Wednesday, May 3, 2017

Three Outfits in Barcelona

The Little Magpie Three Barcelona Outfits Accessorize
Well howdy there! Today's post is a bit of a whopper and has taken me the best part of my life, I mean, bank holiday to complete so I really hope you like it! You might want to grab a cup of tea and some biscuits though because I'm really not kidding when I said it's massive. You might recall me saying in this instagram that I was in Barcelona shooting something exciting with Accessorize. Well, here we are! I've put together three looks for a city break; two daytime and one swimwear, all based around accessories. When luggage allowance is tight and you can't pack those 500 pairs of trousers you wanted to, accessories are great for creating new looks out of the limited wardrobe you do have by cleverly mixing and matching, so I always pack 'um in abundance. The whole theme of the campaign is about 'living in the moment', something I'm absolutely terrible at. Truly, truly terrible... I live buried under a cloud of thoughts. However, I do find that when I'm travelling I'm much more able to focus and be present in what's going around me; I'm so busy making sure that I take everything in - from the beautiful buildings to the weird guy playing pots and pans on the street - that I'll realise it's been a whole half an hour since I've been in my head. Another few things that help me live in the moment are a good playlist (there's nothing like some motown to block out the existential crisis trying to battle its way into your head), a good book and some comfortable shoes. 'COMFORTABLE SHOES?', I hear you ask, 'how did they slip in there?'. Think about it though, how many nights of yours have been ruined because all you could focus on was the giant blister currently forming on your heel and the baby toe that you're positive will never have any feeling again? You see? With comfortable shoes on, especially during a city break when you're doing a lot of walking, your day is so much more trouble free. Anyway, I'll come back to that point about about shoes later on in the post. That's right, we've got a bit of foreshadowing going on, people.

 Now. Let's. Get. Grooving.

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ACCESSORIZE earrings, sequin bag, espadrilles & choker necklace | H&M t-shirt | MANGO striped trousers | GAP denim jacket

Now, I'm not going to lie, I pretty much based my entire first outfit around these earrings. How good are they?? I wear my hoops all the time but I've been looking for more of a statement earring as of late and these ticked all the boxes. Obnoxiously bright? Check. Tasselled? Check. Lightweight? Check. That's right, ladies, I wore these all day without a hint of complaint from my earlobes, a rarity in the earring world. My neck doesn't like to be without a necklace, but obviously you've got to keep it simple when you've got curtain ties in your ears, so I went for this really delicate gold choker necklace which has the pink and blue detailing to tie in with the rest of the accessories. Also in the colourful family is the little sequin bag, which is so not my usual style (as I'm sure you'll know), but I absolutely love. Sequins and floral appliqué, who'd a thunk it. It's quite small but is big enough to fit in all your daytime essentials, a lipstick, a phone, a purse - I've got this wee Dalmatian print one here - and whatever else you fancy. Chewing gum in case you bump into the Spanish man of your dreams. One of the most important things in a city break for me - especially when you want to be Dora the Explorer - is a comfortable pair of shoes. Step in: the lace-up espadrilles. They've got enough of a wedge to give you height but not too much that they're uncomfortable. The only thing I'd say is make sure that they're laced up tight!

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ACCESSORIZE espadrills, striped choker (only £8!), sequin bag and round sunglasses | TOPSHOP green trousers | Bershka cropped black top

The second day look is slightly dressier so, if you were having one of those wonderful holiday days that turns into an all-nighter then you'd be good to go. The choker's one of my favourite new additions to my jewellery wardrobe; it's quite understated but makes enough of a statement that you can get away with pairing it with a minimal outfit (win), plus it has my Mum's seal of approval so I know it's a goodie. I paired it with these little round sunglasses which are an amazing dupe for the round Ray-Bans you normally see me in. I know a lot of people worry about going away with expensive sunnies in case you lose or sit on them - we've all been there, don't worry - so the fact that these ones are only £12 is the perfect solution. Aaaand I couldn't help but add the sequin clutch and espadrilles again. Sue me (don't sue me).

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ACCESSORIZE two-tone hat, sunglasses, striped bikini, headscarf and choker necklace

All photos by O.G.Photos 

My last look is, as the bikini may have hinted at, swimwear! Barcelona's got the perfect mix of city and beach life so, when you've done exploring and need a break, the sea and sand is ready and waiting. I absolutely love the colours in this one - it's hard to be sad when you're so colourfully clad - and the sequin and tassel detailing is a really nice touch to give it an extra bit of pizzaz (I don't know why I always wait until blog posts to pull words like 'pizzaz' out the bag, sorry everyone). After having my hair bleached for most of last year it's in a bit of a mess, so I've got to be mucho careful in the sun with it now. A hat or a headband is the perfect solution - we all know how much I love a headband - so I decided to show you it styled with both. The hat's made of a woven material but is in black and grey, a welcome change to the usual, well, straw-coloured straw ones. The headscarves come in a variety of colours and prints, but this particular one is striped and multi-coloured to go with the bikini. 

And there we go, three looks for a city break all based round some pretty wonderful Accessories. Accessorize has been one of my holiday go-tos since a very young age when my Mam would take me in to pick up some fun wee bits for me and a beach bag and sarong for herself so it was a bit surreal to be working with them on this. I still stand by them being one of the best places to holiday shop so, be it swimwear or sunglasses you're after, make sure and give them a browse as you very well might find you come across everything you're after.

Amy

Post in collaboration with the makers of amazing sequin bags and jewellery that makes your heart beat harder, Accessorize