Stripes...

Yesterday I went to Bairro Alto for dinner with a very dear friend. Bairro Alto is the perfect place for a night out in Lisbon - amazing restaurants, amazing bars, the place looks like a puzzle, filled with little streets that lead you to little places that never cease to amaze you. I must say that the one quality that really draws people to the Bairro Alto is its informality. Most of the time, you get your drink and seat outside in the street, talking to your friends, having a blast whilst enjoying a very relaxing and fun evening.

Having said that, one would think that the perfect ensemble for a night out at Bairro Alto is denim and a top - and it probably is :) But not for me - I usually don't follow the casual/formal rules, in my opinion it all depends of your mood. If you feel like wearing a gown for groceries' shopping, go for it. The only rules that ever apply are feel good with yourself and have fun with what you're wearing :)

I have a major crush for maxi dresses and this particular one ticks all the boxes - body hugging and very very long :) Who can forget the image of Carrie (Bradshaw) walking on the beach wearing a beautiful orange pleated floor length Halston Heritage Dress? Absolutely perfect :) That was the moment I decided that a maxi dress should always be floor length :)

Summer nights here in Lisbon have been a bit windy, perfect excuse to throw on a blazer and add a little bit of glamour to the look - plus, also gave me an opportunity for some colour blocking and you know how much I love this trend :)

Well, here are some of the photos we took - please apologise for the quality, but Hubby was not home when I left for my dinner, so we only managed to take a couple of snapshots when I got back!

Dress Karen Millen | Blazer Zara | Sandals Jimmy Choo | Clutch Carolina Herrera | Earrings (not seen - borrowed from my mother) | Bracelet (left arm) Gifted | Bracelet (right arm) Swatch

Cruise...

Last week I went for a Cruise on the Douro River in Portugal - I simply adore cruises, they are such perfect holidays, they allow you to explore different places, be amazed with different landscapes, and at the same time chill, relax and kinda forget all about the real world. And this cruise was no exception!

Portugal is amazingly beautiful and there is just something about the North part of the country - breathtaking landscapes, interesting history to learn, fascinating places to visit, gorgeous food and wine, friendly people to meet. After your holidays, you leave feeling happier, with a lighter heart and immersed in nothing but positive feelings. I truly believe that good things should be praised and one of the best advices I can ever give you is, if ever possible, do a cruise on the Douro River - simply wonderful :)

The weather was absolutely beautiful, so when writing my "clothes for the cruise" list - yes, that's a true fact, whenever I need to pack a bag, I always write a list, makes my life much easier - I found myself choosing light, fresh summer dresses and the odd pair of shorts. I know I am always singing the praises of creativity, but not this time - this time I've decided to go for an easier nonetheless stylish solution. And felt exactly the same towards accessories - few, simple and non-fussy :)

Well, here are some photos (and respective description) of a few of the outfits I wore during the cruise:

*Outfit 1*


To pack well is a true art in my opinion and to tell you the absolutely truth I totally suck at it! Hours before boarding the ship I realised there were a few items missing on my "clothes for the cruise" list, which meant that I would not have anything to dress by day 2. Solution? A quick run to the mall, where I went straight to H&M, a faithful companion that always manages to save me when I need something to dress but am short of time.

I saw this lace aubergine dress on the window and fell in love with it! Actually, nowadays, lace is my fabric of election, so feminine, so ladylike, so innocent, love it :)

I wore this outfit for our very first dinner on the Cruise, at the Convento of Alpendurada (Convent of Alpendurada), a truly magical place :)

When wearing such a feminine dress, I always tend to pick not so ladylike shoes and accessories in order to balance the outfit and avoid looking so girly - but not this time, for this particular occasion the inspiration was definitely "as girly as it gets", and I was surprisingly pleased with the result :)

Dress H&M | Cardigan H&M | Ballerina Flats Tory Burch | Hairclips H&M | Clutch Paparazzi | Bracelet Gifted | Earrings Louis Mariette

*Outfit 2*

This was the only outfit that required some creativity on my side - I bought this bandeau maxi dress last year (I have a thing for maxi dresses!), but never felt completely satisfied when wearing it, for some reason it was always lacking some sort of spark! So this time, I decided to try something different and play a little bit with the stripes - I loved the small stripes/big stripes combo but will probably alter the dress and turn it into a real maxi skirt!

Crop T-shirt Asos | Maxi Dress River Island | Necklace Gifted | Sunglasses Miu Miu

*Outfit 3*

There really isn't much I can tell you about this outfit - simply a summer-perfect, breezy dress with a gorgeous colour and as you can see I did my thing and toughed up the look with some wedges :)

Dress Warehouse | Wedges Just Cavalli | Necklace Mango | Bracelet Gifted 

*Outfit 4*

This year I promised myself I would not get any jumpsuits - I adore them but they were pretty much my staple look last Summer. But I'm weak when it comes to jumpsuits so once again they are part of my Summer wardrobe - the thing is, some of them, special plain cotton jumpsuits, also miss some sort of spark and demand a little bit of creativity to give them a little bit of something, and I think this loose knitted jumper is just perfect to add a "je ne sais quoi" :)

Add I love pairing golden outfits with silver accessories or vice versa, it is so much fun :)

Jumpsuit Decenio | Knitted Jumper H&M | Ballerina Flats Tory Burch | Necklace Dorothy Perkins | Bracelet (left arm) Swaroski | Bracelet (right arm) Swatch





And I could not resist sharing with you some of the beautiful places we have visited and some of the inspiring landscapes we have seen:


*Convent of Alpendurada*

*Church of Our Lady of Remedies (Nossa Senhora dos Remédios), in Lamego (a gorgeous city!)*

*Sandeman's Port Wine tasting at their winery in Quinta do Seixo*

*Delicious temptations abroard the MS Douro Cruiser*

*Mateus Palace and Gardens in Vila Real*

*Museum of Art and Archaeology of the Côa Valley*

*Douro River*

Chocol-Oats Cookies...

A few months ago, a very clever woman gave me one of the best advices for a foodie like me - I was complaining how it is really hard for me to stick to a diet because for me food will never be just fuel, food really plays an important part in my life. Well, after listening to me grumbling on and on, she simply said - Djamy you do not need to stop eating altogether all those tasty things you love and are diet-crashers, all you need to do is replace the bad ingredients for better ones. And that was it, the moment the world of dieting gained new, interesting and much less painful colours :)

Of course I know I'm not supposed to eat cakes, candies and so on every single day, not even these "healthier" versions, but at least I am allowed to eat them and not feel guilty when I do :)

And if you are worried taste-wise, trust me - I have already baked scones, cakes, and was always utterly pleased with the end result :)

The one ingredient I still haven't been able to replace is butter - in future recipes I will try pumpkin butter or, at least, goat's millk-based butter.

This is a Nigella Lawnson's recipe from her amazing iphone application - I know she won't be pleased with this healthier version, so my Dear Nigella if you ever read this (yeah, keep dreaming Djamy ;)) please forgive me, it is for a very good cause :)

(1) Preheat the oven to 180C;

(2) In a bowl, mix 75g of gram flour (chickpeas flour), 75g of oats (not instant), 35g of cocoa powder (good dark cocoa powder - I used 70% dark chocolate from Green&Blacks which is organic and delicious) and 1/2 tablespoon of bicarbonate of soda;

(3) In a different bowl, cream 100g of unsalted butter and 125g of Xylitol (replaces sugar) until the mixture is soft;

(4) In the bowl where you creamed the butter and xylitol, add 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract, one egg and slowy beat in the flour/oats/cocoa powder/bicarbonate of soda mixture;

(5) Fold in 125g of chocolate chips (again, I used 70% dark chocolate from Green&Blacks);

(6) Put the mixture in a tray with parchment paper in cookie-size portions;

(7) Allow them to bake for 15-20 min - when ready, the mixture will still feel a little bit soft to the touch;

(8) Allow them to cool.

*ENJOY*

Black&White...

Hey everybody :)

First of all, please accept my sincere apologies for being such a lousy blogger. Fashion and food are dear to my heart, and nothing gives me more pleasure than to talk about them. But sometimes things happen that make us take a break and focus in more important things such as family and friends :)

But I'm back, again :)

And for this comeback I have decided to share with you the outfit I wore yesterday for dinner with the Hubby, my mother and three really good friends. Yesterday I was not in the mood for anything fussy, I wanted something elegant and simple - and when in the mood for something simply elegant, the obvious choice is the classic combo of Black&White :)

There really isn't much I can add about these French Connection trousers - I've blogged about them before - still deeply in love with them, and I am afraid to say that if they keep launching new colours I will get any and each one of them. Yes, I know, it is so not fashionable to get the same item in different colours, I know that, but I just can't help it :)

The top is one of my favourite items in my wardrobe right now - I am a big sucker for tops with some sort of twist, like a detail in the sleeves, actually the bigger the better. You'd think that being a plus size girl I would run away for anything that adds volume, but that just isn't me - if you love something, just go for it :)

Well, here are some of the photos we took:

Top & Trousers French Connection | Shoes Jimmy Choo | Harness ASOS | Clutch (souvenir store in Mexico)