Sandra‘s Closet

In 1926, Jeanne Lanvin was the first Parisian couturière to establish a tailoring atelier, opening Lanvin Tailleur Chemisier at 15 rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré. It soon became known for its superlative blazers, tuxedos and shirts. Since 1901, Lanvin has outfitted many of the members of the Académie française including Edmond Rostang, Paul Valéry and Jean Cocteau.

Today, the Maison’s tailoring for women and men remains at the highest standard while reflecting a more contemporary sensibility. Rigour and refinement, pure lines, strong styling, and day-to-evening ease are all characteristics of Lanvin’s neo-tailoring. While suiting may now be worn with knitwear and sneakers, layered casually, or offered in a more relevant tonal palette, the Lanvin elegance remains embedded in the fabrics and the perfectly crafted cuts, and the heritage.

Contemporary tailoring considers both the evolution of what we wear and how we live, for men, the approach emphasises deconstruction by revising the silhouette to look and feel relaxed yet polished. Fabrics range from dry wool drill, S150 wool twill and flannel to mohair, elevated jersey and grain de poudre. Men’s jackets in fits spanning boxy to business feature central vents, notched lapels and adjusted waists, while trousers are also proposed in a variety of styles such as a slim cigarette, a shorter biker length and a more directional wide leg.

At the heart of the women’s tailoring offer is the notion of ‘radical elegance’ which takes shape as silhouettes merge masculine and feminine codes in sumptuous materials that signal everyday luxury. Tailored blazers, boxy jackets and sharp coats have been developed as key wardrobe pieces that convey subtle sophistication and cosmopolitan attitude. Whether tapered, flared or wide leg, women’s trousers emphasise fit over fleeting trends.

Lanvin’s neo-tailoring is styled to express both newness and timelessness – an ever-evolving vision grounded in an unparalleled Parisian legacy.

TO SHOP LANVIN ONLINE, CLICK HERE PLEASE.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Daniel Shea, Art Director/Stylist : Ludivine Poiblanc, Hair : Ramona Eschbach, Makeup : Petros Petrohilos, Nails : Anais Cordevant, Casting Director : Coco Casting, Cast : Lucas Lemaire and Amar Akway – DISCLOSURE: We may earn commission from links on this page, but I only recommend products I love. Promise!

The eldest of a modest family of eleven children, Jeanne Lanvin was born in Paris on January 1, 1867. From an early age, her independence and strength of character foretold Jeanne’s extraordinary fate. At the age of thirteen, Jeanne earned her first wages working for a milliner on Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré. In charge of delivering hats all over Paris by omnibus, she found a clever way to save the cost of a bus ticket: she followed the vehicle on foot. Nicknamed the «Little Omnibus», Jeanne had already gotten herself noticed and quickly worked her way up the ladder.

A hard worker, Jeanne Lanvin began her milliner’s apprenticeship a few years later and proved to be quite creative. The hats created by «Mademoiselle Jeanne» were met with great success, and Jeanne started dreaming of opening her own shop. The dream would soon become a reality for the then 22-year-old milliner. Through her many sacrifices and persistence, she managed to get her creations, labeled «Lanvin (Mademoiselle Jeanne) Modes», worn by the most fashionable Parisians.

Portrait of Jeanne Lanvin, 1934 © Studio Harcourt / Patrimoine Lanvin

MOTHER AND DAUGHTER

On August 31,1897, Jeanne Lanvin gave birth to Marguerite: her only child, her greatest love, and her muse. From their close bond was born one of the most famous French fashion houses. Nothing was too beautiful for Marguerite. The little girl became the first source of inspiration for Jeanne Lanvin, who designed an incredibly sophisticated wardrobe for her from a very early age. The mother and daughter never left each other’s side. It wasn’t uncommon to catch sight of Marguerite meandering around the hat shelves in the store, where she was often complimented on her elegant outfits. A new opportunity then presented itself to Jeanne Lanvin, who decided to delve into children’s clothing.

This extraordinary mother-daughter relationship is deeply connected to the brand’s history: it was out of her love for Marguerite that Jeanne Lanvin began designing dresses. It was also for her daughter, who by then had become Countess Marie-Blanche de Polignac, that Jeanne launched the legendary perfume Arpège in 1927, as a birthday present. Through this extraordinary bond of maternal love, the brand’s iconic logo was born: a drawing of a woman and her child, imagined by the Art Deco illustrator Paul Iribe.

Marie-Blanche de Polignac, circa 1930 © Roger Schall/ Patrimoine Lanvin

A STEP AHEAD

A true visionary, Jeanne Lanvin captured the spirit of the times throughout her career in order to bring her fashion house to heights of elegance and modernity. The designer was a pioneer in many fields. It was important for her to forge ahead and never fall behind. A jack of all trades, Jeanne Lanvin developed the brand’s business by regularly opening new departments in order to meet the needs of an evolving society.

Hats, children’s clothing, young ladies’ and women’s collections, furs, lingerie, wedding gowns, sports attire, men’s collections, perfumes, and even interior design: through her audacity, Jeanne Lanvin gradually built an empire and heralded a lifestyle revolution. Her career boasts a long list of firsts: Jeanne Lanvin was the first designer to launch a children’s fashion line in 1908; the first to offer a made-to-measure men’s collection in 1926; and even the first to create a mixed eau de toilette in 1933. At its peak, Lanvin had nearly 1,200 employees, many stores, and several branches throughout the world, all thanks to the vision of an exceptional woman.

Modèle Sport, Hiver 1928. Gouache Drawing © Patrimoine Lanvin

TRAVEL JOURNALS

The success of Lanvin was unmistakably due to the curiosity, inventiveness, and creative energy of its founder. With each new collection, Jeanne Lanvin sought to reinvent herself and drew inspiration from traveling, the artists of her time, and everything around her. When she wasn’t working on her next collection, Jeanne Lanvin would frequently travel, taking the time to jot down her experiences and inspirations. Her travel journals were never far from her when she was working, carefully stored away in her office.

In addition to her memories, Jeanne Lanvin would write about objects she had found, fabric samples, or the traditional clothing of the countries she or her close friends and family would visit: Indian saris, Chinese attire, toreador outfits, or ethnic embroideries and materials.

Egypt, circa 1930 – © DR / Patrimoine Lanvin.

AN ARTISTIC SENSIBILITY

Although she mostly kept to herself, Jeanne Lanvin’s artistic sensibility and creative spirit opened the doors very early on to the most avant-garde artistic circles of her time. The designer would frequently socialize with painters from the Nabis movement, in particular Édouard Vuillard, with whom she shared an obsession with color.

Jeanne Lanvin was also a collector, amassing works by Renoir, Degas, Fantin-Latour, Fragonard, and many others. She was highly influenced by the use of light in Impressionist paintings as well as the symbolic works of Odilon Redon. These artistic affinities could often be seen in the brand’s collections. Jeanne Lanvin’s passion for color even led her to open her own dye factory in 1923.

Jeanne Lanvin at a fitting with Yvonne Printemps, circa 1936 – © DR / Patrimoine Lanvin.

THE LANVIN STYLE

Jeanne Lanvin had many inspirations, but elegance, femininity, and modernity were the designer’s key words. In the 1920s, Lanvin stood out for its use of bold colors combined with innovative decorative techniques. Ribbons, embroideries, pearls, and precious details adorned dresses without ever compromising the ateliers’ cutting work and exceptional construction.

The use of black and white was frequently incorporated with the brand’s iconic colors, such as the Lanvin blue. This combination, sometimes interspersed with touches of silver, represented the peak of chic in the mid-1920s. It was the result of geometric research inspired by the Art Deco movement, which was then at the height of its influence.

Embroideries and beading created in the Lanvin ateliers between 1925 and 1935 – © Patrimoine Lanvin.

MADAME LANVIN

The success of Jeanne Lanvin’s fashion house lay in her long years of persistent work. Reserved and meticulous, her unique personality made her stand out from her contemporaries.

«Madame,» as her staff called her, was a demanding boss who, nevertheless, put great trust in the talented individuals surrounding her. Jeanne Lanvin was self-taught and did not draw. She worked a lot with the materials and exchanged her ideas directly with her head seamstresses, who were responsible for creating the models. Refusing to participate in most social events, the designer evolved within restricted and intimate circles of artists, writers, and musicians. It was very rare to see her at a ball or at the Longchamp races, and if by chance you ran into her there, it was because she came to observe the elegant Parisians in order to better anticipate their future desires.

On July 6, 1946, Jeanne Lanvin passed away peacefully at the age of 79. «Madame» Jeanne—the milliner, the designer, the decorator, the perfume manufacturer—left behind an empire in her wake.

After Jeanne Lanvin passed away, her daughter Marie-Blanche became president of the company and continued to design collections until 1950. Several designers succeeded her with the ambition of keeping the brand’s expertise, state of mind, and excellence intact.

Since 2018, it has been a subsidiary of Shanghai-based Lanvin Group, originally named Fosun Fashion Group. Stay tuned for the next post, in which I will tell you how Lanvin does new-tailoring today under the creative vision of Bruno Sialelli, a 31-year-old French designer!

LoL, Sandra

Jeanne Lanvin and a mannequin, 1935 – © New York Times/Rea

Photos: © LANVIN
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Back in 1927, Mademoiselle Chanel bet on the on-the-go lifestyle, supporting women as their way of living evolved. Ever the innovator, she decided to make her line of skincare and makeup products available in smaller sizes. Daily essentials that could easily be slipped into a handbag, evening clutch, or small piece of luggage for spur-of-the- moment getaways.

CHANEL was inspired by these formats, which are as fun as they are practical, for its 2023 LES BEIGES collection. The House has revisited its iconic LES BEIGES products, offering them in limited-edition travel sizes. The LES BEIGES Summer To-Go collection captures the very essence of a radiant complexion and a healthy glow makeup look in miniature formats. As sensorial and intuitive as ever, LES BEIGES essentials are the perfect companions for achieving a fresh, luminous glow, anytime and for any occasion.

A HINT OF FRESHNESS IN A BOTTLE
Dazzlingly sheer, LES BEIGES WATER-FRESH TINT Travel Size (15 ml) is a water-based complexion product infused with micro- droplet pigments that leave a nearly imperceptible, luminous veil on the skin. Its 8 shades cater to all skin tones, giving the complexion a beautiful sun-kissed look.
LES BEIGES WATER-FRESH TINT Travel Size – 15ml – CHF 53.00
Light – Medium Light – Medium – Medium Plus – Light Deep – Deep – Medium Deep – Deep Plus

AN ULTRA-RADIANT COMPLEXION
As light as a caress, LES BEIGES HEALTHY GLOW BRONZING CREAM Travel Size (15 g) warms up the skin, creating the illusion of having spent a weekend in the sun. When applied to the cheeks, nose, forehead, and décolleté using the fingers or a brush, this cream-gel bronzer delivers an ultra-natural makeup look. It is available in 3 shades for a customizable sun-kissed glow.
LES BEIGES HEALTHY GLOW BRONZING CREAM Travel Size – 15 g – CHF 43.00
SOLEIL TAN BRONZE – A golden caramel
SOLEIL TAN MEDIUM BRONZE – An intense warm deep beige
SOLEIL TAN DEEP BRONZE – A chocolate brown slightly satiny gold

SUMMER ON YOUR SKIN
A true light catcher, LES BEIGES ILLUMINATING OIL Travel Size (50 ml) envelops the skin, leaving it with an iridescent shimmer. Enriched with jasmine oil, it gives skin a slightly coppery, golden glow. Apply to the face, shoulders, décolleté, arms, and hair for instant radiance.
LES BEIGES ILLUMINATING OIL Travel Size – 50 ml – CHF 66.00
One universal, sheer shade with shimmering gold and copper flecks

HARMONY OF LIGHTS
OMBRE PREMIÈRE LAQUE coats lids with a golden shimmer and is featured in two iconic jewel tones: RAYON, a soft, luminous beige, and QUARTZ ROSE, a radiant pastel pink.
ROUGE COCO BAUME (CHF 45.00) delivers a light, fresh lip look with two new shades: PINK DELIGHT, an ultra-natural, soft pink, and SWEET TREAT, a semi-matte brownish mauve.
To round off this sun-kissed look, CHANEL has designed two new shades of ROUGE COCO FLASH (CHF 48.00) with evocative names. DESTINATION, a rosy beige that enhances lips with its nude shimmer, and ESCAPADE, a slightly warm sienna red.

Available from Mid May 2023.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © CHANEL
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An instant emblem forged by a flame, the curved bamboo handle crowns a leather handbag in 1947, marking the House’s path as an innovator in craftsmanship and luxury. Today, the renowned design of the Gucci Bamboo 1947 is at the heart of the House’s signature bag collection, representing how a creative instinct propelled by profound know-how has led Gucci to where it is today.

In 1947 – amidst Italy’s post-war era in which traditional raw materials were difficult to come by – the enterprising founder, Guccio Gucci, with the help of the House’s visionary Florentine artisans, decided to use the lightweight and durable bamboo for the handle of a purse. The paradigm of design coherence and the authority of leather was gracefully challenged by the bamboo in a game of contrasts that defied the aesthetic rules of the time.

The bamboo top handle also ushered in an expansion of the House’s artisanal expertise, as there is a highly technical process behind crafting the curved stalk. A craftsman first selects the most unblemished pieces of bamboo, which are then softened and worked over an open flame by hand to manipulate the material into a semi-circular form. Once shaped, the handle is coated in multiple layers of lacquer, after which it is baked to achieve a shiny golden-brown finish.

Due to this meticulous process, not a single bamboo handle is ever the same. Following its debut, the ‘Bamboo Bag’ became a fixture among Hollywood’s leading ladies and the international jet set, consolidating the style’s status as an innovative icon around the world.

The current Gucci Bamboo 1947 is distinguished by interchangeable leather and Web straps, adding to the style’s functionality. Both straps are detachable and adjustable, making it a highly versatile accessory, suitable for myriad occasions. Presented in different combinations that evoke diverse attitudes, the top handle bag comes in varying sizes and materials. The line is presented in timeless color palettes as well as seasonal variations, and is enriched by refined evening styles and precious leather iterations.

TO SHOP GUCCI BAGS, CLICK HERE PLEASE.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Gucci
Photographer & Director: David Sims – Make up: Thomas De Kluyver – Hair: Paul Hanlon
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This week, I was invited by BVLGARI to celebrate the history and evolution of the Maison’s icon, Serpenti at Zurich’s Mascotte Club. Continually changing its skin through the creativity and vision of the master Roman jeweler, Serpenti has unfolded its transformative nature over the past 75 years. Always ready to take a hypnotic new form, the icon forever remains an emblem of eternal rebirth and bold metamorphosis.

Introduced in 1948 as jewelry-watches to be wrapped around the wrist, Serpenti creations made their debut with a supple, stylized body crafted with the iconic Tubogas technique. In the ’50s, the Bulgari serpent began to embrace a more realistic style, an evolution that culminated in the ’60s when its distinct turned into a canvas for creative experimentation sporting gemstones and colored enamels. Moving from one mesmerizing form to the next, Serpenti has offered stunning interpretations of its hexagonal scale motif, various levels of preciousness and unique combinations of exquisite gems, captivating design and creative craftsmanship.

Photo top right: Kristina Bazan and Photo bottom right: Christa Rigozzi

From left to right: Alex Lambrechts, Nicole Boghossian, Zoë Pastelle, my humble self, Kevin Lütolf and Jaz Brunner.

In the last 75 years, women have affirmed the right to be independent, cultivate their talents, pursue their dreams and live a life that aligns with their desires. From the red carpet to the office, Serpenti has been their faithful ally, evolving side by side with confident women proud to reveal their magnetic charm.

With Monica Brannetti who had flown in for the night from Rome.

We started the evening with a very interesting conversation between Christa Rigozzi, who lead through the evening, and Monica Brannetti from the Bvlgari Heritage Team about the amazing stories that have been told in the past decades through Serpenti jewelry and watch pieces.

The amazing Dora Live Band performed on stage and made sure that nobody stood still in the room. The final culmination of the night was the big birthday cake, followed by the sounds of DJ Tanja La Croix.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht / David Biedert Photography, Bvlgari, Jaz Brunner
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Mary Quant (Feb 11, 1930 – April 13, 2023), one of the most influential figures in the fashion scene, died at age 93 peacefully at home in Surrey, UK. Being credited with making fashion accessible to the masses with her sleek, streamlined and vibrant designs, she is also known as the pioneer of the mini skirt and hot pants. While this claim has been challenged by others, it became the trademark of her style, and she is cited as the inventor of this style. However, Mary Quant liberated more than just our legs. Her real legacy was more profound, and her vision of female freedom still feels as fresh as it did back in 1955.

Dame Mary was the daughter of two Welsh teachers but was born in Blackheath, London, in 1930. She gained a diploma in the 1950s in art education at Goldsmiths College, where she met her husband Alexander Plunket Greene, who later helped establish her brand and with whom she married until his death in 1990. The couple had a son, Orlando, who was born in 1970. In 2014, she was made a dame for services to British fashion in the Queen’s New Year Honours list.

The V&A Museum, which hosted an exhibition about Dame Mary’s designs in 2020, wrote: «It’s impossible to overstate Quant’s contribution to fashion. She represented the joyful freedom of 1960s fashion, and provided a new role model for young women. Fashion today owes so much to her trailblazing vision.»

Quant initially sold clothing sourced from wholesalers in her new boutique in the Kings Road named Bazaar, that she had opened in 1955. Being the first concept store in the world, she created a special environment, including music, drinks, and long hours that appealed to young adults. A groundbreaking service at that time – this environment was unique for the industry, as it differentiated from the stale department stores and inaccessible high-end designer store environments that had a hold of the fashion market.

The bolder and more unique pieces in her collection started garnering more attention from media like Harper’s Bazaar, and an American manufacturer purchased some of her dress designs. Because of this attention and her personal love for these bolder styles, she decided to take designs into her own hands. Initially working solo, she was soon employing a handful of machinists; by 1966 she was working with a total of 18 manufacturers. A self-taught designer inspired by the culture-forward «Chelsea Set» of artists and socialites, Quant’s designs were riskier and more unique than standard styles of the time.

Dame Mary named the mini skirt after her favourite make of car, recalled its «feeling of freedom and liberation» . She said: «It was the girls on King’s Road who invented the mini. I was making clothes which would let you run and dance and we would make them the length the customer wanted. I wore them very short and the customers would say, ‘shorter, shorter’.»

In 1988, Quant designed the interior of the Mini (1000) Designer (originally dubbed the Mini Quant, the name was changed when popularity charts were set against having Quant’s name on the car). It featured black-and-white striped seats with red trimming.

Quant’s designs revolutionized fashion from the utilitarian wartime standard of the late 1940s to the energy of the 1950s and 1960s’ cultural shifts. Modern fashion owes a great deal to the trailblazing 1960s designer Mary Quant. She stocked her own original items in an array of colours and patterns. From skinny-rib sweaters, to coloured tights and ‘onesies‘, you will be amazed that Dame Mary also revolutionized the high street with trousers for women, as well as accessories, tights and make-up, while using the daisy brand design that became synonymous with her creations. Quant looks changed the way we dress, proving there was more to Mary than just miniskirts.

Here are some things that you might not know about that are credited to Mary Quant:

THE JERSEY DRESS

Quant saw the potential for easy jersey garments as outerwear in the ’60s. Leading then the jersey dress boom by producing thousands of designs in hundreds of different colors, including different shaped collars, sleeves, zips and buttons, with skirts swishy or straight, the jersey dress became a driving force in the democratization of style.

TIGHTS

Where would the modern women be without stretchy tights, in black, or a choice of colours? Sixty years ago, most women were still unquestionably wearing stockings in the shade «American Tan» (black stockings were a hangover from the Victorian era). Held up by garters, or attached to a separate suspender belt with hard metal clips, stockings were fiddly and uncomfortable to wear. Skirts meanwhile fell below the knee to keep all this hardware, and naked thighs, firmly hidden from view. Mary Quant, always looking to develop new ideas, wanted stockings and tights in bright colors, such as mustard yellow, ginger and prune, as well as black – the perfect accompaniment to her knee-skimming skirts and dresses which enabled women to dance, run and move. She partnered with the Nylon Hosiery Company, set up in 1954 by the Curry family, who had recently emigrated from India. They developed a technique of making long stockings which joined together at the top, and were specially dyed to contrast and co-ordinate with Mary Quant separates. The partnership proved to be long-lived, with an ever-expanding range of new colours and patterned knits, including the 1966 «Highball» glitter stockings in silver, gold, green, blue and red.

TROUSERS FOR WOMEN

From skinny jeans and culottes to harem pants, bell bottoms and power suits, trousers have been an essential part of fashionable women’s wardrobes for over 50 years. This was thanks largely to Mary Quant, who was one of the first designers to promote trousers and suits as fashionable womenswear. When Quant opened her famous boutique, Bazaar, trousers and jeans were popular with female students and subcultures on the outskirts of mainstream fashion. Appropriating trousers for women remained a strong theme throughout Quant’s career, as she pushed towards an increasingly androgynous look, playfully challenging established gender norms.

THE SKINNY-RIBBED SWEATER

As with many of Quant’s designs, the inspiration for the skinny-rib came from childrenswear. In her 1966 autobiography, she describes how she «pulled on an eight year old boy’s sweater for fun» and was «enchanted» with the result. Six months later, Quant had put the skinny-rib into production and «all the birds were wearing the skinny ribs». Pinafores paired with sweaters were the building blocks of Mary Quant’s Ginger Group – the wholesale label she set up in 1963, which promoted good-value, mix-and-match separates.

PVC RAINWEAR

In the 1960s, Quant was «bewitched» by polyvinyl chloride (PVC), «this super shiny man-made stuff and its shrieking colours… its gleaming liquorice black, white and ginger.» (Quant by Quant, 1966). The plastic-coated cotton was a new material in the fashion world, having previously only been used for protective garments. Quant launched her «Wet Collection» in April 1963 at the Hôtel de Crillon, Paris, featuring entirely PVC garments. The show was attended by influential fashion editors, and it earned the designer her first magazine cover for British Vogue, featuring a brilliant-red PVC rain mac.

LOUNGEWEAR AND HOT PANTS

Writing in 2012, Quant recalled how she discovered the «house-wear» market in the US around 1965 and decided to bring this new concept to Europe. She designed «a collection of jersey tops and hotpants in striped jersey-knit fabrics with matching bras, pants, socks, leg warmers and minis – all using knitted fabrics of various thicknesses and weights». The idea of special clothes for lounging in at home was quite a change in mindset for most of the British public – who only had the ubiquitous dressing gown until then. The range included brightly coloured jersey and stretch towelling one-piece suits, with short zip-up versions and full-length styles that included feet. These easy-to-wear garments were the ultimate in comfort and freedom, made in the fun colours that were at the heart of Quant’s brand. Quant’s experiments with loungewear can be seen as the forerunner to the contemporary «onesie» craze.

WATERPROOF MASCARA

Quant also made her mark on the makeup world. Her cosmetics line, with its daisy logo and colorful crayon formulations, shared the same sunny, childlike outlook as her fashion. And she brought the world a truly innovative invention: waterproof mascara.

BOB HAIRCUT

Mary Quant made London swing in the early 1960s. But her look was completed by the liberating geometric haircuts of Vidal Sassoon. In 1964, Vidal Sassoon provided Mary Quant, then 34, with her signature haircut, that is now as closely associated with Quant as Sasson. The Bob is the most trending hairstyle at the moment again.

One of the most important figures in fashion, Quant’s influence can still be seen on catwalks. Rest in Peace, Mary, thank you!

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Mary Quant, V&A, AP
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CHANEL is returning, as it does every year, to Saint-Tropez to celebrate the summer. For one season, the House is leaving La Mistralée townhouse and settling in the heart of the village. Built on a little town square with typical Provençal charm, a large 340m2 ochre stone residence with blue shutters has been transformed into an elegant boutique hosting the ready-to-wear and accessories collections by Virginie Viard, a selection of jewellery and watches, as well as a range of perfumes.

As if entering a holiday home, clients are welcomed into a shady garden with an outdoor salon surrounded by Mediterranean species. The boutique opens onto a vast vestibule decorated with a stained-glass window – a reference to the stained-glass of the Aubazine abbey where Gabrielle Chanel spent part of her childhood.
The ground floor then unfolds around a single large room punctuated with black columns contrasting with a terracotta floor and white walls set with panels of beige zellij or quilted-effect fabric. A minimalist two- tone architecture where warm spaces are created by sets of furniture, such as the curved lamps and the light-coloured rugs hemmed in black.

This spacious salon presents the S/S 2023 ready-to-wear collection and pre-collection, to be joined in the coming weeks by the CHANEL – Dakar 2023 Métiers d’art collection. Styled on mannequins, the looks are also shown in understated dressing rooms made of stretched woven fabric textured like white tweed. Accessories, small leather goods and costume jewellery mingle with books and decorative objects in large bookcases. Les Eaux de CHANEL fragrance collection also occupies these shelves, like a row of invitations to visit Deauville, Biarritz, Paris, Venice, Edinburgh and of course, the landscapes of the Riviera. The ground floor is also home to two other spaces. The first one is devoted to bags, including the iconic 2.55 and 11.12 bags, along with seasonal creations and new versions of the CHANEL 22 bag. The second one is dedicated to summer with swimwear and beach accessories, sunglasses and from May onwards, a preview of the CHANEL COCO BEACH collection.

Upstairs, the decor combines modern furniture with elements inspired by Gabrielle Chanel’s own apartment: a wheatsheaf table and decorative objects in bronze and rock crystal by Goossens, screens and mirrors. A second stained-glass window softens the sunlight while a space like a contemporary boudoir is home to the Watches and Fine Jewelry, notably the COCO CRUSH and N°5 collections, and the J12, Première and BOY·FRIEND watches. Pale fabric sofas for visitors to try on the season’s shoes, nestle by dressing rooms presenting further ready-to-wear silhouettes. Three large fitting rooms complete this welcoming holiday home, steeped in the art de vivre of the French Riviera.

The CHANEL seasonal boutique in Saint-Tropez will open its doors from 8th April until October.
CHANEL Boutique
78, boulevard Louis Blanc 83990 Saint-Tropez France +33 4 94 49 07 47
Opening hours:
Monday to Sunday 10am to 1pm and 2 to 9pm

LoL, Sandra

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

Sometimes, a fabulous pair of heels deserve its own post. This kind of footwear has the power to elevate a simple outfit into something conversation-worthy. Inspired by Parisian cabaret dancers, Alaïa’s sandals are crafted from patent-leather in a barely-there design. The drama is revealed when you’re sitting cross-legged or walking up stairs – all eyes will be on the cheeky gold figurines that form the heel. I am completely obsessed.

TO SHOP THE ALAÏA CABARET SANDALS, CLICK HERE PLEASE.

LoL, Sandra

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

You will thank me once you have tried this new amazing AVEDA product. The vegan botanical repair™ bond-building styling cream combines sleek styling with hair bonding. It is a multi-benefit styling hair cream that nourishes hair while the silicone-free hair bond builder also protects hair from thermal damage up to 450 degrees, shielding from future breakage and damage caused by styling.

Create new bonds by the thousands, strengthen hair’s cortex, prevent and protect from damage with these plant-derived components:

• Bond-building plant molecule – Build new hydrogen bonds deep in hair’s cortex to strengthen and reinforce hair’s integrity at the core.
• Nourishing macro green blend – Replenish the essentials of healthy-looking hair with certified organic avocado, green tea and sacha inchi oils. Smooth the cuticle to detangle. Help prevent breakage.
• Plant-based complex – Create an invisible botanical outer layer to protect hair from future damage.

Featuring Aveda’s own Pure-Fume™ aroma with certified organic ylang ylang, rose and marjoram essential oils, it is a great addition to the botanical repair™ family.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Aveda / Sandra Bauknecht
@avedaswitzerland #veganhaircare #avedarepairinstyle
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«Soleil de Feu is a smoldering amber woody scent evoking sunset light. It is the most sensual expression of soleil.» – Tom Ford

Tom Ford launches Soleil De Feu as the latest addition to the Private Blend collection . It joins the family of sun-inspired fragrances, that includeSoleil Blanc (2016), Soleil Neige (2019), and Soleil Brûlant (2021).

Soleil de Feu is an amber woody scent that evokes the molten sun descending in a burnished blaze over the sea, painting the sky with fiery strokes of bronze solar light. This is the most sensual expression of the Soleil perfume. Notes of sandalwood are enhanced with tuberose and warm ambers, resulting in a seductive and sensual fragrance. Personally speaking this scent could have been crafted specifically for me. It has all some of my favorite notes with a beautiful oriental touch.

Available as Eu de Parfums 30ml, 50ml, and 250ml Decanter.
TO SHOP SOLEIL DE FEU ONLINE, CLICK HERE PLEASE.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Tom Ford / Sandra Bauknecht
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