Sandra‘s Closet

Actress Amanda Seyfried was spotted recently on the red carpet in this gorgeous blue tuxedo jacket and matching shorts from H&M’s Exclusive Conscious collection. She combined the look with a leather-trimmed wool top by Rag & Bone and black pumps by Gucci.

To celebrate the rise of glamour, H&M has created the Exclusive Conscious collection of greener and eco-friendlier red-carpet looks that have all been made from more sustainable materials like organic cotton and hemp, and recycled polyester, as part of H&M’s Conscious initiative. In stores now.

LoL, Sandra

TUXEDO JACKET – EUR 59,95
H&M Exclusive Conscious collection. Blue organic cotton mix tuxedo shorts suit.

TUXEDO SHORTS – EUR 24,95
H&M Exclusive Conscious collection. Blue organic cotton mix tuxedo shorts suit.

Photos: Courtesy of H&M, Getty Images

Those intricate eyelet lace dresses seen on the Louis Vuitton S/S 2012 runway (see photo to the left) that are in stores now cost a fortune unfortunately.

In case that you don’t want to miss the trend, I recommend a visit to the Zara store nearest to you where you can find some beautiful and similar pieces at the moment.

From left to right (photo above):
Top CHF 59.-, Sequined Skirt CHF 119.-, Shirt CHF 59.- and Peplum Skirt, CHF 59.-, all by Zara.

LoL, Sandra

Photo: © Sandra Bauknecht, Courtesy of Louis Vuitton

Since news were out last November that Marni will be the next to collaborate with H&M, I have been waiting curiously for Consuelo Castiglioni’s vision on that project.

Tonight at a very intimate preview at an art gallery in Zurich, H&M presented the new collection for men and women. One sentence: it’s awesome! I adore the iconic Marni prints, the chunky plastic bangles and necklaces plus the signature tribal vibe.

Necklace € 49.95

The collaboration, which debuts March 8 in stores and online, is priced reasonably; most pieces are under € 100, with accessories such as hats and scarfs costing around or less than € 19.95.

Check out the looks below! And stay tuned for more exciting things as I will be leaving for Milan tomorrow…

LoL, Sandra

Cashmere Jumper for Men € 99.-

Printed T-Shirt € 29.95

Set of 2 Bracelets € 29.95

Printed Skirt € 79.95

Jacket € 99.-

Leather Bag € 79.95

Silk Scarf € 19.95

Men Short € 39.95

Hat € 9.95

Necklace with White Flowers € 49.95

Silk Top € 79.95

Shoes € 59.95

From left to right: The lovely Swiss H&M team, Sita, René and Gray, all dressed head to toe Marni at H&M.

On Sita: Silk Skirt € 59.95On René: Printed T-Shirt for Men € 19.95

On Gray: Hodded Dress € 149.-

Lovely gift, thank you!

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht, Stills: Courtesy of H&M

A fresh colourful collection of ten watch designs from Swatch: the New Gent Lacquered collection combines super-sleek and lacquered surfaces with a fabulous selection of fashion-forward colours.

The deconstructed dials of each of these ten Swatch designs with the inner mechanisms left fully exposed is ensuring that any wrist wearing them remains at the centre of attention.
With the returning 80’s trend, a Swatch is a must!

In stores starting February 1st, 2012. Available for CHF 75 each.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Swatch

Today has been an exciting day. Karl Lagerfeld has officially launched his new highly anticipated clothing line KARL for S/S 2012 all over the world with a personal appearance in Paris.

Karl Lagerfeld and Natalie Massenet today at the launch event in Paris (Photo: net-à-porter)

“I have been dreaming of mass elitism for a long time. I think it was almost my duty to make it possible under my name. This is the road of modernity.”

A visionary, with a unique instinct that allows Lagerfeld to anticipate trends and desires, he wanted to offer a luxurious yet affordable collection, retaining his core values of sharp styling and high quality. It is his first “masstige” collection – a combination of the words ‘mass market’ and ‘prestige’.

I was lucky to have a sneak preview in the morning at the newly opened showroom located in the 7th arrondissement. The collection offers lots of great basic staples as well as gorgeous accessories such as collars and gloves, iconic Karl pieces.

Lots of leather such as this gorgeous Ossie two-tone leather biker vest .

I am completely in love with this white Oralee layered leather biker jacket.

Close to couture: Each of the 5 dresses comes in a limited edition of only 50 pieces.

What do you think of this large printed canvas tote ?

One of the iconic leather collars.

A little gift from KARL: Cutaway leather gloves and the stunning sequined poplin collar .

In the showroom, I also explored the upcoming F/W 2012 Karl Lagerfeld collection which will be available for men and women. The prices will be a little higher than the younger more basic KARL line. The collection includes great accessories such as sunglasses and also some pieces for home. I will keep you posted on that.

While being at the showroom, RTL filmed me for an upcoming TV-documentation on the new line while exploring the pieces.

To shop KARL, just click on the banner below to be transfered directly. But before that please enjoy the awesome video collaboration between Karl Lagerfeld and video artist Barnaby Roper. Have fun!

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht

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Following on from the iconic Versace for H&M collection, Donatella Versace has created a brand new cruise collection that will be available from 19th January 2012 as an H&M online exclusive.
The collection is designed as a holiday capsule wardrobe that’s also an instant style update for spring.

The women’s collection is light and feminine, with a berries and butterflies print on dresses, tops, negligées, dressing gowns and a silk cashmere cardigan. There are also white jeans, bikinis, and accessories such as charm bracelets, print bags, ballet flats and high heels.

For men, the focus is on fashion classics like a leather detail wool blazer, jeans and denim shirts, alongside pleat-front shorts in cotton or denim.

Abbey Lee Kershaw is the face for the campaign and is posing in the newly revealed pieces.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Via Design Scene and Front Row View

Net-à-porter UK has started the end of season sale with up to 50% off officially today.

I put a selection of great classic pieces for you together, all under £200. All of them are perfect investments, versatile basics that you cannot go wrong with. To be transferred directly, please just click on the highlighted text.

1 Crochet-knit wool-blend poncho by Missoni, £122.50 (was £250)

2 Cotton-twill shirt-style bodysuit by Tibi, £115 (was £230)

3 Cotton and modal-blend turtleneck top by Splendid, £30 (was £60)

4 Silk-satin trimmed jersey top by Miu Miu, £136.50 (was £195)

5 Camino metallic-knit sweater by Marc by Marc Jacobs, £132 (was £220)

6 Satin-jersey wrap-effect dress by Halston Heritage, £175 (was £250)

7 Appliquéd wool cape by Emma Cook, £ 137.50 (was £275)

Below you find a selection of pieces that work day and night. All of them could be combined in different ways.

1 Moldave ruffled silk blouse by Paul & Joe, £147 (was £245)

2 Python platform pumps by Alexandre Birman, £145 (was £290)

3 Quinn leather envelope clutch by Michael Kors, £ 197.50 (was £395)

4 Silk-trimmed stretch-lace dress by D&G Dolce & Gabbana, £160 (was £320)

5 Chevron velvet and twill clutch by Marc by Marc Jacobs, £150 (was £250)

6 Python and suede ankle boots by Alexandre Birman, £170 (was £340)

7 Cropped jersey jacket by Alice by Temperley, £122.50 (was £245)

8 Stretch-bouclé pencil skirt by Vince, £ 119 (was £170)

Happy Shopping! Hurry, those pieces will sell out fast…

LoL, Sandra

Here is your sneak preview of the Versace for H&M resort line that will only be available online starting January 19th already. The fanfare that surrounded the launch of the first Versace for H&M line will surely continue.

Expect lots of phone calls from friends that are living for example in Switzerland or the United States where H&M’s online shopping has not been launched yet!

More exciting news at the end of this post…

And of course, some must-haves for the men won’t be missing either:

News are out this morning that Sofia Coppola, Academy Award and Golden Globe winner, will direct the campaign film to support the launch of Marni at H&M on March 8, 2012!
Love her!

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of H&M

Just recovered from the Versace for H&M mania, no time to relax, there is more to come.
To get started, here is a sneak preview of the next designer collaboration with the Swedish fashion house: MARNI FOR H&M.

Famed for its original prints and inventive spirit, Marni is one of fashion’s most-loved labels, and its Founder and Creative Director Consuelo Castiglioni has created for H&M a spring collection for both women and men which capture its essence perfectly.

Available from March 8, 2012 in around 260 stores worldwide and online, the collection features both clothing and accessories all at H&M’s prices, meaning everyone will have the chance to enter Marni’s world.

Consuelo Castiglioni, Founder and Creative Director Marni and Margareta van den Bosch, Creative Advisor H&M

“I wanted to create a true Marni wardrobe by revisiting all our favorite pieces in signature fabrics and prints. As always, I love juxtaposing prints and colours, mixing modern tribal with Bauhaus graphic adding sporty utilitarian elements”.

– Consuelo Castiglioni, Founder and Creative Director

“We all love the collection here at H&M and we believe that our customers will do the same. Marni has such a modern touch with everything they do, mixing prints and accessories in a playful but chic way. It’s fantastic to see how Consuelo Castiglioni coordinates her designs, matching new combinations of print and colour, with such incredible craftsmanship behind every piece. The collection will arrive in stores at just the perfect time, as a lovely statement for spring“.

– Margareta van den Bosch, Creative Advisor H&M

Marni is a label that sticks to its own path, setting its own trends for print, cut and silhouette that are always playful and elegant. Marni has remained a family owned-business as it has grown to become an international luxury brand with stores around the world.

Marni’s collection for H&M has all the freedom and experimentation for which the label is renowned, with all-over prints in strong colours all intended to be worn together in layers that both match and clash.
For women, the colours are vivid and the prints are bold, be they African inspired or simpler colour blocks. The silhouettes are all Marni staples, with full pleated skirts, dresses, cropped trousers and jacquard knit, and fabrics range from silk to crisp cotton poplin. To finish the complete look the collection also includes jewellery, shoes, bags and scarves.

For men, the colours and fabrics are softened for a relaxed take on menswear staples that is truly Marni. The use of print is subtle, often as a lining or as a contrast detail for shirts, the silhouette a modern and relaxed take on masculine classics.

Photos: Courtesy of H&M, © Magnus Magnusson

Bored of queuing? Here is your fashionable surprise!

There will be also a Versace for H&M S/S 2012 collection, exclusively available in countries with H&M online sales from January 19, 2012. The colourful capsule line will feature fruit prints and lots of Versace glamour. Unfortunately, bad news for Switzerland and the United States. Where are our European friends when we need them?!

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Via Mirror UK

Tomorrow, the Versace for H&M collection will officially hit 300 stores worldwide (in the US on November 19th), so ladies and gentlemen be prepared to line up in the morning.

Last week in NYC, I got the pleasure to meet Donatella Versace and H&M’s creative advisor Margareta van den Bosch who sat down for a chat with Tim Blanks, Style.com’s editor-at-large, at the top floor of the Dream Downtown hotel.

Find out a little bit more about the collection and which one is Donatella’s favourite look. Believe it or not…Donatella even revealed that she likes shopping at H&M.

Margareta van den Bosch, Donatella Versace and Tim Blanks

What does this collaboration mean to you?

D.V.: It was very emotional for me to go through the archives to explore all the looks that Gianni created. It is an amazing way to reach the younger crowd. I am working closely with Lady Gaga or Nicki Menaj. It is great to collaborate with such dedicated artists who have so many followers. Gianni would be so proud to see his clothes worn by younger kids. This is an homage to Gianni.
I was scared to take over the reins from him when he died. I had to gain the credibility from the rest of the world.

Looking at your own shows, you are reenergized creatively. You are working with the Fringe London, Lady Gaga? Calling this a Versace moment, why do you think this was all coming together now?

D.V.: For me it is a fantasic moment. I talk and follow young designers. I am very interested in them and they are very interested in me. A house like Versace has a lot of history they can profit from but I am learning a lot, too. I am open to different opinions. Fashion is every day an exam. After all those years of minimalism, Versace and its luxury are back!

Margareta, did you feel a Versace moment as well?

M.v.d.B.: Yes, definitely. This is a different collaboration from what we did before with all those colours and prints, leather and studs. The essence of the house Versace was truly there.

Donatella, were you surprised when you went through your archives even that you know them well?

D.V.: I was amazed to see how Gianni did everything – I am sorry to say – before everybody else. I see a lot of homage to Versace today as for example young designer Riccardo Tisci did for the Givenchy F/W 2011 collection (looking at me as I was wearing a dress from this collection). But this is enough now. It is my turn, this is my homage to Versace!

Didn’t you have to make a concession?

D.V.: This was the best thing to work with H&M, there was no concession. There are fantastic people in this company. They said yes to everything, I never got a no. It has been a fantastic liberating moment. Just the amount of sketches surprised the team. 
31 looks were asked and I created 43 looks for the runway, from the chokers and the bracelets with the Medusa, flowers from Miami, printed jeans and skirts, leather, the high heels, nothing is missing.

Margareta, what are the criteria for a collaboration? Isn’t H&M and Versace at two comletely different ends? And how do you get started?

M.v.d.B.: It is very much a feeling that we discuss in-house. If we agree, we go for it. We had the first meeting and talked about the collection. We decided something little. When the second meeting took place with the teams around the products, like buyers, people for the packaging and many others, I expected some sketches but Donatella had everything ready. It was fantastic as we always have a lack of time.

Margareta, you said the time was right for Versace, what do you mean with that?

M.v.d.B.: Fashion should be something that makes you happy. This collaboration is about a dream, to give people the spirit of luxury. We try to make it as close to the brand as possible. Maximalism, colours, prints, everything is back. It is an optimistic upbeat collection even that you see all the bad news in Europe.

And how about you, Donatella? What do you think?

D.V.: It is a dream of luxury, for example when you touch the studded leather coat from the Versace for H&M collaboration or the original from the archives, you don’t know which one is the real one.

Donatella Versace with me

What is this collaboration about? Which impact will the collection have on H&M or Versace? Will it change your own work?

D.V.: I had that clear idea what to do, of the look that young people want. Fashion is freedom today. Technology plays a fantastic role and H&M uses it in an amazing way. It is interesting to see how young people put things together and that everything goes.

M.v.d.B.: Fashion is about expressing your individuality. This collaboration is about giving the customers something new and showing that you don’t need a huge budget to look good. We are very professional and have all the knowledge. We included for the first time homewear because it is part of the Versace look, as well as jewelry. I mean there is no Versace collection without jewelry. We have two different cushions, a blanket and many different jewelry pieces.

Which one is your favourite piece in the collection?

D.V.: I have 43 favourite babies.

M.v.d.B.: The studded leather dress and the rings.

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If I were you, I would definitely get a piece with the tropical print as this is a huge trend among the upcoming Cruise 2012 collections from the likes of Stella McCartney, Marc by Marc Jacobs and Givenchy.

And don’t forget to enter the contest to win the amazing purple one-of-a-kind Versace for H&M dress! Deadline is tonight! Good luck!

And rumours are out that the next collaboration might be with Tom Ford, OMG!

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht