Sandra‘s Closet

Yesterday, during another Baume et Mercier workshop at the Montauk lighthouse, I met Kelly Killoren Bensimon, the ex-wife of French fashion photographer Gilles Bensimon. The beautiful brunette is a multitalent: A mother of two, an author, jewelry designer, former model, and former editor of Elle Accessories. She currently appears on Bravo The Real Housewives of New York City and is the editor at large for Hamptons Magazine, a free weekly with circulation of 40,000 to 50,000.

Kelly, who now resides in New York City and East Hampton, published the book „In the Spirit if The Hamptons“. As a connoisseur of Long Island’s East End, she gave us a wonderful insight of the lifestyle.

„The Hamptons are understated, a nice spoil to New York. Nouveau Riche is here definitely the wrong word. It is more of a relaxed and easy going beach community. It is a no hair and no make-up mentality. You can see many celebrities enjoying themselves, like Paul McCartney going sailing or Stella McCartney on the bike. Ralph Lauren drives his extensive vintage car collection around the area while Donna Karan raised her family here and brought a shop and a restaurant to Sag Harbour.

Marilyn Monroe and Arthur Miller even spent their honeymoon in the Hamptons. When it comes to partying, Puff Daddy’s legendary White Party is a must. A little revolution as Americans are not supposed to wear white before Memorial Day. The Hamptons are a magical place all through the year. In the winter months it is beautiful to bundle up and walk your dog on the beach. You can go horseback riding, enjoy indoor tennis and many more activities.

By the way, we call the Hamptons the Beach!“

– Kelly Killoren Bensimon

Kelly looked so pretty and sported the relaxed and casual Hampton style perfectly with her white cropped pants, the little tunic, the ballet flats and her beautiful new Baume et Mercier watch.
Like always, if you like the look, you can start shopping below.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht

Today, I have a little goody for my German speaking readers. My colleague Jeroen van Rooijen (NZZ) has published a book which includes the best of his fashion pathological stories “Zerlegt”.

The principle is pretty easy. Jeroen takes literally a seam ripper in his hand and diassembles must-have pieces like a Kelly bag by Hermès, a Mackintosh trenchcoat or a pair of Converse sneakers. During the process, he investigates thoroughly the craftmanship, the origin and the quality. A cute detail is the enclosed seam ripper with which you can open the sealed part of the book.
Available for CHF 39/ € 33. If you are interested, please click here.

Fashion on the morgue slab! A great gift for the mystery loving fashionista.

LoL, Sandra

In 1854, Louis Vuitton opened his very first store in Paris, on the rue Neuve-des-Capucines. The house confirmed its attachment to the “City of Lights” in 1914 when his son Georges had a beautiful Art Nouveau-inspired building built on the Champs-Elysées, later to become LV’s flagship store. In 2010, the Parisian luxury house is staging an exhibition at the Musée Carnavalet, the most Parisian of the capital’s museums.

Around the iconic trunks and luggage brought together for the first time, the Carnavalet museum is showcasing the saga of Louis Vuitton, which has embodied the art of travel for more than 150 years. The visitors will discover the treasures of Louis Vuitton’s heritage collections, juxtaposed with works from the museum’s collections or other loaned pieces.

The famous trunk-maker has produced furnished sets in which the design of the form and the choice of materials were combined with technical know-how to develop a specific product or tailor it to its client’s tastes and requirements from the very first beginning. This is one of the house’s strength. It is a true pleasure to see all those different creations, an expertise of tradition and innovation, craftsmanship and creativity.

The exhibition is presented at the Musée Carnavalet – History of Paris, 23, rue de Sévigné, 75003 Paris from 13 October 2010 to 27 February 2011, open Tuesday to Sunday from 10am to 6pm. Lecture visits are offered along with storytelling for younger visitors. For further information, please contact +33 1 44 59 58 58.

In case you cannot make it to Paris for the exhibition, I recommend the new book “Louis Vuitton: 100 legendary Trunks”, where all the travelers chronology of the house is recalled. It is a beautiful hommage to the Louis Vuitton trunk, the probably most iconic accessory in the world of luxury and travel. Published by Edition de la Martiniere (€100) and on sale in bookshops and at the exhibition sales desk.

LoL, Sandra

Limited edition available exclusively in LV stores, €140

Covered leather tea case, 1926 © Louis Vuitton / Patrick Gries, Photos: Courtesy of Louis Vuitton

Isabella Blow was a fashion editor and  an international style icon. Her unique, free spirit was admired and she inspired many artists and designers. High-profile names in the fashion industry owe their start to her, Philip Treacy, Alexander McQueen, Sophie Dahl and Hussein Chalayan among them.
In 2007, Isabella Blow committed suicide after having severly suffered from depression and ovarian cancer.

Martina Rink with Christiane Arp (Vogue Germany) and Josef Voelk (The Corner), Photo:©Harald Fuhr

Today is the official launch of an amazing book dedicated to her: “Isabella Blow” by Martina Rink with an introduction by Philip Treacy. First presented in Berlin last Thursday at Fashion’s Night Out at The Corner, it is an hommage to her original, outrageous personality. This lavishly illustrated volume includes reminiscences and stories along with personal letters written exclusively for this book by Mario Testino, Manolo Blahnik, Dita van Tesse and Anna Piaggi, just to name a few.

The author Martina Rink is a Parisian-German born Fashion Director who began her career working with Isabella Blow as her personal assistant. Her insight knowledge makes this oeuvre so special. £29.95, Thames & Hudson, ISBN 978 0 500 515358.

LoL, Sandra

I am a total yogini. I just love every bit of yoga. And while practising, I still like to look and feel good. Nike and Juicy Couture offer a great selection of yoga clothing along with some gorgeous accessories. Juicy Couture has some fun slogan tops that I truly adore and that work all day long.

In case you have not tried yoga yet, be brave and give it a chance. But be careful, it will depend very much on the teacher if you like it or not. So give several studios a chance. Believe me, it is worth it. Yoga can be a great workout and for all sportmaniacs, you can sweat a lot, too.
It will make your muscles nice, tight and long and will give your body a lot of flexibility while integrating the mind and your emotions.

In Los Angeles, I was very lucky to train with Steve Ross, the so-called Yogi to the Stars by Instyle, with his own show “Inhale” on the Oxygen network and retreat leader at Maha Yoga.

Steve with me after a training with no make-up and due to all the sweating with curly hair.

Conveying his message perfectly, he gave me a signed copy of his fabulous book “Happy Yoga”.

„Here’s the yogi truth: There’s nothing to worry about. You are whole, complete, perfect, beautiful, loving, and blissful, and you know everything there is to know.“ – Steve Ross

With this in mind, you will look fabulous each day!

In Zurich, I am also very happy to practice yoga on a regular basis with Vasili Vlachos, an amazing teacher of Greek origin that has received his essence of yoga while living and studying several years at the famous Ramamani Iyengar Memorial Yoga Institute (RIMYI) in Pune, India, the home to the living legend Yogacharya B.K.S. Iyengar (Guruji) himself.
Iyengar yoga uses props, such as wooden gadgets, belts, ropes, to achieve perfection in your asanas more easily. It has become my favourite way to practise.
If you are living in Zurich and are interested, please feel free to contact the Iyengar Yoga Center of  Maya & Vasili Vlachos.

Namaste!

LoL, Sandra

Visionaire, the art and fashion bible, has designed a gorgeous limited edition book in honour of the late Alexander McQueen with the contribution of some famous names like Nick Knight, Lady Gaga, Stephen Klein und Mario Testino. Only 1.500 numbered copies of the boxed set Visionaire58 Spirit, A Tribute to Lee Alexander McQueen will be available at Alexander McQueen boutiques and Colette for €1500.-. The reason why this is so pricey might be on one side the wrapping in a metalized brocade from the S/S 2010 show and on the other the paper quality. The pages are embedded with seeds that, if planted and watered, will bloom real flowers. How cool is that?

If this is still not convincing, why not getting a great piece from the last collection that McQueen was working on before he comitted suicide last February. His beautiful fall pieces have already started to arrive in stores. So keep your eyes open. I am completely in love with the chevron-tweed jacket. It has a shredded silk trim which gives its classic cut a fierce twist. Combine it with motorcross leather pants plus a cool tank and upgrade the look with some drama by adding gorgeous heels and a studded clutch. If something is not available anymore, I recommend contacting McQueen directly or visit the online shop.

Have fun shopping and paying your own tribute!

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Alexander McQueen

Isabella Rossellini`s love for Bulgari started as a child during the glamorous golden years of 1960s Rome when she accompagnied her famous mother, Ingrid Bergman, to the Italian jeweler in Via Condotti in Rome. The daughter of two legends became her own style icon and has been wearing Bulgari jewels to exclusive occasions many times.  Today, this long and felicitous relationship has generated an exclusive leather creation that was unveiled yesterday for the haute couture shows in Paris: The “Isabella Rossillini” bag by Bulgari.

It reinterprets the elegant style of the former golden screen divas in a modern key and comes in four colours and materials to reflect Isabella`s personality.

I love the handmade enameled claps embellished with semiprecious stones.

Find out which one suits you best!

Black patent leather with plain flaps treated with a pearl effect symbolizes optimism.

The version in walnut pony calf leather with flaps in chocolate leater and an amethyst lock reflects elegance and bold temperament.

Brown mud chevron canvas and chocolate leather show nonchalance and simplicity, the closure of gray enamel and tiger`s eye harmony.

The black and white graphic animal effect stands for Isabella`s modern cosmopolitan spirit. (Photo: Fabrizio Ferri)

The lining is finely printed with a single, eccentric motif: playful snails inspired by Isabella`s recent efforts to support the ecological cause by making short educational films about the reproductive habits of the animal world. I truly invite you to see those short movies (by Jody Shapiro).

Applauded at the Sundance, Berlin and Tribeca film festivals, they combine comedy and curiosity and have since been made into a book.

As the season`s retro glance focused a lot on the `50s and `60s, the new Isabella Rossellini bag is a stylish accessory to carry around this fall. Available from this month in all Bulgari stores worldwide.

LoL, Sandra

Yesterday I showed you the first sketches of the Gucci Kids collection that will make the hearts of the tiniest trendsetters leap with joy. I am at the moment in L.A. and this might have inspired me to today`s post. Celebrity offspring following in their parents` stylish footsteps is seen here everywhere. Photographed by trendhunters, the kids have an already well-established look like their style-icon mums and dads.

With Suri Cruise leading the way at the ripe old age of 4, who would have thought the little girl that newly born already graced the cover of Vanity Fair magazine would become such a fashion superstar?! There are blogs devoted to her style, designers send her presents (remember Ferragamo`s Sofia tote) and it might be only a matter of time before Hermès creates the “Suri” bag. You can argue about the „high heels“ she is wearing but the mini fashionista definitely rocks the Burberry check and ballet tutus. Malicious gossip has it that she is pushed by her parents. Regardless of the veracity or otherwise of that account, I can assure you that my love for fashion started very very young, too. I drove my mum crazy with my strong attitude towards my own style.

The little fashion icons also play a pivotal role in the advertising concepts of their actress-designer-mums that mostly have their own fashion lines. Doesn`t Suri looks adorable in her mum`s Holmes & Yang dresses?

Or let`s look at No Doubt frontwoman Gwen Stefani who designs the stylish L.A.M.B. collection and dresses her son in the subsequent line for little L.A.M.B.s.

Ex Beverly Hills 90210 star Tori Spelling has turned her style into a clothing line for kids age 0 up to 4 years named Little Maven. The mother of two also wrote a book about fashionable motherhood.

Another book author is Nicole Richie whose second novel “Priceless“ will be in stores this fall. She is probably the most experienced and successful designer of all these fashionable mums. Her two lines are named after her daughter`s three names: The accessories and shoe collection is called House of Harlow 1960 and the clothing line Winter Kate. Nicole has a great vintage inspired boho-chic style with a modern edge. She also got a lot of credit for her maternity line that she created in collaboration with A Pea in the Pod.

That the tiny trendsetters can become grown-up “Material Girls” shows the example of Madonna`s thirteen-year-old daughter Lourdes Leon who is co-designing with her mum a juniors clothing line named after Madonna`s 1984 hit song for Fall 2010.  It is a mix of fierce and cute elements with a lot of references to the singers former look like a tutu dress paired with studded combat boots. The Material Girl collection will be sold exclusively at Macy`s for back-to-school-season starting August 3rd.

LoL, Sandra

Sex and the City 2 hits the theaters next week on May 27. Enjoy my insight into the much discussed, long-awaited movie that is a must for every fashionista.

What happens if you say yes? It is two years later, Carrie is living the life with Big which lost a little its sparkle, Samantha has become a pill-addicted, Charlotte is struggling with the pressure she is experiencing as a mother of two, only Miranda seems to cope with her life as a  mom and a professional woman. Still all girls look fantastic in their to-die-for outfits once again put together by famous stylist Patricia Field. Guest stars are Penelope Cruz, Liza Minelli and “Hannah Montana” actress Miley Cyrus.

A little excitement comes in when the girls jump at a chance for an all-expenses-paid trip to Abu Dhabi. The glamorous, sun-drenched adventure surprises with some mysterious coincidences like Carrie bumping into her ex Aidan. The desert looks are so vivid, luxurious and divine. Fashionistas, grab your turbans!

Last week, the book to the movie “Sex and the City 2 – The Stories. The Fashion. The Adventure” was released. It is a great buy as you can find most of the foursome`s outfits with detailed descriptions.

The new must-have accessories will be sweatbands, preferably in neon colours. As spotted on Sarah Jessica Parker – just gorgeous!
Moreover for your evenings out, Skyy Vodka offers “cocktail couture” with a special designed SATC 2 bottle designed by Patricia Field.

The hype has no end in sight. Bergdorf Goodman asked Patricia Field to style the windows of their department store on 58th street. Each of them celebrates a familiar Sex and the City moment. That is New York City!

The four actresses are the cover girls for the recent June edition of American Marie Claire magazine. Get your issue now.

One last anecdote. The buzz began last summer when tons of fans followed the crew around the city to get the best views on the first location shoots. Rumors had it quickly that Samantha will tie the knot in the sequel after her appearance in a bridal gown. There had been many memorable weddings on the show. Think about Charlotte and Trey in the kilt, or that beautiful little ceremony between Steve and Miranda, not to forget Mr. Big and Carrie.

In case you thought Samantha would be the last girl to put the ring on it, you got duped. Kim Cattrall who plays the maneater Samantha had the devious idea to set the fans on the wrong track. There is going to be a ceremony indeed, but it will be a gay one between Stanford and Anthony. Carrie will wear a smoking, don`t you think that this is probably a little too cliché?!

If you cannot get enough of Carrie, I recommend Candace Bushnell`s newest book. “The Carrie Diaries” is about the young protagonist as a high-school senior. A nostalgic look back, an addictive story and a nice way of getting to know our iconic “Sex and the city” fashionista a little better.

Get carried away!

LoL, Sandra