Barcelona style

Ok, so here are the style photos I took while we were in Barcelona, mostly during the circus in the park. Let me just say, first of all, that it's really difficult to take photos of people without a) getting glared at suspiciously, and b) looking and feeling like a freak. I saw so many great outfits that I wasn't able to photograph, either because I didn't have time before they passed by or because I wasn't comfortable photographing them. Maybe if I was better able to speak Spanish I could have asked permission.

So here's my take on Barcelona style: it's so individual and fun! It's also very sporty, colorful, and a little bit gritty. By gritty I mean that people there don't seem so focused on new and bright and shiny as we often are in the U.S.; clothing sometimes looks worn and older - not dirty or torn or anything, but not new either. I grew up mostly in the midwest, and after living in NYC for 14+ years I've noticed that you can always spot the midwestern and southern visitors here because they're wearing new "outfits" with pieces that coordinate and match and look brand new (ok, they're also often wearing shorts and white sneakers, but that's not style - that's misguided comfort). I like Barcelona style because it's not straight from the store; the wearer has assembled the items him/herself from pieces that are old and new.

I saw lots of cargo pants, fun t-shirts (more on t-shirts later - my souvenirs from our trip are two t-shirts that felt very Barcelona-like to me), skirt and dresses over pants, and unusual and sophisiticated color combinations.

I've added comments to the photos: if you hold your mouse over a photo the comments will pop up in a box. I'm not sure my photos really express what I saw, but I hope you'll enjoy them anyway.