#FridayFashionIcon: NINA DOBREV

She is a CW darling starring in one of the most popular shows in last decade - The Vampire Diaries. The show is based on books written by L. J. Smith. The show brought to our attention two gorgeous stunningly attractive hotties - Paul Wesley and Ian Somerhalder. The latter one is one of the favourites (by fans) to become Christian Grey in best-selling erotic novel Fifty Shades of Grey. But the star of the show is the main actress who portrays a girl who needs to decide which one of these gorgeous brothers she is in love with. She embarked on two different characters at the same time. Katrine Pierce & Elena Gilbert. In real life she actually dated one of the brothers - Ian Somerhalder (up until couple months ago - it's the summer of break-ups!!!). Her best friend is no other than a major movie star and ballroom queen Julianne Hough. Yes, I am talking about the gorgeous NINA DOBREV!!

Although Nina is a Canadian, she was born in Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria. At the birth, 9th January 1989, she was given a name NIKOLINA CONSTANTINOVA DOBREVA. When she was just two, her and her family relocated to Toronto. Nina has an older brother Alexander. Her mum is an artist (probably that's where Nina got her genes for arts from) and her dad is a computer specialist. 

Since the early age Nina showed skills for many talents including : Dance, Theatre, Music, Acting, Visual Arts, Gymnastics.. She even competed on a professional level in gymnastics. 

Nina started off her career as many young actresses these days - modelling. That let to auditions and eventually she landed a her first major role in DEGRASSI: THE NEXT GENERATION where she played the role of teenage mother Mia Jones. Her credits include roles in films: Fugitive Pieces, Away From Her, Never Cry Werewolf, The American Mall, Chloe, The Roomate, Arena... 

But the break came when she was cast for a leading role of Elena Gilbert / Katherine Pierce in teenage drama Vampire Diaries. Nina plays a role of human girl who is caught in love triangle between two Salvatore brothers (who are also vampires) - Stefan and Damon. The Vampire diaries is one of the most watched TV series in last years and the cast is currently filming the fifth season. 

Nina also landed a supporting role in one of my favourite movies, based on my favourite book, The Perks of Being a Wallflower. She got to play Charlie's sister Candace. 

She is not just a pretty face, she speaks three languages. Fluently. French, English & Bulgarian. She also supports the organisation Free The Children . She is a big fan of Yoga which is how she keeps her amazing figure in shape. 

Nina loves travelling and is often seen to post pictures from her travels on her Instagram, Twitter and Who Say account. 

She showed her funny side when she appeared in a Funny or Die music video with Nick Brown called SPF. She also sings and you can find her music videos on YouTube. 

But now, let's get to the reason why I've chosen Nina for one of the fashion icons which inspire me. Nina is a great actress with many talents. She is a role model. She supports many charities and is often a guest on charity-organised events. She hosted a foundation event for her ex-boyfriend ISFoundation last year. Although they broke up this year, she continues to be great friends with him and supports many of his  causes. 

Nina has an amazing fashion style. You can find her name on Best-dressed list at every single major event. I love her unique style of effortless chic. She can be seen in short colourful dresses or gorgeous couture gowns and always look fabulous. But she also rocks the everyday style. We can often see her in beanie hats, jeans and simple T's. She loves designing her own jewellery and plans to bring out her own jewellery line soon. 

I think Nina is one of many great TV actress out there at the moment. She keeps her feet firmly on the ground is often seen hanging out with friends, but also is super nice and talkative to her fans. You can follow nina on Instagram of Twitter @ninadobrev or have a look on her official website www.ninadobrev.com.

What do you think about this week's #FridayFashionIcon choice? Do you like Nina Dobrev style as much as I do?

Friday's Fashion Icon: NICOLE RICHIE

What thought comes to your mind when I say the name NICOLE RICHIE? Some might say spoilt brat who had it easy in life. Some might say that they remember her famous anorexic pictures which shocked the world. Some of you will come out with: "Is that the other Barbie who starred in the silly reality show with Paris Hilton?".  And I am sure that there would be more that one answer like that, but I wonder how many of you say: "Nicole Richie? She is amazing! She is an example of how you can turn your life around to the good side!"

I must say I have been a fan of Nicole for more that a decade. I think she is one amazing woman! She is an actress, singer, fashion designer, fashion icon, business woman, wife and mum. She does it all with lots of respect and style. 

Nicole Camille Richie (born Nicole Camille Escovedo) was born on September 21st 1981. She was adopted by Lionel Richie when she was only 9 years old. Her biological parents were friends with Lionel, but when they weren't able to provide for their daughter, Lionel became her guardian and later on an adoptive parent. Nicole had everything she wanted in her life thanks to a bitter divorce of her adoptive parents. They wanted to protect her which resulted in indulging her every whim. Nicole said : "Their way of making me happy was to say yes to everything I wanted, but I don't think a little girl should have that much freedom." 

Around this time Nicole met and became best friends with another millionaire heiress Paris Hilton. Them two went on to start together in "little reality show" THE SIMPLE LIFE. And that's were it all started. Fame. Troubles. Nicole was charges for driving under influence. Her friendship with Paris had some major complication. So after 5 season The Simple Life run its end. 

After that period of her life ended, Nicole tried her luck with acting. She went on and had some guest appearances in show: Kids in America, Eve, Six Feet Under, American Dreams, 8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter. 

In 2005 Nicole wrote a semi-autobiographical novel THE TRUTH ABOUT DIAMONDS, which was fictional, but there were some aspects of her true life.  In 2010 she published another novel PRICELESS about a girl who looses everything in her life which helps her to learn what really matters. 

Nicole can play piano and there were some talks about her recording an album, but it was never released. 

But not all is a glitter in her life. She went through a dark period. Nicole suffered some major health issues. We all know the famous photograph of her running on the beach in blue bikini looking unhealthy thin. Nicole denied that she suffers from anorexia. She told Vanity Fair in May 2006: "I know I'm too thin right now, so I wouldn't want any young girl looking at me and saying, 'That's what I want to look like.' I started seeing a nutritionist and a doctor. I was scared that it could be something more serious. I am not anorexic. I am not bulimic. I do not have an eating disorder." In October 2006 it was announced that she was seeking a treatment for "an inability to put on weight".  Then in March 2007 she was admitted to hospital for dehydration and her representatives announced she was diagnosed with hypoglycaemia. 

As mentioned before, she was arrested for drinking under influence as she failed sobriety test. She was charged and sentenced to four days in jail at the Century Regional Detention Centre in Lynwood, but released early due to overcrowding in the jail system. She spent there 82 mins.

So now you know the history and her bad period in life. Let's talk about why I love her so much:

After this dark period Nicole began dating Joel Madden and her life has changed. She has become a fashion and jewellery designer. Her first jewellery collection debuted in 2008 under a name HOUSE OF HARLOW 1960. The line became available at Kitson's online boutique. Later on it was extended to shoes and apparel. Then in 2009 she joined a maternity story A Pea in the Pod to design a fashion line for woman who are expecting. She became a face of the line under name "NICOLE". In 2010 she introduced her own fashion line for woman WINTER KATE. The collection was inspired by timeless prints and shapes, beautiful paisley and florals. HOUSE OF HARLOW helped her to win "Entrepreneur of Year" at the Glamour Women of Year 2010 awards. 

Nicole's amazing fashion style earned her crowd of young followers who look up to her for fashion inspiration. She has a very distinctive boho style. It's all about maxi dresses, prints, 60's & 70's look made for this generation girl. She is the one who brought us headpieces and hair jewellery! And the handbag brand Balenciaga enjoyed a big success thanks to Nicole carrying their bags everywhere! I love her style and often look for inspiration in pictures of her (thanks to her I have a quite large hat collection). 

Her unique and always inspiring fashion style let her to become a mentor on a fashion reality show alongside Jessica Simpson "Fashion Star". 

Nicole and Joel married on December 1st 2010. The couple has two children : Harlow Winter Kate Madden ( born 2008 ) and Sparrow James Midnight Madden (born 2009).  Nicole sets her daughter a great example and her children mean the life to her. She was often heard to say that her daughter save her life. Thanks to her Nicole became healthy happy mum. 

The Maddens also give their time to charity. In 2007 they created "The Richie Madden Children's Foundation". Alongside her brother-in-laws Benji Madden they worked with UNICEF and held a fundraiser for the Tap Project. The foundation designed "Cup with Cause which was part of their charity focused coffee campaign. They worked with Beyond Shelter, a non-profit organisation devoted to providing shelter for homeless families in Los Angeles. In May 2008 the couple shot a UNICEF public-service announcement to generate aid for the cyclone-devasted Myanmar. They both wrote blogs on the UNICEF website to encourage people to help children in need. Nicole is also a member of the Environmentall Media Association. 

So what do you think about Nicole now? LOVE HER OR HATE HER, YOU MUST SAY SHE HAS AN AMAZING STYLE  AND IS A PRIME EXAMPLE IN LONG LIST OF  YOUNG STARLETS WHO'S LIFE HASN'T BEEN EASY. BUT SHE MANAGED TO TURN IT AROUND AND BECOME ONE OF THE MOST SUCCESSFUL WOMEN IN HOLLYWOOD. 

Fashion Icon Of The Month: ALEXA CHUNG

It is the time of the month to introduce you to another fashion icon of mine. I have been admiring this gorgeous lady for some time. Actually, since I have moved to UK and for the first time turned on the TV and Channel4. At that time I have only known her as a presenter for T4 (kids and teenage program for the youngsters). But I have soon realise what an incredible Style Icon she is. By now you all know who I am talking about. Yes, The Fashion Icon For The Month Of May is ALEXA CHUNG. 

Alexa was born on cold day on November 5th 1983 in Privett, Hampshire in UK. So there is a first reason why I love her. She is British. And you all know how much love I have for everything British. She has a mixture of English and Chinese genes. Hello, that's already a killing combo which can guarantee you some great things in the future. 

She started her career at the age of 16 when she was scouted by a modelling agency at Reading festival. And no wonder they have been impressed with her. This girl is 5ft 8.5 in tall, has gorgeous features, green eyes and brown hair. She is beautiful and has a great smile. She landed jobs for ElleGirl, CosmoGIRL!, Fanta, Sunsilk, Sony Ericsson and my favourite Urban Outfitters. She has also appeared in couple of music videos. She is one lucky girl!!! 

At then her career went even bigger. Alexa became a household name at big fashion shows. She walked the show for big names in fashion world including Vivienne Westwood's show. She became a face of various brands which include Antipodium, New Look, DKNY, Pepe Jeans, Lacoste and recently Vero Mode and Mulberry. 

But she didn't only took over the catwalks. She took over our TV screens too. She became a host for Popworld and later on landed a lucrative contract with Channel 4. She became one of the most popular presenter of our screens and was awarded with Elle Style Award "Best TV Presenter" and Glamour's "Best TV Presenter" for 2009. In same year she also received Glamour's "Annual Award". 

And then she decided to leave our TV screen and pursue the Stateside. She moved to USA in April 2009 and landed her own show on MTV "It's on with Alexa Chung". The show was cancelled later on the year but Alexa wasn't jobless. She returned to UK to present another series of Frock Me with Henry Holland, Gonzo with Alexa Chung and she even presented "2011 Golden Globe Arrivals Special" with Carlson Daly. Since that she landed a job as a host and judge on US programme 24 Hour Catwalk and she is co-hosting a night show Fuse News. 









But Alexa is not only pretty face. She is a great journalist too. She used to be a columnist for my favourite magazine "COMPANY", she wrote a weekly columm for "The Independent" and she has also been made a contributing editor for "British Vogue". 





And no wonder!! Alexa and her style has been a talk of the decade between big designers. She is a muse for many of them thanks to her distinctive personal style. She has a permanent place on most Best Dressed lists. Anna Wintour, Vogue's fashion editor, has called her "A Phenomenom", Karl Lagerfeld has described her as "Beautiful and clever... a modern girl" and the New York Times declared her "The Kate Moss of New Generation". In December 2010, Bryan Ferry, on the behalf of British Fashion Council, presented Alexa with the British Style Award which "recognises an individual who embodies the spirit of British Fashion and is an international ambassador for the UK as a leading creative hub for fashion". She has received her reward at the posh London hotel SAVOY. 

And she continue to charm us with her style even these days. She has been voted by public and won the British Style Award 3 years in a row (2011, 2012, 2013).










And no wonder, Alexa's style is very British. Every girl in Britain wants to look like her and wants to be like her. She has a great style which inspires me in everyday life. She is a real role model. Hardworking. Intelligent. Great career. British. An Amazing Style. Cool. Fashionable. Beautiful. She knows how to mix designer labels and vintage pieces and always ends up looking absolutely stunning. Effortless. Modern. 







I wish she would be my friend. 

I am sure we can expect even more greater things from her in the future. Alexa Chung is taking the world by storm. And soon we can even expect even a book written by Ms Chung. And I hope it will be a fashion book. 








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Fashion Icon Of The Month: ALICIA VIKANDER

Alicia in Louis Vuitton

This month's style crush is a lovely Swedish actress ALICIA VIKANDER. 

She was born in Gothenburg in Sweden on October 3rd 1988. Her full name is Alicia Amanda Vikander. And she is not only an actress but also a dancer. She studied and trained at Royal Swedish Ballet School.



She is really famous in Sweden thanks to her role in television drama Andra Avenyn.

In Rodarte (my favourite choice) at Anna Karenina premiere

Alicia shot the fame on worldwide scale when she stared in last year's movie, which also happens to be a film adaptation to Leo Tolstoy's novel under the same name, ANNA KARENINA. I had to say I had tried to read this book, but unsuccessfully. Unfortunately, I gave up after first hundred pages as I found it boring and long-widing, so I went to see it in the cinema instead. (One of the examples where the movie is better than a book - note it's not many of them!) And I absolutely loved it. Not because of the story, because I have to say I was bored at times, but because of the amazing costumes which were created for this film. Loved every single one of them. No wonder it won an Oscar for Costume Design!! 

Anyways, Alicia got to play a role of Kitty and she got it just right. Since then she became a new star on the big screen. She put her signature  on movies like A ROYAL AFFAIR, THE SEVENTH SON, HOTELL & FIFTH ESTATE. 



She received great reviews from critics all around the world (She won Rising Star Award at Stockholm Film Festival  and Guldbagge Award for Best Actress) and actually even various fashion magazine praised her to heavens for her great style. 

Elie Saab Design

And I fell for her style too. I love the choice of her dresses for various Award shows. I think she is really chic. She knows how to pick a great designer dress, I would wear anything she has chosen. She worked with designers like Elie Saab, Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Christian Dior and Rodarte. She looked beautiful in every single design and got it right with every piece of accessory. Her hair and make-up is always flawless. 

She is part of the new wave of hollywood actresses with a great style, which is not trashy, but simple and chic. 

Christian Dior

I think we can expect a lot of more great style choices from this fabulous girl. She knows what she is doing. She is Swedish, which means she is destined to have a great style.