Tell me where you're from and I'll tell you what colors are in your wardrobe.

Rūta Bendikė, specially for Ieva from Valencia

Daily current affairs, fashion trends, beauty news are updated as quickly as a film sped up by a remote control. At the same time, the desires and values ​​of the society that consumes all this are changing - we want more and more of everything. So how do Lithuanian women's wardrobes, concepts of beauty and attitudes towards themselves differ from those of women in Spain, where we love to spend the winter?

Image and colors

Until recently, the favorite color of Lithuanians was black. The color that symbolizes
elegance (no matter how many designers have tried to create a new dress suitable for various occasions, in the end we return to Coco Chanel's little black dress for all occasions), sophistication, and at the same time it is a color that almost everywhere in the world means mourning. The biggest paradox is that we, who lack the sun so much, still want to dress darkly. Now, more and more often, Lithuanian women are choosing the opposite side of the color wheel – beige, neutral tones. What connects both extremes is that these are colors that you don't want to stand out with. Do we really want to be unnoticed that much?
When you return from a holiday in the south, you usually miss two things: sun and colors. If you compare the assortments of the Spanish textile chain Zara stores in Lithuania and Spain, it would sometimes be hard to believe that they are the same chain. No matter what fashion trends dictate or what the official color of the year announced by the Pantone Color Institute is - in Spain
you will always find clothes yellow like the bright summer sun, red like a sangria cocktail (by the way, both colors are also on the flag of the Kingdom of Spain) and other bright colors. Lithuanians are usually offered more subtle colors and, of course, black. Therefore, it is often imagined that Spanish women look very bright every day. This is confirmed by one of the most famous designers in Spain - Ágatha Ruíz de la Prada. The designer's work is full of bright and rich colors, according to Á. Ruíz de la Prada, "colors are synonymous with happiness". The designer herself constantly wears colorful, sometimes somewhat eclectic color combinations of her own creations, with big hearts that have become her trademark. Her fans are immediately recognizable: as soon as an actress appears in a dress covered in hearts or one of the most famous Spanish chefs, Alberto Chicote, lights up in colors on television - it is clear to the Spaniards who created it. “It’s not easy to generalize about the whole country, but I think that in Spain we attach great importance to colors,” says Sara Urraza, who teaches fashion students at a private school in Zaragoza and designs one-of-a-kind clothes for her own brand, Urraza Official.
Although Spanish women, like Italian women, are bright with accessories, makeup, and sometimes even clothing, both of them absolutely love black. In fact, the black color was popularized by King Philip II of Spain back in the 16th century. It was from Spain that the fashion for wearing black every day spread, and this meant “dressing Spanish”. The practicality of black unites even very different cultures, but if for Lithuanian women black is more associated with a jacket and classic-cut trousers, then for Spanish women it is with going out to have fun and luxury. And also, black gives restraint, so it gives a good tone and luxury to the passionate southern character, and Spanish women know this very well.

We dress inspired by what we see around us, but sometimes you can dress not according to the environment, but according to the feeling you want.

Time and beauty

Since I had to learn the subtleties of makeup both in Lithuania and Spain, it was interesting to observe the differences. If in Lithuania the most important thing is the perfect final image, then in Spain the process itself is more important, which in no case can be too long. Even in the Barcelona professional makeup school it was emphasized - no long and tiring procedures, a woman cannot get bored sitting still. What is called express makeup in Lithuania is a common practice in Spain (no longer than 45 minutes). Professional makeup for a special occasion is generally not necessary here. Instead, a typical Spanish woman will try to fix her hair for the holiday. Long-term manicures and pedicures are also still not
carefully planned monthly procedures in Spain. Most often, such beautifications are done at home, and if the week is very busy and the varnish peels off a little, no one has a headache about it. In Lithuania, without booking an appointment in advance for the festive period, finding a make-up artist becomes mission impossible, and getting a long-lasting manicure on the same day is difficult to imagine, even if in large cities there are often more than one beauty salon on one street. In the spring of 2023, Queen Letizia of Spain (50 years old) caused a lot of discussion when she appeared in public with gray strands. Even British journalists joined the discussion about whether the queen should dye her hair or not, publishing headlines such as "the queen has lost her mind". And the Spanish press responded that Queen Letizia is sending a very important message to women that at certain moments in life a woman may have other priorities than caring about whether her hair roots have grown back. The Queen of Spain inspires women in other ways as well - she often wears the same clothes from fast fashion brands at affordable prices, and Letizia is also an ambassador for a healthy lifestyle, and many dream of having strong biceps like hers.

Love for yourself and your origins

Spanish women love and value themselves well. More often, very well. Complexes and Spanish women are not a common occurrence, especially because of age. When, for example, participants in television shows introduce themselves and talk about their age, they basically all feel young. “I am a beautiful young girl (Spanish: chica), I am 65” is a common introduction. Having moved here myself, I also “rejuvenated”. When I was preparing to leave Lithuania, I was 31 and I heard various comments from my former colleagues: from praise for my courage to remarks that at my age I should have fewer adventures. In Spain, for the past five years, I have constantly heard that I am young and it is a really good feeling. That is why I sometimes check how old my neighbor is, whom she describes as older: the last time the answer was – 95.
Spanish women love their country, its uniqueness and are very fond of what is typical of their region (it is said that the further south you go in the country, the more women like to dress up) and what is labeled “made in Spain”. When the annual fair and other events take place in Seville in April, women plan in advance how they will look: what flamenco dress they will wear, what accessories they will match it with (flowers in their hair and large earrings are mandatory). At the most important festival of the year in the Valencia region in March, participants wear dresses made to order from velvet, embroidered with gold threads, decorated with the most beautiful lace (the price of such a dress can range from a few hundred to 20 thousand euros). Although the most important thing in the Valencian Fire Festival is the original sculptures exhibited throughout the city, the women who compete for the title of the most important participant of that year do not count the time for preparation. In the Valencia region, a magazine is even published about the most beautiful images of the participants of this celebration. Every day, Spanish women also like to choose clothes designed in Spain, just as more and more Lithuanians are looking for clothes and accessories in such Spanish brand stores as “Bimba y Lola”, “Desigual”, “Adolfo Dominguez” or “Loewe”. “Spain is a very social country, a lot of time is spent on the street here and we enjoy it. Another feature of ours is the interest in what we wear. We like to give importance to our clothes. Weddings and other celebrations are great examples of how we like to “get ready” – sums up S. Urraza.
The saying that the grass is greener elsewhere is definitely true when it comes to style, clothing, and self-love. Just keep in mind that many Spanish women envy Lithuanian women for their beautiful, less sun-damaged skin, their height that flatters their silhouette, and their ability to create spa-like treatments for themselves at home. But you can't change your genes, but you can always adjust your attitude if you want to.

Published in a journal Eve , 2023 No. 5