Viva España!

Years ago, when we were planning our wedding, we wanted to weave all the different cultural and personal elements that made us who we are into our special day in some way. Many of you might already know that my husband is half-Spanish, so while I was searching for things that had a Spanish connection, I became enamored with flamenco fashion. I was determined that I had to get a couture flamenco dress from Seville for the wedding, and I still treasure it.

Our wedding was also the first time we did a shoot in medium format film. During our honeymoon, we had some digital photoshoots, but it wasn’t until I saw the dreaminess of Fujifilm Pro400H that I knew there was no going back for me.

I started taking the idea of travel photoshoots more seriously, and would start collecting dresses, accessories, and shoes for locations that I knew I wanted to travel to (but not knowing when I would go). Sometimes I’d be rushing to get things together for a hastily planned trip, but other times I might have the pieces for a couple of years before they got to have their day in the sunlight.

It didn’t worry me if it took a lot of time because that gave me more chances to find unique pieces to perfect the look I want. I believe everything happens for a reason, and the reason will come at the right time and place.

Obviously, with his Spanish heritage, we knew that one day we would visit Spain and do a session (or more) there. It might seem crazy but, even though I’ve been planning for this for 5 years, our decision to travel to Spain (especially during the pandemic) came very suddenly.

Even so, I could say confidently that I was ready and we were going to do it, come what may!

Although my first love of Spanish fashion lies with flamenco, a style that drove me to the point of obsession with beautiful skirts that take their inspiration from inverted carnations and are equally varied in color and style, his family is from Madrid and the local traditional dress is not very flattering. However, as the capital city of Spain, it has for centuries been a vibrant market city gathering things from across Spain, its former territories in the Americas, and across Europe and presenting the best of them in the many shops across the city for its citizens to keep up with the latest trends that appeal to them. That is the true spirit of the city and the essence that I wanted to express in my outfit.

Shortly before our wedding, Dolce & Gabbana produced a flamenco-inspired collection and there were so many pieces that I loved, even the hairstyles and makeup from the runway show (which I would later use as inspiration in my shoot).

Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to acquire any of the dresses and only managed to get hold of a pair of shoes from that collection.

Later, I found a dress by ALEXIS embroidered with carnations (the national flower of Spain) in a very similar way to the D&G collection, and although it lacks the obvious ruffles and layers of a flamenco dress, it has a somewhat similar form and the lace bands seem to be inspired by the lace trim that is often used between the layers of ruffles on a flamenco dress.

But years passed, and along with the dress I’d bought for our wedding I also had bought a red bolero jacket from the same designer ( Jose Cañavate @canavatemoda ) but never had a chance to use it. Something about it captured my eye back then and I had to have it. “Now or never,” I thought and so I decided to add it to the ensemble.

Only now that I’ve been to Spain I can see that the “puffy shoulders” and cape around the back might be a subtle nod to the capote de brega, the brightly colored cape used in the early stages of a bullfight whose colors represent good fortune and nobility.

Through the years, I’d collected various carnation-shaped earrings from Oscar de la Renta that I planned to wear with my outfit. On the eve of our travels, as I was testing out the whole look, my husband threw me a curveball. In my collection, I had recently purchased a pair of Moschino earrings that are hoops shaped with little bear ears ( one of Moschino’s iconic designs under Jeremy Scott ).

These, my husband told me, were not only reminiscent of the large hooped earrings that the gypsies who created flamenco wore, but also happened to incorporate a significant icon of Madrid; “el Oso y el Madroño” - the bear and the strawberry tree.

Clearly, providence intended for me to switch these into my outfit.

If you’ve visited or seen photos of the Ferias in Seville and other cities around Spain, you’ll have noticed the extraordinary variety in hats across Spain. I love hats, although I have convinced myself that they don’t suit me. There was one particular style of Spanish hat that I had seen, but not been able to identify, that I thought would elevate my outfit and give it a “runway” look. Luckily, hubby was able to identify it and, even though the hat has its origins in the south of Spain near the Portuguese border, we found a traditional hat shop in the Plaza Mayor in Madrid that sold them. When we arrived in Madrid, we were able to walk in and get one in the perfect color and size and so my outfit was complete!

📸🎞️ @kobruseva_photography ⚡️

HMU @fini.rico.mkp @ladylucksboutique

Dress @shopalexis

Hat @lafavoritacb

Shoes @dolcegabbana

Earrings @moschino

Glass Ring: @valeriaflorescano

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• #filmphotography #couplephotos #madrid #travelphotography #spain