Sandra‘s Closet

Inspired by modern women from around the world, Paris Texas is an Italian shoe label that embodies the idea of contrasts. Paris – meaning «sophisticated in style» – and Texas – a «fun attitude» – together convey the essence behind the brand’s versatile designs, which revolve around creativity, freedom and expression.

The brand was found in 2015 by sisters Annamaria and Margherita Brivio as a way to create high-quality shoes that felt fashion-forward but still reasonable in price. The designers inject eccentric details into every style in order to create sophisticated and feminine silhouettes that will upgrade any outfit.

The must-have sparkling Holly embellished suede knee-high boots have instantly become a fashion girl staple.

TO SHOP PARIS TEXAS ONLINE, CLICK HERE PLEASE.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © David Biedert Photography and © Paris Texas
DISCLOSURE: We may earn commission from links on this page, but I only recommend products I love. Promise.

Arriving perfectly dressed for the new season, the F/W 2021 Prêt-à-Portea collection at The Berkeley Hotel in London showcases couture cakes inspired by designers from Ganni to Gucci. A contemporary twist on afternoon tea, this playful and stylish edit is set to become another favourite for sweet-toothed fashionistas.

This season’s collection opens with a striking ensemble from Balenciaga Couture – reimagined as a velvety mandarin cheesecake, topped with an oversized chocolate hat. While a delicately spiced and intricately iced biscuit – complete with red lipstick and oversized glasses – is our pastry team’s fitting tribute to fashion icon Iris Apfel’s 100th birthday.

Seasonal flavours are firmly on the menu, with the cassis mousse with blackcurrant jelly, depicting Stella McCartney’s psychedelic jumpsuit. A Pink Lady apple pavlova is a refreshing nod to Giambattista Valli’s avant-garde look, and a hazelnut dacquoise with salted caramel sees cult Danish brand Ganni make its Prêt-à-Portea debut.

The season’s centrepiece is a made-to-share red velvet mascarpone mousse, finished with a chocolate truffle riding hat – straight from Gucci’s 100th anniversary collection.

As always, your tea also includes elegant canapés and sandwiches, with a selection of loose-leaf teas from our extensive collection.

Until 2 January 2022, festive Prêt-à-Portea will be served only, from £79 per person. This will include our fashion-inspired delicacies, as well as festive treats and your choice of a mocktail, a glass of champagne or a glass of mulled wine.

From 11 – 14 Feburary, 26 & 27 March and 15 – 18 April 2022, the seasonal Prêt-à-Portea will be served only, from £79 per person. This will include our fashion-inspired delicacies, as well as seasonal treats and your choice of a glass of champage or a mocktail.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © The Berkeley and Courtesy of the Brands
DISCLOSURE: This post is not sponsored.

Inspired by the emblematic creations of Yves Saint Laurent, Le Vestiaire des Parfums is a collection of fragrances that each interprets a centrepiece of the couturier’s wardrobe.

Young Yves Saint Laurent wearing a caftan in Marrakech

With its its loose-fitted and floating cut, the caftan sums up the Eastern world. Yves Saint Laurent fell in love with this traditional piece of clothing during his Marrakech stays and reinterpreted it through his own signature and compelling modernity. By turning the fluid lines of the traditional caftan into a strikingly modern, iconic piece, it immediately became a welcome alternative to the classical evening dress.

The couturier’s oriental reveries have in turn inspired the scent CAFTAN, whose mysterious allure blends dark, velvety incense with lush, radiant benzoin. Mysterious and vibrant, CAFTAN is a tribute to far-flung journeys. A floating veil of incense embroidered with vanilla lightly drapes the skin in the same way that the fluidity of the caftan caresses the body. Inspired by the vibrancy of Moroccan culture, CAFTAN calls upon all the bursting and colorful fabrics of the East. The shimmering amber deploys deep sensual promises that mirror the exuberance and warmth of ochre and sandy shades.

CAFTAN is part of the Haute Parfumerie collection of Yves Saint Laurent. It is a woody leathery, spicy unisex fragrance, and definitely a great fall /winter scent. I have fallen immediately in love with it. It is seductive and warm, however not too gourmand, yet very flamboyant with its notes of amber, incense and vanilla. A great gift for a scent-loving friend or just to spoil yourself.

TO SHOP CAFTAN, CLICK HERE PLEASE.

Enjoy your holidays!

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © David Biedert Photography / Sandra Bauknecht and © YSL Beauty
DISCLOSURE: This post is sponsored.

For its 2022 Color of the Year, global color authority Pantone has for the first time created a brand new shade: Pantone 17-3938 Very Peri, a vibrant periwinkle blue with violet red undertones. The new Very Peri is the «happiest and warmest of all the blue hues,» blending the «faithfulness and constancy of blue with the energy and excitement of red» to deliver an «empowering mix of newness» with a «carefree confidence and a daring curiosity that animates our creative spirit,» said the company in its announcement.

After the lockdowns of 2020, Pantone chose two colors, Ultimate Gray and Illuminating, to represent quiet reassurance and resilience in the face of difficult circumstances, as well as optimism for the future.

We are living in transformative times. PANTONE 17-3938 Very Peri is a symbol of the global zeitgeist of the moment and the transition we are going through. As we emerge from an intense period of isolation, our notions and standards are changing, and our physical and digital lives have merged in new ways. Digital design helps us to stretch the limits of reality, opening the door to a dynamic virtual world where we can explore and create new color possibilities. With trends in gaming, the expanding popularity of the metaverse and rising artistic community in the digital space PANTONE 17-3938 Very Peri illustrates the fusion of modern life and how color trends in the digital world are being manifested in the physical world and vice versa.

I personally love this sweet violet-blue shade that can be pretty powerful. It is a positive hue, a jewel tone, with depth and equal brightness, a colour that actually suits all skin tones. It has already conquered the runways and I am sure we will see it a lot in 2022.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of the Brands

Launched in 2015, Le Vestiaire des Parfums is a tribute to Yves Saint Laurent’s style.
The collection translates into unique scents the Couturier’s singular flair for turning the most basic garments into sophisticated, androgynous, timeless silhouettes. That special twist defining the Saint Laurent attitude.

TASTE FOR TENSION
Inheriting the couturier’s spirit, Le Vestiaire des Parfums is a collection of bold signature fragrances, each inspired by one of the house’s iconic pieces, materials or addresses. Each expressing Yves Saint Laurent’s taste for tension, his effortless singularity, his instinctive and elegant sense of provocation.

TRANSCENDING CODES
The pieces of this Vestiaire complement each other. Blending classic notes with high-quality ingredients, they transcend the codes of gender to reveal an attitude. Le Vestiaire des Parfums is the story of Saint Laurent told in another language, just as universal as haute couture’s. And like haute couture, the collection is made to measure: the measure of each wearer’s imaginary world.

TUXEDO
ÉPICES – PATCHOULI

THE INSPIRATION
In 1966, Yves Saint Laurent invented his version of the Tuxedo by turning it into women’s eveningwear. Matching the authority of masculine tailoring with provocative femininity, he introduced a novel, androgynous attitude in couture.

THE OLFACTION
TUXEDO is as troubling as the iconic suit whose name it borrows. The lushness of Patchouli attracts and embraces, while the sensual intensity of Spices mesmerizes and arouses. Charismatic, TUXEDO captivates.

BLOUSE
ROSE – ANGÉLIQUE

THE INSPIRATION
In 1962, Yves Saint Laurent turned the humble cotton smock into a delicate silk blouse. Finding inspiration in a functional garment to invent a sophisticated weapon of seduction: the gesture sums up the couturier’s boldness and freedom.

THE OLFACTION
This taste for creative transgression is reflected by the scent of BLOUSE: a single, fragile Rose draws unexpected energy from vibrant green Angelica and cool Pink Pepper. In its duality, BLOUSE reveals its perfect modernity.

GRAIN DE POUDRE
ACCORD VIOLETTE – SAUGE

THE INSPIRATION
In the mid-60s, Yves Saint Laurent borrowed this strict, grainy fabric from the masculine wardrobe to design timelessly sophisticated couture dresses and suits.

THE OLFACTION
The scent of GRAIN DE POUDRE translates this bold alchemy by draping the familiar, powdery fragrance of Violet in the coolness of Sage. A subtle, elegantly modern interplay between the masculine and the feminine.

SAHARIENNE
NÉROLI – MUSCS BLANCS

THE INSPIRATION
By adapting the Safari jacket for women in 1968, Yves Saint Laurent combined freedom with elegance. In his hands, the symbol of exotic adventures became seductive and alluring.

THE OLFACTION
SAHARIENNE captures this perfect balance between animal magnetism and extreme sophistication, blending the addictive sensuality of a creamy white Musk with a fresh, vibrant Neroli. Troubling, SAHARIENNE reveals a fascinating, untameable nature.

TRENCH
AGRUMES – IRIS

THE INSPIRATION
With Yves Saint Laurent, the quintessentially virile trench-coat became a symbol of femininity. The couturier endowed it with a mysterious, intense charm that gave off a whiff of danger and of the forbidden.

THE OLFACTION
As chic as the piece that inspired it, TRENCH wraps a velvety, dark Iris in the purebred delicacy of Neroli. A play on light and shadow, the legend of TRENCH is still utterly contemporary.

CABAN
POIVRE ROSE – TONKA

THE INSPIRATION
The sailor coat was introduced in the Saint Laurent wardrobe in 1962, its pared-down lines resonating with the couturier’s innate sense of style.

THE OLFACTION
CABAN translates its commanding style into scent by matching the sharp radiance of Pink Pepper with the lush warmth of Tonka Bean. Sleek and empowering, CABAN claims simplicity as the ultimate form of elegance.

CAFTAN
ENCENS – BENJOIN

THE INSPIRATION
His time in Marrakesh and Tangier inspired Yves Saint Laurent, who turned the fluid lines of the traditional caftan into a strikingly modern, iconic piece.

THE OLFACTION
The couturier’s Oriental reveries have in turn inspired CAFTAN, whose mysterious allure blends dark, velvety Incense with lush, radiant Benzoin. Mysterious and vibrant, CAFTAN is a tribute to far-flung journeys.

JUMPSUIT
MAGNOLIA – BERGAMOTE

THE INSPIRATION
JUMPSUIT. In 1968, the functional overall of car racers, aviators, parachutists – hence its name, the «jump» suit – and astronauts ascended into the stratosphere of high luxury. Daring, dashing yet unexpectedly elegant, Yves Saint-Laurent’s first short evening jumpsuit in black silk jersey was acclaimed by the fashion press as a bold new fashion statement. The couturier had discovered the true beauty of a utilitarian garment, turning it into an archetype of fashion.

THE OLFACTION
Colourful and empowering. The scent of spring, when its giant, tulip-shaped flowers bloom on trees. Joyful, captivating, as bright as the morning light. The citrusy brightness of Bergamot picks up when magnified by the full radiance of Magnolia Flower, in an echo of the House’s vibrantly coloured jumpsuits.

CAPELINE
LYS – VANILLE

THE INSPIRATION
Throughout his career, Yves Saint Laurent would play on the capeline’s paradox: a nonchalant way of going incognito that is also the most spectacular of accessories. Worn since the Middle-Ages as a protection against the sun, the wide-brimmed hat sailed to catwalks. A centerpiece crowning a sleek silhouette.

THE OLFACTION
Sensual and nonchalant. The majestic Lily bloom could inspire the form of an extravagant capeline. Its name in French_LYS_ forms the anagram of Yves Saint Laurent’s initials_YSL. No wonder the heraldic Lily was the couturier’s emblem. It embodies a sensual grace with its pure, elegant white, and its sophisticated facets. Twisted with the warm, creamy, and suave Vanilla absolute, it reveals a sensual and nonchalant character.

Stay tuned as I will show you soon my new scent from the YSL – Le Vestiaire des Parfums. Do you have an idea for which I went?

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © YSL Beauty
DISCLOSURE: This post is sponsored.

Here is my first outfit post from Boston, where I am having the best time visiting my daughter who studies here. I am staying at The Newbury Hotel, a beautifully restored and reimagined luxury hotel at the intersection of Newbury and Arlington Streets, where the bustle of the Back Bay is your playground and the idyllic Boston Public Garden your front yard.

In this look, I wear all sorts of cutouts that have recently been revisited and redesigned through the lens of high fashion. I personally love this daring trend as the attention is always yours.

My look: Embellished cutout high-rise straight-leg jeans by Area, cutout wool sweater, cutout stretch-knit turtleneck top, and Alcove mini leather tote by Valentino, and Fira velvet-trimmed suede and flocked tulle pumps in black by Jimmy Choo.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht
DISCLOSURE: We may earn commission from links on this page, but I only recommend products I love. Promise.

HUBLOT sets out to reconquer the Matterhorn – the world-famous emblem of Switzerland. The manufacture has unveiled a new Big Bang «All Black» model. Swiss downhill and slalom champions Corinne Suter and Tanguy Nef represent its two proud faces.

The Matterhorn is the iconic emblem of Switzerland, and brilliantly captures the contrasting faces of its identity. The mountain’s faceted pyramidal form makes it instantly recognisable among the thousands of other Alpine peaks. It is one of the toughest climbs in the world, yet has become synonymous with Alpine family leisure pursuits. Immaculate white slopes gild the hulking mass of rock, born in the first convulsions of the Big Bang and standing defiant against the ravages of time. To celebrate it, HUBLOT created a limited edition loaded with ceramic, a truly extraordinary mineral material.

Underpinned by HUBLOT‘s «invisible visibility» philosophy, only a Big Bang «All Black» could apply to the unfathomable personality of the Matterhorn. To pay tribute to this complexity, HUBLOT presents two versions of the Big Bang All Black Zermatt. The men’s and women’s models are different yet complementary. They represent the two sides of a single identity, a single horological vision, like two faces of the same mountain.

The 44 mm men’s version is available in 100 individually numbered pieces. The microblasted black ceramic case houses the manually wound HUB4100 chronograph, which is visible through the sapphire case back. The Matterhorn’s identity is captured on the dial side: the small seconds hand at 9 o’clock sits atop a relief rendering in immaculate white. The perfect symbol of passing time and absolute, unchanging eternity, soaring above the Matterhorn without ever altering it. A bold, striking contrast that draws the eye to the centre of the anthracite grey sunray dial.

Faithful to the All Black aesthetic, the timepiece is dressed exclusively in black and grey tones: Anthracite applied indices, two broad hands imprinted with black luminescent material, black resin lugs and a black rubber strap with grey calf inserts and deployant buckle.

The 41 mm women’s version symbolises the opposite face, with the Matterhorn emblazoned at 3 o’clock. Available in just 50 individually numbered pieces, it is distinctive for its bezel set with 36 black diamonds. These also beautifully embody the All Black’s characteristic duality, harnessing the customary snow-white sparkle of the diamond and translating it into the deepest black for this ultra-contrasted version. The model features a manually wound chronograph calibre with a 42-hour power reserve and a date window at 4:30.

Wouldn’t it be such a cute Christmas gift idea to get the watch together for each other?! Or for a proposal in the Swiss Alps… a modern way to say yes to each other.

Personally speaking, I love the watch. It is so versatile, it looks great with sporty looks and adds an edge to any sparkling outfit.

Stay tuned for many outfit posts coming up featuring this new black beauty.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Hublot and © David Biedert Photography
DISCLOSURE: This post is sponsored.
@hublot #HublotCheerfulGreetings #HublotPerfectGift 

While being in Boston right now, I would like to show you the first look from last weekend’s photo shoot at the beautiful Dolder Grand hotel in Zurich. This has become one of my favorite looks for the holiday season. Coated in eye-catching gold, thanks to this unexpected texture the outfit has a modern vibe. It is very comfortable to wear and the padded rubber boots will keep your feet warm during the wet season.

My look: Metallic coated cable-knit wool sweater, pleated metallic coated wool-blend mini skirt, cotton-poplin shirt, and Atelier Shoes 03 Rose Edition 3D rubber knee boots, all by Valentino, The Hacker medium hobo bag by Balenciaga.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © David Biedert Photography
DISCLOSURE: We may earn commission from links on this page, but I only recommend products I love. Promise.

Great news for all shopaholics: NET-A-PORTER has partnered with Klarna to bring their customers new ways to pay at checkout.

Klarna spreads the cost into 4 interest-free instalments. Only pay for what you keep. Pay up to 30 days later. No interest. No fees. No impact to your credit score. Paying after delivery allows you to try before you buy and is the easiest way to shop online.

For your security, with Klarna, you are always covered through Klarna’s Buyer Protection policy. Modern safeguards protect your information to prevent unauthorised purchases.

START SHOPPING AT NET-A-PORTER WITH KLARNA HERE!

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © NET-A-PORTER and © Sandra Bauknecht
DISCLOSURE: We may earn commission from links on this page, but I only recommend products I love. Promise. Please spend responsibly. Borrowing more than you can afford could seriously affect your financial status. Make sure you can afford to make your monthly repayments on time.

Gift sets are a great way to treat a fellow beauty lover or yourself. Whether your complexion needs lifting, smoothing, brightening or plumping, it will always benefit from a targeted regimen. Enjoy these three curated sets of skincare saviors.

Best for smoothing lines and wrinkles: DR. BARBARA STURM – The Super Set

Any good anti-aging approach takes hands into consideration – they’re exposed to the wind, UV rays and pollutants as much as our face, and are even more prone to dehydration and premature aging with today’s stringent handwashing demands. That’s why this super trio from Dr. Barbara Sturm pairs the brand’s Anti-Aging Hand Cream – packed with mega-hydrators aloe vera, prickly pear and hyaluronic acid – with the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory ingredient-rich Serum and Face Cream from the same range. All three come housed in a reusable, grey velvet pouch that’s as coveted as the firmer, smoother, plumped-up skincare results delivered over time.

Best for head-to-toe hydration: AUGUSTINUS BADER – The Icons with the Cream

The skin on your body deserves as much attention as the skin on your face, and this double act from Augustinus Bader will help you elevate these two self-care rituals. Both The Rich Cream – a more indulgent, extra-hydrating version of the original cult moisturizer – and The Body Cream are infused with the brand’s Trigger Factor Complex, a bespoke blend that activates the body’s own stem cells so you get major anti-aging benefits (think fewer lines, less redness and pigmentation). Really knead the body cream into particularly dry areas, including knees, elbows and over hips and thighs to address cellulite, too.

Best for clearing congested skin: EVE LOM – Rescue Ritual Gift Set

Pore size and texture make a big difference to the look of your complexion, and these two full-sized iconic products work in tandem to purify and clear skin that’s prone to blemishes and visible pores or in need of a deep cleanse. On top of effortlessly removing waterproof makeup, Eve Lom’s signature cleanser blends four aromatic plant oils to open pores, tone skin and boost circulation without overtaxing the skin. Apply the kaolin clay-packed Rescue Mask to really draw out impurities and grime from pores, while buffing away dead skin cells with the set’s muslin cloth.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © NET-A-PORTER
DISCLOSURE: We may earn commission from links on this page, but I only recommend products I love. Promise.