Tripping the Light Fantastic

photo the style bar 2011

Transeasonal travel is a peculiar animal. One the one hand you still need some kind of jacket, scarf and covered shoes to keep your extremities warm – but not too warm – but on the other you don’t want to find yourself sweltering in jumpers by day or shivering in sundresses by night.

When travel is added to the mix that’s when it really gets interesting. You can’t just throw in a few extra ‘in-case-of-emergency’ items because you simply don’t have the space, but at the same time you don’t want to rely on good weather to get by with a few light tops & the famous – yet highly optimistic – sundress & strappy sandals combination. After all, when the sun goes down you want to be shivering with delight at the company & surrounds, not because you haven’t brought enough to wear.

So as I strolled the European high streets recently (with enough buds on trees and sea air wafting by on the breeze to lull one into a completely false sense of spring security), I was quite pleased to see that my picks for spring started to form themselves quite nicely into exactly the sort of smart, stylish, practical yet fun capsule wardrobe that would be perfect for a weekend away.

photo the style bar 2012

Herewith my choices for the perfect spring overnight bag:

1. BRIGHTLY COLOURED AMERICANO – no, not a long black coffee (although that is actually what it’s called in Spain!) but Spanish fashion-speak for a single-breasted blazer. This old favourite has made a comeback this year in fun, look-at-me colours like red, turquoise, fuschia pink, white – even spots and pin-striped! Okay, and the ubiquitous black or navy for the colour or pattern-shy…

Travel-worthy because: A smart option for in-between temperatures and equally at home by day or night. And because it’s not bulky you can take it on and off with ease as the need dictates – stick it into your overhead locker en route to your destination or pop it on if it gets cool in the car/train/cabin. Then, once at your destination, you can sling it over your arm or the back of your chair as you walk around or enjoy an alfresco lunch, or pop it over your shoulders when you feel a chill in the air…

2. WEDGES – of course no wishlist of mine would be complete without a pair of new season wedges! But they are well and truly with us for the long-haul, and there are tons of options about in everything from pastel suedes to primary patents. For me, I am going for a raffia-trimmed slingback  in colour-blocked cream, navy and orangey-red.

Travel-worthy because: Totally comfortable, easy to slip on and off, and perfect for an afternoon spent walking about on cobblestoned streets or for strolling along the beachfront at sunset…

3. SOMETHING SPOTTY, FLORAL or STRIPED – to add some pop to your weekend outfit that will work for day or night, go for big or small polka-dots in a blouse, a striped tee or floral dress. Whatever works for your style and shape and colouring – but make it colourful!

Travel-worthy because: you are only away for a day or two so won’t get sick of something with a pattern, and this smartens up a plain blazer/pant or skirt combo nicely whilst boosting the spirits at the same time…

4. PENCIL SKIRT – Mad Men is back & these sexy babies from winter have luckily not gone away. Great for just about any shape, by day they work really well with flats or wedges, and at night you simply swap the more casual shoe option for a pair of pumps or high-heeled boots – smart and stylish!

Travel-worthy because: very smart & figure-flattering and the perfect ‘what-the-hell’ item – & just because you are away from home doesn’t mean you have to be sensible or casual! And surprisingly easy to mix & match…

5. METALLIC BANDOLERA – this is simply Spanish for a small shoulder bag with a strap that fits across your body. The new season metallics, python and croc prints and studded leather mean there is something out there for just about every taste and budget.

Travel-worthy because: not only stylish and compact but pretty much mugger-proof! And leaves your hands free for almost any short-break activity eg. rummaging through market stalls, balancing a drink and some cheese in each hand in a local bar or whilst wine-tasting, or should you decide to hit the dance floor at night!!

photo the style bar 2012

So there you have it – the perfect transeasonal travel capsule wardrobe. Add to this a few trusty basics – a plain tee, a singlet top, your favourite pair of jeans (coloured denim is HUGE this season too!) or denim skirt, a pair of ballet flats or lace-up sneakers (Bensimon-style) & a trusty scarf et voila!!! – baggage handler proof! Will all fit into carry-on or on your person or into the boot of the car…

Happy (travel) styling!

Rubi

A Fork in the Road

Restaurant Barcelona

Attending the recent Sydney Writer’s Festival one evening last month, I spent an entertaining hour in the company of food industry heavies A.A. Gill, Anthony Bourdain, and Tony Bilson, as they talked all things food and travel.

Their round table repartée included the revelation of a constant temptation to simply tell the chef to ‘just fuqing stop!’ upon finding themselves full, exhausted, and ready to give up halfway through a degustation meal; and the question of whether or not one is still obliged to pair a cracking lobster dish with a cheeky white burgundy (for the record: no one gives a toss anymore, you can pretty much drink what you like).

Whilst listening to their witty, expansive, oft’ times cynical, and almost always inflammatory opinions on food and travel, I got to thinking about some of the things I enjoy most about my own Spanish food travels, and the fond memories that go with it.

(And this is by no means an exhaustive list – these are just the photos I happened to have closest to hand – so there could easily be another instalment to come…)

Markets near Figuerola

Let’s just get right down to the ‘meat’ of it – what the Spanish don’t know about sausage either isn’t worth knowing or they’ve left to the French to perfect for themselves. In Cataluña, it’s got to be butifarra, plain for the purists or flavoured with ingredients like foie, onions or nuts for that extra ‘Mmm’ factor…

I visited the above market on an Easter Weekend spent in the Catalan countryside, that included a sublime meal of wild pig with artichokes & potatoes, all baked in the oven until golden brown and falling apart at the slightest sideways glance…

Jamon Sevilla

Still on the subject of meat (no, not many vegetarians in southern Europe), if you fancy jamón – go Ibérico, and go de Bellota – my favourite, infused with subtle hazelnut flavours. This was taken in a bar located somewhere in the backstreets of Sevilla’s barrio of Santa Cruz, on a night off from seeing flamenco shows at the 2006 Biennale. Or perhaps we were on our way to one or coming back – at times it was simply a wonderful blur…

El Rinconcillo Sevilla

This is one of my regular Sevillian dinner haunts ‘El Rinconcillo’, where when you eat standing up at the bar (is there any other way?) you have the perfect view straight across the bar of the guy whose only job it is to slice the jamón, all night, wafer-thin for the salivating clientes…

Summer Sailing Costa Brava

No summer in Barcelona would be complete without a lazy afternoon sail on the Med up to the nearby Costa Brava. After a lunch of homemade bocadillos crammed full with fresh tomatoes, cheese or jamon, and finished with a crunchy apple, you to hop off, take a late afternoon dip and hit the showers.

Apples & Tomatoes in the Gemini Galley

Refreshed and ravenous in that certain way that only being near the ocean (or in the snowfields) can bring, you retire to a local mate’s holiday flat to enjoy some chilled and refreshing blanc pescador - lightly carbonated white wine – and lashings of lovingly homemade fare…

Adrian's Paella in Blanes

I love these crustaceans called cigalas – like yabbies or mini Balmain Bugs, super sweet and juicy! Which reminds me of a plate of them I had in Salobreña on a day trip to the beach on the Costa Tropical outside Granada: hot off the grill, doused in lemon juice, and washed down with a very chilled cerveza…

Chocolateria El Born

The Spanish, like their neighbours the French, are obsessed with chocolate. So much so that they even put it in their cereal and sell it already mixed through so they can start the day with it – something I’ve been dying to try but can’t bring myself to do just yet…

Chocolate Museum Barcelona

Following a close second to chocolate are cakes and sweeties. Every feast day or holiday – religious or otherwise – has its own special pastel or dulce that goes with it, which people buy and take with them as they go visiting family and friends to celebrate the fiesta in question.

Pasteleria Eixample

I must have taken this photo close to the Catalan national holiday, as you can see the cakes on the right are decorated to look like the red & yellow stripes of the Catalan flag…

Vino y Agua Sevilla

The essentials in life. Need I say more? Just add a hot afternoon in Sevilla and some montaditos – mini toasted sandwiches with delicious fillings such as cured goat’s cheese, manchego, jamon or anchovies & caramelised onions…

Jerez Sherry

Which brings us to the Sherry of Jerez. Sweet & crisp, lightly carbonated, and just the thing to whet the palate before your meal – best enjoyed with a few green olives of course…

Cafe Passeig de Gracia Barcelona

Spain makes the best cup of Joe the world has to offer as far as this humble coffee drinker is concerned. I even stray from my usual black espresso every few months just to indulge in the famous café con leche, made with hot – but not frothy – full cream milk.  Never so tart or bitter that I have to call for a glass of water to go with it, or so weak I have to have three in a row just to get a hit of flavour, Spanish coffee is always hot, smooth and hecho con amor…

Cafe con hielo Barcelona

A superb and essential variation on the coffee theme, café con hielo is simply coffee with a couple of ice cubes tossed in to cool it down. Best enjoyed outdoors in summer when the temperatures soar…

Cafe Culture Gracia

In the small and decidedly groovy barrio that is Grácia in Barcelona, café culture is alive and well at all hours of the day and night. Not that it isn’t the same deal in any other part of town, it’s just that here, the clientele are all somehow younger, cooler, more relaxed, and with that really local feel that you don’t always find in other, more hurried and tourist-driven neighbourhoods.

Restaurant El Born Barcelona

All over Barcelona you will find bright, airy, sun-filled cafes and restaurants like this one, where you can spend hours over casual meals, conversations with amigos, or immersed in a good book – or, of course, as an electric, atmosphere-charged venue in which to watch all-important football matches.

You can imagine that every bar in the country was packed to the rafters the night Spain won the World Cup final in 2010 – I was in a small English pub behind the Parc de la Ciutadella on the finals night, but I watched other matches in bars all over town that ranged from my favourite cocktail & burger joint, Betty Ford’s (for the Aussie matches!) to a packed out chiringuito on the beach…

Chiringuito Costa Brava

As A.A. Gill so passionately – and rightly – asserted towards the end of the conversation, “Food is everything. It’s all encompassing, it’s the identity of everywhere you go; to know what a culture is like – just eat the food.”

Barcelona skyline from Parc Guell

Amen – and Olé – to that.

Happy food-inspired travels!

Rubi

Catalonian Summer Sunset

Barcelona’s The Brandery Winter Edition – January 2011

photo the style bar 2011

Say it anyway you like, it was still a trek to make on a chilly winter’s day…

photo the style bar 2011

I think the imposing surrounds made the giant designer Coca-Cola bottles seem far less surreal…

photo the style bar 2011

Once inside, fashion business as usual…

photo the style bar 2011

photo the style bar 2011

Ahh, the shoe trends – always my favourite:

photo the style bar 2011

(note the YSL pony-maned pumps I have been coveting for ages & was so lucky to see up close in Colette at Xmas!!)

photo the style bar 2011

You can see how it was so easy to get distracted by the sideline activities and forget all about the clothes…

photo the style bar 2011

photo the style bar 2011

Paul Smith speaking perfectly to my stripe (and purple!) obsession…

photo the style bar 2011

Then again, so was Jordi Labanda…

photo the style bar 2011

and clearly even the event fitout designers! I can feel a Purple Rain revival coming on…

photo the style bar 2011

photo the style bar 2011

Or maybe just colour  – but that’s always a good thing!

photo the style bar 2011

No, definitely stripes AND colour…

photo the style bar 2011

As you can imagine, by the end of the day I was in a colourful stripe style heaven! Worth braving the cold for, but I must say I am looking forward to heading back for the summer edition for those mist-spraying fans & the outdoor gin palace – must get my striped outfit ready to roll…

photo the style bar 2011

Sleeping in the Snow

photo the style bar 2010

I must say that the Spanish do a very good job of sleepwear.

Good variety, good value and pretty good quality as well. Most of the big brands have branched out into outerwear as well in the past few seasons, so you can pick up anything from lacy lingerie and dresses to cardigans and bedsocks, all good enough to step out onto the street in if the mood should take you.

photo the style bar 2010

And, given the current trend that has been blurring the lines between inside and outside wear even more than usual, you can have some fun blurring the lines between your day and your night attire too!

Happy (sleepwear) styling!

Rubi

“I Want Lanvin … not Flowers.”

photo the style bar 2010

Wow. Were you there? Did you get your Lanvin and did you get it now? Or did you blink and miss out? Gawd, I think just having gotten your hands on a carry bag will be enough to say you were part of the phenomenon…

Of course I knew the Lanvin ♥ H&M collection launch was going to be the biggest collaboration yet – the hype was huge, the excitement palpable, and the video trailers and teasers in the lead up just fabulous - but even I was surprised at the turnout on the day.

After all, if past collaborations from this year were anything to go by: Matthew Williamson, Sonia Rykiel, Jimmy Choo; there is always lots of interest and some wearable pieces to be had at great prices – but I usually pop in on the evening of the launch or a day or two afterwards and find plenty of stock remaining and a crush-free shopping experience.

But oh boy, was it different this time! Doing a recon past the Barcelona Passeig de Gracia store at around 4pm on the day of the launch, I was somewhat surprised to see security guards and queues inside the store. I had already arranged to meet a friend who was leaving town for coffee and an exchange of keys, and so I decided to pop back and have a look later.

OH LA LA!! And so it was that I nearly missed out altogether, for when I returned just an hour later the lines were gone and the scant remaining stock being packed up –  a 90% sell through was my professional estimate.

There was a lot more menswear left upstairs but that is not uncommon, but as everything is very well made - and not to mention just gorgeous - I do hope the boys catch on and spread the word about the goldmine of French tailoring waiting for them in a most unlikely place.

Luckily I had calmly prepared myself the evening before, perusing the catalogue on Vogue.com, and all I wanted was one of the chunky collar necklaces or earrings, which I thought quite Spain-inspired, and thankfully more affordable at €39.95.

image via www.focusonstyle.com

All I can say is that the fashion gods must have been on my side, for amongst the ruins – and inside the last box I opened!! – was my coveted piece. By now of course it had become even more must-have and lust-worthy simply by virtue of the fact that it was the only one left and about to be snapped up by someone else if I did not act fast!! Ah, the power of fashion hysteria – it gets us all in the end.

photo the style bar 2010

If you missed out on the clothes but want something perhaps a bit more lasting, check out the auction of Alber Elbaz’s sketches at http://www.lanvinforhm.com/. All proceeds are going to UNICEF, and just think: apart from the worthy cause and a fabulous sketch from a fashion maestro, there will be next to no chance of you running into anyone wearing the same sketch at this year’s Christmas party…

Come to think of it though, that was actually part of the fun of the publicity…

Happy Lanvin ♥ H&M-ing!!

Rubi