Kiev - Post Report Question and Answers
What is the typical dress code at work and in public places? Is formal dress ever required?
Dress to impress!! Smart casual. - May 2021
It's Ukraine, people dress up, especially going out :). - Jun 2018
Go ahead and try, but you'll never be overdressed for something here. Ukrainians, especially women, put a lot of effort into getting ready every morning, and it shows. Suits at work, and cool casual clothes the rest of the time. And you can decide any event is formal and wear a ball gown - you won't be the only one. - May 2017
U.S. Embassy is typical business attire. Ukrainians tend to be less constrained by U.S. ideas of business attire, though Ukrainian women always look stylish, whether wearing a day dress or jeans. Ukrainian men often wear suits, sometimes without ties. Outside of work, Ukrainian women often dress to the nines for weekend nights out. On the other hand, at least in Kyiv, the look is getting away from club-wear, and more young hipsters dress like they're in Brooklyn, with women eschewing heels for lace-up brogues or stylish sneakers. For expats, formal wear is sometimes required for balls or galas. - Nov 2016
We only wore black tie to Marine Ball. Work dress was business attire (though Ukrainian women weren't really into pant- or skirt-suits - they tended to wear stylish dresses or blouses and skirts/pants to work. Many Ukrainian workplaces are also more casual than the U.S. Embassy so a lot of Ukrainian women even go to work in jeans).
Ukrainians dress up a bit more for errands and such than Americans would, but truly the culture is changing - in the regions, there are still heels and clubbing clothes on the sidewalks, but in Kyiv, most women walk the sidewalks in flats and wear stylish clothes that would fit in anywhere. Men wear shorts when it's hot in the summer nowadays. However, they have not adopted the American habit of running all errands in exercise gear. - Jul 2016
Similar to eastern US (I say this as someone originally from the more casual western US). There's talk about how the women wear high heels even in the winter on icy sidewalks, but I have found that to be a myth. I stand outside downtown waiting for my daughter's bus every day, and I see maybe 1 woman in 20 wearing moderately high heels. I have hardly ever seen anyone dressed up in the stereotypical clothes you hear about. You see more of that at the airport than on city streets, for some reason. That said, you will see more fur coats. People do wear jeans, though maybe less than in the US. - Nov 2015
It's Europe: people dress up. - Jun 2015
It really depends on the weather. Ukrainians also have a much different view on what is appropriate to wear both in public and at work then Americans. - Apr 2013
Business and business casual. - Apr 2013
Business at work, casual but neat outside. - Feb 2013
Ukrainians dress up. And ones who haven't had a lot of exposure to Westerners will frown on you (literally) for dressing down in public. - Jul 2012
People tend to dress up here a little more, especially the women who seem to always be in stilletos regardless of weather. - Aug 2009
Casual to conservative. - Apr 2008
Formal. More so than in the States. - Apr 2008
Work is pretty formal for us. In public, it is hard to describe. Pretend it is 1987 America, but sponsored by European labels. For Ukrainian women: 4 inch stilletos, micromini skirts, and see through blouses, D&G bag required. For Ukrainian men: tight jeans, mullet, D&G shirt, little tiny leather manpurse. - Feb 2008
