I’m writing this blog post on my lunchbreak and dreaming of being back in Barcelona, not just because Barcelona is awesome but because today it’s just absolutely freezing (I’m such a drama queen when it comes to weather). Luckily, this rainy Monday in London is just an anomaly (for now) and temperatures should be rising again in time for the bank holiday weekend – hoorah! Ok, weather report over, let’s chat about this look.
I bought these white Levi’s 501 jeans in a vintage shop in Montreal last spring, after years of searching for the perfect pair of white jeans. However, as Montreal’s spring lasted all of about two weeks, my white jeans didn’t get much air time last year, except for a blog post when I discussed the highs and lows of wearing white jeans. So, with a forecast of wall to wall sunshine and not too hot temperatures of 20 degrees, I thought a day strolling around Barcelona was the perfect time to get my white jeans out.
I kept the styling pretty simple and opted for a t-shirt and Converse to complete the look. Always wanting (and needing) to add some colour to my looks, I went for this 70s red and white striped tee that I picked up at in a recent vintage kilo sale haul. I just love its boat neckline, slim fit and the embroidery on the chest – which I’m guessing reads ‘mary’ but I could be wrong. Being still into the ever-popular colour combination of last summer – red and pink – I chose to add more colour with my pink Converse, wearing them with an exaggerated turned up hem. I finished off the look with my favourite Ray Ban round metal sunglasses, which I actually bought in Barcelona a couple of years ago. If you’re ever in Barcelona and fancy a new pair of Ray Bans, head to Optica Universitaria for amazing discounts on classic styles (not spon, just a fab tip!).
This is what I wore on our first day in Barcelona, exploring all of our old haunts, favourite streets and walking until our feet hurt (30k steps and new Converse made me a very footsore tourist). Parc de la Ciutadella has always been one of our favourite spots in Barcelona, we were lucky enough to live so close to this vibrant city park when we lived there, and this is where we shot this look. Not wanting to take my big Nikon DSLR, my film camera and my little Olympus Pen away with me to Barcelona (I have been known to do this on many trips), I decided to drop the DSLR and just shoot on film all weekend (with the exception of Instagram pics on my Olympus Pen).
I have been shooting film for years and years. I studied photography at A-level, where I learnt to develop my own film and since then it has been a great way of documenting the four years Lewis and I spent living abroad. However, since moving to London I have not been as inspired, although let’s be honest, the weather probably doesn’t help. Being back in sunny and colourful Barcelona gave me a fresh batch of inspiration and I really enjoyed shooting little bits of the city on film.
One thing I have not done much of is shooting outfits on film. It is something that I tried a few years ago on a dull day in Bristol but I didn’t stick at it. The problem with film is it’s a commitment and I don’t always know that I'll finish the roll on time to get it developed and ready to publish a blog post the next week. I often shoot just one outfit at the weekend so it’s always easier to just go digital. However, I definitely want to shoot more outfits on film. These ones didn’t come out quite as I had hoped – I don’t know why they are quite dark as it was such a bright and sunny day - but they do have a certain charm to them. Anyway, it’s a learning curve and I think Lewis, who takes my photos, actually preferred shooting on film because everything is much more considered. Now I just need to persuade him to shoot more than one look per weekend – or find some other creatives to collaborate with - get in touch! X
