I did find that in southern Spain (Seville, Granada, Cordoba, Malaga, Alahambra), the people didn't dress as nicely as in Italy. I suspect it's different in northern Spain, though, and Seville was pretty "urban" and cool in terms of dress, despite the horribly hot climate. I haven't been to France, but I've been in Siena and Florence and I loved the way everyone dressed there. Same as in Prague, very urban chic. Germany and Austria were a little more like the US, though, although not so many slobs . And I found people in London to be very fashionable.
When I went to Italy in 2004, I first saw women wearing pashima scarves; even when it got hot out, they had them on. The next year, when I got to Prague, it was freezing before our bike trip started and I bought 2 just to keep warm, but also to fit in.
We went to Italy to visit our oldest son, who studied in Siena for a semester. When we got there, we phoned him and were walking toward him on a crowded street. We both walked by him, as he approached us, as he looked totally Italian after just 3 months. It made him a much better dresser and it has stuck!