Meet Elena Vidal: Madrid's Top Blogger Revealing Its Hottest Summer Fashion trends
By day, Elena Vidal is a civil engineer working in a busy office in central Madrid but by night she is the brains behind Style in Madrid, one of the Spanish capital’s hottest fashion and lifestyle blogs. The blog is essentially a style diary where Vidal chronicles her high-fashion looks, channeling the latest Madrid trends, often using the most popular Spanish high street brands.
How did you get into fashion blogging?
I’m a civil engineer but I have always been in love with fashion. In 2009, I came into the fashion world by starting my own blog, Style in Madrid in order to talk about my favourite trends, to show my own looks and share beautiful content with my followers.
How would you describe Spanish style and Madrid style in particular?
Spain is a beautiful country with nice weather. It’s so easy to create looks with that kind of weather. Spanish style is the typical Mediterranean style. We love beautiful details like ruffles, polka dots or floral prints. Madrid is an eclectic city with a lot of different styles so you can see a big number of different looks: preppy, boho, punk, mod… All of them are trendy in Madrid.
What are the biggest looks on the streets of Madrid this summer?
White T-shirt, mum jeans, platform glitter sandals and tons of attitude!
What trends are most prevalent in Madrid this season and which are your personal must-haves?
This season’s big trends are ruffles (of course), vintage 501 Levi’s shorts and wrap dresses. My favourite must-haves for this summer are two accessories: the wooden bag and espadrilles.
What are your favourite Spanish brands?
If you want to find beautiful pieces, you cannot miss these three Spanish brands: PD PAOLA, beautiful jewellery pieces with the best prices, Muitt Madrid, a beautiful shoe brand based in Madrid, and 6ème galerie, a fashion brand inspired by the Hamptons style.
Who are your personal Spanish style icons?
My two favourite Spanish it-girls are Gala González, the famous influencer and Naty Abascal, Valentino’s muse. You have to follow their steps on Instagram.
What fashion advice would you give to visitors to Madrid?
If you have the opportunity to visit Madrid this summer, you cannot miss the Sonia Delaunay exhibition at the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum. Art, design and fashion ready to be discovered.
Do Madrileños commit any fashion faux pas?
Maybe we abuse accessories. In the world of fashion the motto is ‘less is more’ but Spanish people love the ‘all in’ looks.