Royal...

Living in London is quite hard not to be, at least a tiny bit, inspired by the people's love and admiration towards their Monarchy, it really is a beautiful sentiment :) And these past few days building up to the Royal Wedding have been so exciting, so deliriously happy and hopeful that I too started counting the days for such a special occasion - and what a beautiful love story it is :)

And who can forget the beautiful blue Issa dress Kate wore when they announced their engagement - so simple yet so elegant, perfect for her figure.

And that was the inspiration for this post, that beautiful dark, bright blue shade. It is such a sophisticated colour, ideal for a chic, classic look. You can play it just right, by pairing it with either black, gold or silver, but if you are in the mood, you can definitely go for something a bit bolder - that shade is really good friends with yellow, orange, pink and even red.

Well, here are some royal options:

#1

#2

#3

#4

#5

#6

#7

#8

#9

#10

#1 Karen Millen Jersey and Satin Dress 
#2 Charlotte Olympia Paloma Platform Court Shoes 
#3 DKNY Crocodile-effect Leather Bag 
#4 Topshop Stone Claw Set Ring 
#5 French Connection Apollo Crepe Short Jumpsuit 
#6 Zara Platform Sandal 
#7 Zara Gathered Top With Collar 
#8 H&M Chiffon Dress 
#9 Bobbi Brown Metallic Eyeshadow 
#10 Chanel Le Vernis Blue Satin 

Laid Back...

I read tons of fashion magazines on a monthly basis - they are relaxing, entertaining, informative and sometimes quite instructive. One of the best advices I have ever taken from one of these magazines (I wish I could tell you which magazine, the exact edition, page number and author, but unfortunately I cannot remember - all I remember is that it was one of those pieces where four or five women shared their wardrobes' must have or something similar!) is that you can never ever have enough plain white t-shirts in your closet - oh my, talk about true "fashion life savers" :)

They are just perfect, you can pair them with pretty much anything, and they allow you to free your creativity. I dare say that it is quite difficult to go wrong with a white t-shirt - not feeling inspired? Blue jeans and a white t-shirt! Want to relax your work look? Pencil Skirt with a white t-shirt tucked inside! Still haven't bought a "oh so trendy" long skirt? Pick a maxi dress and put a white t-shirt over it! Really, there are a world of possibilities :)

This was a very busy day so this look was picked with a purpose - I wanted to look stylish but very very comfortable to do everything I had to do, renew some documents, have lunch with a friend, visit a dear friend and her beautiful twins (with whom I am madly in love with ;), visit some relatives...and in my opinion, it really worked :)

The trousers are exactly the same as these but on a different colour and one size smaller (I wanted them a bit tighter on the legs) - and you know my opinion about them, love them, can't stop wearing them. Must make a little confession, a very good friend of mine who understands a lot about fashion told me that these trousers that I love so much don't flatter me because they don't work that well on my waistline. Although I respect and treasure her expert opinion (and I really do!), I realised I really like them and how I look with them, so I think that sometimes you just need to ignore the rules and go with your guts :)

T-Shirt H&M | Trousers French Connection | Necklace Dorothy Perkins | Shoes Jimmy Choo

Figs and Goat Cheese Salad...

I am a hopeless romantic - I love when sights, sounds, smells, tastes take me back to special moments with the Hubby, those are memories I know I will treasure forever :)

This recipe was my attempt to recreate this delicious salad I ate on our honeymoon - unfortunately, all I could remember was the divine marriage between figs and goat cheese, this was the memory that stayed with me, this match made in heaven :) I remember there were some leaves, but which specifically I cannot tell!

So, basically, this is my take on something I have tried seven months ago - I really enjoyed the end result, but there are few things I might try in the future to make it even more special and delicious.

I reckon this quantity would be quite enough for two :)

(1) Preheat the oven to 180ºC;

(2) Cut five figs in half - place them, in a single layer, cut side up, in a baking tray. Sprinkle a tiny bit of agave nectar in each fig - you can use sugar instead, but I decided to go for a healthier option. Place the tray in the oven for 4 to 5 minutes;

You don't really need this step, you can use the figs as they come - but I think this allows to bring the "figness" out of the figs :)

(3) In a bowl, stir two teaspoons of olive oil and one teaspoon of balsamic vinegar - you just want enough to coat your greens. Toss the greens you have picked with the seasoning - all I had was romaine lettuce, and it worked quite well, the crunchiness of the lettuce with the smooth cheese, but next time I will try with rocket and spinach, I think this salad calls for some bitterness to balance the sweetness of the figs;

(4) Add the figs to the salad - cut them as you like;

(5) Crumble some good quality smooth goat cheese and add to the salad.

You can also add some chopped pistachios or walnuts.

*ENJOY*

The Little Red Dress...

Powerful, Unique, Intense - in one hand it reminds you of love and romance, on the other hand it makes you think of danger and adventure. It has a natural sensuality to it and it is not afraid of the spotlight, better yet, it kinda of enjoys it, a lot!

Red is openly a "look at me" colour and I just love its honesty - you don't wear a red dress to be discreet, to blend in the crowd, to shy away from the dancefloor. Red is a "make me feel good" colour, it empowers you and gives you confidence.

A little red dress may not be a "must have" on your wardrobe, but it will definitely make all the difference - we all need that one item that we know we can trust and resort to in all those social occasions when we need to feel good and we want to send a "I'm a powerful, sexy, fun woman who enjoys life" kind of message. Yes, I know, that's what little black dresses are for, but I just think that red makes the all experience so devilish fun :)

And, although I think some caution must be taken in regards to the fabric, length and cleavage, don't be afraid to play with the accessories - some people tend to think that you can only pair a red dress with black, gold or silver accessories, but that's not my opinion at all. Don't be afraid to try - the other day, my mother wore this beautiful red dress with turquoise heels and a blueish clutch and she looked amazing :)

And the perfect combo - a little red dress with red lips, love it :)

Well, here are some fun choices:

#1

#2

#3

#4

#5

#6

#7

#8

#9

#10

#1 DKNY Twill Strapless Dress 
#2 Dorothy Perkins Red Lace Babydoll Dress 
#3 H&M Straight Cut Dress 
#4 Karen Millen Beaded Necklace Dress 
#5 French Connection Shelbys Summer Belted Dress 
#6 Reiss Peacock Dress 
#7 Warehouse Ottoman Bustier Dress 
#8 Zac Posen Pleated Satin-Jersey Dress 
#9 Zara Strappy Dress 
#10 Karen Millen Modern Shift Dress 

Rainbow...

I can not think of a more beautiful city than London when the sun is high and shining, sharing its beautiful rays of light with you, making you feel alive and happy - all you want to do is jump around whilst singing  "The hills are alive with the sound of music, with songs they have sung for a thousand years, the hills fill my heart with the sound of music, my heart wants to sing every song it hears". Yes, maybe I'm overdoing it, but you get my idea, right?

Days like these make you feel unexplicably happy, thankful, with a light heart - and you want to share how you feel through your outfit du jour (remember, fashion is the better way to communicate with others without uttering a single word ;)). That's how I put this ensemble together - when I'm happy, I tend to wear bright colours, which put a smile on your face just by looking at them! And this was my very first attempt on colour blocking - the blue trousers paired with a colourful blouse, the very pink pumps and the very very pink clutch.

I cannot explain well enough my current infatuation for palazzo trousers, I just adore them - they have this amazing stylish-fun-relaxing vibe, it really doesn't matter that they don't enhance your features, they will still make you look good :) On a regular day I would probably wear them with a tight top, to give the outfit some balance, but I was in the mood for something loose and relaxing, and sometimes you just need to follow your guts ;) And although I rarely colour-match my shoes with my bag, I just couldn't resist this pink combo, it was so much fun :)

It was a beautiful day and I was happy, happy, happy :)

Blouse BCBG Max Azria | Top (underneath) French Connection | Trousers Asos | Shoes Marc by Marc Jacobs | Clutch Ted Baker | Bracelet Vintage (Portobello Market) | Necklace French Connection | Sunglasses Chanel

Couscous with pine nuts and raisins...

You're probably wondering why on earth would I write a post on couscous - seriously, is there anything easier to prepare? Add some boiled water and that's it, right? Well, not in my opinion...

I love couscous - perfect as a main dish, perfect as a side, perfect as a salad, perfect for nibbling, and you can add pretty much anything to it and it will taste delicious :) But as much as I love it, I think it is pretty bland, so just water won't do much for its flavour - that's why I decided to share how I cook (yes, it does involve a bit of cooking) my couscous. I believe the credit to this method goes to the wonderful Ina Garten "Barefoot Contessa", although I have changed some things - I do it with onions not shallots, and I add less butter and stock.

I love this pine nuts and raisins combo as a side, specially with an oven-baked fish ;)

(1) Set a saucepan to medium heat and add a tablespoon of butter;

(2) Allow the butter to melt, then add an onion finely minced;

Let the onion cook for about 4 minutes, stirring occasionally;

(3) Add 1 1/2 cups of vegetable stock (or chicken stock if you prefer);

Allow it to come to a boil.

(4) Turn of the heat and add one cup of couscous. Cover the saucepan;

(5) Once the couscous has absorved all the liquid, add a pinch of salt, some pine nuts and raisins - stir with a fork.

Girlie...

Sometimes simplicity wins over any instinct I might have to overthink my outfit du jour - on days like these, I find myself looking for something simple but yet sophisticated, something that doesn't scream "I'm here" but yet discreetly makes itself notice, something subtle but yet alluring.

And sometimes I just feel like being a girlie girl - and nothing like a dress with a fitted waist and full skirt to make you feel like a girlie girl :)

This dress and I, it was definitely a love at first sight affair: believe it or not but I have been forever struggling to find a little black dress, and I just think that this dark blue is a perfect substitute. But of course I had to add a detail that messed a little bit with the sobriety of the dress - so, I decided to pair it with this zebra-print-like jacket which I just love! And, like always or at least most times, the shoes have absolutely nothing to do with the whole ensemble - a little bit of pink and green for some fun :)

It was a fun night with a girlfriend, filled with cosmopolitans, "not so good for your figure but absolutely delicious nibblings" and a wonderful conversation :)

Dress Anthropologie | Jacket H&M | Necklace H&M | Shoes Dumond 

Please apologise for the photos - Hubby was not at home, so I had to do it all by myself, and suffice to say that the camera and I don't have a very peaceful relation :P

Flowers...

Pizza-Italy, Angelina-Brad, Happiness-Chocolate, Caesar-Cleopatra, Shoes-Louboutin, Jeans-Levis, Dog-Cat, Happy Birthday-Marilyn Monroe, Sun-Beach, Sex Symbol-Beyonce, Music-iPod, Gym-Pain, Corset-Madonna, Ice-Coca-Cola, Coffee-Starbucks, Ice Cream-Haagen Dazs, Drink-Cosmopolitan, Chair-Table, Diet-Torture, Shelter-Family, Fun-Shopping, Car-Germany, Fashion-Chanel, Crystals-Swaroski, Tv-Sex & The City, Love-Hubby, Strawberry-Cream, Tea-Cookie...Spring-Flowers - if we were playing some sort of word association game, the first word I would associate with Spring would definitely be Flowers.

I know that flowers in Spring is not the most original idea, but still I believe it is a must-have. I like the idea of getting a floral dress for those days when all you want is a simple and fresh look - it might just be one of the easiest ways to look good without spending more than a couple of minutes putting your outfit du jour together. And yes, it might be "over the top" girlie, but to be honest, in a world where we wear ties, brogues, boyfriend fit trousers, it does feel good to be girlie sometimes.

But, and this is a good but, you really don't need to go for the girlie style (although I don't think there is anything wrong on having a floral dress to save you on a troubled-inspiration day;)) - instead of a dress, get a pair of shoes with a flower detail, or a floral jacket, or a hat or just a necklace, it is totally up to you to decide how to embrace this trend. Even if you go for a floral dress, you can always tough it up by pairing it with a more structured piece, like a blazer or a leather jacket, or bold statement-making accessories.

Well, here are some flowering opportunities:

#1

#2

#3

#4

#5

#6

#7

#8

#9

#10

#1 Mango Dress Limoncel 
#2 Zara Floral Dress 
#3 Reiss Denim High Waist Shorts Floral 
#4 River Island White Floral Print Blazer 
#5 Mango Skirt Bossy-A 
#6 Zara Floral Jump-Suit 
#7 French Connection Confetti Floral Skirt 
#8 Carvela Kuchina 
#9 Topshop Bronze Cut Out Oversized Floral Scarf Unstructured Hat 
#10 River Island Cream Pearl and Flower Necklace 

You might also like: Flowers Mood