Sandra‘s Closet

Fashion house Taller Marmo is a fusion of luxurious design with ‘60s and ‘70s-inspired spirit. Based in Milan, the label uses quality fabrics to craft eveningwear that mirrors styles seen on the likes of Elizabeth Taylor and Sophia Loren. Discover the elegant silk kaftans HERE.

On  the occasion of Milan Design Week 2024, the brand’s founders Riccardo Audisio and Yago Goicoechea spotlight the work of Studio Sana Benzaitar, a female-led studio that produces one-of-a-kind rugs in the Atlas Mountains in Morocco. Each rug tells a story, that of Amazigh and Berber weavers who hold a know-how passed down from mothers to daughters.

For the occasion, artist Sana Benzaitar also realized an exclusive rug paying tribute to the brand’s signature Mrs. Ross caftan and replicating the exact roomy shape of the fringed garment.

Sana Benzaitar’s reinterpretation of Taller Marmo’s signature Mrs. Ross caftan.

You can visit the exhibition at the new Casa Taller Marmo in Milan on the occasion of Salone Del Mobile 2024 until Friday 19th of April, 2024.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Taller Marmo
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For F/W 2022, British designer Ian Griffiths, who joined Max Mara in 1987, seeked inspiration after seeing the major retrospective of the work of Sophie Taeuber-Arp at the Tate Modern in London. She was not only an artist, but also an architect, a dancer and a designer at the same time. During the turbulent early decades of the twentieth century, she met at Cabaret Voltaire in Zurich, with fellow artists of the avant-garde including Wassily Kandinsky, Paul Klee, Giorgio de Chirico, Max Ernst and Guillaume Apollinaire night after night. Their performances, publications, recitals and readings produced an astonishing new aesthetic: Dada, a call for peace corresponding with the outbreak of World War I, which resonates with the times we are living in now.

Max Mara F/W 22

From the beginning, Max Mara’s ethos has been to turn ideas into garments that women will not only desire but want to live in: an all-round wardrobe for the modern, stylish yet elegant strong woman. Always respecting the philosophy and iconic elements of the brand, the colour camel, for example, Ian Griffiths is constantly looking for styles that show self-expression. Whimsy was the desired effect of the teddy bear material for F/W 2022, which the designer cut not just into oversized enveloping coats, but also full skirts both short and long, dresses and even sweatpants.

Personally speaking, I was immediately drawn to the Mito camel hair maxi dress, «the teddy dress». This long dress comes with fitted sleeveless bodice in double pure camel fabric, with a slightly low waist. The wide skirt is made of pure camel teddy fabric, with slant pockets on the sides. It is lined with monogram fabric and comes with a concealed back zip fastening. For me, a must-have for my museum. Stay tuned to see me wearing it very soon!

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Max Mara and © Sandra Bauknecht
DISCLOSURE: We may earn commission from links on this page, but I only recommend products I love. Promise!

«Barely there» creations are having a huge moment with celebrities flaunting those daring looks with great pleasure. French fashion brand Mugler features some great styles with one eye-popping dress that is in my opinion a must (at least I couldn’t resist). The statement look comes with a cleavage-framing, spliced halterneck and shoulder straps, a baring front, exposed back, and contouring low-slung ruched tulle mesh skirt.

It is available in different colors. However turquoise and pink are limited editions, only available at Mytheresa.

Late fashion designer (Manfred) Thierry Mugler first debuted this kind of look on the spring couture runway in the heady pre-Insta days of 1998. With the Y2K revival still being a major fashion trend, it seems obvious, that designer Casey Cadwallader, working for a revived house of Mugler, has made these ultra-revealing cutout creations a brand signature over the past seasons. The brand describes them as «trompe l’oeil fabrications that accentuate anatomical curves and erogenous zones with unprecedented ease». Inspired by Mugler’s couture pieces of the ’90s, the label’s dresses have proven particularly popular with celebrities like Megan Fox, Kim Kardashian, Dua Lipa, and Irina Shayk among many others.

It is barely there — but everywhere. If you’ve got it, flaunt it. As Mugler himself said in the 1994 fashion satire film Prêt-à-Porter: «It’s all about looking good, helping the silhouette. And it’s all about getting a great f**k, honey.»

Stay tuned for the detailed outfit post coming up shortly.

LoL, Sandra

Photos of me: @mykonos_alexandr / © Sandra Bauknecht, Others: Courtesy of Mugler
DISCLOSURE: We may earn commission from links on this page, but I only recommend products I love. Promise.

In yesterday’s outfit post I was wearing a denim dress, which is for me a closet staple. It will always make you look young, can be dressed up or down and is a comfy alternative that works for all seasons. With a return to retro 70’s and 90’s fashion trends, one style I have been seeing a lot of for 2021 is button-front, belted denim dresses, preferably in midi length. Combined with retro accents like embroidered collars, patchwork seams, and chest pockets, they look very stylish this season.

Here are my favorites. To shop, click on the highlighted product description.

LoL, Sandra

Embroidered-collar belted denim shirt dress by Chloé

Jewel belted balloon-sleeve denim dress by Emilia Wickstead

Patricia pleated linen-denim dress by Gabriela Hearst

Belted cotton-blend denim dress by CO

Panelled denim shirt dress by MSGM

Kieran belted denim midi dress by Altuzarra

Demi crystal-button belted denim dress by Borgo de Nor

Photos: © David Biedert Photography, Stills: Courtesy of the Brands
DISCLOSURE: We may earn commission from links on this page, but I only recommend products I love. Promise.

Red: it signifies power, boldness, and confidence. Whether you’re choosing lipstick or clothing, you will definitely make a statement. The vibrant hue represents all things emphatic – stop signs, fire trucks, London’s telephone booths, Ferraris, Louboutin’s shoe sole, good luck (in Chinese culture) and of course fierce love! Personally speaking, it is my number one choice for holiday attire.

It has been asserted that it also acts subconsciously how you are perceived. Chris de Burgh‘s famous hit Lady in Red was inspired by the memory of when he first saw his wife Diane wearing a red dress. See, the red dress can even get you a famous husband, haha!

Click here for the previous outfit post.

Scientists speak of the red dress effect, a putative phenomenon in which a woman wearing a red dress, are perceived to be more sexually appealing than she is when wearing other colours. In primates, a visual indicator of female fertility occurs by way of swelling during the follicular phase and is correlated with increased estrogen levels. Here we have proof that men tend to act like primates, haha! Sorry I had to do it again…

Red dresses are a beautiful choice, also for New Year’s Eve. I put together some beautiful ones and as it is Christmas, they are all on sale. Happy shopping!

LoL, Sandra

SLEEK DREAMS
Left: Laurel cape-effect crepe gown by Alex Perry (30% off)
Right: Asymmetric bow silk-blend jacquard gown by Rebecca de Ravenel (60% off)

FLOWING PRINCESS
Left: Bow-detailed ruched silk-georgette maxi dress by Giambattista Valli (60% off)
Right: Cutout silk-crepon gown by Alexander McQueen (40% off)

STRAPLESS BEAUTY
Left: Off-the-shoulder silk-dupion gown by Rosario (60% off)
Middle: Layered silk-satin mini dress by Alexandre Vauthier (60% off)
Right: Draped silk-faille strapless gown by Marchesa (60% off)

LA VIE EN ROUGE
Left: Hollywood crystal-embellished stretch-crepe maxi dress by Alessandra Rich (50% off)
Right: Wrap-front belted cady-crepe midi dress by Dolce & Gabbana (40% off)

Photos: © David Biedert Photography and Courtesy of the Brands
DISCLOSURE: We may earn commission from links on this page, but I only recommend products I love. Promise. 

Upcycled by Miu Miu is a special collection of vintage dresses reworked and transformed by Miu Miu, while the memory of the originals is preserved in cloth.
A strictly limited selection of just 80 one-off and numbered designs, Upcycled by Miu Miu is built around precious, anonymous finds, dating from the Thirties to the Eighties, carefully sourced from vintage clothing stores and markets worldwide.

Actresses Chen Ran debuted Upcycled by Miu Miu the first ever digital Green Carpet Fashion Awards, hosted by Eco-Age and in collaboration with Camera della Moda last month.

Once restored, pieces are re-fashioned and finished with signature Miu Miu embroideries and embellishments. Each piece is entirely unique and all are completed by hand. Re-imagined through the Miu Miu lens, the lives of garments worn and loved in the past are extended, renewed and sustained, enriching the lives of the women who will wear them by return.

Upcycled by Miu Miu dresses are available in nine selected Miu Miu boutiques worldwide: Milan, London, Paris, Moscow, New York, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Tokyo, St. Moritz.

LEFT: 8 /80: A 1960s ivory cocktail dress customised with a white silk crepe collar, green satin bow belt detail and all-over diamanté embroidery; available at Miu Miu New York.
RIGHT: 13 /80: A 1960s embroidered coral red crepe day dress customised with a contrasting black crepe panel and white collar; available at Miu Miu Hong Kong.

LEFT: 14 /80: A 1960s short belted dress in white silk crepe with one-sided pleats on the front, customised with white and emerald green crystal embroidery and all-over diamanté embellishment; available at Miu Miu Shanghai.
RIGHT: 21/80: A 1970s periwinkle blue cotton and linen day dress customised with a white duchesse and lace collar, finished with diamanté embellishment; available at Miu Miu Tokyo.

LEFT: 25 /80: A 1970s green silk crepe day dress customised with a white collar and cuffs, finished with diamanté embroidery; available at Miu Miu Milan.
RIGHT: 26 /80: A 1970s silver and gold knitted cocktail dress customised with all-over diamanté embellishment, a crystal neckline and rose peach silk gazar bow detail; available at Miu Miu Paris.

LEFT: 27 /80: A 1970s white batiste cotton pleated tea dress customised with all-over diamanté embellishment and jewelled neck and cuff detailing; available at Miu Miu Moscow.
RIGHT: 31 /80: A 1970s pale pink pleated crepe day dress customised with embroidered black silk faille sleeves, a crystal jewelled belt, a white crepe collar and feathered hem skirt detailing; available at Miu Miu London.

LoL, Sandra

Actress Elisa Visari wearing Upcycled by Miu Miu.

Photos: © Miu Miu

Beyoncé wore Mary Katrantzou for the single «Water» featuring Pharrell Williams and Salatiel, in her latest visual album «Black is King», styled by Zerina Akers.

The piece was inspired by electric lightning storms and the painterly colours in the sky after rain. A mix between sunrise and sunset.

The dress is a tech-organza base, selected for its high iridescence and intense shine, printed with a multicolour «rave cloud» which has merging colours of fuchsia, peach, citrus, ocean blue and sea green.

Hundreds of laser-cut oyster ruffles are then tulle bound by hand in correlating colours, amounting to around 500 meters. These are hand tucked into place to create the perfect form of sculpted ruffles. The ruffles are print placed to make the dress bleed from colour to colour across the body.

The embroidery consists of stacked micro sequins and crystal, built up in a 3D style which give them an ombré effect. This is accompanied by thousands of singular ostrich feathers, which are hand dyed in ombré colours, grading to up to three colours in each strand. They are then matched to correlate with the perfect place in the print, to mimic the soft drift of clouds after a storm. The embroidery was partly done in India, with finishing touches by our London atelier, amounting to 7 days of embroidery work on the dress.

Beyonce wore the finale look from the F/W 2019 collection, draped around her shoulders. Also looks 34 & 35 were featured in the same video.

For bespoke enquiries please contact .

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Mary Katrantzou

Summer is coming up, I hope you’re prepared, especially after quarantine. If you are not, I have something for you from the House of Dior: the DIORAURA collection which is part of the Dioriviera capsule. Inspired by the creative community, Monte Verità, located close to Ascona, Switzerland, the beautiful pieces all feature multicolor Tie & Dior stripes reminiscent of the sunset, reflecting the themes of aura and energy. I have fallen in love immediately and went for the beautiful Dioraura long dress in silk with an open back. Light as air, it can be enhanced by a raffia waistband, as in the fashion show.

The Dioraura Dior Book Tote complements this stunning piece perfectly. Take a closer look at the design, the colors resembles pure happiness, like a rainbow of shades that transit from red, yellow to bright blue and green.

In stores now – hurry up, those pieces are selling out fast.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Dior

Twenty years ago, a green jungle print gown by Versace broke the internet, and Google Images was born. It was February 2000 when Jennifer Lopez wore the iconic dress, designed by Donatella Versace, to the 42nd Grammy Awards ceremony.

The sheer fabric was printed with a tropical leaf and bamboo pattern, and cut with a very low neckline that extended well past Lopez’s navel, while the waist of the dress was studded with citrines. Seemingly overnight it became a fashion legend, as well as the most popular search query Google had seen at the time. It was often described as a turning point in designer Donatella Versace’s career after the death of her brother, Gianni Versace.

But back in 2000, search results were still just a list of blue links. When the search team realized they weren’t able to directly surface the results that people wanted – a picture of the American recording artist and actress in the dress – they were inspired to create Google Images.

Left: Crystal-embellished printed silk-chiffon gown by Versace (available now)
Right: J. Lo wearing the original design in 2000 to the Grammys

Before it became famous on the red carpet of the Grammy Awards, the dress was presented on the catwalk by model Amber Valletta, and was also featured in Versace’s main advertising campaign that year; Steven Meisel also photographed it on Valletta.

Left: Cutout embellished printed silk-chiffon gown by Versace (available now)
Right: J. Lo with Donatella Versace on the S/S 2020 runway last fall

Two decades later, Donatella Versace showed off a new, revamped green gown in the print for her S/S 2020 collection, and a magic moment in fashion history took place when J. Lo modeled it as the final look of the runway presentation last fall. And is it only me? But I think that J. Lo looks even better than 20 years ago! Just wow!!!

Great news is that you can make these pieces of fashion history your own as both versions are available this season. TO SHOP BOTH VERSACE GOWNS, CLICK HERE PLEASE.

Can you guess which one I went for? I hope this quarantine will be over soon and I get to wear it to a special occasion…

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Versace, Net-à-Porter and Google
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With so many of us at home right now, there’s no better time to make your space beautiful. Here is your welcome dose of whimsy as I would like to show you an amazing collaboration between de Gournay and British fashion house Erdem. The exclusive collection features limited edition Chinoise wallpapers alongside whimsical floral tiered dresses and other dreamy pieces, so that you can match your look to your interior design. This is what I call elevating your level of style!

Erdem Moralioglu – a designer feted for a signature expression of halcyon romance – whose creation of a new hand painted design for wallpaper and as a fabric for a line of his elegant silhouettes deftly pairs the realms of fashion and interiors.

A riotous depiction of nature in full bloom, the new design is a springtime vision of flora and birds: presenting the medium in a kaleidoscopic rendition of saturated tones.

Hydrangea, hollyhock, irises, chrysanthemum and morning glory jostle amidst a verdant lattice of branches, with sparrows, warblers, pheasant and egrets interspersed throughout. Honouring specific instruction from Erdem that the birds appear especially full of life, they appear darting through foliage, taking flight and energetically craning their necks.

With de Gournay’s provision of hand painted design work, the Erdem team plotted elements into a motif for clothing: altered in scale as a florid pattern garlanded across grounds of navy, white and black. The resulting collection for S/S 2020 combines the exquisite character of both brands, with de Gournay’s first executions of wallpaper in ‘Adam Grey’, ‘Kelly Gren’, and a ‘Golden Yellow’ painted to join their iconic Chinoiserie collection and seen for the first time within exclusive photography of the project. Each panel (91.5cm x 150cm-350cm) takes around 120 hours to produce and is handpainted in watercolour at De Gournay’s studio in Wuxi, outside Shanghai.

Exclusive to Net-à-Porter: Oleanna floral-print cotton-poplin midi dress

Erdem’s three separate capsules of stunning dresses and separates come with a white background for Net-à-Porter, navy for Bergdorf Goodman and black for Erdem’s own South Audley Street store and e-site. All three are available now.

I am in love with the Giudita tie-neck belted floral-print silk-voile dress.

A mutual dedication to beauty informs the endeavour, the results of which compliment the illustrious merits shared by Erdem and de Gournay both.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Erdem / de Gournay
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