VAIN Blog

My challenge for myself while in Spain was to take pictures of PEOPLE and STYLE, little glimpses of what we create at VAIN – but found around the globe.

[Hair + Beauty Salon]

Once there, however, I wasn’t sure how my appreciation would translate. My Spanish is rusty enough that I felt like I’d just come across as a creepy American with odd intentions. There was one girl with bright red panels underneath her long dark hair who I nearly chased after, Canon in hand, through an open air market. I couldn’t make it to her in time, however, nor would I have known what to say. But that little lady was one of only TWO vibrant colors I saw during my two week stay there.

It should be noted that we were primarily traveling in slightly smaller towns along the south of Spain; maybe the conservative tones were shaped by geography. Indeed, the only other time I saw color was not in Sevilla or Granada but as we traveled through the airport in Madrid – a Burgandy Wine bob that stood out from across the waiting area.

It seemed that the bold color statements were left to attire, and displayed there with flair. Bright green t-shirts with matching neon sneakers. Red socks, red shirt, red accents on eyewear, all at once. Floral sundresses on women of all ages, and every color in the rainbow pouring out of stores with local wares.

One of my favorite sights was a Sunday drive past a group of women on their way to church. Even in the almost 100 degrees weather they looked crisp, cool, put together. Small purses in hand, and a helmet of curls helped by uncertain amounts of hairspray. They evoked an era that is, for me + my life here in Seattle, foreign but picturesque.

The idea of those conservative ladies vs. neon green Nikes seems like a reflection of what I saw in the country itself – a lot of history but with bold statements of modern life, the old and the new balancing in a way that shouldn’t be congruent but nonetheless was. Special Effects colors can’t be far behind.

[Like the VAIN wall, a world away]

xo,

Sarah Jo