Portuguese magic.

Braving the Icelandic ash cloud, we managed to reach Lisbon with great relief and delight.  Fernando Pessoa's words, caught at a street corner seemed most appropriate and we made the most of each day, taking in the timeless charm of the city and enjoying the Portuguese hospitality.

With perfect Spring weather, we roamed the hilly cobbled streets, stopping for delicious coffee and pasteis de nata, over-ordering in restaurants, having forgotten Portuguese gargantuan portions and stumbling across magnificent ruined palaces.

From past visits, I remembered fondly Ana Salazar and paid a visit to the store in Chiado. I must confess that I was disappointed and could not find anything I liked amongst the asymetrical, sleeveless clothes in clingy jerseys.  Reviews of her upcoming winter 2010/2011 are ecstatic so I might need to go back to Lisbon quite soon this Autumn.   I had better luck at Fatima Lopes' shop in rua de Atalaia, 36.

I was tempted to try dresses with interesting cutaway collars in different fabrics including a cool white and blue pattern.
A nice neckline, flattering high waist and fluid fabric...if only it had a couple of extra centimeters/1 inch in length to cover the knees... it would have been perfect!

The bright colour palette makes perfect sense in a sunny country, teamed with tanned skin but is more difficult to pull off on pale post winter complexions!

I'm not sure I'm crazy about Fatima Lopes' website which seems out-of-date and does not properly reflect the clothes.
http://www.fatima-lopes.com/
If you want to check out Ana Salazar's collections: http://www.anasalazar.pt/
For a glimpse of Portuguese delicacies: http://www.pasteisdebelem.pt/