Sandra‘s Closet

In June 2014, Cash & Rocket will return for its third consecutive year, and this time the amazing Valentino‘s Creative Directors Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pierpaolo Piccioli want to make this journey even bigger and better and are once again participating in the charity event, which will take place from June 5th to 8th, 2014.

Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pierpaolo Piccioli with me

Seventy women from the worlds of fashion, music, cinema and business will begin the car tour from the striking Piazza San Marco of Venice which ends in London, with stops along the way in Geneva and Paris. The donations collected will help support three important humanitarian organizations – Shine On Sierra Leone, OrphanAid Africa and Sumbandila – to support African children and their families with health assistance and educational programs in Sierra Leone, Ghana and South Africa.

For the occasion and to further support the project, Maison Valentino will donate 20% of proceeds from the sale of several products from the Rouge Absolute Signature capsule collection and six other special products especially created by Creative Directors Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pierpaolo Piccioli.

These special items will be available at www.valentino.com and www.net-à-porter.com and in Valentino boutiques in Paris and London.

Maria Grazia Chiuri, Co-Creative Director, came in first last year raising the most amount of money and she is determined to beat her own personal record. She will be personally involved in fundraising monies and will drive one of the thirty-five red sports cars that will travel 1600km, from Venice to London.

“As a woman and mother, I am very happy to be able to help other women and children. I am profoundly convinced that it is essential to give them an opportunity for development and education, which gives me a chance to give back what I have received” – Maria Grazia Chiuri.

The Valentino team can be followed along the different stages of the race through the dedicated donation website Just Giving. Let’s help Maria Grazia to win once again first place and to collect the most donations!

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Valentino and Cash & Rocket

“London’s where I was brought up. It’s where my heart is and where I get my inspiration.” – Alexander McQueen, January 2000

The amazing Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty exhibition is coming to London – and great news is that you can buy a ticket from 10am tomorrow morning (Advance booking is advised – this can be done in person at the V&A; online; or by calling 020 7420 9736 (booking fee applies)). After endless rumours that it would, the V&A announced that it will host the exhibition from March 14 to July 19, 2015 in partnership with Swarovski and supported by American Express.

The original version of Savage Beauty at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York in 2011 was organised by the Costume Institute and became one of the Museum’s top 10 most visited exhibitions. Now, this outstanding large retrospective of the late designer’s work is to be presented in Europe for the first time,  showcasing McQueen’s visionary body of work. Spanning his 1992 MA graduate collection to his unfinished A/W 2010 collection, McQueen’s designs will be presented with the dramatic staging and sense of spectacle synonymous with his runway shows.

For me, a must-see again!

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Alexander McQueen

Mary Katrantzou has been on the scene for less than six years yet her designs that are mostly inspired by flamboyant prints have become must-haves among fashionistas around the globe. I have been a huge fan of her work from her first collection and am over the moon about her newest success story: The Greek designer is to collaborate with Adidas.

Statement sweatshirt (S/S 2014) by Mary Katrantzou

The line that will comprise clothing and footwear is said to launch in November being a long-term union. Katrantzou follows in the footsteps of Raf Simons and Stella McCartney among others by joining forces with Adidas.

Oxenda silk-jersey dress (S/S 2014) by Mary Katrantzou

Looking at her S/S 2014 designs inspired by shoe laces and sporty sneakers, it is obvious why the German sportswear brand has been eager to bring her amazing aesthetic to the house.

Cocktail dress with sneaker print (S/S 2014) by Mary Katrantzou

Trompe l’oeil in a really fun way, we will surely get a kick out of it this winter!

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Mary Katrantzou

What an exciting Sunday morning! H&M has revealed their new designer collaboration. The Swedish fashion brand has partnered with no other than Alexander Wang who leaked the news via instagram this morning before the official press release has been sent out!

Left: Alexander Wang with me, right: Margareta van den Bosch, H&M’s Head of Design, with him

Alexander truly keeps himself busy, designing his eponymous line as well being at the helmet of Balenciaga. But all good things come in threes and I am sure Wang’s designs for H&M will fly off the shelves.

In the video Wang posted on instagram, a countdown clock appears, and when the timer runs out, “WANG X H&M” pops up alongside the numbers 11:06 (the release date).
The line will be available on November 6, 2014 in 250 stores worldwide.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of H&M and © Sandra Bauknecht

Recently I was invited by Net-à-porter to London for an intimate evening with A-list style icons Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen to preview their beautiful S/S 2014 collection. Named after London’s historic Savile Row, THE ROW delivers a directional take on tailoring with a focus on clean lines and refined cuts.

For the new season, the twins were inspired by travels around the world and imagined a modern, well-dressed nomad woman. There were references of Arabia in the long layers and the models’ veils, Northern Africa in the printed djellaba, a fishing village in the macramé sweater and matching cross-body hobo bag, and some Siberian influences in the dense outerwear.

It’s the first time Ashley and Mary-Kate are offering shoes, and they’ll be sold in limited editions. The Row’s fans would be wise to put their names on the list now.

Mary-Kate to the left and Ashley to the right with me

YOU CAN SHOP THE ROW ONLINE HERE. The best address to get an elegant downtown mix of superbly crafted wardrobe staples.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Via style.com and © Sandra Bauknecht

Forty internationally renowned experts from the world of fashion (among them Jefferson Hack, Katie Grand, Natalie Massenet, Carine Roitfeld and Patrick Demarchelier to name a few) are to meet thirty applicants to the LVMH Prize during Paris Fashion Week.

They will select a short-list of ten young designers who will go forward to present their work to the jury in May 2014. Entries have already been received from all over the world, including Asia, Africa and South America as well as the United States and Europe, with many more anticipated before the closing date of February 2nd, 2014.

The members of the jury for the first edition of the prize in 2014 are eight creative directors from LVMH Fashion Houses including: Nicolas Ghesquière (Louis Vuitton), Marc Jacobs (Marc Jacobs), Karl Lagerfeld (Fendi), Humberto Leon and Carol Lim (Kenzo), Phoebe Philo (Céline), Raf Simons (Dior) and Riccardo Tisci (Givenchy).

The designers will be joined by Delphine Arnault, Jean-Paul Claverie (advisor to Bernard Arnault and head of corporate philanthropy for LVMH) and Pierre-Yves Roussel (Chairman and CEO of the LVMH Fashion Group).

YOU CAN APPLY HERE! Good luck!

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Louis Vuitton

The title might sound a little pathetic looking at all the fur clothes that Miuccia Prada presented for her S/S 2014 collection. But even if you don’t like fur, you will have to admit that those designs are pieces of art. Colourful and vibrant, the craftsmanship that is needed to create those intarsia details is outstanding. Miuccia Prada uses the fur like a canvas and as most clothes cost as much as a masterpiece, why not combine the two? “Art” has been a major inspiration for many designers for the S/S 2014 season.

Personally speaking, I love the facial prints seen on the handbags the most. Cannot wait to get my hands on those…

Somebody else who couldn’t wait for those pieces to hit the shelves was no other than Marc Jacobs. He walked his dog on Christmas Day in Saint Barts wearing already one of the Prada S/S 2014 fur coats. He is a great admirer and friend of Miuccia Prada and I spotted him frequently at her Miu Miu shows in the afternoon after he had shown Louis Vuitton in the morning. 
Let’s see which one of the must-have pieces Anna Wintour and Anna Dello Russo will pick. Nevertheless, Marc was first!

LoL, Sandra

Photos: PacificCoastNews, Courtesy of Prada

Based in Miami, Del Toro was founded in 2005 by Italian-born Matthew Chevallard, and originally sought to fill a void in the marketplace for affordable customized slippers.

It didn’t take long for the brand to become successful and so the collection evolved to include new styles such as sneakers, drivers, and espadrilles among others. Handmade in Italy, my favorite choices are those amazing S/S 2014 flats that tell a whimsical story with every step.

THE DEL TORO S/S 2014 COLLECTION IS AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER HERE.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Del Toro

Last Wednesday, the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Days Zurich 2013 officially started with the opening gala. More than 26 designers from America, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain and Switzerland presented their collections from November 13 – 16, 2013 at the Schiffbau in Zurich.

I started the night with an event for American Express Centurion where I gave the exclusive clientele an insight into the world of fashion and catwalk shows. Before the runway presentations started, we enjoyed a gorgeous dinner in the VIP tent, prepared by no other than Frank Widmer from the Park Hyatt, one of the official partners of the MBFDZ.

The first designer to present that night was Gabriele Colangelo, who is said to probably succeed Jil Sander after her  recently-announced departure from her namesake label. The charming Italian, who had worked for Roberto Cavalli and Versace, has a minimalist aesthetic which could be quite a nice fit for Jil Sander. For this season, he was inspired by Japan, Samurai trousers and sandals. If you look close, his devotion to texture can be seen in many details.

Gabriele Colangelo with me backstage

The Swiss designers Eliane Diethelm and Joanna Skoczylas presented their bridal collection LBD White, romantic creations for the most beautiful day in your life.

Polish designer Maciej Zień launched his first collection at the age of 17 and has made a brilliant career during the last 15 years. In Zurich, he presented his S/S 2014 collection with interesting details that showed a lot of skin.

The German twins Daniela and Annette Felder who are based in London immersed the Swiss fashion crowd in a watery-themed S/S 2014 collection for their eponymous label Felder Felder. Models appeared on the runway with damp skin and slicked-back hair giving the impression they had just emerged from the waves.

The Felder twins with me and below with Lena Gercke.

It was a great night and I had a lot of fun. Stay tuned for the upcoming posts about the other three events.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht, © Mercedes-Benz Fashion Days Zurich,
A huge thank you to © Andrea Monica Hug and © David Biedert for those lovely pictures of me

Finally it is official: Nicolas Ghesquière has found a new home. It has been already 12 months that he left the house of Balenciaga after 15 years. Today LOUIS VUITTON has named him Artistic Director. The 42-year-old designer is replacing Marc Jacobs.

In early October, I had felt it already in my bones when I posted that Ghesquière will eventually take over (click here for the previous post), even though LOUIS VUITTON denied all rumors.

I am wishing Nicolas all the best and I am curious to see his first collection (F/W 2014) in March next year.

LoL, Sandra