Sandra‘s Closet

Net-à-porter UK has started the end of season sale with up to 50% off officially today.

I put a selection of great classic pieces for you together, all under £200. All of them are perfect investments, versatile basics that you cannot go wrong with. To be transferred directly, please just click on the highlighted text.

1 Crochet-knit wool-blend poncho by Missoni, £122.50 (was £250)

2 Cotton-twill shirt-style bodysuit by Tibi, £115 (was £230)

3 Cotton and modal-blend turtleneck top by Splendid, £30 (was £60)

4 Silk-satin trimmed jersey top by Miu Miu, £136.50 (was £195)

5 Camino metallic-knit sweater by Marc by Marc Jacobs, £132 (was £220)

6 Satin-jersey wrap-effect dress by Halston Heritage, £175 (was £250)

7 Appliquéd wool cape by Emma Cook, £ 137.50 (was £275)

Below you find a selection of pieces that work day and night. All of them could be combined in different ways.

1 Moldave ruffled silk blouse by Paul & Joe, £147 (was £245)

2 Python platform pumps by Alexandre Birman, £145 (was £290)

3 Quinn leather envelope clutch by Michael Kors, £ 197.50 (was £395)

4 Silk-trimmed stretch-lace dress by D&G Dolce & Gabbana, £160 (was £320)

5 Chevron velvet and twill clutch by Marc by Marc Jacobs, £150 (was £250)

6 Python and suede ankle boots by Alexandre Birman, £170 (was £340)

7 Cropped jersey jacket by Alice by Temperley, £122.50 (was £245)

8 Stretch-bouclé pencil skirt by Vince, £ 119 (was £170)

Happy Shopping! Hurry, those pieces will sell out fast…

LoL, Sandra

This week, a friend from Singapore was in town and I was invited to a ladies dinner in her honour.

My outfit for this occasion: Dorothy fern-print silk dress and fern-print cashmere, silk and wool-blend scarf, both by Stella McCartney, brown suede booties by Fendi and PS11 Mini Classic textured-leather shoulder bag by Proenza Schouler.

I am absolutely in love with the PS11 Mini Classic shoulder bag by Proenza Schouler. It has an amazing colour combination and is a stylish plus very versatile piece. To shop, please click here.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht

I love hair oils as they give your hair shine and make it smooth.
Used on wet hair, you can let it dry naturally or style it with heat. Moreover, I like to add a daily dose on my hair-ends for extra shine.

A great gift for you or for a girlfriend is this Kérastase Elixir Ultime Limited Edition by accessory icon Yazbukey.

Yazbukey is the brainchild of Yaz, an Ottoman princess whose family once ruled in Egypt, Yazbukey has worked with the likes of Chanel, Ladurée and Zac Posen to create unique pieces of an aesthetic design.

For Kérastase Elixir Ultime, Yazbukey reflects on the precious and sensual nature of the orient through a geometric pattern adorning the bottle and outer packaging. She was inspired by the Moucharabieh, an Arabic latticework, which is something in between wooden windows or doors and a screen.

Limited Edition Elixir Ultime by Yazbukey, 150ml, CHF 49.-

Here’s Schwarzkopf’s take on the hair oil trend, the BC Oil Miracle range. Two things stand out about this immediately: the company has launched two different versions, one for thick, unruly hair and a lighter one for fine hair that doesn’t overburden it. The perfect final step to your care routine.

BC Oil Miracle Finishing Treatment, 100ml, CHF 35.90
BC Oil Light Finishing Treatment, 100ml, CHF 35.90

My personal favourite is Nashi Argan Oil which is a blend of precious natural elements of organic origin (certified Argan Oil and Linseed Oil). It is suitable for all hair types, providing your hair with amazing shine and manageability.

Nashi Argan Oil, 100ml, CHF 59
(available at perfecthair.ch for CHF 47.20 at the moment)

The godfather of hair oils: Moroccanoil Treatment is a unique serum with instant absorption into hair to create a beautiful shine and long term conditioning.

Moroccanoil Treatment, 100ml, CHF 74
(available at perfecthair.ch for CHF 68 at the moment)

LoL, Sandra

ALIEN

Tonka bean ice cream, “Clafoutis” cookie, half-candied pink grapefruit

Salted butter caramel

Serves 4

Preparation time: 2 hours (including the ice cream and the vanilla infusion)

Cooking time: 30 min.

Ice cream

• 2dl (6/7 cup) of milk
• 40g (1/3 cup) of liquid cream
• ½ vanilla bean
• 2 egg yolks
• 20g (1/10 cup) of sugar

In a saucepan, boil the milk, cream and vanilla bean sliced in half lengthwise. Set aside and cover. Let infuse for one hour.

Combine egg yolks and sugar and beat until the mixture turns white.

Add the infused milk and cream then cook over gentle heat, stirring regularly, until the mixture coats the spatula.

Let cool, process in a blender and leave in the freezer.

Almond crumble

• 125g (3/5 cup) of sugar
• 125g (1.1/4 cup) of flour
• 125g (1/2 cup) of butter

Mix the sugar and flour then fold in the softened butter.

Let sit before crumbling the dough into small irregular pieces.

Set them out on a non-stick oven tray and cook for 10 minutes in an oven preheated to 325°F (160°C).

“Clafoutis” cookie

• 70g (1/3 cup) of butter
• 100g (1 cup) of almond powder
• 100g (3/4 cup) of powdered sugar
• 1 egg
• 15g (1/6 cup) of flour
• 80g (2/3 cup) of liquid cream

Blend the softened butter and almond powder.

Add the powdered sugar, then egg, then flour and finally the liquid cream (an egg beater can be used) and let sit for one hour.

Pour the mixture into small non-stick tartlet molds and cook for 6 minutes in an oven preheated to 350°F (180°C).

Place a small amount of the crumble on each “Clafoutis” cookie and continue cooking in the oven for another 5 minutes.

The little extra: “salted butter” caramel with grapefruit

• 200g (1 cup) of sugar
• 10g (2/3 tbsp) of salted butter
• 80g (1/3 cup) grapefruit juice

Pour the sugar into a pan and melt until caramelized.

Deglaze with the butter.

Add the grapefruit juice.

Reduce until the mixture becomes syrupy.

Presentation

• 1 Tonka bean
• 2 pink grapefruits cut into supremes

Position the ‘Clafoutis’ cookie in the middle of the plate and place a dollop of ice cream on top of it.

Grate the Tonka bean (as if it was nutmeg).

Set two grapefruit supremes on the side.

Taste as is at first, then top with a thin line of caramel.
Bon appétit!

LoL, Sandra

Accessorize your wall or your desk with a gorgeous fashion calendar for 2012. Choose from fashion illustrations, fashion photography, shoes and purses. There is something for every taste!

The Shopaholic’s Desk Calendar: Bo Derek once said, “Whoever said money can’t buy happiness simply didn’t know where to go shopping.”

The Shopaholic’s Daily Calendar 2012 Day-to-Day Calendar offers lots of ideas, presenting readers with top shopping sites on the Web as well as tips on shopping anywhere from the mall to the flea market, from a designer boutique to eBay. Add in advice from celebrity stylists, quotes and tips from designers, ways to be a smarter shopper, and the latest in shopping technology, and this calendar belongs on every shopaholic’s to-buy list.

High Style Wall Calendar: Everyone is head-over-heels for shoes! High Style 2012 celebrates unforgettable heels from the Bata Shoe Museum, North America’s unique shoe museum. With spacious grids that include international holidays and moon phases along side some of the most outrageous styles ever, this twelve month calendar is overloaded with images of knockout shoes.

There are sections at the back of the calendar for emergency contact information and birthdays/anniversaries and a full-page 3-year at-a-glance. A must-have calendar for any shoe or fashion lover.

Handbags Gallery Desk Calendar: The calendar that makes handbag lovers swoon. Here are hundreds of distinctive purses, clutches, pochettes, totes, and satchels, every one beautifully photographed in full color.

Also available as Shoes Gallery Desk Calendar.

Vogue 2012 Wall Calendar celebrates women with the joie de vivre of late 1920s vintage covers from legendary illustrators such as William Bolin, Garcia Benito, and Georges Lepape.

Vogue epitomizes style, glamour, and everything that keeps the fashion world beautiful and exciting, making Vogue 2012 Wall Calendar the perfect gift for any fashionista, design fan, or vintage-style lover.

Barbie Wall Calendar: The 2012 Barbie™ calendar presents beautiful Barbie® dolls modeling stylish designs by Robert Best, showcasing his elegant haute couture creations.

Featuring elegant daywear and stunning evening gowns, this Barbie™ collection is a dream-come-true for any girl of any age!

LoL, Sandra

Learn your fashion math: Dieu + Or = Dior!
‎”This agile genius of our times whose magical name contains Dieu (God) and or (gold)”.
– Jean Cocteau.

Get inspired by Dior’s golden Christmas 2011 and enter the enchanting world of sparkling nail polishes and matching lipsticks. A wonderful gift and a treat for yourself!

These are my two favourites below:
Le Vernis Gold 221 Or Divin, CHF 37 (photo left)
Le Rouge Or 217 Or Etoilé, CHF 48 (photo right)

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Christian Dior

Two tone blouses are very up-to-date, adding a sophisticated touch to a classic look. Look out for contrasting cuffs and collars for an immediate style upgrade.

Favourites of the season:

Cotton-poplin shirt by Bally

Oakdene velvet and silk-crepe blouse by Aubin & Wills
Silk-trimmed cotton shirt by Bottega Veneta
Brett washed-silk shirt by Equipment
Leather-trimmed silk blouse by Tibi
Ciseau two-tone silk blouse by Sandro
Two-tone silk-chiffon top by Haute Hippie

LoL, Sandra

This year, Pomellato‘s Nudo Ring celebrates its 10th anniversary. For the ad campaign, the Italian jeweler is again teaming with Tilda Swinton.

I have been loving the sleek jewels from the beginning. You can wear only one or stack them up to two or three, playing with the colours.
For its anniversary, Pomellato presents a bigger, stronger version of its iconic piece, featuring gems in bold tones, including London blue topaz, Madera quartz, amethyst, lemon quartz, along with a limited edition in olivine and mandarin garnet.

Rings in rose gold and white gold with blue London topaz, Madeira quartz, amethyst, prasiolite and lemon quartz, £ 2.020

Nudo in amethyst.

Nudo in blue topaz. New Nudo in madeira quartz.

Nudo in madeira quartz, blue London topaz. New Nudo in amethyst.

New Nudo in lemon quartz, peridot. Nudo in lemon quartz.

Nudo in madeira quartz. New Nudo in tangerine garnet, madeira quartz.

Rings in rose gold and white gold with peridot and tangerine garnet, price on request

Good news for my Zurich based readers, we have our own Pomellato store since last week at Weinplatz 10.

Dear Santa, please bring me one or two or three… such a wonderful gift!

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Pomellato

Looking outside, it is truly sweater weather! And this season, it is official, the cheesy holiday jumper got a style upgrade. Suddenly, all that we want are reindeers, snowflakes and jacquards. My favourite are Moschino’s penguins.

1 Penguin intarsia wool sweater by Moschino
2 Cropped wool-blend jacquard sweater by Alexander Wang
3 Fair Isle neon wool-blend sweater by Juicy Couture
4 Fair Isle knitted cotton sweater by Jonathan Saunders
5 Snowman intarsia wool sweater by Moschino
6 Snowflake sequined merino wool sweater by Markus Lupfer
7 Firgrove intarsia wool and alpaca-blend sweater by Aubin & Wills
8 Chunky-knit Fair Isle sweater by J.Crew
9 Polar bear intarsia wool and alpaca-blend sweater by Stella McCartney

Stylist Carolin Sieber rocks this trend by combining her Topshop sweater with a leather mini and Chanel booties. Get cozy for Christmas!

LoL, Sandra

Photo: © Mr Newton for Harper’s Bazaar

Are you looking for the perfect little gift for your mum, your grandma or even your mother-in-law? Have a look at Estée Lauder‘s limited edition solid perfume and powder compacts that come each year in different designs.

Here in Switzerland the complete new collection will be available.

1 Powder Compact LOVE, CHF 95
2 Powder Compact JEWELED PINK RIBBON, CHF 95
3 Powder Compact PROSPERITY, CHF 95
4 Solid Perfume Compact YOUTH-DEW PROSPERITY, CHF 160
5 Powder Compact PEACE, CHF 180
6 Solid Perfume Compact PLEASURES HAPPINESS BY JAY STRONGWATER, CHF 480
7 Compact Powder YEAR OF THE DRAGON, CHF 105
8 Compact Powder LUCK, CHF 150
9 Solid Perfume Compact BEAUTIFUL LOVE, CHF 160
10 Solid Perfume Compact BEAUTIFUL LUCK BY JAY STRONGWATER, CHF 515

Around the world, collectors crave for the new miniature must-haves. 1981’s “Cinnebar Imperial Princess” has today a collector’s value of $8000!

“Cinnebar Imperial Princess”, 1981, Photo:©Swisslady

If you are interested, please have a look at solidperfume.com, a collector’s website completely dedicated to Estée Lauder’s solid perfume compacts.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Estée Lauder