Sandra‘s Closet

Revised for the Resort 2020 collection, the Prada Bowling Bag is a 21st century classic.
An archive style originally presented as part of S/S 2000 «Sincere Chic» Collection, in turn, it is an echo of the mid-twentieth century Accessories: A memory of memories.

Prada S/S 2000 runway (isn’t the quality of the photos hilarious)

I remember buying it during my first year as an editor at Marie Claire magazine (I cannot believe this was almost 20 years ago) and of course it is still in my closet soon to be worn again.

Reminiscent of the aesthetics of modern design in its straightforward contours, automobile chassis in their reliefs contrast similar materials in vibrant colors to evoke the visual vocabulary of fashion and a broader design vocabulary. Miuccia Prada always combines architecture, art and fashion in perfection.

Prada Resort 2020

It was represented on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the debut of this then iconic and today archetypal model in New York on May 2, 2019 as part of the Prada Resort Runway Show.

The reinterpreted bowling bag is a symbolic Prada silhouette made of fine, soft calf leather offered in four hyperclassic color combinations: white with black, cinnamon with white, white with red and black with white (what a pity the pink and white one is not produced). The Prada Bowling Bag is available from on November in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Thank God, I still have it in my closet, like this I am ahead of the game… therefore you should always keep your pieces until their time has come again.

LoL, Sandra

My Prada bowling bag and lip print skirt, both from the S/S 2000 runway collection.
I love the perforated leather detail….

Photos: © Prada, © Sandra Bauknecht

The micro bag-as-necklace concept is such a great and practical trend for F/W 2019. Being hands-free and carrying all your valuables around your neck is the perfect option when hitting the dance floor. Furthermore, it makes you look like a young girl… remember when you left to your school trip with that pouch dangling from your neck and you hated it?!

Now, it is time to make peace with these stylish options below:

Studded pouch necklace by Saint Laurent

Le Pitchou mini textured-leather pouch by Jacquemus

Tri-pouch necklace by Loewe

Maria small leather pouch by Gabriela Hearst

Purse pouch necklace by Y’s

Which one is your favorite? I went for Gabriela Hearst… so sophisticated and stylish.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of the Brands

Here is the glorious family of bags and luggage, the House’s fascinating icons that carry the whole Louis Vuitton saga with them. They proudly sport the Monogram, the renowned trunk-maker’s seal, a canvas created by Georges Vuitton in 1896 in homage to his father, the founder.

Nicolas Ghesquière has brought it to life in a thousand different ways, taken it to the limit, and crafted it in all the colours of the rainbow! «It’s the House icon to be treated with the utmost respect,» he explains. «It has real graphic purity. And I like giving it other personalities, which renew its desirability.» With Nicolas Ghesquière, it has been switched around for the Monogram Reverse and given oversized expression with the Monogram Giant. Always driven by a love of beauty, it is passed down from generation to generation.

The Monogram Speedy Bandoulière
Created in 1930, the iconic Speedy today features a shoulder strap for even greater freedom of movement around town and wherever you go.

The Monogram Giant Boîte Chapeau Souple
The perfect little city bag with a charming style, reminiscent of elegant and grand travels around the globe.

The Monogram and Monogram Reverse Dauphine Bumbag
A charming version of the Dauphine allowing for freedom of movement.

The Monogram and Monogram Reverse Dauphine
A marvel straight from the seventies, an impeccable House creation that is more up-to-date than ever, playing on all the Monogram’s variations.

The Monogram NéoNoé
A great House classic, initially created in 1932 to hold champagne bottles. Indelibly linked to the pleasures of a gentle stroll and adding a little sparkle to life.

The Monogram Petite Malle
Inspired by photographer Albert Kahn’s trunk, it is already a House icon. The Petite Malle is a timeless classic, now and always.

The Monogram Giant Onthego Tote Bag
The best friend of women who want to keep everything close at hand. It draws admiring glances with the brand new Monogram Giant design.

LoL, Sandra

© Photographer: Craig McDean
Fashion: Marie-Amélie Sauvé

The shape of Egyptian pyramids is thought to represent the primordial mound from which the Egyptians believed the earth was created. There is something enticing about their structure with its mesmerizing symmetry, yet captivating simplicity. This F/W 2019 season, designers were inspired by the structural benefits of this three-dimensional triangle shape that allows an evening handbag to provide spaciousness with plenty of room to store the necessities of the night.

Personally speaking, those pyramid bags have a luxury feel, and retain an element of the mysterious that I truly love. Which one is your favorite?

LoL, Sandra

Pyramid bag in black and gold stripes by CHANEL

Embellished  pyramid bag by CHANEL

Pyramid metallic leather clutch by Saint Laurent

Pyramid bag by LZL

Lia leather pyramid bag by Nita Suri

Photos: Courtesy of the Brands and © Sandra Bauknecht

Deriving its name from the Latin term for «sense and emotion,» RATIO ET MOTUS only launched in 2018, yet New York-based Angela Wang and Daniel Li, the creative minds behind the brand, are already making waves with their cult pieces. Their classic and artful handbags immediately caught the attention of NET-A-PORTER’s fashion buyers who support the label as part of their Vanguard initiative, that is promoting new and rising talent in the industry.

The brand aims to produce products with considered design details utilizing Italian craftsmanship all while keeping longevity in mind. Being sustainable is important to them, therefore the duo only source leather from local Italian tanneries with a mission of low carbon footprint, minimum toxic wastage, low water consumption and ethical supply chain. All leathers used in the collections are by-products from the meat industry and the water repellent lining is made of vegan leather.

Look out for the unique «Disco» bag, which has modern details like specific slots for iPhones …

… or opt for my favorite, the «Twin Frame» leather tote. I adore its sleek, structured silhouette with the separate clutch at the front that can be unscrewed and used alone.

TO SEE AND SHOP ALL BAG MODELS, CLICK HERE PLEASE.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Ratio et Modus and Net-à-Porter

Yesterday evening, I was invited to an evening on the topic of the future of fashion and fabrics by UBS at the FREITAG Lab in Zurich.

With lovely Natascha Lander, UBS Chief Investment Office, Wealth Management

The evening started with a private guided tour of the FREITAG factory by Daniel Freitag himself, founder of the Freitag brand, followed by drinks and networking and then seated dinner whilst listening to a presentation of Christina Dean, founder of The R Collective and Redress and a UBS Global Visionary, who was addressing the problem of waste and pollution by the fashion industry. My avid readers might recognize her from the UBS Unique – Economy of Fashion forum in 2017.

The first messenger bag F13 TOP CAT is exhibited at the MoMA in New York.

Let me get started with the story of FREITAG which is a truly inspiring one. In 1993, graphic designers and brothers Markus and Daniel Freitag were looking for a functional, water-repellent and robust bag to hold their creative work. Inspired by the multicolored heavy traffic that rumbled through the Zurich transit intersection in front of their flat, they developed a messenger bag from used truck tarpaulins, discarded bicycle inner tubes and car seat belts. This is how the first FREITAG bags took shape in the living room of their shared apartment – each one recycled, each one unique. By the way, the first messenger bag F13 TOP CAT wrote fashion history and can be looked at at the MoMA in New York.

Each FREITAG bag is unique made from truck tarps.

With their innovation, the brothers inadvertently triggered a seismic event in the world of bag making. Its tremors have since made themselves felt in Zurich and the cities of Europe and spread all the way to Asia, making FREITAG the unofficial outfitter of all urban, bike-riding individualists. Today, FREITAG is one of the most hyped brands in Thailand and Japan. The products are available in 24 by the brand owned stores as well as at over 400 resellers around the world with an extensive choice of over 4000 unique products available in the online store. I was pretty impressed of the work that goes into the shoot of each product. Imagine that every single bag is unique and therefore needs to be photographed individually.

Each bag is shot separately for the online store.

FREITAG likes the tarps that they make bags from to have some popping color schemes, but it’s not always so easy to find them, especially since they want to use truck tarps that were on the road for quite a time.

Since the first F13 TOP CAT messenger bag, the collection has spawned a full range of over 80 different models for all your carrying needs: from smartphone and laptop sleeves via backpacks and on to handbags, shoppers and travel bags.

Creating new shapes and models is part of the design process.

FREITAG has been at home in the Nœrd industrial complex in Zurich-Oerlikon since 2011. This is where the truck tarps we collect are taken apart, washed and cut to size. The sewing has been outsourced to other Swiss companies.

A great sustainable concept: unscrewed buttons.

Newest project: a small clothing line.

In 2014, the bag-makers gave themselves a new raw material to play with: F-ABRIC. Developed in-house from the ground up, the rugged, completely compostable textiles are based on bast fibers that are produced using a minimum of resources within a 2500-kilometer radius of headquarters. F-ABRIC thus more than lives up to the FREITAG philosophy: «We think and act in cycles.»

The team works following a self-management strategy. Each team member shows the time that he or she works on a project with the help of LEGO stones on a board.

«I stepped back as CEO. I am an originator, apostel, incubator and more.»
– Daniel Freitag

Daniel Freitag with me

FREITAG has not only committed to the circular, closed-loop economy but is also organized in circles: in 2016, the company, which still belongs to the Freitag brothers, abandoned the classical hierarchical structure and replaced it with Holacracy, a form of organization based on self-management.

We were served a yummy Züri Geschnetzeltes in form of mushroom protein instead of meat for the vegan surprise dinner at Noerd Kantine.

The guided tour by Daniel Freitag was very impressive and so was the vegan dinner in the Noerd Kantine, which is in the same building as the Freitag Lab. Personally speaking, FREITAG is a company that I would like to work in.

Christina Dean with me

Christina, who calls herself a «sustainable fashion advocate», started Redress following a phenomenal life-changing professional and personal experience. She used to be a dentist, then a journalist before moving to Hong Kong. After a bike trip through Southern China, she became increasingly interested in China’s environmental crisis. The more she investigated the sources, the more compelled she became by how the country’s fashion and textile industries were contributing to this drastic situation, which not only affects the planet but is also killing people.

Rescue. Reuse. Reimagine.

«Waste is not waste until it is wasted.»

This insight led to a huge professional change. First, she only wore for one year clothes that other people had thrown away. Parallel, she started the NGO Redress, followed later by The R Collective, that creates sustainable fashion using rescued textile waste sourced from the world’s leading luxury fashion brands and reputable mills and manufacturers. These materials are reused through upcycling, reimagining the destiny of textile waste with timeless designs. With these innovative techniques and sustainable designer collaborations, the team is catalysing the circular fashion revolution.

«Let’s be global fashion citizens, not consumers.» – Christina Dean

This said, I am wishing you a happy and inspiring long weekend!
Thank God it’s Friday, or as we Germans say Freitag…

LoL, Sandra

Photos in first college and of the first messenger bag: Courtesy of FREITAG
All other photos: © Sandra Bauknecht

Since around two years, we have been deep into the basket bag trend that just won’t quit. Beloved of fashionistas for their insta worthy and youthful appearance, they are the season’s must-have accessory. This summer, designers combined straw, wicker, rattan, beads and even woven cotton with fabric wraps or inlays (also great to keep your belongings safe). Behold, here are the cutest styles to swing into summer.

LoL, Sandra
Chloe wicker and gingham cotton-canvas shoulder bag by Kayu

Panier leather-trimmed printed twill and woven raffia tote by Chloé

Riviera large tasseled embellished raffia and canvas tote by Aquazzura + Le Ninè

Lunchpail leather-trimmed woven sisal bucket bag by Cesta Collective

Louise wicker and polka-dot canvas tote by Loeffler Randall

Antares embellished bucket bag by Rosantica

Trellis Lirio rope-trimmed acetate and linen tote by Montunas

Shell-embellished crocheted cotton tote by Mizele + Timeless Pearly

Comino faux pearl and gold-tone beaded tote by Vanina

Caba mini straw and striped cotton-canvas tote by Muuñ

Quan rattan and leather bucket bag by Wicker Wings

Photos: Courtesy of the Brands

First seen on the runway of the F/W 2019 ready-to-wear collection created by Karl Lagerfeld and Virginie Viard, CHANEL presents a new bag: the CHANEL 19. An important number for the House, an echo of famous creations, but also a birth year.

CHANEL 19 for 2019, a baptismal name that pays tribute to its elder, the 2.55 bag, created in February 1955 by Mademoiselle Chanel.

The CHANEL 19 bag bears the essence of the House and all of its codes. Available in three sizes, this rectangular flap bag is swathed with large diamond quilting on leather or on tweed. A metal chain interlaced with leather comes in a trio of finishes, its links passing successively from silver to aged gold to ruthenium. A signature of the CHANEL bags, it also features another code of recognition: the double C fastener, in an XL format on all the designs.

With an ultra-supple structure, the CHANEL 19 adopts a resolutely modern attitude: the length of its chain means it can be worn in two ways, straight or cross body. There’s also a large curb chain in gold metal to be held in the hand. A belt bag version allows the CHANEL 19 to be worn around the waist. A practicality in the pure spirit of CHANEL: natural, elegant and functional, appropriated according to one’s movements.

For its first season, the CHANEL 19 takes on the dominant colours of the F/W 2019 ready-to-wear: added to the leather in its timeless colours of black, beige and white are turquoise blue, green, deep red and dark pink, while the tweed comes in eight variations to match the silhouettes of the collection.

The CHANEL 19 bag weaves a veritable link between the past, the present and the future. Immediately identifiable but without ostentation, rich in detail with masculine/feminine accents, multiple ways of being worn, it is instantly seductive thanks to an allure that is both sophisticated and relaxed. The obvious way to carry it, combined with its elegant, practical and comfortable line make it a day-to-day companion. An ally to be taken everywhere, one that liberates movement, tout simplement.

Below you can enjoy a preview of the CHANEL 19 bags for Cruise 2020… so many beautiful options!

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © CHANEL – #handbagCHANEL19

After this week’s post about the 15 most important runway trends, you know that we will be wearing capes, colorful leather jackets or gothically lovely lace dresses. But what about our shoes, bags and accessories? The fashionable additions to the season’s best outfits have an equally polished attitude. With barely a sneaker in sight, the runways were mastered by clasp bags, fancy kitten heels, and vibrant platform boots that complemented the looks. On the grunge side of things there were lots of cool offerings: punk chokers and most of all, though, there were chains just about everywhere.

Enjoy this season’s unbridled fun running through winter’s most memorable bags and catch up on the season’s most covetable accessories below.

LoL, Sandra

Fall’s ladylike spirit extends into handbags with a focus on proper flap bags with metallic logo clasps.

This is for the serious handbag collector! Novelty bags are nothing new, but this season’s are truly some of the most outstanding pieces you have seen so far.

Hygge is alive and well in the accessories of several designers. Quilted, fluffy, and snuggly, these pieces will make the next polar vortex much more bearable.

One thing is for sure, you won’t be fully dressed without a hat this fall. Whatever the mood, there’s a hat to match – the new pieces are truly sophisticated.

A lot is going on around the neck, from scarves combined with necklaces to mini bags.

This F/W 2019 season requires a defined waist. Take a substantial waist belt to add a little curve to your ensembles.

Ditch the sneakers for a comfy pair of platform boots in vibrant hues – the designers were sending the message on many runways.

Combat boots are a must this season. Equipped with pockets or worn to flowing dresses, the choice is yours.

These kitten heels are easier to walk in than stilettos, but they don’t come up short on style.

Opposites attract. Take blooming accessories to balance the season’s punk movement.

Nothings brings as much drama to an outfit than a huge silk bow.

Dark and spiky chokers are a must and elevate every look to new heights.

The fiercest of all F/W 2019 trends is probably the ear armor. This refers to earrings or cuffs that cover the bulk of the ear helix, looking like an especially glamorous armor.

Chain necklaces are back – mostly elegant and glamorous rather than grunge.

Symmetry is not necessary or recommended this season when it comes to earrings. Wearing only one earring is a great way to channel your inner pirate.

Photos: Courtesy of the Brands

This is my new bag crush for Pre-fall 2019 that will be available in stores from August: LOUIS VUITTON‘s Monogram Giant that is twisted with animal prints inspired by the Cruise 2018 collection.

I love this one: Onthego tote in Monogram Giant

The iconic Louis Vuitton Monogram canvas slips into neutral tones, pairing black and caramel or ivory and tobacco. In turns oversized, miniaturised or classic, the House’s iconic Monogram teams up with zebra and leopard prints in a variety of graphic and tonal combinations.

As Zebra prints are trending for F/W 2019, the NéoNoé bucket bag is a great investment piece.

Interpreted with a jungle spirit, the understated Onthego tote, the classic Neverfull and the new NéoNoé bucket bag reveal contrasting facets.

LoL, Sandra

Another piece to dream of: the Neverfull in Monogram Giant

 Photos: © Louis Vuitton
Photographer: Stef Mitchell – Fashion: Marie-Amélie Sauvé