Sandra‘s Closet

Life tells us to find the big moments. But real life happens in the smaller moments. These are the moments that feel like nothing else. Everyone has a moment, a gem in the everyday. And you know which one is mine? When I come home, slip on my comfy clothes and my UGGs® to make blogging on the couch the best thing in the world and all-nighters all the rage…

Here are my new F/W 2014 favorites:

This flirtatious new season update to one of the brand’s most beloved silhouettes is crafted from water-resistant Silkee suede, embellished at the back with a twinset of beguiling Swarovski® crystal bows.

There are also lots of winter accessories to choose from, like knitted hats, scarfs and gloves (as you can see me wearing in the cover collage) plus the must-have sequined ear muffs.

A perfect merger of comfy and trendy, this scaled-up revamp to the original slinks confidently in its feminine silhouette, boasting a python animal print.

This fall, you can bring the luxury and comfort of UGG® Australia into the home with a range of hooded tops, pajama sets, dressing gowns and fluffy thongs.

Click HERE ON THE HOMEPAGE to browse through the new loungewear.
YOU CAN SHOP UGG® AUSTRALIA ALSO ONLINE HERE AT FARFETCH AND MYTHERESA.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of UGG® Australia and © Sandra Bauknecht

Yesterday, I flew to Paris to attend the rest of fashion week. At Zurich airport, I got myself this perfect expert nail makeup set MANUCURE COUTURE COLLECTION by Dior for around CHF 86.00. It includes everything you need for a perfect manicure in mini sizes, from nail polish remover to the house’s iconic base and top coat as well as some classic shades. Love it, it is so perfect for traveling! Available around the globe at Duty Free shops.

LoL, Sandra

Photo: © Sandra Bauknecht

Prove them wrong and follow my advice! If you have space, keep your clothes, there will always be a time for them again.

Knitwear dressing made a big comeback on the runways for the F/W 14 season and I am so happy that I have kept these S/S 2008 Prada pieces. They are so perfect for this fall.

F/W 2014: Stella McCartney – Céline – Marc Jacobs

My look: Cardigan, long knitted top and flared pants, all by Prada, wooden clogs by Miu Miu, pound printed modal and cashmere-blend scarf by Mary Katrantzou, orange colored Birkin bag and Hapi leather bracelet, both by Hermès, rose diamond necklace by Piaget and Double C diamond black lacquer white gold ring by Cartier.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht

During my recent visit to the 27th Biennale des Antiquaires in Paris, I spotted a wonderful jewelry trend: the Opal is a stone on the rise. Gleaming with all the shades of the rainbow, the colour spectrum that these spectacular gemstones cover is breathtaking. The world’s finest opals originate from the Australian outback. Their constantly changing play of colour is known as “opalising“, and the versatile combination of colors is key to the stones’ enduring appeal.

Dark or light, pale or bright, here are the most opulent new opal jewelry pieces to fall in love with this season:

BOUCHERON Indian Palace Ring
Inspired by the colored pools found on the grounds of ancient Indian palaces, this opal ring from the house’s new Fleur des Indes collection sparkles like the surface of water.

PIAGET Extremely Piaget Cuff Watch
Set with 1,699 brilliant-cut white diamonds that are surrounding an opal dial, this outstanding cuff watch houses a Piaget 56P quartz movement, with no doubt one of the highlights of the 70s-inspired Extremely Piaget collection.

CHAUMET Lumieres d’Eau High Jewelry Ring
The opal as the center stone glistens with a pale, almost iridescent, wash of color and is offset by the intense violet of the sapphires. The white gold cocktail ring is part of the Lumières d’Eau collection and set with a 18.58ct cabochon-cut white opal from Ethiopia, an oval-cut violet sapphire, round violet sapphires and brilliant-cut diamonds.

LOUIS VUITTON Acte V Genesis Earrings
Featuring Australian black opals, star-cut diamonds and sapphires, those earrings belong to the house’s fifth high jewelry collection, so-called Acte V.

CARTIER High Jewelry Royal Bracelet
Cartier is a passionate observer of beauty throughout the world, always hunting for rare, unique stones. Now the house has created a new collection of High Jewelry: the Cartier Royal Collection. Part of it is this breathtaking bracelet in platinum with a 57.95 carat opal from Australia, colored sapphires and brilliant-cut diamonds.

So much beauty in one post… I hope that you have enjoyed looking at it!

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of the Brands and © Sandra Bauknecht

The new sexy look is sophisticated and ultra-feminine. Hints of lace, curve-hugging dresses and even cutouts define this season’s mature seductive mood – for the Femme Fatale in you.

My look: Caroline cutout lace dress by Stella McCartney, ‘Jane’ sandals by Saint Laurent, satin clutch and earrings, both by Prada, diamond ring and bracelet, both by Vainard Fine Jewellery, Limelight Gala watch by Piaget.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht

For women who crave luxury and high fashion, I have great news. Five of my Swiss readers can win the new MERCEDES-BENZ L’EAU fragrance (60ml), a flanker to 2013’s Mercedes-Benz for Women. This light, sparkling and very feminine fragrance is delicately balanced and imaginatively romantic and I am sure that you will love it.

FLORAL FRUITY

Top notes: Black currant, peach and bergamot
Middle notes: Mimosa, rose, violet and lily-of-the-valley
Base notes: White musk, amber and cedar

The nose behind this fragrance is Michel Almairac.

To participate in the contest, please send me an e-mail with your postal address and the header “Mercedes-Benz L’Eau” to . All entries must be received until October 2, 2014. No purchase or payment of any kind is necessary to enter or win this contest. By entering this contest, entrants accept and agree to be bound by these official rules. The winner has to have a Swiss address.

For those who won’t be the lucky winners, I recommend shopping this lovely scent online HERE AT HARRODS.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Mercedez-Benz

It is such a busy time of the year and I have so many things to show you. London Fashion Week was filled with amazing moments and outstanding experiences. My favorite show was definitely Burberry Prorsum. The S/S 2015 collection, named ‘The Birds and The Bees’, included bright book cover designs, oversize butterfly prints and hand-drawn honey bees, which were referenced on the hand-painted runway and illustrated on the transparent roof above the fashionable guests inside the custom-built venue in London’s Kensington Gardens.

British singer-songwriter and Burberry Acoustic musician James Bay performed the live soundtrack to the show.

I had the best seat front row. If you watch the livestream, you can see me at work taking all these pictures. Enjoy the show:

Our new must-haves will be the Burberry Bee Bag, the Burberry Mini Bee Bag, the Burberry Field Sandals and the Burberry Field Sneaker. There is no doubt, sneakers and Birkenstock-inspired flats will remain trend for S/S 2015.

I fell immediately in love with those cute book cover print pouches that were seen on the runway in versatile color combinations.

SHOP THE RUNWAY

Great news: The amazing outerwear and bags from the collection are now available to purchase and personalize exclusively on Burberry.com until Monday 29 September. Pieces from the runway will be made to order for delivery within nine weeks, allowing you to be the first to own pieces from the collection, months before it arrives in store. After placing your order, Customer Service will contact you to give you the possibility to personalize your item with a metal nameplate.

Of course, I couldn’t resist this wasp waist denim jacket with ostrich feathers. I mean how gorgeous is this piece?

How much class Christopher Bailey has, shows this e-mail I received right after the Burberry Prorsum S/S 2015 show. It made me as happy as he probably was after the finale of the presentation when he jumped on stage applauding to James Bay. Congrats, Christopher, I am your big fan!

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht

I truly had a sparkling good time with Piaget at the 27th Biennale des Antiquaires. To ‘counterbalance‘ all the sparkles of the amazing jewelry inside, I went for this whimsical and sci-fi-esque galaxy print. Isn’t it fun when fashion takes you to outer space?! I got quite often stopped to get my pictures taken…

My look: Galaxy-print silk-chiffon biker jacket and matching silk-satin and leather dress, both by Christopher Kane, Boy bag with chains by Chanel, sunglasses by Céline, pointed leather Mary-Jane pumps by Saint Laurent, rose diamond ring, necklace and Limelight Gala watch, all by Piaget, emerald-cut diamond ring and diamond bracelet, both by Vainard Fine Jewellery, Pure Matt 100 denier tights by Falke.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht

For Vogue Fashion’s Night Out, the CHANEL‘S DELIGHTS collection has been pre-launched. It draws inspiration from the F/W 2014 runway show, giving the focus to the eyes. Lines are precise, intense and full of colour.

At the heart of the collection, LE CRAYON YEUX is available in three intriguingly named shades: COCORANGE, SWEET STAR and BERRY LUCKY. A variation of three unique colours ranging from sparkling orange or electric turquoise to spellbinding garnet red to create a host of new looks.
Paired with these graphic eye makeup looks, LE VERNIS takes a daring, surprising turn with SWEET STAR, a metallic silver illuminated with multiple reflections.

If the beauty addict in you is eager to get your hands on the brand’s newest collection, you better hurry. In Switzerland, it is on sale from September 24, 2014 at Jelmoli.

LoL, Sandra

Stills: © Chanel

Every second year, the Biennale des Antiquaires takes place in Paris in the gorgeous halls of the Grand Palais. Whenever I look at its sinuous, cast-iron Art Nouveau balconies and curlicue stairways, I feel like being in another century. Personally speaking, it is one of the most fascinating places in the French capital and I couldn’t imagine a better backdrop for the most important event in the jewelry calendar. I was invited by Piaget as in 2012 (for the previous post, please click here) and was able to discover the house’s amazingly beautiful EXTREMELY PIAGET collection firsthand.

For the 27th edition of the Biennale des Antiquaires, interior designer Jacques Grange paid homage to Versailles and its French gardens with flowerbeds and foliage. The most stunning part was the scented indoor fountain in the center under the gigantic glass dome that master perfumer Francis Kurkdjian had transformed into an olfactory experience.

At the Piaget booth, I indulged in the most stunning High Jewellery pieces you can imagine. This year, Piaget is celebrating its 140th anniversary and to celebrate this occasion, the company seeked inspiration for its EXTREMELY PIAGET collection from its stellar period in its creative history from the 1960s and 70s. The pieces are enhanced by the most precious materials: diamonds, emeralds, sapphires, hard stones and gold.

The collection is also characterized by great freedom of movement and multiple ways of beings worn. Personally speaking, it was the youngest and most modern collection at the Biennale des Antiquaires this year. You could easily imagine to wear it to a black tie gala or with jeans and a white tee like for example this beautiful bracelet with turquoises from Arizona above.

Let me show you my favorite pieces of the 125 that were presented:

Necklace in 18k white gold set with 46 turquoise beads (approx. 301cts), 48 chrysoprase beads (approx. 42cts), 1 emerald-cut cabochon (approx. 23.14cts), per-shaped chrysoprases, pear-shaped turquoises and brilliant-cut diamonds.

Sautoir exceptional High Jewellery watch in platinum set with 195 marquise-cut diamonds (approx. 66.20 cts), 282 brilliant-cut diamonds (approx. 33.20 cts), 35 cushion-cut diamonds (approx. 16.30 cts) and 16 pear-cut diamonds (approx. 7.60 cts).  Piaget 56P quartz movement.

Necklace in 18K white gold set with 84 blue sapphire beads from Sri Lanka(approx. 127.40 cts), 490 brilliant-cut diamonds (approx. 41.69 cts) and 1 cushion-cut emerald from Columbia(approx. 19.39 cts).

Sautoir watch fishnet mesh in 18K white gold set with 404 brilliant-cut diamonds (approx. 31.30 cts).  Piaget 56P quartz movement.

Bracelet in 18K pink gold set with 8 pink opal plates (approx. 23.25 cts), 18 turquoise beads (approx. 5.31 cts) and 220 brilliant-cut diamonds (approx. 1.81 cts).

Cuff watch in 18K white gold set with 1’699 brilliant-cut diamonds (approx. 20.50 cts) (snow-setting). Natural opal dial. Piaget 56P quartz movement.

Ear cuffs in 18K white gold set with 28 marquise-cut diamonds (approx. 11.59 cts) and 20 brilliant-cut diamonds (approx. 4.48 cts).

Ring with a sapphire (approx. 7 cts) and 10 diamonds in pear cut and 2 marquise diamonds (approx. 7.5 cts together).

I fell not only in love with this piece… The EXTREMELY PIAGET collection marks the continuity of the brand’s presence in the world of High Jewellery. The 1960s and 70s were some of their most innovative years – and the same is true of 2014. Congratulations, Piaget, for this amazing collection!

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht