NEXT Model Competition

 

Naomi and Gisele were discovered in a shopping mall. Claudia was a dancing queen when a talent scout saw her in a night club. Christy was riding a horse, Nadja Auermann was in a cafe and Elle Macpherson had to go on holiday to be discovered.

As you can see, if you wanted to become a supermodel you had to get out there. Things changed a lot since then because now you can be discovered in a comfort of your own home! So if you dream of becoming a model, NEXT and SELECT model agency are giving you a chance here and now.

IMPORTANT:

The competition is open to girls and guys aged 18 or over who permanently live in the UK. There will be TWO winners. They will each enjoy a £2000 spree at NEXT, the chance to start in the NEXT photo shoot, plus an introduction to the leading model agency, SELECT.

To enter, you need to complete an entry form at facebook.com/next and upload a recent fully clothed and un-retouched photo of yourself. The deadline for the entry is 6 July 2010.

The top 100 will be chosen by public vote and treated to a glamorous party on 30 July 2010.

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

Dogs in Vogue

"The next best thing to having the world at your feet is to have a dog at your heels"

Vogue 1930

As many of you know I love dogs and am a proud and happy owner of a little treasure called Oscar, my cocker spaniel. Another more than obvious fact is that I have a keen interest in fashion. That is why I was over the moon when I heard about a new book called "Dogs in Vogue: a century in canine chic" that will be released on 8 October 2009. And as the name suggests it is all about fashion, glamour and of course, dogs that made numerous fashion editorials even more beautiful. To celebrate such an important (at least, for me) event I decided to create yet another pets & co. post to share some of my most favourite photos from numerous Vogue editorials. A tiny warning: I am addicted to dogs (particularly, cockers, poodles and dobermans) AND beautiful photos, so the quantity may be overwhelming for some ;) I wonder if any of these made it to the book...

Vogue Paris 1990

Vogue Italy June 2008

Vogue US 2009

Vogue US September 2005

Vogue US October 2008

Vogue US May 2002

Vogue US March 1987

Vogue US June 2005

Vogue US July 2009

Vogue US February 2009

Vogue US April 1990

Vogue US 2008

Vogue US 2002

Vogue US 1992

Vogue UK March 1990

Vogue Paris September 2009

Vogue Nippon August 2009

Vogue Italy September 2005

Vogue Italy March 2008

Vogue Italy 2009

Vogue Greece February 2004

Vogue Spain December 2004

Vogue US September 2007

Vogue Italy 1991

Teen Vogue US September 2009

Naomi

I had so many ideas to blog about and then I saw this photo... And I kept staring and staring unable to take my eyes away from it. Truly, a picture is worth a thousand words and awakes waves of emotions.

Photo source: Allure 1994, Naomi Campbell by Mario Testino