Sandra‘s Closet

Yesterday, I was invited by Montblanc to attend a lovely, very intimate lunch with caviar and champagne at their Arts & Artisanery lounge at the Beverly Wilshire hotel. The rooms of the suite are decorated so beautifully with artwork from the German house’s Cutting Edge Art Collection. Along with many celebrities, among them Emily Rossum, Billy Zane and Pat & Michael York, I had the honour to explore some of the amazing pieces from their high jewelry line, that will surely be seen tomorrow on the red carpet of the Oscars 2013.

My look: Neon stretch-crepe blazer by Antonio Berardi, printed cotton shirt by Carven, pleated wool-crepe mini skirt by Christopher Kane, 4810 hoop earrings by Montblanc, holographic faux leather pumps and matching faux leather clutch, both by Stella McCartney. (For more information on the holographic trend, please click here).

During lunch, I sat next to Pat and Michael York, who is famous for his roles in Cabaret, The Three Musketeers and Austin Powers, among many others. His wife Pat, a former editor of Vogue and Glamour magazine, and a passionate photographer, is a very captivating lady. With exhibitions all over the world, including one at Galerie Gmurzynska in Switzerland, her preferred  subjects are dissected cadavers. “I love the human body,” she explained to me. “It is so fascinating. Once you’ve looked under the skin, we all look the same. You feel how meaningless is all racial and religious prejudice.”

This unique piece from Montblanc’s Bouquet Collection is absolutely breathtaking. It features three blooming diamond studded roses and a gigantic star-shaped “Montblanc Diamond” and drapes comfortably around the neck.

Billy Zane with me. The actor is probably best known for his role as the arrogant Caledon Hockley, Rose’s fiancé in Titanic.

The bracelet and necklace from the Riviera Collection feature a cascade of briolette diamonds and a beautiful embellished closure.

Montblanc’s iconic Princesse Grace de Monaco Collection is a tribute to elegance. For the Pétales Entrelacés motif, the rose petals, in warm pink gold with or without diamonds pavé, are crafted in an intertwined way for rings, earrings, necklaces and braclets.

The last two days have already been so wonderful and I couldn’t be any happier to join Montblanc for the ultimate Oscar experience. I am off this morning to attend the Montblanc Signature for Good Charity Brunch at the Bel-Air hotel where many celebrities are expected and a gorgeous charity project will be presented. You can follow me on the official Montblanc Twitter account @montblanc_world and on Instagram @sandrascloset.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht

Yesterday, I arrived in Los Angeles in the late afternoon and went straight to my hotel, the Beverly Wilshire, one of the filming locations for the 1990 movie “Pretty Woman”. There, I attended a cocktail reception at the Montblanc Arts & Artisanery Lounge located at the fabulous Royal Suite, followed by a dinner at one of my favourite restaurants, Osteria Mozza.

My look: Black crystal embellished wool dress by Emilio Pucci and patent pumps with bows by Saint Laurent.

The decoration couldn’t have been more perfect for an Oscar experience…
The last photo of this post was taken this morning when I woke up after two hours of sleep. Gorgeous sunshine in the city of angels. I just love L.A.!

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht

Dear German readers, have a look at the newest edition of GLAMOUR magazine. I am so proud to have five pages in the new trend part concerning my favourite online shops.

For all who cannot get their hands on the German GLAMOUR, here is a brief summary.

FASHION and more…
ASOS: Great shop to find trendy pieces for less money
CLOSED: The best pants in the world
COJE: A must for all who love romantic looks
FARFETCH: Shopping around the globe
LOUNGE LOVER: My choice for yoga and comfy clothes
LUISA VIA ROMA: The place to explore upcoming and established designers
MYTHERESA: Great selection of many designers, among them Givenchy and Balenciaga
NET-A-PORTER: My all-time favorite! Best online shopping on earth!
PULLANDBEAR: Statement fashion from Spain for the small budget

ACCESSORIES and more…
AVENUE 32: New star in shopping heaven
BOTICCA: Extraordinary jewelry and accessories by upcoming young designers around the globe
GIFTLAB: Great source for gifts and more
MONNIER FRERES: Pretty addictive website for all sorts of accessories

FAMILY & Co…
AMERICAN GIRL: A dream for little girls and their mommies
LOVELYSTUFF: The perfect shop to plan your baby shower or best friend’s wedding
NAMEITLABELS: Be creative and design your own labels
POTTERY BARN: Affordable furniture, home accessories and frames
TINY PRINTS: Greeting cards, perfect for the next holiday season

AMERICAN DREAMS
BERGDORF GOODMAN: My favourite US-shopping destination
J.CREW: Preppy chic par excellence
SSENSE: Many It-labels for both, men and women
INTERMIXONLINE: Paradise for all A-listers and trendsetters
MYUS: Your virtual US-address for all those stores that don’t ship to Europe or Asia

Happy Shopping!

LoL, Sandra

In case that you have liked the amazing In Love clutch designed by Olympia Le-Tan for Lancôme, you will surely enjoy the French house’s newest spring 2013 makeup collection:
IN LOVE with Emma.

Here are all the details of how to achieve Emma’s look.
All products are limited editions and in stores.

FACE
Blush in Love in 20 Pommettes D’Amour: Apply as a soft highlighting contour. CHF 68.00
Base Dewy Glow Mist: Prep, set or refresh makeup throughout the day with this soothing spray. CHF 54.00

LIPS
Baume in Love in 110 Rose Macaron: Focus color in the center of the lips and moving out toward the lip line. CHF 43.00

EYES
Color Design Infinité 24H in 200 Perpetual Pink: Apply all over lid with fingers or brush.
Color Design Infinité 24H in 501 Tremendous Turquoise: Use a brush to soften the eye liner and create a slightly winged out effect.
Those crease-free luminous eye shadows are not available in Switzerland. Therefore I recommend: Ombre Hypnôse in Love in 50 Pistachio Cream for a similar effect. CHF 39.00
Khôl in Love in 501 Jade Crush: Line upper and lower lash line. CHF 33.00
Finish off with your favourite mascara.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Lancôme

While you are reading this post, I am on my way to Los Angeles to live the ultimate Oscar experience with Montblanc. Stay tuned for many upcoming posts from my favourite city in the world. In the meantime, you can enjoy those exclusive behind the scenes photos of how my Montblanc Limited Edition Bespoke Ink SANDRA BERRY was born.

It all started with a trip to the headquarters in Hamburg… do you remember?

After the concept of “Sandra Berry” had been visualized in spring 2012, I had many sleepless nights, dreaming about the color for my personalized ink. Funnily enough, I mixed tons of nail polishes together to come up with that one hue I was thinking of. In Hamburg, the lovely and extremely professional Montblanc team helped me to finalize the perfect shade.

A few weeks later, I received the bottles with three slightly different colors. Now, it was up to me to choose. Sample number 3 became SANDRA BERRY.

The next step was the design of the bottle. In Zurich, I met with the ladies from Montblanc at one of my favourite restaurants in town, Bindella, for a very fun arts and crafts session. After a yummy lunch complemented by a tiramisu, the shape of the bottle, the bows, the colours and tags were finally determined.

In December right before the big launch event, we met at the Montblanc offices in Zurich to finish the product by hand. While enjoying champagne and chocolate truffles, we brought the packaging to perfection.

Those of you who were lucky to get one of the 100 limited edition bottles, know now, how much work and passion went into SANDRA BERRY. I truly hope that you will like it.

For my Swiss based readers: If you like to know more about the colour pink, have a look at my column in the recent March edition of the SI Style magazine in which I am telling you all about it. There is a reason why you “look in the pink”…

Talk to you soon from Los Angeles!

LoL, Sandra

Photo Sandra Berry: © Etienne Schwank. All other photos: © Sandra Bauknecht

Miuccia Prada used Japanese elements, draped Duchesse satin and came up with a contemporary kimono style, while paying homage to Courrèges with ’60 silhouettes and red daisies. All mixed together, the Prada S/S 2013 collection has a very nostalgic feel while of course looking absolutely new and modern. That is something only Mrs Prada can come up with.

Photos taken in my favourite coat in my favourite Prada store in the world, ZURICH!

My beloved Prada accessories for S/S 2013.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Prada, © Sandra Bauknecht

Here is a brief summary of all my recent fashion columns in the Swiss SI Style magazine that I have been meaning to show you since quite some time. For the outfit posts, just click on the highlighted text below each picture.

November 2012: In this issue I wrote about my trip to Venice for the launch of Gucci Première where I was able to interview Blake Lively, the amazing visit of the Biennale des Antiquaires in Paris with Piaget and the St. Moritz Art Masters (more of this event will be coming up soon).

My look: Gucci Première Launch Event in Venice

Complementing the November issue, a special edition in collaboration with Jelmoli was launched in which I set the table for a perfect dinner (Stay tuned for a behind the scenes post to be published during the next weeks).

My Look: The Kite Runner Dress

December 2012: This time, I wrote an homage to my hometown Frankfurt and its very charming dialect.

My Look: Greetings from Frankfurt

January – February 2013: Talking about New Year’s resolutions, I went for a sporty theme and described some funny experiences when I was diving in the Indian Ocean.

My look: Place du Trocadéro

Another special edition came out this month: Style Mountain. This time, I was telling some anecdotes from St. Moritz.

My look: Putting on St. Moritz

If you are interested in reading all of them, click here to enter SI Style’s archive. Stay tuned as I will be showing you the newest column and a surprise tomorrow morning.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht

The beginning of 2013 marks the launches of many new mascaras. As you know, I went to Paris for the new DIORSHOW ICONIC CURL which I absolutely love. Mascaras are such an individual product. Therefore it is hard to recommend one as everybody applies it differently and a formula or brush that works best for me might not be applicable for you. So here is my IT-LIST (from left to right) with comments. I am sure, you will find one that suits your lashes best.

BEST CURL
DIORSHOW ICONIC OVERCURL by Dior

Dramatic volume and curl in a stroke. The new brush adapts perfectly to your lash line. One of my favorites. (For more information on the product and the photo shoot for it, please click here).
In stores now. CHF 48.00

BEST TEXTURE
SURREALIST EVERFRESH by Helena Rubinstein

A true mascara revolution with 4 exclusive patents pending. Its innovation? Due to its ideally-gliding texture and brush, it is the first mascara ever on the market that doesn’t try out, feeling like a brand new mascara every day. 
Available in Switzerland from March 2013. CHF 53.00

BEST WATERPROOF FORMULA
SUMPTUOUS EXTREME WATERPROOF by Estée Lauder

This lash multiplying volume mascara offers deep, rich color. Its smooth, non-clumping formula leaves lashes feel soft and light, which is unusual for a waterproof product. With a good eye makeup remover, the removal is not a problem and no scrubbing is neccessary. I am not a fan of waterproof mascaras, but I could warm towards this one.
Available in Switzerland from April 2013. CHF 45.00

BEST FORTIFYING APPLICATION
SO INTENSE by Sisley

Another one of my absolute favorites. The very thin brush might take you some time to get used to it. But once you can handle it, you will thank me forever. This mascara instantly thickens, coats and separates lashes in just one stroke. Its fortifying formula, enriched with a vitamin-packed peptide, helps you to achieve fuller, longer, more beautiful lashes from day to day. Amazing product! (To see me wearing it, please click here).
In stores now. CHF 57.00

BEST VOLUME
LE VOLUME DE CHANEL by Chanel

The application of Chanel’s newest volumizing mascara is amazingly simple due to its unique, patented “Snowflakes” brush that coats lashes from root to tip in an instant. Your lashes are longer, plumper, thicker and more intense. The result is undeniable: eyes are defined and look bigger with a wide-open effect.
In stores now. CHF 47.00

BEST SCENT
CILS D’ENFER by Guerlain

As its names applies, this mascara is bombastic, creating maximum volume, curl and hold. The formula is nice, lightweight and doesn’t smudge or flake. Its application is a true pleasure due to its beautiful rosy scent.
In stores now. CHF 44.00

I hope that I could help you find your new favourite mascara to achieve an unforgettable look.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of the Brands, © Sandra Bauknecht

Sunday night, Sandra’s Closet has reached over 100.000 Facebook likes. This is amazing and I can only say THANK YOU! It truly means a lot to me.

During the last months, many of you have sent me e-mails with comments or questions that I haven’t answered yet. Please accept my apology, I don’t have the time to reply to you immediately, but I will try my best.

As I am so happy, I treated myself today with those goodies:
Betty chain red leather shoulder bag and red leather ankle boots, both by Saint Laurent, my favourite collection at the moment.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht

Yesterday, I drove from Zurich to St. Moritz to attend a very intimate event at Galerie Gmurzynska for the exhibition opening of a new unique work by Karl Lagerfeld, in a brand new medium: “FIRE ETCHINGS”; forming the artist’s answer to contemporary portraiture.

As I knew that Karl Lagerfeld would be present, there was no doubt, I had to be there. First, the invitation was supposed to be a dinner which was changed last minute into a brunch. The guests were waiting patiently for over three hours for Karl Lagerfeld’s plane to land. When he entered the room, his presence was unbelievable. He shook hands and talked to everyone.

A magic moment: Shaking hands with Karl Lagerfeld.

“FIRE ETCHINGS” is truly outstanding. On display was Karl Lagerfeld’s gigantic body of work created from backlit glass that has had its image etched into the surface. The “Kaiser” explained that a company near Nuernberg, Germany, which usually produces church windows manufactured his artwork for him.

Large scale and unique, for “FIRE ETCHINGS” Lagerfeld has abstracted some of his current muses: the rapper, Theophilus London; and the models, Freja Beha Erichsen and Aymeline Valade.

When Karl Lagerfeld was asked to explain his artwork a little, he replied with a quote by Voltaire: “Everything that needs an explanation is not worth the explanation.”

In his hands the whole time? His iPhone with a Karl by Karl Lagerfeld cover.

Karl Lagerfeld with Krystyna Gmurzynska and Mathias Rastorfer

Also present at the exhibition opening were actor Rick Yune to the left (2 Fast 2 Furious and James Bond – Die Another Day) and famous L.A.-based DJ Eddie Ruscha.

My look: Leather and cotton-jersey sweater, chain-trimmed leather mini skirt, both by Saint Laurent and jacket, scarf, cuff, bag, all by Chanel, fur boots and coat, both by Prada.

What an amazing day! If you are interested, the exhibit in St. Moritz will remain open until the 23rd of March, 2013. For further information, please contact the Galerie Gmurzynska directly.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht