Sandra‘s Closet

Fashionistas watch out! Balenciaga’s futuristic range of sunglasses is hot as hell and probably Kim Kardashian, Kendall Jenner and Chiara Ferragni‘s favorite styles this season. Creative director Demna Gvasalia‘s collections continue to uphold the vision, influence and radical style of the House and even the eyewear makes a serious statement.

Elevate you summer look with the BB0157S sunglasses preferably in silver (they are also available in black). Featuring an oversized acetate frame with a tinted finish to the lenses and the classic Balenciaga logo at the side, they might not be suitable for all face shapes, but who cares?!

Balenciaga makes some dope sunglasses, and if Kim Kardashian knows it, we can rock it too!
TO SHOP BALENCIAGA’S CULT SUNGLASSES, CLICK HERE PLEASE.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht and via Instagram @kimkardashian, @chiaraferragni, @balenciaga
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Right now I am enjoying my holidays in Saint Tropez to the fullest. After a very long night at Les Caves du Roy, and only 3 hours of sleep, I pulled myself together and joined my dear Barbara Sturm and Ayda Field Williams at Dr. Sturm’s new St. Tropez Spa, located at 6 Traverse de la Gendarmerie, for an anti-inflammatory morning with cold pressed juices and mini express facials.

Inside the new Dr. Barbara Sturm spa in St. Tropez

On display was also the absolutely amazing new luxury activewear line AYDA launched by Robbie Williams‘s wife Ayda, who is as sweet as she looks. Designed with the most buttery fabrics, high-performance details, and athlete-tested functionality, those pieces will help you reach peak joy. Her motto is «Fucking Fantastic», life is too short for camel toes and visible panty lines! For sweats that make you feel sloppy or sports bras that feel like jail. Say bye bye to muffin tops and hello to odor-eating, sweat-wicking, equal pay promoting, always-has-your-back performance gear that never lets you down… and always holds the girls up!

Ayda is luxury activewear dedicated to bringing JOY into the everyday motions of life.

The idea for AYDA has bounced around founder Ayda Field Williams’s brain for years. After being stuck at home and in athleisure 24/7 during quarantine made her realize that she could work with a team to improve on what was out there. The voice that said «Yes!! You can!!» finally grew louder than the voice that said «No, you can’t.»

Team Ayda set out to create clothes that could seriously perform but didn’t sacrifice on the playfulness. Bright, bold colors. Inventive details. Undeniable comfort. Clothes that brought joy. Clothes that make you wanna skip. Clothes that feel like rainbow sprinkles!!

Having fun with Ayda Field Williams and Barbara Sturm.

There’s so much to love about every piece in the collection. Everything from the power mesh panels that elevate while providing support and stretch, to the adjustable velcro straps that are both comfortable and forgiving for those days when you need a little more. Team Ayda scoured the universe for Goldilocks of fabrics: soft, sculpting, with great recovery to last and last. You will surely love the collection as much as I do!

It was a fucking fantastic morning with many amazing women… thank you, Barbara and Ayda for having me!

LoL, Sandra

With amazing Kinga Lampert, who is the co-Chair @bcrfcure the highest rated breast cancer organization in the US and largest private funder of breast cancer research worldwide.

Swimwear designer Melissa Odabash also enjoyed the morning.

Presenter and model Sylvie Meis 

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht and © ShopAyda
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«When Lily got in front of the camera she transformed! Wearing the collection unlocked her own personal attitude and she took on a new energy and power. That’s exactly how you should feel when wearing Versace!» – Donatella Versace

The Versace F/W 2022 campaign sees Lily James with the new Greca Goddess bag; the actress interpreting a Versace goddess in images from well-renowned photographers Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott.

As in her films, where she has played roles from headstrong princesses to sex-symbols, Lily James’s impulsive and daring attitude is the epitome of Versace confidence. Lily is seen as equal parts mythological deity and contemporary rebel as she wears new season latex ready-to-wear in a campaign that clashes classical culture with empowered seduction.

Versace Men’s proposal of a modern opulence is visually clear, with the ornate flourishes of the classical surrounding contrasted with the collection’s contemporary content.

The Greca Goddess line of bags is introduced for F/W 2022. Very Versace contrasts within the campaign imagery fully reflect the new bag and its juxtaposition of rich craft and elegance with a totally contemporary and new energy. The new bag harnesses Versace’s culture of myth and luxury, finished with the brand’s Greca insignia.

I absolutely love Versace’s new collection for F/W 2022 and cannot wait to get my hands on it! The footwear is so divine…

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Versace – CHIEF CREATIVE OFFICER: Donatella Versace | CAMPAIGN CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Ferdinando Verderi PHOTOGRAPHERS: Mert Alas & Marcus Piggott | STARRING: Lily James, Sofiane Belaasri, Yilan Hua, Avanti Nagrath, Reece Nelson, Parker Van Noord, Lulu Wood, | CASTING DIRECTOR: Piergiorgio Del Moro | STYLIST: Jacob K | HAIR STYLIST: Karim Belghiran | MAKEUP ARTIST: Porsche Poon
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Acqua di Parma and forte_forte partner to showcase the forte_forte loves Acqua di Parma Collection in Forte dei Marmi, at the Bocelli family’s Alpemare Beach Club. An all-Italian love story inspired by the partnership between the Maison representing the most sophisticated Italian style and a fashion house offering dreamlike charm, featuring timeless designs that resonate with emotions.

Set in the charming seaside town of Forte dei Marmi, the historic Alpemare Beach Club has hosted artists, poets, and actors from all over Europe since the last century. Today it is owned by the Bocelli family, which has preserved its legendary charm, turning it into a marvellous oasis filled with timeless elegance.

The joyous atmosphere of the Italian Mediterranean, the protagonist of forte_forte loves Acqua di Parma, is conveyed naturally and spontaneously in this sparkling setting. The graceful fluttering of butterflies and dragonflies that characterises the collection adorns beach towels and soft cushions that decorate the beach tents, treating Alpemare guests to a magical experience.

The enchanting and dreamlike motif created by forte_forte for Acqua di Parma appears again in the scented candles strategically placed in the lounge areas, in the garden and in Alpemare’s restaurant. The bright notes of mirto di Panarea waft all around, resulting in an exhilarating sense of awakening and harmony.

The magnificent view of the Apuan Alps, the scents of the Mediterranean pine forest at one of the most picturesque stretches of beach, together with the contemporary works of art that embellish the areas, make Alpemare a veritable treasure trove of beauty and wellbeing. Here, Andrea Bocelli himself, the world- famous Italian tenor and singer, often performs a concert or indulges in a rare moment of relaxation.

«It gives me great pleasure to work with Acqua di Parma again for the third summer. This year’s forte_forte loves Acqua di Parma Collection immediately won us over with its glowing sensation of lightness, harmony and freedom. The dreamy, bright tones of forte_forte’s motifs, the joyful notes of mirto di Panarea: all perfectly complement the atmosphere of the Alpemare Beach Club, designed by us as a genuine oasis of wellbeing where every detail is taken care of. Together with forte_forte and Acqua di Parma, we have succeeded in enhancing the various areas with aesthetic and sensory features that create a unique experience for our guests», emphasised Veronica Berti Bocelli, wife of Andrea Bocelli.

Energy resonates everywhere while the fragrances of Acqua di Parma’s Home Collection featuring Blu Mediterraneo candles and diffusers waft through the air. The beach cabins, which Alpemare has left in their traditional style, are fitted with the Arancia di Capri amenities from the hotel line of Acqua di Parma in special recycled plastic (RPET) produced in Italy from recycled PET plastic bottles. The comfortable bathrooms are complemented with the Arancia di Capri Hand Soap and Hand Cream ranges.

A fragrant dream for an Italian holiday full of emotions. Enjoy!

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Acqua di Parma
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Before heading to the Dua Lipa show in Zurich as guest of YSL Beauty, I was invited to an intimate cocktail reception by the French Maison on the rooftop of the Kameha Grand Hotel. The dress code said black and gold. Every corner of the terrace offered another fun experience, from photo booth to make-up application, from specially created drinks to a fun claw machine. DJ Rebekah Abdeen warmed up the crowd for the upcoming concert taking place at Hallenstadion.

There is no doubt that Dua Lipa has become a worldwide phenomenon with a million of fans and several collaborations. She is one of the most streamed and celebrated artists in recent memory. Free, powerful and elegant! Three words that suit the British artist well, who had been chosen by Yves Saint Laurent to be the face of the brand’s bestselling fragrance Libre. A scent that evolves around masculine lavender and the feminine sensual, burning notes of orange blossom. It also comes with a good dose of florals and musks.

The concert in Zurich marks a big milestone in Dua’s career as it was her 50th concert.

 Thank you YSL Beauty for having me! Enjoy all my impressions below…

LoL, Sandra

Thank you Dijana Vasiljevic from the L’Oréal Luxe team for the lovely invitation.

DJ Libre 🙂

My plus one was my friend Cat.

With lovely Erica Coimbra from the L’Oréal Luxe team.

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht #IamLibre
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«I’m so thrilled to tour again and see my angels in person! How amazing that we all get to dance and celebrate together once again. When I was writing Future Nostalgia, I imagined the songs being played in clubs on nights out with your mates. I’m so excited that this fantasy is finally coming true. I can’t wait to experience these songs with you together live!» — Dua Lipa on her excitement for the tour.

Finally after having been postponed several times due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, English singer Dua Lipa is touring around the world with her «Future Nostalgia» show. It began on February 9, 2022 in Miami and will conclude on November 16, 2022 of that year in Perth, with several shows throughout North America, Europe, Latin America and Oceania.

I loved Dua Lipa’s show in Zurich, especially because Dua Lipa’s «Future Nostalgia Tour» is filled with designer catsuits. You know how much I adore these kind of clothes. I showed up in one by Saint Laurent myself for the concert (outfit post coming up soon).

The mood masterminded by her stylist, Lorenzo Posocco, for the tour is definitely body-con. The singer first captivated fans in Zurich’s Hallenstadion in a daringbright custom neon pink Balenciaga catsuit, which featured a lingerie-inspired corseted bodice, built-in heels (part of the famous pantaleggings look), a textured floral pattern and matching opera gloves.

Of course, one catsuit is never enough, and for her another major look of the show, Dua Lipa and her stylist collaborated with Casey Cadwallader of Mugler on a couture paneled catsuit. The bodysuit features the sheer and opaque body-defining panels Cadwallader has become known for, though this time the entire piece was rhinestoned, meaning even those in the back of the stadium could see Lipa glisten.

Those were my two favorite looks of the show. If you would love to experience Dua Lipa on stage yourself, check out the remaining European tour dates.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht and @dualipa
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Miuccia Prada has collaborated with award-winning, visionary filmmaker Baz Luhrmann and Oscar-winning costume designer Catherine Martin to create several looks for the main characters in their highly anticipated film, Elvis, designing custom outfits and revisiting garments from the archives of Prada and Miu Miu. This collaboration renews the long-standing relationship between Miuccia Prada, Baz Luhrmann and Catherine Martin, which had already resulted in the creation of exclusive items for The Great Gatsby in 2013, and even earlier in Leonardo DiCaprio’s clothing in the 1996 film Romeo + Juliet – an artistic exchange that perfectly reflects Prada’s multidisciplinary attitude through a creativity that is nourished by a constant dialogue with the universes of art, cinema, and architecture. Elvis will première at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival on May 24th and will be screened in cinemas around the world starting 22nd June and in North America on June 24th.

The film stars Austin Butler as Elvis, Oscar winner Tom Hanks as his enigmatic manager, Colonel Tom Parker, and Olivia DeJonge as Priscilla, and retraces the life and music of Elvis Presley, celebrating his iconic style as well as that of an entire era. The film delves into the complex dynamic between Elvis and his manager over 20 years, from Presley’s rise to fame to his unprecedented stardom, against the backdrop of the evolving cultural landscape and loss of innocence in America. Central to that journey is one of the significant and influential people in Elvis’s life, Priscilla Presley.

«Central to the Elvis narrative is Elvis and Priscilla’s legendary love story. Priscilla Presley’s beauty and iconic style has indelibly marked contemporary culture. Accordingly, it was important for Baz and I that we remain true to this legacy by not merely imitating Ms. Presley’s actual clothes, but that we find a modern way of connecting audiences to her distinctive, history-making style. It was wonderful for both Baz and I to collaborate creatively with Miuccia once again. Immersing ourselves in the Prada and Miu Miu archives with superlatively skilled ateliers, we made the journey to translate the Presleys’ historical clothes into the costumes that would be in the film,» said Catherine Martin.

Starting from the study of Elvis’s and Priscilla’s clothes sources, Prada and Miu Miu found affinities and similarities in their immense archives, giving shape to new creations. The result strongly recalls the years represented in the film, but it is also an expression of the DNAs of the two brands and their histories.

Miu Miu has frequently explored and reinterpreted the Zeitgeist of several decades of the 20th century, according to its own codes. This is the reason why several of its most famous collections easily inspire an evocative endeavor around the style of Priscilla Presley, which was also the result of a personal approach to the fashion of her time. The garments were created from such inspiring pieces as the brocade pantsuit embellished with beads and fringes worn by Priscilla at the opening concert of the evening in Las Vegas.

Prada has also often turned to those years and that cultural landscape – animated by a revolutionary spirit and by a desire for freedom – to offer an original aesthetic interpretation. Through that same notion, several of Priscilla’s authentic outfits were reinvented for the film, such as the tweed dress worn over a mohair sweater with a brown suede jacket worn to the NBC Elvis special.

Along with Elvis’s custom look by Prada – a distinctive plum wine kid mohair suit –, these costumes distill the essence of the characters in the film, silhouettes and recognizable forms that are at once instantly reminiscent of the past while appearing contemporary, underlining their eternal timelessness.

I am really excited to see this movie!

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Prada / Warner Bros.
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PRADA THE SYMBOLE

Subjectivity, interpretation, perspectives. For the campaign celebrating the Prada Symbole handbag, three artists approached the same subject matters – the Symbole, and the actor Hunter Schafer – in a series of divergent and distinct portraits. Three artists, three sides of Prada, three points of view.
A triptych in its conception, the campaign is created by three of art’s modern masters: Catherine Opie, Thomas Ruff and Carrie Mae Weems, symbolic and powerful names, whose work has rarely, if ever, been printed in the form of a fashion campaign. While respecting the processes and meanings inherent to both art and fashion, each questions and challenges the other, to create works that explores the blurred boundaries between these disciplines through mutual exchange.

Catherine Opie

Each artist regards the same figure, and the same object, but their practices, methodology and results are wildly individual. Like the Symbole itself, different sides – different facets – are discovered. Each series of images connects to a cannon of artistic expression: Opie’s work revolves around the body and identity, new codes of beauty – her images seem to sculpt Schafer into a series of triangles, fusing woman and object, Ruff’s reinterprets ready-made images, distorting and manipulating reality – the objective value of a photograph, it questions our ideas of image. Weems connects her imagery to concepts of identity, representation, projection – notions of transformation and courage.

Thomas Ruff

Before each of their lenses, Schafer transforms – an act that, through the art of its creators, reflects her own craft as an actor. The campaign images become character studies – of Hunter Schafer, and the Symbole – composed of triangles, a graphic representation of the codes of Prada.

Carrie Mae Weems

THE PRADA SYMBOLE HANDBAG

A new type of logo, a new concept of an emblem – the Prada Symbole handbag is inspired by Prada’s iconic Triangle. Precise, direct, meaningful, it is a shape that resonates without words. Drawn from Prada’s heritage, it is reinvented for today – where the Triangle, alone, says Prada.
The Triangle was first used by Mario Prada – founder of the brand – in 1913, as a mark of quality and craft, a symbol of luxury. Today, it has become a shape immediately associated with Prada – echoing the shape of the ‘A’ of the brand’s name, a distinct and unique marker intrinsically tied to the history and identity of Prada.

In the Symbole, the Triangle becomes a luxurious jacquard – woven into the very fabric of the handbag. Geometric, modern, multi-faceted, it is a wordless assertion of Prada’s unmistakable persona. The Symbole couples this to a versatile tote, trimmed in Saffiano leather and proposed in a variety of sizes – a style as multi-faceted as its surface. Here, the Triangle retains its century- old role as a stamp of approval, expressing the highest level of craftsmanship synonymous with Prada.
The Symbole – like the Triangle itself – is a symbol of the ethos of Prada. Past, present, future.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Prada – Talent: Hunter Schafer
Artists: Catherine Opie, Thomas Ruff, Carrie Mae Weems Creative Director: Ferdinando Verderi

Tiffany & Co. presents its latest high jewelry campaign starring actress
Gal Gadot, who stuns in sparkling new designs from BOTANICA: Blue Book 2022, the pinnacle of the House’s jewelry portfolio. Shot in a pared-down environment, the photography features Gadot in key pieces from the spring Blue Book collection, including a dandelion-inspired diamond necklace
that can transform into five unique designs, as well as an orchid brooch, also transformable, and a
diamond and sapphire necklace that evokes thistles.

«I am incredibly honored to be a part of the new Blue Book high jewelry campaign and feel very fortunate to be able to represent the brand’s most esteemed jewelry collection during this exciting and transformative time,» said Gal Gadot.

Designs from Tiffany & Co.’s BOTANICA collection, Blue Book 2022, celebrating the timeless beauty of flora with these high jewelry pieces.

Gadot’s campaign represents the House’s first advertising venture with the actress. In addition to the new Blue Book designs, Gadot also wears several of Jean Schlumberger’s masterworks featured in BOTANICA, including his iconic Bird on a Rock brooch and the Fleurage bracelet. An exquisite creation that Tiffany & Co. artisans brought to life for the first time, the Fleurage bracelet is based on a sketch for a design that Jean Schlumberger once considered for the legendary Tiffany Diamond.

«Gal Gadot is more than a House ambassador. She epitomizes the effortless glamour, sheer sophistication and sense of modernity that Blue Book represents,» said Alexandre Arnault, Executive Vice President, Product and Communication, Tiffany & Co. «We are thrilled that she is the face of the new BOTANICA campaign.»

The campaign launches on Friday, April 22 on Tiffany.com, @tiffanyandco social channels, as well as in print and digital media globally.

If you are interested in reading an interview I did with Gal Gadot, click here please.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Tiffany & Co.
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Wander – to roam, to explore, indulge curiosity. To discover. Those instincts inspire the Miu Wander handbag by Miuccia Prada, that I showed you for the first time in January (click here for the previous post), a rediscovery and re-exploration of the identity of Miu Miu, through a new perspective.

The Miu Wander delineates the codes of Miu Miu with a fresh attitude. Executed in the tactile Matelassé leather, simultaneously playful and sophisticated, that has become a Miu Miu hallmark, the curved lines of the Wander underscore an omnipresent femininity. The pillowy surface invites touch, yet the easy handle – punched through the body of the bag itself – offers innate practicality, fusing pragmatism with decoration. It gives you the freedom to wander at will.

In the same spirit, the actor Sydney Sweeney – of Euphoria and The White Lotus – stars as the face of the Miu Wander, within a campaign photographed by Tyrone Lebon. The spirit of rebellion embodied by Sydney’s characters mirrors the ethos of Miu Miu, a twisted luxury energised by youthful rule-breaking – the hallmark of the Miu Miu girl, here embodied anew.

Across the campaign, Sydney is reframed within her craft, captured in imagery that recalls classic film stills. These portraits seem like fragments of a wider narrative, enigmatic and elusive – switching between different contexts, different moods and feelings, they encourage the viewer to imagine scenarios, devise plots. They inspire the mind to wander.

TO SHOP THE MIU WANDER BAG ONLINE, CLICK HERE PLEASE.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Miu Miu  – Talent: Sydney Sweeney – Photographer: Tyrone Lebon – Stylist: Lotta Volkova – Creative direction: Lina Kutsovskaya (BeGood Studios)
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