españa

Having lived in Spain for 5 months during my year abroad at uni, I was incredibly excited to be going back, albeit just for a few days and to a place I'd never been before. I used to live in Barcelona, and during my time there travelled around Andalucía - Seville, Córdoba, Granada, Cádiz, Ronda, Gibraltar - but had never visited Madrid.

And it didn't disappoint! I'm now even more keen to move out there, especially in a couple of months when the weather's nicer and I'll have saved up enough money to set me up for a while.

What I had forgotten about Spain, after coming back to the UK, was that European high street fashion is bloody brilliant and cheap. Yes, you've got your H&M and Zara stores, that have slightly different collections at usually a cheaper retail price - when factoring in the £ to € exchange rates - but it's sooooo much more than that. Me and my two British flatmates in Barcelona, and incidentally very close friends, Lucy and Lola, would spend a large portion of our time dipping in and out of fashion outlets on our way to university or the beach or just about anywhere, and had to exercise great will to not blow our entire Erasmus grants on the seemingly neverending sales.

Where I was staying in Madrid was incredibly central - just off Gran Vía, the main street running through Madrid city centre - and consequently in the milieu of Spain's finest high street offering. A couple of our favourites during our time in BCN were to be found a stone's throw away from my hotel; Stradivarius and Bershka. As far as I'm aware, Stradivarius does not have a physical presence on the UK high street, whereas Bershka does have stores in London and potentially elsewhere across the country, (but definitely not in Shrewsbury). Luckily both of these stores have the potential for online shopping, where I compiled my mini edits of the items I wanted to purchase soooo badly but knew I wouldn't be able to a) afford nor b) bring home in my hand luggage.

Stradivarius was by far my favourite store during my stay in Madrid. I love this nylon cosmetics bag for 7,99 € - available in 4 different colours - that I would definitely use as a cute clutch bag. I'm kicking myself for not buying one, as well as this gorgeous baby blue necklace for 9,99 €, as I have yet to find one even remotely similar in the UK. I do enjoy a spot of online shopping from time to time, though...

Apart from pretty pastel accessories, I loved their mix of grungey pieces like this lace and jersey skirt and gothic crop bodice, and cutesy girlie pieces like heart-printed shirts and mini skorts. All in all, I was extremely impressed, and left with the desire to relocate immediately.

Bershka left me with a similar feeling after coming across this gorgeous glittery red clutch bag. Being a massive Lulu Guinness fan, frequently coveting her lip-shaped clutch bags (but knowing full well that a small fortune would have to come my way to justify spending £250 on a clutch bag), my heart a-skipped several beats upon coming across Bershka's 20€ version. Although admittedly not sharing the same quality as a Lulu Guinness, it is an absolute bargain and would be a dream accessory for a night out.

PVC mini skirts, lip-printed tees and reversible skinny jeans (yes, you read correctly) have been added to my wishlist, and filled me with the fear that I may quickly become poor but disgustingy well-dressed when I move to Madrid.

Obviously I did more during my stay than peruse the many fashion outlets of Madrid...but I had to do so with minimal outfits due to fear of having too large a hand luggage (I had a slightly traumatising incident in a French airport with a bulging suitcase trying to pass off as easyjet regulation size hang luggage, and ever since I've been scarred). So this is all I could fit in my rucksack! I'm very much used to the concept of a capsule wardrobe, having to fit my entire life into a few cases during my year abroad, so just having a few of my favourite key pieces to play with reminded me of my time in Montpellier, and it was quite familiar and nice.

1. Striped crop top: River Island . 2. Floral pinafore dress: H&M . 3. Roll neck crop top: New Look . 4. Cropped jumper: Primark . 5. Peter Pan collar shirt: H&M . 6. Crushed velvet leggings: Charity shop . 7. Platform boots: Topshop . 8. Aztec print midi skirt: New Look . 9. Puma sneakers: Office

Obligatory frilly socks and Laura Ashley mac gave me a good few outfits to mix and match during my stay, although rather naively I did not anticipate Spain to be cold and rainy, so perhaps a few more layers would have been prudent. Nevertheless, it was a fruitful trip, not only allowing me to fall back in love with the Spanish high street, but also giving me an insight into my new life living abroad. I'm probably going to spend my remaining time and money at home in Shrewsbury on Spanish online stores, starting with a Lulu Guinness knock-off and a nylon cosmetics-come-clutch bag. So while I waste spend my time here, hasta luego.
eleanorrosemary x