. Jeans or chinos with a shirt or blouse, clean shoes.
Can you get into clubs in sneakers?
In Berlin, Cologne and Hamburg yes; in Marbella, Munich (P1) and Zurich (Kaufleuten) often not.
