London’s luminous art crowd turned out in full last night to help YBA Dinos Chapman celebrate his 50th birthday at the newly revamped The Scotch club in St James.

The new Mrs Bryan Ferry, Amanda Sheppard joined Lily Cole, Natalia Vodianova, Roksanda Ilincic and of course Dinos’ brother Jake and wife Tiphaine de Lussy at the club that was once the playground for swinging sixties London. Guests sipped gin and vodka cocktails, with the birthday boy calling it a night at 5am.

A camera shy Kate Moss was also in attendance, managed to also squeeze in drinks with Stella McCartney at nearby Arts Club in Dover Street and was joined by Polly Morgan and Mat Collishaw and Sharleen Spiteri.

Jerry Bouthier provided the eclectic soundtrack playing everything from Sister Sledge to New Order, which – with Tiphanine leading the way – certainly got the crowd on to the dance floor.

Happy Birthday Dinos!

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Natalia is featured on the November 14th issue of Ogonek Magazine. I’ve added the cover to the gallery and you can read the article below. Please note: The following article has been translated into English using google translation.

Over the past ten years I worked as a model, I was able to achieve success, wealth and fame, which I did not dare to dream. However, this does not make sense to me, if I can somehow help others.

More than anything, I hate injustice. It angers me to the core. So, after reading the book “Give me a chance” *, I experienced a strong shock.

Difficult and painful to think about how my country is for children with disabilities. Hard to imagine what would have happened with my sister, if my mother had given her in the care of the state.

I remember that up to seven years I have had a perfect childhood. I lived with my mother, stepfather, grandfather and grandmother to four-room apartment in Nizhny Novgorod. And of course I was terribly spoiled. My grandmother sewed me pretty dresses and stuff Crimean grapes.

Everything changed when I was seven years old and I was born the first sister Oksana. Doctors put her diagnosis – infantile cerebral palsy. Vanya from the orphanage N 10, which describes in his book “Give me a chance”, was born in the same year as Oksana, and perhaps why his story is particularly strong hold of me. Birth Oksana literally destroyed our family. In the nursing home my mother strongly advised to abandon the child and give the girl in the care of a state institution for children with disabilities. They said that she would never go and do – grow “vegetables.” Perhaps they sincerely believed that a sick child at the hands of my mother put an end to his life. “Your own life will end, if you take a girl. Do not even think about it.”

But I have a strong mother, and she rejected all the arguments of doctors. Oxana – her daughter, she said, and care for her she would be herself. This decision is adopted mother yourself, did not listen to any doctors, no relatives and friends. Her husband, my stepfather, said, or child, or me. And he left us.

My grandmother and grandfather worked at the automobile plant and even grown fruits and vegetables in the country near Nizhny Novgorod. Throughout his life, they have been working hard. At the same time my grandmother was a very sociable man, fond of fun for the holidays and collected a lot of guests. Presence in the house of a sick child would radically change her life. “We are no longer so young and deserved rest. Let us disperse.” So we with mom and sister were in a studio apartment is not in the best area of ??town. The apartment was so small that we were sleeping with Oksana in the hallway.

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To photograph haute couture is to build an elaborate, imaginary world that extends far beyond the limits of one single frame. This is why Patrick Demarchelier’s photograph for Vogue of Natalia Vodianova in front of the Dior atelier in Paris—an arresting image styled by Vogue Creative Director Grace Coddington that opens Demarchelier’s new book, Dior Couture (Rizzoli)—is all the more exceptional. With the iconic house’s petites mains, furniture, tools, and fabrics taken right out of the impenetrable studio and onto Avenue Montaigne, the fantasy is planted firmly in the real world, the craft contextualized without losing any of its magnificence. Whether this was Demarchelier’s intention, he says the choice to shoot on the street came down to aesthetics. “We didn’t like the inside,” he explains in his signature succinct manner.

Vogue’s European Editor at Large, Hamish Bowles, who was on set in 2008, remembers the shoot this way: “We really wanted to capture that behind-the-scenes world and to convey a sense of the pride and perfectionism of the people who bring the couturiers’ fantasies so magnificently to life. This was such an exciting story to work on because it involved really understanding the hierarchy as well as the level of craft, skill, artistry, and refinement that the tailors and dressmakers—and the legions of petites mains—possess.”

This black-and-white portrayal, so classically Dior, is only one of hundreds featured in the tome, the others a mix of Demarchelier’s previous editorial work and photographs taken of runway stars like Sasha Pivovarova and Karlie Kloss specifically for this project. The 2008 Vogue image, however, remains dear to Demarchelier for many reasons, not least of which is Coddington’s exquisite eye—he considers it as well honed as that of any of his peers. “It was a very easy shoot,” he says. “When you have a great picture, there’s no point in doing anything more.”

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Russian supermodel Natalia Vodianova has earned herself a place on a list of the most stylish Brits.

“Harpers Bazaar” magazine listed the 29-year-old Russian as Britain’s 12th best-dressed woman of 2011.

Vodianova lives and works predominantly in the UK, hence her qualifying for the list.

The magazine says she is defined by her combination of innocence and sex appeal.

Number one on the list was Kate Middleton, followed by Florence Welch of “Florence and the Machine” and up-and-coming actress Andrea Riseborough.

Dubbed the “Russian Cinderella” by the media, Natalya Vodianova is widely known for her “rags-to-riches” story. Brought up in an extremely poor family with a disabled sister, Vodianova enrolled in a modeling academy at the age of 15 and has gradually become one of the world’s highest paid and most successful supermodels.

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Right from an opening extravaganza of workers in hard hats toiling away to the tune of a drill, on through to a penultimate act featuring a horse and donkey, the entertainment was a gala evening managing to combine the Bolshoi’s long history of grand performance with modern Russia’s supposed cultural vacuity.

Stretched over two hours, Friday night’s over-the-top medley of ballet and opera, with enough theatrics to rival any Eurovision gathering, gave Russia a show to remember to celebrate the opening of the Moscow theatre’s doors.

Not that Dmitry Medvedev, dwarfed on the Bolshoi’s enormous stage, was going to let the assembled supermodels, politicians and ballerinas be in any doubt of the significance. “Today is a very happy day for our country,” the president said, kicking off the evening with a speech extolling the theatre’s symbolism. “We have, of course, a very big country, but one with a small number of unifying symbols, so-called ‘national brands’. The Bolshoi is one of our greatest national brands.”

A brand name appeared a crass way to describe a magnificent world-class historic theatre that has given the world some of its best ballerinas, opera singers and choreographers. Broadcast round the world, the opening was intended as a cultural event to mark a six-year renovation costing half a billion pounds.

Medvedev and his wife, Svetlana, in silver lace top and deep blue skirt, took the main box, which has welcomed tsars and Soviet premiers since the theatre first opened in 1825. The president spent much of the evening whispering to Yelena Obraztsova, one of several Bolshoi legends invited to his box. When a standing ovation was needed, it was Medvedev’s wife who nudged him with the back of her hand.

Supermodel Natalia Vodianova and Italian actress Monica Bellucci were there, as were former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, Naina Yeltsin, widow of the former president, and Patriarch Kirill, head of the Russian Orthodox Church. In a nod to Kremlinology, ex-finance minister Alexei Kudrin, fired last month by Medvedev, was relegated to the last row. Former president Vladimir Putin, now prime minister, was notably absent.

As the curtains parted on the famous stage for the first time in six years, the grand hall, outfitted in lush red fabric, ubiquitous gold and opulent chandeliers, filled with a pounding squeal of drilling and repairs. New acoustics, a goal of the renovation, ensured it was deafening. After several minutes, a choir of many dozens dressed as building workers launched into Mikhail Glinka’s Ivan Susanin, singing “Glory to the Russian people!”

An all-Russian programme followed, with arias from Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninoff, and a Shostakovich’s tango from the Golden Age ballet was only outdone by an elegant adagio from Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake, featuring principal ballerina Svetlana Zakharova. French soprano Natalia Dessay and Lithuanian soprano Violeta Urmana were invited to perform.

Nearly all the pieces showcased the Bolshoi’s famous traditional style. Walking down a long red carpet after the end towards the dogs and riot police cordoning off the square in front of the Bolshoi, attendees seemed pleased.

“I liked it,” said Vitaly Mutko, the sport minister. “It’s culture. It’s the country.”

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Nickelodeon Russia, a unit of Viacom International Media Networks, today announced SpongeBob SquarePants, the iconic character from Nickelodeon’s global hit series, is coming to Moscow in a new and glamorous way. ‘Absorbent: A SpongeBob Exhibit’, a unique and immersive modern art exhibition presented by Nickelodeon working in partnership with Beeline, will be offered free-of-charge to visitors from September 16 to October 2, 2011 at the Flacon Design Plant, Moscow.

As Russia’s first-ever interactive SpongeBob exhibition, ‘Absorbent: A SpongeBob Exhibit’ will invite visitors to see firsthand how Nickelodeon’s most famous character has influenced fashion, culture and modern media. Fans (big and small) will have the opportunity to view fashion and art installations inspired by SpongeBob’s positive, happy-go-lucky perspective, as well as a multimedia zone dedicated to the world’s most famous sponge. In addition to showcasing Nickelodeon’s number one property in a sophisticated light, the fun and bold exhibition will provide young visitors with a range of opportunities for creative and educational growth through a number of workshops – all featuring the sponge that has become a global phenomenon.

To mark the opening of ‘Absorbent: A SpongeBob Exhibit’, Nickelodeon will host an exclusive auction with all funds raised going to the Naked Heart Foundation, a children’s charity headed by Supermodel Natalia Vodianova, to build playgrounds across Russia and develop programs for children with special needs.

As part of the Naked Heart Foundation partnership, exhibition visitors will have the opportunity to donate to the foundation by purchasing one-of-a-kind charity bracelets. Nickelodeon will also help create Russia’s first ever SpongeBob SquarePants themed playground, to be built in one of the orphanages the Naked Heart Foundation supports. Fans will get a sneak peek of the playground at the exhibit.

Nicholas Walters, VP General Manager, Viacom International Media Networks Russia and CIS, said: “SpongeBob has a staggering level of awareness and popularity in Russia, and ‘Absorbent: A SpongeBob Exhibit’ is a special way of sharing this beloved character with Moscow-based fans of all ages. We’re delighted to be partnering with Natalia Vodianova and the Naked Heart Foundation, and are proud to support this amazing organization’s commendable work.”

“We are happy to partner with Nickelodeon, a brand that recognizes the importance of play and knows how to bring smiles to kids’ faces. Play is a necessity, not a luxury. It is through play that children at a very early age engage with the world around them. A child’s greatest achievements are possible in play, achievements that tomorrow will form the foundations of their social interactions,” said Natalia Vodianova.

SpongeBob SquarePants reaches viewers in more than 170 countries in 35+ languages across a multimedia platform, including television, digital media and retail sales of over $8 billion. The series debuted in the US in 1999 and was first introduced to Russia audiences in 2000. SpongeBob SquarePants is the most widely-distributed property in MTV Networks history, winning dozens of prestigious awards along with the hearts of both kids and adults across the globe.

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Thanks to Asli Bildirici for translating the article!

She mesmerizes everyone with her big, deep blue eyes. She is like a young girl even though her three kids. The most important thing she learned from life is “no”. She doesn’t do jobs that doesn’t feel right to her, but she gives herself completely to the jobs she chooses. She works for her kids to have a better life. Tom Ford is right. She is the most beautiful women in the world. In every way.

We arrive to West Sussex in the South of London after a few hours car trip.We go through greens that meet with sky, endless fields until we arrive. But it is impossible to believe that this house belongs to a supermodel. There is neither a door nor a security guard. We wouldn’t stop there if we didn’t notice the cars.

The main house that Natalia lives with her three kids is in the middle of the land, behind the trees. The house we see, which is located in the huge land, is called Spa. It is called Spa because of the pools and steam baths in and out of the house. Obviously she prefers the welcome her guests in here. The dolls and toys spread around the pool is the sign that she spends time with her kids here.

The crew arrived before us. They complete the preparations. Everybody did as the note, which was send to us. “ Shoes will be removed at the door and white socks will be worn”. There are many shoes in front of the spa which makes the house looks like a traditional Turkish house. We remove our shoes too and wear the socks that web ring with us. As we enter we realize that this is not a supermodel caprice. The floors are covered with white carpet. And then Natalie comes in. She is wearing a short black pair of shorts, and a tshirt. Bare feet. Very naturel. Very plain. Very beautiful. As Tom Ford says “ worlds most beautiful women”. Even though she just came from Mert & Marcus shoot for American Vogue which took two days she doesn’t show her tiredness as a professional. I’m not amplifying, her eyes are mesmerizingly big and deep. It is the first time that I’m witnessing a human is blessed with this kind of blue. We decide with our fashion director Ece Sükan, if Bambi was a women it would be Natalie Vodianova.

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