Barcelona & I

The Barcelona scenes are a dreamscape full of palm trees and romantic historical buildings that make one want to sport a C16th gown and hood.. or maybe that's just me. Specifically when a fella on a spanish guitar is singing a beautiful ballad whilst you're in the midst of the gothic quarter. I can happily say I have fallen in love with the city and five days just wasn't long enough to explore and have a full blown summer affair with the place. 

Evenings were particularly wonderful spent at The Placa Reial Square in the heart of La Rambla sipping cocktails at Ocana and then dinner at Rossini for great Italian/Spanish food. Perfect. Days were spent with cultural visits; that way we could escape back to the hotel rooftop pool by late afternoon with our new poolside favourite beer, Damm Lemon. I miss it already...

                        

       

             

Barca Planning..

In a few days time I will be headed for Barcelona, the heart of Catalonia in Spain. Loved by Gaudi, Hemingway & Dali to name only a select few. Culture and history is plenty in this city which is one reason why I & two girl friends decided to initiate this adventure. 

The Gothic Quarter or Barri Gotic is one place where our infatuation with medieval design can come into existence. I am however equally anticipating the modernism of Gaudi's architecture with Park Guell and most famously (and still not finished) La Sagrada Familia. 

With the beach and stunning side street cafes, Barcelona is a city of epic proportion. I came across Herb Lester in Haper's Bazaar. The publisher offers beautifully illustrated quirky guides for a reasonable price. If you're a lover of design & embarking on a trip check the site out. The Barcelona guide of which, is full of bars that Hemingway used to frequent. 

What to take with you for up to a week can be stressful but I think I have packing light perfected. An assortment of plain light tshirts in various neutral colours (white, black, grey), the ever faithful Birkenstocks along with a great camera, those timeless Ray-Bans and a bag big enough for all one's sightseeing needs, my choice; a Fjallraven Kanken. Beauty wise; SPF lip balm is your friend, I like Korres. The best eyeliner I have found with a record of no smudging whatever the climate is Mac's LiquidLast. Lastly, a perfect summer fragrance whatever your style. I choose Dolce & Gabbana's Pour Femme for its sensual yet light aroma for a classy, beautiful city. See you when I return..

Pastel Love x SS14

Catwalk trends for this summer have captivated my heart from the artists' painted strokes at Chanel & Celine
 

to the scientifically feminine florals at Christopher Kane.

 

But one thing remained uninterrupted at fashion month: pastel shades.
Even Dolce & Gabbana broke up their uniform of gold, red & black to bring the lighter shade of sicilian lemon to the show. You can forget that pastel was only used for the most feminine of silhouettes but was married to the most masculine of outerwear from the suede short sleeved jacket at Vionnet to the cashmere knit coats at Burberry. Even the tomboyish skater dress at Marc by Marc Jacobs was given this most desired pleasure.

All photographs © vogue.co.uk