Sandra‘s Closet

The playful pussycat has long been central to Miu Miu’s heritage, finding its way onto everything from ready-to-wear and accessories to pearl and crystal encrusted jewelry. New for the holiday season is the ‘little cats’ capsule collection of Shetland wool sweaters inlaid with some of the most celebrated feline characters in the history of animation.

True to the multi-facetted nature of the Miu Miu girl – and indeed the animal in question – these range in spirit from grand to cute and cuddly, from mischievous to plain mean. The collection celebrates famous kittens from iconic stories including the playfully cute Marie from Disney’s The AristoCats (1970), and Dinah – Alice’s beloved kitten from the magical Disney original movie Alice in Wonderland (1951). Completing the collection is Snowball II, the cat that ironically replaced The Simpsons’ (1990) first family cat, Snowball.

The ‘little cats’ capsule collection of Shetland wool sweaters comes in shades of purple, yellow and green and is available from mid November 2018 in selected Miu Miu stores and at Mytheresa.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Miu Miu and © Disney

For its F/W 2018 collection, Longchamp has teamed up with the French designer Clo’e Floirat to create a pop and colorful collection, featuring dogs on many pieces.

The artist brings her stylish touch to a selection of bags, including the iconic «Le Pliage», small leather goods and accessories. Clo’e Floirat also created an exclusive dogs line with colorful cowhide leather leashes and collars in three sizes and five colors.

Playing with humour on a theme of this «must-have» accessory, Clo’e Floirat has imagined a story of «Le Pliage» bag unfolding in three formats. She portrays packs of dogs in bright and bold colors walking their owners on the nylon canvas’ tone-on-tone navy print flap with red signature details.

The whimsical dog pattern can be found throughout the vibrant cotton canvas travel bag’s limited edition and on a large silk scarf. The hounds are equally featured with their noses held high on 6 key rings.

Finally, the star of this collection – a red dachshund – appears on two small leather goods, a small silk scarf and an umbrella and shown prancing all over packaging and paper bags, never-to-be-forgotten. With Clo’e Floirat, Longchamp once again offers center stage to artists while revisiting its classics, combining modern day contemporary designs full of cheerful playfulness!

About Clo’e Floirat

Clo’e Floirat is an art critic and cartoonist working between New York, London and Paris. She explores via «drawing Crit’ writing» the boundaries between writing and drawing for various publications such as the New Yorker, and collaborates equally with Robert Wilson and Rufus Wainwright. Author of Pas Mal pour de l’art (Not bad for art) (Marabout edition – 2016) and Je vois quelqu’un (I am seeing someone) (Marabulles collection – 2018), Clo’e Floirat is interested in perspectives towards art as well as the relationship between psychologists and their patients…Always with a signature humor that cleverly contrasts ego and intention.

The Longchamp x Clo’e Floirat hits the shelves this month!

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Longchamp

For the MOSCHINO [tv] H&M lookbook, MOSCHINO’s creative director Jeremy Scott gathered his family of friends to show the positivity, love and diversity at the heart of the collection. MOSCHINO [tv] H&M will be available in selected stores worldwide, and online at HM.com, on November 8.

«Whenever I design, I think about my friends. The MOSCHINO [tv] H&M lookbook is like a party; celebrating the fun, the pop, the creativity and the energy of the people and the collection,» says Jeremy Scott, creative director of MOSCHINO.

The look book was shot and styled by Jeremy’s long-term collaborators photographer Marcus Mam and stylist Carlyne Cerf de Dudzeele.

Wearing the high energy MOSCHINO [tv] H&M collection, with all of MOSCHINO’s pop glamour, street attitude, humour are among others Aquaria – winner of RuPaul’s Drag Race season 10; Amiaya – twins and influencers Aya and Ami; Sakura Bready – Jeremy Scott’s assistant at MOSCHINO and Pablo Olea – Jeremy’s best friend and Head of Global PR and Communications of MOSCHINO.

There will even be some pieces for dogs.

H&M has also just launched MOSCHINO [tv] H&M giphy stickers on Instagram Stories, Snapchat and iMessenger for users to add to their own content. As well as animated logos and emblems from the collection, there’s giphys of Jeremy himself spreading the love of the collection.

Enjoy some of the best and most fun looks… with Mickey Mouse celebrating his 90th anniversary this year, there are some sweaters definitely worth getting.

LoL, Sandra

 Photos: Courtesy of H&M

«It started with our love for animals, it’s where Nicolas and I really connect beyond fashion.» – Grace Coddington

At LOUIS VUITTON’s Cruise 2019 catwalk show amidst the Mirós and Giacomettis of Saint-Paul-de-Vence’s Fondation Maeght, Nicolas Ghesquière, artistic director of women’s collections, presented a too-die-for collaboration with Vogue contributing editor Grace Coddington.

Nicolas Ghesquière and Grace Coddington in a silk pyjama set from the collaboration at the Louis Vuitton Cruise 2019 show last May. 

The line sees the famous redhead putting her spin on the brand’s iconic monogram pattern, embellishing it with illustrations of her two cats, Pumpkin and Blanket. Moreover her designer friend’s dog Léon finishes off the animalistic collection that also includes patent leather bags in the cartoony shapes. I love every single piece!

The full range of items, including handbags, leather goods, and ready-to-wear, will arrive in Louis Vuitton stores in October.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Louis Vuitton, via Martien Mulder for WSJ. Magazine

Today, I would like to show you a project that is very dear to my heart. One of my favorite animals on the planet are elephants. There are so many beautiful facts about this strong and beautiful creatures. Just like humans they can communicate through sight, smell, sound, and touch. They live in a strong family unit and the mothers are very protective of their babies, spending all day teaching and loving them. Being highly social animals, they meet every day and console each other in times of stress by «hugging». Elephants even mourn their dead.

They are highly intelligent and have a strong memory. If you do something bad to an elephant, he will always remember. One of the cutest facts is that baby elephants suck their trunks in the same way that human babies suck their thumbs. Unfortunately, elephants are highly endangered. Given all this evidence about the awesomeness and sensitivity of these animals, it’s obvious that taking them away from their families and locking them up is wrong, which is why we need to speak out for them when they are abused and exploited. Moreover killing them for ivory is just cruel.

When supermodel Doutzen Kroes visited Kenya, she fell in love with these animals. Coming back home, she was determined to make a difference and became the global ambassador of Knot On My Planet, a campaign to support the Elephant Crisis Fund.

To support this amazing campaign, LOEWE has joined forces with Knot On My Planet and its global ambassador Doutzen Kroes, to launch an exclusive limited edition version of its iconic ELEPHANT BAG (click here for a previous outfit post), that is featuring beadwork by the women of the Samburu Trust from Northern Kenya.

LOEWE will donate all proceeds of the sales to the Elephant Crisis Fund, helping to provide rapid, catalytic support for projects designed to stop the killing of elephants, thwart traffickers and end the demand of ivory.

Embellished with safety pins bursting with cascades of multicolor beads. Due to the handcrafted nature of the beadwork, each bag could vary, making every purchase unique and is exclusively available to buy on loewe.com.

So worth supporting! Bravo LOEWE and Doutzen!

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Loewe
#LOEWEkomp – #KnotOnMyPlanet

The next Chinese New Year begins on 16th February 2018, and Gucci will celebrate the year of the dog with a dedicated collection of special items.

Gucci’s dog motifs for this collection were inspired by a pillow that the artist Helen Downie, AKA Unskilled Worker, gave as a gift to Gucci’s Creative Director Alessandro Michele, which featured an illustration of his two Boston terriers, Bosco and Orso.

Unskilled Worker’s dogs adorn a wide range of pieces that have been developed for the collection, including items of clothing (women’s and men’s ready-to-wear), shoes, handbags, luggage, small leather goods and accessories.  Women’s brightly coloured knitted sweaters, and denim shorts, feature the images, as do men’s hoodies and bomber jackets. The animals appear large on backpacks and tote bags in the Gucci Supreme material, and on colourful leather clutch bags and wallets. Scarves, trainers and jewellery are also embellished with pictures of these two dogs, while watches display the dog ‘faces’ on their faces.

There are 63 items in total in the collection, and it will be promoted across Gucci’s digital channels (notably on its newly-launched e-commerce channel in China) and in store, with special packaging.

Store windows will also be dedicated to the collection, with tartan walls, floor and matching tartan upholstered mini-bench seats for displaying products, with a giant image of each dog on the rear wall.

For iPhone X users, special interactive content will be available on the Gucci App. One will be bale to bring to life Orso and Bosco with one’s expressions, through special face recognition technology, and record a video that can be shared from the app.

The collection is now available in all markets, both in stores and online.
TO SHOP GUCCI’S CHINESE YEAR COLLECTION ONLINE, CLICK HERE PLEASE.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Gucci / Photos by Petra Collins

 Stella McCartney’s pre-fall 2016 collection debuted in Los Angeles with a feline theme. At Gucci, an appropriately quirky-looking kitty decorates the must-have wool sweaters. At Charlotte Olympia the ‘Kitty‘ face has become the brand’s signature.

1 Printed silk dress by Stella McCartney
2 Cat Falabella cross-body bag by Stella McCartney
3 Embroidered striped wool and cashmere-blend sweater by Gucci
4 Cat Ears rose gold-plated topaz ring by Aamaya By Priyanka
5 Mid-Century Kitty embroidered velvet point-toe flats by Charlotte Olympia
6 Kitty embellished Perspex clutch by Charlotte Olympia

Chevron cat-print long-sleeved top by Stella McCartney

Cat appliqué wool sweater by Gucci
Cat Ladies, meow, this pet is in big this upcoming season!

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of the Brands

While being in Texas, I went to a rodeo event in Mesquite, the so-called rodeo capital of Texas. At the beginning, I was excited to see this Southern tradition and loved watching everybody dressed up in Western style. Inspired by all the stetsons around me, I bought myself another cowboy hat at one of the booths in front of the arena. Unfortunately, during the event, I started to realize that this sort of entertainment is not very kind to the animals. It is an icon of Texas but I wouldn’t go there again.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht

Welcome to Pet Kingdom at Harrods – the world’s premier shopping destination for canine chic and feline trends.

11,000 square feet of emporium dedicated to your furry, feathered and fishy friends. There is a large section with designer dog clothes and accessories to pamper your puppy prince or princess. Moreover you can shop for dog apparel, collars, toys, beds, Halloween costumes, trendy cushions for cats and much more. See for yourself:

If your four legged friend is as fashionable as you, you might want to dress him in the newest Mulberry for Dogs collection!

For a seriously pampered pet, book them an appointment at the Pet Spa which promises a whole menu of animal friendly services including behavioural counselling, full body massages and animal reiki as well as nutritional advice, personal training sessions and grooming. Owners can also choose from signature treatments including thalassotherapy mud baths, blueberry and vanilla facials, deluxe pedicures and even book their pets onto a full Spa Day Experience.

The Pet Spa is located on Harrods Fourth Floor. Treatments start from £59.95. To book please email or call 020 3036 6222.

Isn’t that hilarious?!

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht

Are you a dog lover? What is your favourite breed?
Are you more a Balenciaga German Sheperd or a Givenchy Rottweiler?
Let the dog fight begin!

Riccardo Tisci, Givenchy’s Creative Director, chose prints of rabid-looking Rottweilers for his F/W 2011 Givenchy men’s collection that has also attracted many women, among them famous Liv Tyler who showed up in the same sweater as Kanye West during Paris Fashion Week.

I love both, but I am completely thrilled for the Rottweiler. I like the 90’s gangster-style, hip hop attitude that comes with it. But probably it is because I grew up with those dogs even that I have to admit I am not their biggest fan. As for me, there are much more beautiful dogs in this world. But a Golden Retriever would never look as cool and stylish as a Rottweiler!

Riccardo Tisci got photographed by Steven Klein for Interview magazine dripping with blood in a kind of macabre setting.

If you are interested, here is your last chance to get a Rottweiler T-shirt by Givenchy that is even on sale. Just click on the highlighted text!

And if you have a real dog, check out this product:

Aesop Animal

A mild body and fur wash containing botanical extracts to cleanse even the most delicate animal skins and furs. Animal is formulated with the same research, development and care that we apply to our human product range. Enriched with Lemon Rind, Tea Tree and Spearmint Leaf extracts.

500ml, CHF 46 / £23

LoL, Sandra