Sandra‘s Closet

Last month, we got to know that the uber-gorgeous Blake Lively is the face for Gucci’s new scent GUCCI PREMIÈRE (for the previous post, please click here).

Highly anticipated, the secret has been lifted on her facebook fan page – here is the glamorous and fabulous ad campaign shot by Mert Alas & Marcus Piggott. I know, the photographer duo seems to have closed the deal on every campaign this season.

In a stunning sequined backless gown, Blake Lively transforms the Hollywood glamour of the ’30s perfectly for Gucci’s new fragrance Première. A short film will be released in September during the Venice Film Festival.

LoL, Sandra

Italian luxury label Emilio Pucci launches its first ad campaign since the brand’s inception. The campaign was shot by fashion duo Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott and features model-actress Amber Valletta as muse.

The moody and evocative images are set amidst ornate and sumptuous backdrops inspired by Palazzo Pucci, the maison’s Renaissance-era headquarters in Florence.

Valletta, with her classic features, Italian roots and unobtrusive celebrity, was a natural choice for Pucci. An iconic face in fashion, she embodies the Pucci Woman, exuding a stylish self-assurance. Mert and Marcus capture the sultry, sophisticated, yet slightly subversive theme running through the F/W 2012 collection designed by Creative Director Peter Dundas.

The campaign will be launched in the September issue of select publications in the US, France and Italy and will pave the way for a more amplified reach in 2013.

To shop a great selection of Emilio Pucci’s fall 2012 collection, please click here.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Emilio Pucci

Today is the start of the 2012 Summer Olympic Games in London, United Kingdom, officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad. So time to show your Olympic spirit.

Bally’s men’s West H. sneaker collection makes it easy to show your national pride. Fly the flag for your own nation.

Twelve casual leather sneakers pay homage to twelve different countries. Each West H. sneaker features a national flag screen printed with a cool vintage effect that includes Great Britain, Switzerland, the USA, Germany, Italy, France, Japan and more.

And Bally’s charming Bally-rina is back, this time to captivate us with her sporty London 2012 Olympic spirit in a specially designed women’s sneaker and tote.

The red stitched Athena high-top sneaker features a back zip which cutely reveals the very sweet Bally-rina whimsically waving a gymnastics ribbon in blue, red, green and yellow colours. The same motif can be found on the Hanoe fabric tote.

Both, Bally’s West H. sneaker collection and the Bally-rina collection are available in store and online. Bally offers free shipping at the moment for the sportive collection. Just enter promo code SPORTBALLY at checkout.

For collectors and most loyal fans of the Olympic Games, the Coca-Cola collector’s box Special Olympics five glasses grouping is available exclusively at Colette now. The 5 glasses come with a collector bottle and a tote bag.

Celebrate the 2012 London Olympics with the commemorative Butter London‘s Olympic Heavy Medal Collection. The set includes three beautiful, metallic nail lacquers worthy of standing upon the winners’ podium, all limited editions. 
Colours: The Full Monty, Diamond Geezer and The Old Bill.

Solange Azagury-Partridge has designed the Britannia Hotlips ring to celebrate the games. The renowned iconic Hotlips design featuring the British flag is a fun and original lucky charm- one last good luck kiss for the athletes!

For all winners among you, take sartorial gold in Markus Lupfer‘s playful sequin medal-embellished merino wool sweater. Decorated with signature charm and wit, this piece is sure to turn heads.

Take a playful approach to the sporting season with these ‘2012 Olympics’-inspired briefs by Team Great Britain’s Creative Director Stella McCartney. Cut from a blend of white cotton and silk, this colorfully embroidered pair will make a whimsical addition to your lingerie drawer.

Just click on the highlighted text to shop those must-have pieces.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Bally, Colette, Net-à-porter, Solange Azagury-Partridge and via Telegraph

Time flies. One year ago, I was one of the advertising faces for the Closed F/W 2011 ad campaign. So I was very curious to see what the Hamburg-based brand has come up with this season. Shot by Max Farago in Amsterdam, the team set out with no fixed agenda or timetable to follow. And the Dutch capital presented them with plenty of spontaneous opportunities. In the end, they said, it became hard to depart.

Closed looked to other aspects of the city than those so instantly recognisable such as the iconic canals and gabled housing and realised that the texture of the streets was providing an ideal backdrop for the seasonal collection. And, of course, the easy going laidback attitude that the city is most known for resonated perfectly with the clothes and the four chosen individuals that comprise theCLOSED F/W 2012 campaign.

Find out who this season’s Closed ambassadors are:

Clara Cullen

Born in Argentina and based in New York where she makes film, Clara describes her life: “I love cooking. I have a horse named “El Zurdo”. I write my dreams. I like taking pictures of old women and dogs. My mum is the example of a woman. And dad is my number one fan. Travelling is part of my life. The Metropolitan museum in New York and the Musée d’Orsay in Paris are my favourites. Icons are, Yves Saint Laurent, Sonia Rykiel, Rita Mitsouko, Delia Derbyshire. Buenos Aires, New York. I’m obsessed with miles. I had a hard time communicating when I was a kid. I didn’t like school. It’s important to break the rules.”

Karta Healy

Introducing himself as a conceptor is typically modest of Karta. Probably the only person to successfully persuade a bunch of stiff British politicans to loosen their ties and enjoy bike riding in London’s House of Commons, Healy has been referred to as a cycling scientist. Educated in political science and then trained in industrial design, he is evangelical about the freedom of two wheels over the pollution of four wheeled vehicles and consults with city councils globally on congestion. His Sikh upbringing and nomadic travelling has given him an open outlook on life. As he says, “I have always lived ‘off-the-grid’.” True enough, Karta currently resides on a converted boat in London, “to escape the city within the city.”
Freedom could well be his middle name.

Pernille Teisbæk

Copenhagen-based editor, blogger and TV host, Pernille describes herself: “I’m a fashion blogger and freelance stylist. I just turned 28 years and I feel better and stronger than ever before… because I’m doing what I love. It all started when I was 12 years old and got my grandmother’s old sewing machine. I started to think about making something new – creating clothes that only I could have. Then I started looking in the magazines to find inspiration. After modeling, I started as fashion director at WOMAN magazine. I’ve since gone freelance. I really like the process of creating a universe around a specific look. I guess that is why I feel at home in front of the camera and behind it.”

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Closed and © Sandra Bauknecht