Am I the prettiest of them all?

Carla Bruni 1995

My poor little neglected blog

I am feeling very guilty at the moment because I have totally neglected my little blog. And so I decided to change things and give my baby a new meaning and a new fresh start. Every day I see many gorgeous editorial photos that reflect certain mood or rainbow of colours and shades and what’s most important, they make me feel something. From now I will use newfashiontodayblog as a little scrap book that will have my most favourite images. Every day I will add a new picture to my collection. Perhaps, with a note, or a quote or even nothing at all. I think it’s wonderful to share something beautiful… to make you feel… think… experience… and share your emotions with me.

Image via Vogue Italia 1996

Back to the wild: animal prints

A second cup of black coffee, Sting on the background and my little hound (yet another nickname for Oscar these days) sleeping next to me, exhausted after a long happy play with a horribly noisy plastic bagel... Bliss...

Well, frankly this part has nothing to do with the post you are about to read. I just thought I'd tell you a bit about my daily life before I continue. It's all about animal prints today. They are like Marmite - you either love them or hate them. You simply cannot be indifferent when it comes to these style.

Personally, I like animal prints in moderation, just like, say, a glass good wine. Talking of which and continuing to compare... I hardly ever drink and I don't really wear animal prints much, but when/if I do, I enjoy it. My perfect animal print item would be a pair of stiletto pumps or a bag because these would go with so many things and create an accent rather than an "in-to-your-face" statement. I am a bit too shy and yes, conservative for more than that.

Having said that, I love how other people wear animal prints. I adore beautifully put outfits that would include a statement piece and black, caramel or chocolate brown "canvas" created by the rest of the ensemble. This is, I think, is the most important rule: choose a statement and keep the rest of your outfit as simple as possible. Mismatched and mixed prints may look good in fashion magazines, but those have more to do with selling the garments and creating a piece of fashion art that may not work so well in real life.

So.... what do you think of this trend? Love it? Hate it? Can't get enough of it? Do you feel different when you wear animal prints? I would love to hear your opinions on this, my dearest readers.

As always, I hope you will enjoy these style and editorial photos.

Vogue Nippon 2009

Christian Dior Pre-fall 2009 / Giambattista Valli Fall 2009 / Zac Posen Pre-fall 2009

Vogue US 2008

Vogue US 2009

Rebecca Taylor Fall 2009 / Dries Van Noten Fall 2009 / Michael Kors Pre-fall 2009

Vogue UK 2005

Monsoon Campaign Fall/Winter 2009/10

Ruffian Fall 2009 / Diane von Furstenberg Fall 2009 / D&G Fall 2009

Vogue Paris 2009

Vogue Korea 2009

Dolce & Gabbana Fall 2009 / Blumarine Fall 2009 / Isabel Marant Fall 2009

Vogue Italy 2009

fashion story shot by Scott Schuman, The Sartorialist

Vogue China 2009

DSquared2 Fall 2009 / Rachel Comey Fall 2009 / Oscar de la Renta Fall 2009

Numero No. 106 2009

Elle Brazil 2009

Isaac Mizrahi Pre-fall 2009 / Albino Fall 2009 / DKNY Fall 2009

Photos via style.com, top photo - models posing in Azzedine Alaïa, circa 1990

Q and A

Lovely Couture Carrie posted this questionnaire on her beautiful blog yesterday and I was one of the lucky people she tagged!

So this is my turn to do Q&A and if you feel like doing the same, then consider yourself tagged.

What are your current obsessions?
My puppy (who will be joining us on 5 June), Kevin Murphy hair care products

Marni bracelets

and Bottega Veneta sandals.

What are you wearing today?
Pretty low key today as spent most day at home studying and only popped out for a few minutes to a local grocery shop. Old favourite dark blue Diesel Zinc jeans, Armand Basi silk top (with an abstract print of white, dark chocolate and turquoise petals), Zinco dark chocolate cashmere & silk shrug and Keds trainers in chocolate brown with white flowers.

What's for dinner?
Roasted chicken breast and a massive leafy green salad with tomatoes, cucumber and peppers and balsamic dressing. Oh, yes! And a Bendicks minty chocolate.

Originally I planned to have prawns, but then our neighbour’s cat Charlie came to visit. Twice. Last night and this morning. After she left most of the prawns were gone.

Which countries would you like to travel to?
Italy, France and Belgium. I have visited Paris and Bruges several times now and am in love with these places. I would love to visit Florence and then – Venice.

What language would you like to learn?
French. Then – Italian.

What is your dream job?
I am doing it right now working as a nutritional advisor and studying to become a nutritional therapist.

What is your favourite magazine?
Vogue, US, Russian or Paris. Not crazy about UK Vogue at all. I also buy InStyle US occasionally and can be tempted by ELLE US or France.

If you had £100 now, what would you spend it on?
A set of Aubade Fleurs De Pommier lingerie.

What is your favourite fruit?
Persimmon.

What's the last thing you bought?
That Armand Basi silk blouse I mentioned above as it was on sale, so I couldn’t resist the temptation.

What are you listening to right now?
Carla Bruni’s Comme si de rien n'était

What is your favourite ice cream flavour these days?
Pistachio. And I prefer gelato to ice-cream.

What do you think about the person who tagged you?
Oh, I adore Carrie. I think she is gorgeous, has a great sense of style and is a very warm and kind person.

What’s your must-have piece for summer?
Tulip shaped chocolate brown dress that I bought last winter or in early spring.

If you could go anywhere in the world for the next hour, where would you go?
Paris, of course!

What’s your favourite quote these days?
Style is primarily a matter of instinct.
-Bill Blass

Who do you want to meet right now?
My mum and dad who live in Russia and my best friend, who is in the States.

What's your favourite piece of clothing in your own closet?
My Taffy dress by Diane von Furstenberg. I fell in love with it as soon as it first appeared and then was lucky enough to buy it. It makes me feel beautiful.

Favourite designer at the moment?
As far as the summer 2009 is concerned I love Versace.

What do you consider a fashion faux pas?
Wearing clothes that don’t fit properly or are too small. Buying clothes because of the labels.

Do you admire anyone's style?
I like Inès de la Fressange, Tasha De Vasconcelos and Victoria Beckham.

Describe your personal style.
It’s very classic and feminine. I choose clothes that would last several seasons, well-cut and made with good quality fabrics and buy them because I LOVE them, not because something is in fashion or has a designer name on it. I can live with very few dresses, skirts, trousers, tops and coats, but I am a true collector when it comes to lingerie, scarves and shoes.

What are you going to do after this?
Sit in a garden with my laptop and have a cup of Lady Grey tea.

Sources: net-a-porter, style.com, amazon.co.uk, kevinmurphystore.com, vogue, aubade.fr

Unfashionable pleasures of life

I spend my afternoon, such a dreamy, sleepy, quiet and transparent moment of time, in my kitchen, preparing creme caramel and listening to one of the most beautiful albums I've even owned, Quelqu'un m'a dit by Carla Bruni (her first music "baby"). True, there are always exception for anything and here is the one when a beautiful model can have everything - beauty, brains, talent and sensual mystery. If you even want to please your soul, then listen to this CD, have some beautiful creme caramel and enjoy a quiet moment of simple and yet exquisite pleasure.