Sandra‘s Closet

I am obsessed with the Jimmy Choo x Jean Paul Gaultier collaboration featuring global pop star Kylie Minogue in the campaign. Fusing two creative identities and being born from a shared vision of femininity, empowerment and confidence, the capsule collection is co-designed by Jimmy Choo’s creative director Sandra Choi and JPG’s creative director, Florence Tétier. It revisits archive pieces from the Parisian fashion house, adapting them to contemporary tastes.

«Fashion for me has always been about collaboration with like-minded creatives, and pure personal self-expression. Jean Paul Gaultier and Jimmy Choo have both been part of my fashion journey, and I’m thrilled to work with both of them to celebrate this exceptional collection,» says Kylie Minogue of the partnership. «It’s our collective histories fusing, to create something fresh and new,» she adds.

Acting as an evolution of the longstanding relationship between Kylie and both brands, the campaign follows a long line of made-to-measure Gaultier looks and custom Jimmy Choo shoes. The campaign sees Kylie showcasing the new footwear collection and transforming into a modern-day pin-up.

My favorite pair of the collection: The black leather wedge pumps show both the icons of the cities that are home to the brands, the Eiffeltower and Big Ben, in their plexiglass heels.

For Jimmy Choo, the collaboration follows its recent team-up with Sailor Moon creator Naoko Takeuchi and for JPG, the collection follows its recent release with the corset-loving London ready-to-wear label KNWLS, alongside news of its next guest designer: Simone Rocha.

TO SHOP JIMMY CHOO x JEAN PAUL GAULTIER ONLINE, CLICK HERE PLEASE.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Jimmy Choo / JPG
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Gucci unveils an innovative iteration of its heritage Horsebit 1955 bag, transformed through an asymmetrical aesthetic and brought to life in Demetra—an innovative animal-free material that combines quality, softness, and durability—in collaboration with iconic musical artist Billie Eilish, who is known for her bold advocacy.

This Horsebit 1955 is the first Gucci bag ever to be crafted in Demetra, exemplifying Gucci’s forward-looking approach as the House’s traditional tanning craftsmanship supports a transformation towards a more ethical fashion future. Made from 75% plant-derived raw material sources, the animal-free Demetra is the culmination of two years of research and development by Gucci’s own technicians and artisans and has been produced in Italy since 2021 in a Gucci factory.

The collaboration is celebrated in a new campaign of imagery and videos that all feature Billie’s unfiltered, authentic tone of voice. The videos are a series of cinematic moments, woven together in a candid motion piece that feels like an album of Billie’s life and set to her song, «What Was I Made For?».

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Gucci
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CHANEL has named that Lily-Rose Depp is the new muse of the Première Édition Originale watch. The campaign stars the actress and House Ambassador presenting this super iconic watch model.

« Beautiful, delicate, chic, classic.
I think that it’s a watch that only CHANEL could make! »
Lily-Rose Depp, actress and Ambassador of CHANEL.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © CHANEL
DISCLOSURE: We may earn commission from links on this page, but I only recommend products I love. Promise. @LILYROSE_DEPP #CHANELPremiere #CHANELWatches

Kendall Jenner and Bad Bunny are the new faces of Gucci Valigeria. The House’s latest campaign embraces the spirit of «Gucci Ancora», as a celebration of the love that lies at the centre of Gucci’s community.

Shot in an airport, the meeting place where journeys begin, the campaign explores the intimacy of traveling together through the creative lens of Anthony Seklaoui. Stills capture the fleeting spirit of Kendall Jenner and Bad Bunny’s airport stroll, redefining the Jet Set glamour of the 1990s.

Effortlessly casual and chic looks complement the timeless elegance that defines the House’s travel collections. Kendall Jenner and Bad Bunny carry items from the signature Gucci Savoy collection including GG Supreme duffle bags in different sizes, backpacks, rigid suitcases, and trolleys distinguished by a combination of heritage-infused design elements such as the GG monogram and/or the Web stripe. The campaign also introduces novel designs defined by fluorescent leather details alongside embossed GG rubberized leather styles.

Through this Valigeria campaign, Gucci pays tribute to its founding history and heralds a new era of adventure and luxury travel in line with the vision of Creative Director Sabato De Sarno.

I find this campaign really cute. And you?

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Gucci  Creative Director: Sabato De Sarno Artistic Director: Riccardo Zanola Director: Nikita Kuzmeko Photographer: Anthony Seklaoui Make-Up KJ: Mary Phillips Make-Up BB: Mira Chai Hyde Hair: Paul Hanlon Stylist: Alastair McKimm Talents: Kendall Jenner & Bad Bunny
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I am so proud to announce that I am a member of Annabel’s Membership Committee. The famous and iconic London members club is not only known for its outstanding decor and great parties, but also for creating charitable moments.

The beautiful façade of Annabel’s London this September.

This September, it is hosting the fourth annual Annabel’s for the Amazon month, dedicated to raising awareness and vital funds to combat deforestation in the Brazilian Amazonian rainforest. The Caring Family Foundation (TCFF) continues to reforest with local traditional families, whilst also expanding their efforts to support indigenous communities more holistically alongside Brazil’s leading activists. This year’s façade highlights both the beauty and devastation of the Amazon rainforest. It stands as an artistic statement bridging the urgency of the deforestation crisis to London and the UK to remind us we all have a role to play in the safeguarding of our planet.

There is a global food crisis and a growing poverty gap. Amazonian deforestation is at a 15-year high, hurting local communities who are on the frontline. Violence against women and girls is widespread and growing.

The Caring Family Foundation (TCFF) is dedicated to improving the lives of women, with children at the heart of all that we do. We work to tackle child poverty, deforestation and domestic abuse, in the UK and Brazil, with our core focus remaining on women and children across these areas.

The club’s fourth Annabel’s For The Amazon gala is headlined by singer Seal and house group WhoMadeWho. The cocktail menu has been created in partnership with The Lost Explorer Mezcal, and each cocktail sold will plant 2.5 trees. It is a star-studded event with VIPs in attendance, including Andrew Garfield, James Corden, Douglas Booth, Wallis Day, Toheeb Jimoh, Harry Lawtey, Paul Forman, Chaneil Kular, and Ed McVey at the much-anticipated annual fundraising gala.

Amazing live performance by Seal

Throughout the campaign, the prestigious NFT Winds of Yawanawa is on display from Richard and Patricia Caring’s private collection. This first-of-its-kind co-creation between new media artist Refik Anadol and the Yawanawá community was commissioned by Impact One, as part of its Possible Futures programme. In the state of Acre, Brazil, The Yawanawa community neighbours communities supported by the ongoing works of The Caring Family Foundation.

True power couple: Richard and Patricia Caring

Patricia Caring, who is Brazilian and the Co-Founder of The Caring Family Foundation as well as Chairwoman of Annabel’s said, «Annabel’s for the Amazon was established four years ago and set out to raise awareness and funds for the crisis happening in the Amazon. We think about the Amazon for the trees but there is so much more that is affected by deforestation. Families strive to survive amongst the challenges, Mothers need to feed their children and communities are at the risk of extinction. Our work on the ground directly supports the livelihoods of the indigenous people in the Acre region who choose the species of trees planted by The Caring Family Foundation. It means they are able to grow, produce and generate income for their families, thereby giving them a chance to thrive.

Communities do their best to stand strong, but they need our support and protection. Together with the indigenous people, we can make a difference. They are the guardians of the Amazon rainforest, and we cannot forget that a healthier rainforest regulates our global climate and preserves biodiversity beyond Brazil. What happens in the Amazon has an impact on our world, but without the indigenous communities it’s hard for us to start thinking about hope for climate change, so that’s why The Caring Family Foundation and I stand for Brazil and for us.»

Richard Caring raising funds that night!

Annabel’s For The Amazon Gala 2023 stands as a shining example of the power of unity and commitment towards a crucial cause. Let us all take action, ensuring the protection and preservation of the Amazon rainforest for generations to come. Donate here!

LoL, Sandra

With lovely Lisa Tchenguiz and Mark Vandelli at the gala

Following the dress code of the Amazon… Harry Hazell in green velvet.
All details of my look will follow shortly.

With Alessandro Carra at the after party.

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht and Courtesy of Annabel’s
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From a coffee bean, Cartier has created a solar collection of absolute elegance. Yellow gold creations that combine the glamour of the 1950s French Riviera with the radiant beauty of Grace Kelly. Inspiration drawn from the heart of the Maison’s stylistic vocabulary, based on two cherished elements at Cartier: flora crafted in yellow gold and the ordinary made precious.

The creations in the Grain de Café collection—rings, pendants, earrings and brooches—enhance the skin like summer heat. Arranged in clusters, the coffee beans stir with the slightest movement in a precious rustle. Their sensual curves, studded with fiery diamonds set in white gold, radiate infinite delicacy.

In a luscious interpretation, Cartier studs a ring and a bracelet with rubellite beads. Half-flower, half-fruit, these scattered berries studded with a gold nail or a diamond appear in an assortment of beans, engraved gold hemispheres and diamonds set in platinum. Even more radical, Cartier pulls out all the stops with a necklace made up of two rows of gold beads topped with coffee beans and gold-studded rubellites.

This year, the Maison is also reissuing a necklace originally dating from 1955, in homage to the creative history of Grain de Café and the world of Jeanne Toussaint.

«Grain de Café creates a new preciousness by playing with light, finishes and volumes… The result is a versatile collection with added spirit. A symbol of the creative freedom of the Maison, Grain de Café transcends a literal translation of nature and results in a multi- sensory design.»
Marie-Laure Cérède, Creative Director of Jewellery and Watchmaking.

Playing with the pendants, multiplying radiance and shimmer: for the jewellers, the objective was to combine mobility and sensuality. The movement of endlessly sparkling clusters. The sensuality of materials that are an invitation to touch. The jewellers have created hollow grains composed of two parts, assembled to avoid impact between them: one part is curved and the other is arched, while the surface is smooth or gadrooned. All the elements are polished one by one thanks to a steel brush that enhances the finish. 30 craftsmen participated in the creation of this collection and more than 60 prototypes were required.

The «coffee bean» motif, which first appeared at Cartier in 1938, was a huge hit in the 1950s and 1960s. Two extraordinary women contributed to its fame: Jeanne Toussaint and Grace Kelly.

Jeanne Toussaint, Creative Director from 1933, was a woman of style. Her intuition was unfailing, and she saw in this motif the wealth of a universe to be explored. Most often made of yellow gold, or sculpted from a noble material such as coral, the first coffee beans were sometimes studded with diamonds or coloured stones.

Grace Kelly, the actress turned Princess with a truly charismatic aura, could not resist this inspiration. It was for her wedding to Prince Rainier III of Monaco that she received a Grain de Café set, which she embraced with the same ease as other Cartier creations, from the most intimate to the most prestigious. She remains the most alluring expression of this creation that links Monaco, the French Riviera and the chic opulence of the 1950s.

To pay tribute to Grace Kelly, the iconic Hollywood star, Cartier turned to American director Alex Prager whose sensitivity resonates with the codes of the collection. Thanks to her work with light, she was able to bring a decisively contemporary tone to the glamorous spirit of the 1950s.

The result? A 45-second trailer in which we follow an elegant and mysterious woman through a sequence of shots. It is the same woman we find at the end of a screening in a cinema, suspended in time where past and present become one.

To play the part of this woman, the Maison called upon the American actress Elle Fanning, whose starring role in Sofia Coppola’s Somewhere earned a Critics’ Choice nomination and launched a career that continues to span genres through both independent and blockbuster productions. A Global Ambassador of the Maison, she is now the face of the Grain de Café collection.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Cartier
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This summer, I flew to Monaco with Hublot for an outstanding experience. Arriving at my hotel Hermitage, one of my favorites in Monte Carlo, lots of surprises waited for me in my beautiful suite. We shot my look for the night on the terrace of the hotel (post coming up shortly), before leaving to the exclusive Villa Cap Estel to celebrate summer in a luxurious and elegant setting. It was the perfect opportunity to live the «Hublot Loves Summer» experience and to unveil the latest special edition in honor of the Mediterranean in attendance of many celebrities, who are ambassadors of the brand.

Immersed in deep tones of blue, the Big Bang Unico Azur is a beautiful watchmaking interpretation of this eternal shade. Fifty pieces will be released and will be exclusively available at Hublot’s two French Riviera boutiques in Monaco and St Tropez.

Set against a blue ceramic case, the luminescent hands and hour-markers intersect like the wake of a passing ship at sea, observed through a porthole, transfigured by the white ceramic bezel. The 42 mm case, crafted from the same high-tech, hypoallergenic material, houses the HUB128 Unico chronograph self-winding movement. This is complemented by the dial and a choice of two straps: one in the iconic natural rubber and the other in a simple yet elegant white calfskin leather.

The cocktail reception was held at the pool, before we had dinner at a long table in the center of the lawn. The table setting was absolutely stunning and live music entertained us the whole evening.

The night culminated at Sass Café in Monaco where we danced the rest of the night away. Thank you, Hublot, for having me, it was an amazing experience!

And one thing is for sure, Hublot and Sandra love summer… for more impressions scroll down please.

LoL, Sandra

My host Ricardo Guadalupe, CEO Hublot, with me.

With artist Marc Ferrero, who did two of my favorite Hublot watches, the Big Bang One Click Marc Ferrero and the Big Bang One Click Lipstick.

With the greatest sprinter of all time, Usain Bolt, whom I had met and interviewed the first time in 2015 when Hublot opened their NYC store in his presence, and whom I I witnessed making history when he was ending his Olympic career after his victory in the 4x100m relay in Rio de Janeiro.

With Didier Deschamps, French professional football manager and former player who has been managing the France national team since 2012.

Always having a blast with lovely Mandy Bork.

Great table conversations with Italian actor Giuseppe Maggio who sat next to me at dinner.

Cherry on the cake: ran into Nicole Scherzinger when leaving my hotel in Monaco.

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht, Courtesy of Hublot / Gabriele Di Martino / Vittorio Zunino Celotto/Getty Images for Hublot
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The House of CHANEL has collaborated on one of the summer’s most-anticipated film, Barbie, produced by and starring Oscar nominee Margot Robbie, a House ambassador, as the global icon. Directed and writen by Oscar nominee Greta Gerwig, the film reveals that to live in Barbie Land is to be a perfect being in a perfect place… unless you have a full-on existential crisis. Or you’re a Ken.

Throughout the history of cinema, CHANEL has been a preferred collaborator. In our latest partnership, the House proudly worked alongside Barbie creatives to realize several costumes for Margot Robbie’s character as well as a ski suit for Ken’s character, embodied by Ryan Gosling.

In a June 2023 interview, the actress/producer says that, in Barbie, «You’ll notice a lot of CHANEL, Barbies like CHANEL! I’ve got some great CHANEL outfits in the film that I got to wear. The mentality with Barbie is that she has all the accessories—there’s always a hat or bow and earrings and jewelry. The jewelry is big in the way it would be on a doll: big necklaces and earrings. Hats are never for protection from the sun, they’re just another accessory, along with bags and shoes and all of it! It was really fun.»

Five silhouetes imagined by Virginie Viard will be seen on screen, along with quilted bags, including a heart-shaped one, and accessories (shield-eyewear from the COCO NEIGE collection, holographic cuffs and costume jewelry, hats from Maison Michel) made available by the House. Oscar-winning costume designer and friend of the House, Jacqueline Durran, was given a selection of outfits in various shades of pink from the Ready-to-Wear, COCO BEACH and COCO NEIGE collections imagined by Virginie Viard. The five featured silhouetes – three suits, a ski suit, and a dress – were chosen to highlight the Barbie character as she moves through her journey in the film.

The feature film is in cinemas now.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © CHANEL
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This week, Donatella Versace presented her butterfly-filled Pre-Fall 2023 collection in Cannes, a collaboration with the pop star Dua Lipa titled «La Vacanza.» First used in Gianni Versace’s S/S 1995 runway collection, the butterfly is a motif which the pop star has worn throughout the years; it also seems to hold a special significance.

Must-have of the collection: Butterfly printed silk-twill shirt

«I love the summer and for me this collection celebrates the very best of that time of year. This is the perfect summer collection—from lying by the pool in a fun printed bikini, to dressing-up to dance on hot summer evenings in the perfect evening dress—these clothes immediately make me think of my holidays and being in the sun. Dua loves Fashion, I love Music—we are the perfect duo! We felt like we were on vacation and that is exactly the spirit we want people to feel when they wear our clothes.» –Donatella Versace

It is Versace’s first see-now-buy-now fashion show on the French Riviera. The fashion show reflects an intimate Salon-style collection presentation, with Iván De Pineda as host to guests sat in the gardens of a French Riviera villa.

The collection is Donatella and Dua’s shared vision of an absolute modern elegance for «La Vacanza,» the Italian for «vacation,» and encompasses the full Versace lifestyle; from perfectly cut tailoring and evening gowns, to bikini and terry cotton beachwear. It is also typical Barbiecore. Think pink power suits, the Barbie bouffant hairdos, and the shiny metallic leathers and crystal embellishments.

La Vacanza is what your summer dreams are made of and you can shop it now HERE!

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Versace
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My stay in Athens with THEMIS Z started already with a brilliant night at THE ISLAND, a landmark for more than thirty years when it comes to partying at the Athens Riviera. The dinner took place at the Gallery, one of the Island Art and Taste‘s private event spaces.

Friend of the designer, American actress Kelly Rutherford, who had flown in from L.A. for the event.

Offering the pleasures and privileges of a luxurious private estate on the coast, Themis hosted us in style with the most beautiful table setting.

Entering through exceptionally pretty bougainvillea-framed gates, the space with its extensive gardens is styled in the tradition of a classic Greek island house. The stone terrace, served by an open kitchen, leads to lawns framed by fragrant eucalyptus and chic box hedges planted with rosemary, lavender and aromatic flora.

The garden is cascading down to a picturesque chapel overlooking rocky coves so these landmark moments can be accompanied by the sound of waves on the shore below.

We indulges the the most amazing traditional Greek food, while being entertained by a local guitar player. I enjoyed spending time with old friends while making new ones.

With our lovely host Themis Zouganeli in one of her beautiful designs.

More to come… TO SHOP THEMIS Z, CLICK HERE PLEASE.

LoL, Sandra

Next level of style: Ester is matching her outfit to the tableware.

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht 
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