Country Costumes: Spain (Lia)

Kay and I felt it would only be right for us to both create our own looks for Spain, as they are defending champions of the Euros. Although the fans that are lucky enough to attend the matches in person will be having the times of their lives and have beer coursing through their veins, I will most likely be streaming the matches silently during my Organizational Behaviour and Management lecture, trying to pretend I'm paying attention to the course.

Like Kay, I still remember the heartbreak of the World Cup final like it was yesterday, although I was watching from my living room instead of the stadium. I still remember crying at Gio van Bronckhorst's substitution, and of course again at the final whistle. But most importantly, I remember the hurt etched across the face of each and every Dutch player, reflected across every Oranje fan's face, including my own. I respect Spain as a talented side that plays beautiful football, but that doesn't lessen the hurt.

I honestly can't come up with much outside of football when I think of Spain. I can't even pull up any personal memories, as Spain is one of the few countries in western Europe I have yet to visit. I can't paint a very complete image of the country, as all I have are past World Cups and past European Championships to go on.

Ashamedly, as even my knowledge of Spain's history is spotty, I took the easy way out in creating this outfit. I've focused mainly on the Spanish flag, and as an extension, the easily recognisable Spanish kits. Casual, comfortable outfits are the staple of my daily outfits so I started with a pair of bright red skinnies. However, instead of a yellow top, I've chosen a simple white silk tunic, cream flats, and a cream tote to avoid that horrible ketchup/mustard combination. I've accessorised with a simple yellow bracelet with gold spikes and a pair of ruby and gold crown earrings, similar to the crown on Spain's coat of arms.

Flats, Otte, £164;

Tunic, Hôtel Particulier, £89;

Jeans, Paige, £221;

Earrings, Butler & Wilson, £52;

Tote, Prada, £1150;

Bracelet, Ettika, £23

Country Costumes: Spain (Kay)

With the Euros looming over us in less than a month, the Colney Chic is shifting gears for the duration of the competition in bringing you looks and features inspired by the 16 teams that will be fighting for the title of Head Bitch In Charge - boots polished, kits pressed, sexual abstinence and everything. The fans will be front and centre, lager in hand, hair dyed and face painted. While the Euros are rather young (established in 1960) in comparison to the World Cup, it certainly doesn't lack the passion and sense of togetherness that its global counterpart envisions.

With the European continent being at the heart of the game, the Euros is sometimes used as a prerequisite in predicting the World Cup contenders. This was certainly true for the Spanish football team, whose success in the 2008 competition cemented their true potential in reaching their first World Cup win. And win they did, as Italy handed down their crown to La Roja in the cold Johannesburg winter. I attended the match myself, and while I blanked out and fell to tears after witnessing my team (Netherlands) lost in such an unforgiving manner I did remember the red fireworks surrounding the stadium when the world was at Spain's feet at that night.

I could never truly forgive Spain, and neither could my mother. She complained about Spain's undeserved win, arguing her case passionately for months. (To this day, she still talks about the obnoxious Spanish fans she pretty much drove out of the Holland box we were sitting in). However, my bitterness can't overwhelm the fact that I respect Spain as a team. As defending champions of the Euros, it's only right that we kick off our Team Togs special, dubbed 'Country Costumes' with the Tiqui-taca enforcers.

When I think of Spain, I think of conquistadores, paella, and Philip II. I think of the long nights I slaved away in front of my laptop writing about the often misunderstood, though undoubtedly fanatical Spanish king for my professor. I think of painting my faces in the German colours as I sat down with my housemates in the common room rooting against those darned Spaniards and waking up our housemistress who in turn, yelled at us to go to sleep. The point of all these anecdotes are collective memories. A country is a bank of memories, full of stories and experiences that may be sweet or sour.

Coming to terms with the idea of memory - especially repressed memory - Spain comes to mind with its blackened history post-Civil War. Taking off from a heavy topic, I thought about the histories that do remain - memories that are more fiery than it is cold and dark. The team is called La Furia Roja for a reason and my take on the Spanish look is represented in the spirit of Spain and its iconic red. The bustier and skirt set with chilli peppers as a print is a fun take on vintage summer dressing. Think lunch on the deck in Lake Como. We pair it with modern items such as a red-hot python envelope clutch and black chunky gladiator heels. Accessories are more traditional, using a gold rosary to represent the strong Roman Catholic tradition in Spain to wrap around your wrist, a cocktail ring based on crown jewels and Catholic iconography, and to finish a retro yet modern cat-eye shades to fight that summer sun.

Bustier, Dolce & Gabbana, £535
Skirt, Dolce & Gabbana, £580
Bag, Lanvin, £825
Shoes, Elizabeth & James, £217
Ring, Virgin Saints & Angels, £138
Rosary, Heather Gardner, £217
Shades, Miu Miu, £225

One True Look: Cesc Fàbregas/Gerard Piqué

To my horror, Kay insisted I do an OTL of the anomalously* popular "Fabrique." Although I must have accidentally-on-purpose forgotten about this assignment at least three times when we discussed our to-do lists for the blog, it would be safe to say that it never slipped her mind. So here I am, still grumbling about having grabbed a straw so short that it's in danger of permanently popping out of existence, but having accepted my fate. You may think I'm saying this like it's the end of the fashion world - well, it is.

I admit I don't even know much about the much hyped Fabrique. Now, I'm not one of those disillusioned Gooners that declared undying hatred for both Cesc and Barca once he made his transfer back to Barcelona (although I do think he could have handled the entire situation a bit better, the media is a hard pack of drama llamas to control), so my aversion to the pairing really has no standard explanation. The only impressions I have of Piqué are his (to me) donkey-like appearance and his unfortunate habit of bleeding more easily than Sharpie through printer paper, and the only memory I really have of him is of him and Puyol pulling a Barcelona shirt on then-Gunner Fàbregas. Not a very popular overall view of him, to say the least. On the other hand, I know everything from Cesc's love for doughnuts to his almost irrational aversion to mushrooms.

Pluck any five random Spanish footballers out of a line and what will they have in common? Horribly greasy hair, the belief that they've got impeccable taste in clothes while actually having an abomination of a "sense" of style. Gerard Piqué and Cesc Fàbregas are no exceptions to the rule, and I would be lying if I said I wasn't initially stumped over what route I should take for their outfit. I avoided searching the Fabrique tag on tumblr like it was the plague, so I eventually settled on choosing the exact opposite of what I thought would match within the outfit. Pretty much the equivalent of closing my eyes and pointing at a random article of clothing or piece of jewellery from their respective piles.

I started off with the fringed fading sunset cropped tee - something, along with the brash "sexy" ring, only a fashion-challenged Spaniard could  pick up thinking they could rock it, and paired it with standard boyfriend jeans. Add a hipster mustache tote and braided bracelet and they'll think they're keeping up with the trends. A pair of distressed wannabe-biker boots rounds off the mismatched look.

*Sorry, my maths is showing. 

Tee, Monki, £16;

Bracelet, Emanuele Bicocchi, £159;

Jeans, H&M, £30;

Tote, Etsy, £7.50;

Ring, Deb, £7;

Boots, Pierre Balmain, £944

One True Look: David Villa/David Silva

While the idea of slash in football is common and amusing to most girls dwelling in the black hole that is the internet football fandom, there are those who completely disregard it and look at it in grave disgust. Just to give our two cents, The Colney Chic thinks man on man is abso-effing-lutely sexy. And if most men out there can openly say they are turned on by female on female fantasies - then what's the bloody difference for us sisters? Add something we're passionate about, and you've got yourself an unlimited quantity of mind erotica to survive off. I have a right to get off on manpiles, thank you very much. 

In addition to all that, One True Look is about challenging us further in what one can do when given such a trivial inspiration. Enter the OTP styling idea - and we start our series with the Davids of Valencia: David Villa and David Silva. While I'm not entirely familiar with this pairing, I admit it's always a joy to shout "über-gay" at the mention of them in a typical fangirling conversation. Take two stylistically-challenged Spaniards - load them up with offensive t-shirts written in sparkly fonts and possibly a whole crate of Rioja then you've got yourself a 21st century Romeo and Juliet. 

I struggled for the first half an hour and finally gave in and resorted to 'silvilla' tagged entries on tumblr. At that point I regretted ever asking what these two were all about - just one thing: OTT and proud of it. So I took the simplest can't-go-wrong uniform of jeans, blazer, and tee and gave it the Silvilla treatment. What happened was well.... a bunch of things. I'd like to say it's wearable - but trust me, I will shoot a bitch who gets out of the house looking like this - but then I got it completely right because that's mostly the reaction we get out of the two Davids in their off-duty drabs. 

We start with simple black skinnies that's not quite simple at all - with an old-washed look and panelled surface, it's probably already sitting in Alex Gerrard's closet. We pair it with a statement tee saying nothing but a classy "fuck off", cover with an ombre-treated leopard print blazer. We complete the look with high-heeled boots, purple-tinted aviators, cross and wing earrings, and your overly worn, tired, yet still forcing to be a must-have bag - Balenciaga City in Valencian orange. 

Jeans, Balmain, £645

Tee, Bamboo Linne, (item no longer available)

Blazer, Preen Line, £400

Boots, Dsquared2, price unavailable

Bag, Balenciaga, £958

Earrings, Emilio Pucci, £175

Sunglasses, Dior, £279

Team Togs: Villarreal CF

Happy belated Easter, ladies! It's been a fairly busy week for myself and Lia who spent most the week with our respective families during Easter so it's great to be back blogging for all of you. Taking you back to the Iberian Peninsula, our La Liga choice for this week is another Valencian team on request, Villarreal CF. Nicknamed El Submarino Amarillo, an almost obscene amount of yellow is something that is always daunting to me, mainly because the colour never sits right with me. 

Looking at Villarreal's colours, I notice that the yellow is somewhat neon - almost acidic - which reflected the historical trade of oranges of the home city. I was also left by the requester with a very helpful information of the city being famous for its production of ceramic tiles. The job now seems a little easier, and while I was reluctant to tackle this much yellow, I certainly wanted to bring myself to the challenge. Interestingly, just as I was reading up on Villarreal, my mother announced to me (after putting down the March Vogue) that yellow was one of the hottest colours this season. 

Equipped with facts and coincidentals, I sat myself to create a fresh spring look that reflected the trends of this season including: bold prints, colour-blocking, and gypsy-inspired pieces. While yellow is the main star, I chose a blue geometric printed top that reminds us both of the team's away colours and the city's ceramic tiles industry. Pair it with a yellow ladylike skirt in a luxurious silk material and cover up with a wrap-style blazer in a neutral colour to offset the bold colours. 

Accessorise with chunky platform boots in neon yellow, an all purposeful tote in a gorgeous brown to further neutralise the look and finish with crucifix earrings, a tribute to this season's gypsy luxe. To add more Valencia into it, this novelty citrus purse coin is the perfect solution. 

Top, Marni, £306

Skirt, Giambattista Valli, £835

Blazer, Malene Birger, £280

Shoes, AX Paris, £39.99

Bags, Givenchy, £868

Earrings, Lanvin, £702

Coin purse, Aeropostale, £4.40

Matchday Moment: Viva España!

There's nothing absolutely tame with this latest Matchday Moment. While some of your first reaction maybe "what the hell is she thinking" or "maybe to a match on Halloween's..." - I will redeem myself by saying that this is an over-the-top look that is not for faintest of fashion hearts. Gypsy luxe is all the rage on the S/S runways and I am absolutely loving this trend. Think luxurious bohemian - and while that is an oxymoron in itself, there is nothing 'boho' (in a MK Olsen sort of way) about this look. 

We take inspiration from the flamenco dancers and matadors whose extravagant costumes leave little to simplicity. Laces, patterns, and rich colours dapple these men and women, complimenting their movements in their own respective stages. There is no better way to pay tribute to their art (in the best way we know how) by creating a look dedicated to them. 

Forget red and yellow, forget La Roja and everything associated with Spanish football. Our goal with this wear is not to do a look inspired by the footballing culture of Spain, but rather the rich history of its people. I will buy anyone a whole free-flow bar worth of drinks if they are bold enough to pull this look off to a match. I would. But then again I have a weird fetish with the gypsy look... not gypsies. 

We start this look off with a flamenco inspired maxi skirt in cobalt which would be the defining colour of the whole look. We pair it with a lace sleeveless blouse then covered with a structured embroidered gilet, representing the heavy jacket a matador would wear. The motto is "more, more, more" and we top the look with crucifix and hamsa rosaries - do pile more than just two we say - a statement cuff, stacked heels with a swirly-bold pattern, and an even bolder patterned bag. 

Definitely for a summer match, we're thinking World Cup finals in the executive box: Spain vs. England. 

Skirt, Missoni, £2130

Blouse, Roberto Cavalli, £1420

Gilet, Isabel Marant

Shoes, Chrissie Morris, £812

Clutch, Givenchy

Cuff, Roberto Cavalli, £870

Crucifix rosary, Waxing Poetic, £52

Hamsa Rosary, Sophie, £273

*Title thanks to Net-a-Porter.com S/S '12 catalogue. 

Team Togs: Valencia CF

What a great response we've had from our select group of friends on the blog! I had been requested to do a Team Tog on Valencia CF. I could not say no to the prospect of creating another outfit, so here we are once again. Venturing onto Spanish turf is not usually what I do for fun, but it was an experience to create a look inspired by the dark and quirky Valencian mascot of a bat stretching its wings around the arms.

Layering is key to this industrial-inspired autumn outfit as we start with a simple printed tee under a boho-esque knitted vest and a zig-zagged printed jacket whose small but busy prints give a bit of texture to the top half. The suede jeans adds more weight to the look however the orange shade lightens it up. 

We accessorise with contrasting accessories that make a statement in its own - vampire teeth two finger ring, a heavy chain bracelet with a wooden cross charm, snake-skin brogue pumps, and your classic rocker chic Rocco Wang in a unique petrol colour to cool it off. 

Tee, Zoe Karssen, £56

Jeans, Current/Elliott, £890

Vest, Calypso St. Barth, £168

Jacket, Elizabeth & James, £354

Ring, Verameat, £70

Bracelet, AliExpress.com, £4.50

Shoes, Kurt Geiger, £139

Bag, Alexander Wang, £600