Every year, I go to Spain with my family for a month, and every year, I make the same mistake. I pack elaborate outfits complete with sexy sequined tops, impractical kitten heels, and small vintage bags that barely hold my phone. They're great for when I really want to put on a 'fit that feels as carefree as the season, but on a long trip, there are always a couple of lazy moments where all I want to do is throw on a simple slip dress and comfortable flip-flops and be done with it. Every year, I struggle to pack with those casual days in mind, and I regret it every time.
This year was no different. If anything, I actually packed even more formal outfits than normal because I spent some time in Madrid for the first time in years before heading down south to the beach town of Cádiz. I had seen much about the fashionable women in the Spanish capital from one of my favorite street style accounts, @madrileniansinmadrid, but while I was in the city, I learned that there was still a simplicity and ease in the way that chic and trendy women put together outfits I had yet to grasp and master.
Something that intrigued me was the way women would style simple sweatshirts, a classic basic I often associate with uninspired American outfits. I never wear a sweatshirt unless I throw one over my workout outfit! In Madrid, however, women everywhere made me reconsider the overlooked essential.
They wore them with ruffled skirts, vintage jeans, and designer bags. They wore them with everything but athleisure, which is normally what I would associate with the wardrobe basic. It does, though, feel very Spanish to throw on something so simple and still give it flair without much thought.
While it was hot in Madrid, I did find myself a little colder at night once the heat subsided, and when that happened, I started really craving something simple to layer on top of my thought-out summer 'fits. Of course, a sweatshirt came to mind almost instantly.
In the most Spanish twist of fate, I walked into my hotel, the newly opened Brach Madrid, and realized that its merch was actually a recent collaboration with Lacoste, a limited-edition capsule that was first launched for the French Open. The crewneck is also available at the Brach Paris location, but of course, it'll always remind me of my time in Madrid.
Me in my new favorite sweatshirt and piece of hotel merch ever: a Brach x Lacoste crewneck
I decided to channel the Spanish women around me and pair it with a flirty vintage Roberto Cavalli skirt. It kept the look feeling just elevated enough but with the kind of casualness I typically don't prepare for. This is a look I would never normally pack, but I will be packing it for the foreseeable future. Ironically, it only took me traveling across the ocean to Spain to realize a good sweatshirt is an essential for a reason.
A selfie in my favorite sweatshirt in my favorite hotel bathroom.
Perhaps the best detail is that the sweatshirt isn't just any sweatshirt. It's a piece of merch from one of my favorite hotels I've ever stayed at. It's a way to take my vacation back home with me. It'll remind me of my travels when I'm wearing this while binge-watching television on my couch. It'll also come with me on every vacation from here on out for when I'm craving the kind of easy comfort that comes from a night in at home. I'd like to think I'll always style it in a way that'll make the women of Madrid proud.
Below, shop more sweatshirts to channel the casual, Madrid-approved look.
