Sandra‘s Closet

Making childhood dreams come true. In February next year, I will be attending the Vienna Opera Ball and I couldn’t be any happier about it especially because one of my favorite designer duos, DOLCE & GABBANA, has collaborated with SWAROVSKI to create a richly detailed and precious tiara to be worn by the debutantes at this prestigious event.

Dolce & Gabbana

It took 702 Swarovski crystals to create this richly detailed headpiece that is inspired from Mozart’s opera «Le nozze di Figaro», in particular, the words sung in the eighth scene of the first act: «Giovani lieti – fiori spargete!» («Happy maids, scatter flowers!»).

This image has been poetically reflected in the floral design of the tiara, where delicate blossoms meet organic curved leaves.

Each year, Swarovski works with a different international designer to impart the debutantes’ tiaras with extraordinary brilliance. In 2017, it was for example Karl Lagerfeld who created a dream-like piece (for the previous post click here please).

Swarovski’s collaboration has existed since the 1950s. Organized by the Vienna State Opera, the event is the cultural highlight of the Viennese ball season and I cannot wait to experience it myself.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Swarovski / Dolce Gabbana

«Sassy, rather rebellious, Jean Luc Amsler will always be there where we least expect him.»

Franco-Swiss fashion designer JEAN LUC AMSLER was born in Switzerland in the mid-1960’s. After his studies, he moved to Antwerp and then to Paris, where he started his fashion career in the mid 1980’s. He gained experience by working at renowned houses such as Yves Saint Laurent, Jean Louis Scherrer, Christian Dior and Cartier, just to name a few. By 1992, Jean Luc felt that he had reached the point where he could design for himself, and he started his own eponymous couture brand in Paris.

For us, he shares his insider scoop on the city I live in with us, ZURICH. With the stunning backdrop of the Swiss Alps, the city offers a unique mixture of attractions. Jean Luc’s tips are absolutely great – even I have discovered something I didn’t know about before. Enjoy!

Your favourite city?
ZURICH, because it is my grand father’s city.

Your favourite hotel?
THE DOLDER GRAND, where I presented my first show in 1994.
Kurhausstrasse 65, 8032 Zurich, Phone +41 44 456 60 00

Your favourite restaurant?
KRONENHALLE, I still have great memories there with Gustav Zumsteg in 1995.
Rämistrasse 4, 8001 Zürich, Phone +41 44 262 99 00

Zurich, 1979. Yves Saint Laurent with Gustav Zumsteg’s mother Hulda Zumsteg (left) at Kronenhalle.

(Gustav Zumsteg was the owner of the restaurant Kronenhalle until his death in 2005. Moreover, he had worked his way up from the level of apprentice to chief designer at the traditional silk company Abraham, which he later acquired. Zumsteg collaborated with renowned Parisian fashion houses, such as Cristóbal Balenciaga, Christian Dior, Hubert de Givenchy, and most of all Yves Saint Laurent, with whom he became very close.)

Your favourite bar or nightclub?
TINA BAR, for its selective cocktail menu and the cosy atmosphere. It’s also in the middle of the old town, a great area to walk around and get lost during the night.
Niederdorfstr. 10, 8001 Zurich, Phone +41  44 250 76 80

Your favourite sightseeing spot?
LINDENHOF HILL, because there you can admire the whole city and also read a book in the park. A quiet spot in the heart of the city.
Lindenhof, 8001 Zurich

(The Lindenhof is a moraine hill and a public square in the historic center of Zurich. It is the site of the Roman and Carolingian era Kaiserpfalz around which the city has historically grown. The hilltop area -including its prehistoric, Roman, and medieval remains – is listed as a Swiss heritage site of national significance.)

Your favourite park?
The BRUNO WEBER PARK. It’s like entering in a fairytale, a mix of art and fantasy.
Zur Weinrebe 3, 8953 Dietikon, Phone +41 44 740 02 71

Your favourite beach ?
COCOA BEACH, the perfect place for a drink when the sun goes down. It’s a little island on the roof of the city.
Förrlibuckstrasse 115, 8005 Zurich, Phone +41 43 444 40 50

Your favourite shop?
MARKENTUSSI in Zurich’s North, it is a heaven for vintage clothes and furniture. They carry Chanel, Louboutin… many Parisian brands.
Kornhausstrasse 43, 8037 Zurich, Phone +41 43 557 63 93

Your must-have accessory?
My glasses from VIU, I discovered this new Swiss designed eyewear brand and I love it!
Viu Flaghsip Store Zurich, Grüngasse 4, 8004 Zurich, +41 44 508 79 04

The best soundtrack for this destination?
REQUIEM FOR A DREAM composed by Clint Mansell for the eponymous movie, it represents dream and drama…

Annemarie Schwarzenbach (23 May 1908 – 15 November 1942)

The best book to read while being on vacation there?
LA QUÊTE DU RÉEL by Anne Marie Schwarzenbach, it means the quest of reality.

(Born in Zurich, Annemarie Schwarzenbach was a homosexual Swiss writer, journalist, photographer and traveler. Her father, Alfred, was a wealthy businessman in the silk industry. From an early age she began to dress and act like a boy, a behaviour not discouraged by her parents, and which she retained all her life. In fact in later life she was often mistaken for a young man.)

Thank you, Jean Luc Amsler, for sharing your insider scoop on Zurich with us!

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Jean Luc Amsler, © Marianne Feilchenfeldt-Breslauer († 2001), © Richard Emler and courtesy of the different locations

I am in Marrakesh at the moment and this morning I woke up to the safest news. One of my favorite designers Azzedine Alaïa passed away at the age of 77.

Known for his signature sculptural silhouettes and meticulous craftmanship, plus an exquisite line-up of shoes and bags, he rose to prominence in the ’80s. He was one of the few designers to completely ignore the traditional fashion seasons, creating his must-have pieces at his own pace.

Azzedine Alaïa with me

After moving to Paris in 1957, the Tunisian born Azzedine started his career at Dior, then went on to work at Guy Laroche and Thierry Mugler, before opening his own atelier in the late 1970s.

One of my favorite pictures in fashion history: Naomi Campbell photographed by Herb Ritts in Alaïa

He worked closely with celebrity fans including Naomi Campbell, who opened his last couture show in July in Paris. RIP Azzedine, you will be missed!

TO SHOP A LAST PIECE OF ALAÏA, CLICK HERE PLEASE.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Alaïa and © Sandra Bauknecht

This took me by surprise. Moncler announced that the house will discontinue its GAMME BLEU and GAMME ROUGE runway collections after the S/S 2018 season, announcing a new strategy in the coming weeks. Because of this development, they also part ways with Thom Browne and Giambattista Valli, who designed the fashionable sub-labels of the outerwear brand that has more than a $1 billion revenue per year. Browne was in charge for GAMME BLEU, the line for men, since 2009. Valli partnered first with Moncler in 2008 for GAMME ROUGE, the womenswear collection.

TO SHOP MONCLER GAMME BLEU FOR MEN, CLICK HERE PLEASE.

TO SHOP MONCLER GAMME ROUGE FOR WOMEN, CLICK HERE PLEASE.

Moncler is highly successful at the moment with high growth rates. This, of course, brings competitors in the game, trying to get on the gravy train as well. So, Moncler might prepare itself for a new consumer behavior, faster and more volatile.

While I was in Milan a few weeks ago, the Italian outerwear brand opened its new 800-square-metre flagship on Via Montenapoleone with a fantastic party. They even transformed the famous shopping mile into a winter wonderland and fake snow was falling from above the windows. Inside, products from their different lines, still including the Gamme collections, are presented next to each other and not divided into different departments.

I am curious to hear more about the brand’s new strategy. The wheels in fashion are turning, and obviously faster and faster…

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Moncler, © Sandra Bauknecht

Yesterday, I got the news that after 17 years at Burberry, Christopher Bailey is set to leave the iconic British fashion house in the end of March 2018 making way for a new vision in the brand’s creative strategy.

A digitalized shopping experience at Burberry’s Regent Street store in London.

46- year-old Bailey joined Burberry in 2001 and became CEO and chief creative officer in May 2014. He led the company through successful years, especially when the brand focused a lot on social media. Like other fashion houses, Burberry has endured a difficult period in recent years and in July 2017, Bailey was succeeded as CEO by Marco Gobbetti in July this year who brings a new vision to the brand.

Marco Gobbetti

«Burberry has undergone an incredible transformation since 2001 and Christopher has been instrumental to the company’s success in that period,» said Gobbetti in the official statement. «We have a clear vision for the next chapter to accelerate the growth and success of the Burberry brand and I am excited about the opportunity ahead for our teams, our partners and our shareholders.»

Christopher Bailey

«It has been the great privilege of my working life to be at Burberry, working alongside and learning from such an extraordinary group of people over the last 17 years,» said Bailey. «I am excited to pursue new creative projects but remain fully committed to the future success of this magnificent brand and to ensuring a smooth transition.»

An iconic piece and a must-have for every closet:
The Kensington Long cotton-gabardine trench coat

Rumors are that Phoebe Philo, who worked alongside Gobbetti so successfully at Céline (Gobbetti was CEO at the French luxury brand before), could be a potential candidate to succeed Bailey. Burberry shares fell 1.46 percent on the news of the designer’s departure in London trading.

Burberry F/W 2017 show

TO SHOP BURBERRY ONLINE, CLICK HERE PLEASE.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Burberry

Something really exciting to share with you… for one week only you will be able to purchase the Gabriela Hearst bags that you cannot buy in a store or online besides now. These bags are highly sought after and trying to get them is almost impossible with extremely high waiting lists – on average there is a waiting list of 1,500 client per bag at any given time. If you really want the bag, you have to email, hope and wait.

The friends of Gabriella Hearst who were carrying the famous Nina bag as one of the first ones have caused a big hype: Miroslava Duma to the left and Brie Larson to the right.

My favorite: the Nina leather tote in cognac.

After having produced 20 of those must-have pieces for friends and family, the designer got so many requests that she created an It-bag without even thinking about it. Now, New York-based designer Gabriela Hearst has partner with NET-A-PORTER LTD to raise funds for Save the Children for the unprecedented hunger crisis and impending famine in Turkana, Kenya. The designer is committed to make a donation of $600,000. From the money raised, save the Children will provide cash transfers to those affected families, giving them the ability to purchase urgently needed food and clean water to help them survive the drought.

Gabriela Hearst …

… next to her beautiful Ella two-tone leather tote.

A trio of its own: the Nina, the Demi and the Ellie. Hard to decide… and not a lot of time left as they are selling out like crazy!

TO SHOP THE GABRIELA HEARST BAGS FOR ONE WEEK, CLICK HERE PLEASE.

LoL, Sandra

Please be aware that the proceeds from the sale of the bags by NET-A-PORTER will not be donated to Save the Children. Instead, NET-A-PORTER is helping to raise awareness about the important work that this charity does and the donation will be made by Gabriela Hearst directly. The donation is made up of the money Gabriela Hearst makes from wholesaling the bags to NET-A-PORTER.
Photos: Courtesy of Gabriela Hearst and Net-à-Porter

The illustrious fashion designer Alber Elbaz has met his match in the perfume world with this beautiful collaboration with Frédéric Malle. Created together with perfumer Dominique Ropion, the ever-mysterious Superstitious Eau de Parfum captures the elusive, unidentifiable scent of a woman’s dress.

Dream team: Frédéric Malle and Alber Elbaz

A classic floral aldehydic perfume structures Elbaz’s free-flowing vision of an elaborate fabric in which everyone can find their own beauty: Turkish rose oil and Egyptian jasmine, enhanced by a touch of peach, rest on a bed of amber and frankincense imbued with Haitian vetiver. A final touch of aldehydes sharpens the perfume’s opulence with an urban edge.

TO SHOP THE NEW SUPERSTITIOUS EAU DE PARFUM, CLICK HERE PLEASE.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Frederic Malle, Madame Le Figaro
Frederic Malle und Alber Elbaz – © But Sou Lai

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the brutal murder of Gianni Versace in broad daylight in Miami Beach. I will never forget this moment when I saw the news on TV. I was studying fashion design and was at home working on one of my first assignments. At this time, Versace was big. We all dreamt of butterfly prints, safety pins, tight dresses and many more…

Gorgeous as her mother in the nineties… Kaia Gerber, daughter of Cindy Crawford, on the Versace S/S 2018 catwalk.

This week, Donatella Versace chose to stage her S/S 2018 show at Milan’s Triennale museum as a tribute to her late brother’s Gianni’s inspirations and creations. And so, for the first time since being the creative director of the company, she seeked inspiration directly from the house’s archives with all the key prints and pieces from the years 1991–95.

Versace in the ’90s

As I said those years marked the highlights of Gianni Versace’s designs. His most iconic collections included Vogue, Warhol, My Friend Elton, Icons, Baroque, Animalia, Native Americans, Tresor de la Mer, Metal Mesh, and Butterflies.

Beautiful finale of the S/S 2018 Versace: Carla Bruni, Claudia Schiffer, Naomi Campbell, Cindy Crawford, and Helena Christensen posing in classic Versace chainmail dresses.

To celebrate «a genius . . . an icon . . . my brother» as Donatella said, the show fulminated in a finale that brought tears to my eyes. Gianni’s favorite models, Carla Bruni, Claudia Schiffer, Naomi Campbell, Cindy Crawford, and Helena Christensen, appeared in golden gowns on stage, to the chorus of George Michael’s «Freedom! ’90.» Front row? Alessandro Michele, Anthony Vaccarello and Pierpaolo Piccioli applauded to Donatella’s tribute to the late master of fashion.

Linda Evangelista, Cindy Crawford, Naomi Campbell and Christy Burlington lipsynching to George Michael’s «Freedom 90» for the finale of Gianni’s Versace’s F/W 1991 show. Back then fashion was truly fun!

The era of the top models: Gianni Versace surrounded by them in 1991.

A beautiful Versace ad campaign from the ’90s.

This moment reminded me why I chose many years ago the direction of fashion and how much the work of Gianni Versace in the ’90s had inspired me to do so.

Thank you, Donatella, for this little reminder, we all sometimes need in this busy life! And thank God that I have kept everything in my closet… time to dust the butterflies off…

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Via Vogue.com and Rex Features

“No matter your origin, no matter your tribe. Come together, be seen, be heard. Because we are all worth it.”
Olivier Rousteing, Creative Director, Balmain Paris

Two years ago, Balmain already made a foray into the world of affordable luxury with its H&M designer collaboration. This fall, the #BalmainArmy will find new members of the tribe as L‘Oréal Paris has joined forces with Balmain’s creative director Olivier Rousteing for a collection of twelve limited COLOR RICHE couture lipsticks. One shade more beautiful than the other.

Olivier Rousteing with me

Needless to say that Olivier Balmain’s knows how to run a social media hype. For the launch of the French house’s first lipstick, he is accompanied by twelve model muses that each has inspired one of the dozen shades.

This collaboration with L’Oréal is the perfect fit to provide customers with access to the bejeweled splendor of the long-established fashion house that was founded by Pierre Balmain in 1945 who defined France’s fashion renaissance after World War II. Continuing in the trailblazing spirit of the brand’s founder, Olivier Rousteing is inspired by the confident style of modern women and incorporates the maison’s mastery of embroidery and embellishment into his collections. His love for detail can also be seen in the amazing packaging of the lipsticks: a decadent ode to precious materials, such as emerald-green malachite, blue lapis lazuli, and onyx.

Three colour collections embody three femininities:

SAFARI TRIBE (Green Case)
905 BALMAIN INSTINCT: Ysaunny Brito (Star Shade)
647 URBAN SAFARI: Alexina Graham
648 GLAMAZONE: Luma Grothe
469 FEVER: Maria Borges

ROCK TRIBE (Blue Case)
467 FREEDOM: Soo Joo Park ( Star Shade)
650 POWER: Valentina Sampaio
902 LEGEND: Neelam Gill
901 REBELLION: Grace Bol

COUTURE TRIBE (Black Case)
356 CONFIDENCE: Doutzen Kroes (Star Shade)
355 DOMINATION: Lara Stone
468 LIBERATION: Cindy Bruna
256 CONFESSION: Ming Xi

I was over the moon when this exclusive box arrived at my door step a few weeks ago so that I could test each one of the shades. Being a huge Balmain fan as you know, this is a collector’s piece that I will keep forever.
(The golden clutch is a vintage Balmain piece.)

My favorite shade of all? 256 CONFESSION. It is the perfect nude shade.
(Metallic jacquard jacket by Balmain.)

Time to have a piece of Balmain on your lips. The L’Oréal Paris x Balmain Paris capsule lipstick collection launches today September 20, 2017 for CHF 21.90 each, in Switzerland at Coop and Manor.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Balmain and © Sandra Bauknecht

In February, I introduced you for the first time to EOS lip balms (EOS Smooth Spheres Organic Lip Balms ) that are 95% organic, 100% natural, and paraben and petrolatum free (for the previous post click here please). I love those little «eggs» that I am always carrying in my bag, even when I am travelling as you see.

This month marks the launch of a special collaboration between EOS and Austrian-born and Berlin-based fashion designer Marina Hoermanseder. This limited edition duo set with an extremely cute packaging, that combines beauty and fashion, includes two lip balms, Organic Passion Fruit & Visibly Soft Honey Apple, both dressed in a special design created by Hoermanseder.

«EOS lip balms are my favorite lip care products. Natural ingredients are essential for me. The colorful lip balms are among my personal beauty must-haves, as smooth lips complement every outfit.» – Marina Hoermanseder

Being EOS first lip balm with a print design and also 100% natural, the Organic Passion Fruit shows Marina Hoermanseder’s initials with a cute little butterfly, that plays a central role in her current collection.

The Visibly Soft Honey Apple comes with sweeping lines in the iconic swirl design, reminiscent of the designer’s famous strap skirt.

Smooth lips are never out of style. Don’t miss this collector’s item.
The set is available now for CHF 13.80 in Switzerland at Manor and Coop.

LoL, Sandra

#eosproducts #eosxmarina
Photos: Courtesy of EOS x Marina Hoermanseder and © Sandra Bauknecht