Sandra‘s Closet

This winter, many fashion houses have launched their own ski collection, including Dior. An ode to escape and the magic of the mountains, the DiorAlps capsule collection designed by Maria Grazia Chiuri celebrates elegance in motion: an exclusive line with a sportswear attitude.

Combining high-tech and Parisian elegance with the Maison’s codes such as the lucky star, the Dior Oblique motif as well as the Mizza leopard print, it includes down jackets, trousers, jumpsuits and Dior Book Tote bags. These pieces are great on the slopes and ideal for après-ski wear.

The collection is available in Dior stores. In Zurich, you can find it at the Globus DiorAlps pop-up shop until January 31, 2022.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Dior and © Sandra Bauknecht

Earlier this year, Balmain‘s creative director Olivier Rousteing revamped Mattel‘s Barbie for the Maison’s Paris Fashion Week presentation in house pastel tones, donning peaked pagoda-shoulder suits – posing in front of the same jetliners that were used as props for Rousteing’s aviation-inspired  F/W 2021 collection.

Two Balmain barbies, and one Balmain Ken, all three dolls embrace Olivier’s vision on inclusivity. «I’m happy to see that these new-generations Barbies truly reflect the diversity of our Balmain Army,» he said.

The original sets for Théâtre de la Mode were destroyed, but new ones were created to display the figurines, which can be seen at Maryhill Museum of Art.

This collaboration between Mattel and the French house is a tribute to Pierre Balmain, who in 1945, after WWII, contributed along other designers such as Balenciaga, Carven and Lulien Lelong, to the «Theatre of Fashion» to present their latest creations. It was a traveling spectacle made of dolls, started by the School Of Chambre Syndicale De La Couture Parisienne. Pierre Balmain dressed over 200 dolls with outfits specifically created for the occasion.

Now, the first must-have piece of this collaboration has hit the shelves. Ski season styling is given a cute update with the After Ski Tundra boots from Balmain x Barbie®. They’re designed with the label’s monogram in pink and are accented with bows.

To shop the After Ski Tundra boots, click here please.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Balmain
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Gucci’s red velvet suit. This is one of those iconic pieces. Designed by Tom Ford in 1996, the red velvet suit immediately became a hit. The Gucci F/W 96 show was one of his best collections ever, he said, «it all came together for the first time.» He referenced his own ’90s Gucci collection for his eponymous label for F/W 2019.

Tom Ford F/W 2019

In celebration of Tom Ford-era Gucci—and the designer’s indelible legacy in fashion, it’s no wonder why the brand’s current creative director, Alessandro Michele, chose to revisit one of the House’s greatest hits for the label’s centennial and released the interpretation of Ford’s iconic suit for his F/W 2021 collection.

Gucci Ad F/W 1996

«Gucci becomes for me a hacking lab, made of incursions and metamorphoses,» Michele said in a statement earlier this year when he first released the re-creation to celebrate the House’s 100th anniversary. «An alchemical factory of contaminations where everything connects to anything.»

Gwyneth Paltrow made the red velvet suit famous.

In 1996, Gwyneth Paltrow first wore the red velvet suit, designed by Tom Ford for Gucci’s F/W 96 collection, on the red carpet at the 1996 MTV Video Music Awards and made it famous. Last month, the actress arrived at Gucci Love Parade in Los Angeles, California in the iteration of the suit by Alessandro Michele.

Tom Ford for Gucci F/W 1996

The recent zeitgeist is all about re-editions, so many brands are looking into their archives for inspiration. As much as the fashion world loves all things new, newer, and newest, in those days we cannot resist a good throwback either.

You can shop the Gucci F/W 2021 look now and get a piece of fashion history: Single-breasted cotton-blend velvet suit jacket, and flared cotton-blend velvet suit trousers.

I would have worn this amazing suit to the premiere of the new House of Gucci movie, if I hadn’t been in quarantine. Now, it is up to you to guess if my suit is from 1996 or 2021. As I have always been telling you, don’t throw anything away. The time will come again.

LoL, Sandra

Alessandro Michele for Gucci F/W 2021

Photos: © Gucci / David Biedert Photography
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If you’re sorting through which trends are worth investing for winter, then don’t overlook this Instagram-worthy style: cutout sweaters. Preferably oversized, these minimal yet revealing details are a welcome departure from the tight and slinky cutouts of past, making them both stylishly unexpected and actually wearable.

Celebrities such as Kourtney Kardashian have been sporting the trend lately, which means cutout knits have staying power in your wardrobe well into the season, even when the weather takes a turn for the cold temperatures. Here are my favorites:

Cutout embellished cashmere and cotton-blend sweater by Area

Oversized cutout ribbed wool sweater by Valentino

Cutout wool and cashmere-blend and satin sweater by JW Anderson

Cutout cashmere-blend turtleneck sweater by Victoria Beckham

Crystal-fringed cutout wool sweater by Christopher Kane

I went for Valentino and Area and cannot wait to show you how I wear them … stay tuned!

LoL, Sandra

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

Inspired by the language of evening dressing, a vocabulary of scintillation – sequin embroidery, crystal strass, the lusters of satin and velvet – for its campaign, the Miu Miu Nuit collection by Miuccia Prada is captured after dark. The images serve as both portraits of individual women – the actors Ever Anderson, Ciara Bravo and KiKi Layne – and as document of the vista of the collective Miu Miu world.

Ciara Bravo for MIU MIU

Photographed by Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott, those campaign stars are poised in enclaves that speak of the night: a deserted bar, a draped antechamber, the illuminated entrance to a member’s club. Images seem loaded with the memory of celebrations just ended, or the promise of those about to commence – the clothes themselves reminders of parties too, embroidered and embellished, joyous and optimistic.

Ever Anderson for MIU MIU

Each star shines brightly – a new generation of female talent celebrated for their abilities to transform. Ever Anderson has gardened critical acclaim for her turn as the young Natasha Romanov in Marvel’s ‘Black Widow’: her latest role is the titular female lead of Disney’s ‘Peter Pan and Wendy’. Ciara Bravo debuted on the small screen but quickly transitioned to cinema: she delivered a revelatory performance in the Russo Brothers’ ‘Cherry’, and acclaim for her role in ‘Small Engine Repair’. KiKi Layne has been lauded since her screen debut as the female lead in Barry Jenkin’s 2018 Golden Globe-nominated feature If Beale Street Could Talk. Layne also starred in HBO’s ‘Native Son’, in 2019. Most recently, she starred in ‘The Old Guard’ for Netflix opposite Charlize Theron and featured in ‘Coming To America 2’ alongside Eddie Murphy.

KiKi Layne for MIU MIU

Here, these women both adopt other personas and, paradoxically, personify themselves – dressed in finery, caught in fleeting moments. They shift between realities, embody characters, make believe – to make us believe.

I am so obsessed with the denim pants… should I get them?

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Miu Miu

It is a HACK! The Hacker Project, first presented within Gucci Aria in April 2021, merges the iconic silhouettes and codes of Balenciaga and Gucci in unique creations as an exploration on ideas of authenticity and appropriation within the fashion industry. Among the hybrid universe of ready-to-wear and accessories, combining the aesthetics of Creative Directors Alessandro Michele and Demna Gvasalia, emblematic styles come together to create something new — from the Jackie 1961 enriched with a diagonal Balenciaga print to the City bag in GG canvas and the Triple S sneaker reimagined with Gucci’s Flora print.

The range includes styles featuring the new jumbo GG motif, a maximalist version of the historic monogram.

The non-collaboration even includes a co-branded Triple S.

Available for two weeks only, the Balenciaga and Gucci’s Hacker Project will drop worldwide on November 15.

LoL, Sandra

Creative Director: Alessandro Michele – Art Director: Christopher Simmonds – Photographer and Director: Harley Weir – Make up: Thomas De Kluyver – Hair: Paul Hanlon

Cinema is a fantasy: acting a craft, like fashion, that brings dreams to life. For the Prada Holiday 2021 campaign, ‘A Midwinter’s Night Dream’, a cinematic dreamscape is created using ground-breaking technology, transporting both stars and audience.

Cinema has always inspired Prada – evocative of complex storytelling, further narrative and deeper meanings. In an evolution of Prada’s heritage of campaigns featuring leading Hollywood actors, four new talents debut for Holiday 2021: Julia Garner (Ozark, The Assistant, Inventing Anna), Shira Haas (Unorthodox, Asia), Louis Partridge (Pistol, Enola Holmes) and Taylor Russell (Waves, Bones & All). They are captured in a winter’s scene as they quest across a frozen terrain – revealed as Los Angeles, fantastically engulfed in snow. Dressed in a collection designed for celebration, they move towards a joyous gathering – a definition of the holiday season.

Fusing together film and fashion, this short movie is based on an original story and script by cult screenwriter and director Mary Harron (American Psycho, The Notorious Bettie Page, Daliland), and is directed by Glen Luchford – a talent who has worked with Prada from the 1990s through to today. In a further crossover between creative realms, the campaign’s imagery is drawn from film stills – presented as bold cinematic panoramas, each captures an enigmatic moment.

Stories of voyages are constantly told through cinema’s rich history: here, they are brought to life with cutting-edge 21st-century technology. ‘A Midwinter’s Night Dream’ utilises the Volume, a virtual effects tool originally engineered for The Mandalorian – an immersive experience composed of a curved cocoon of glowing LED screens. The Volume is – like the story – transportive, recreating environments, inventing new realities.

Fashion and moviemaking unite in their wish to convey a story, one that brings people together in shared experiences. The Prada Holiday 2021 campaign is a celebration: of cinema, of fashion, of community, and of dreaming. You can watch the movie here.
And the new Prada winter collection is definitely a midwinter’s night dream.

LoL, Sandra

Credits: Photography and film: Glen Luchford Creative Direction: Ferdinando Verderi Talents: Julia Garner, Shira Haas, Louis Partridge, Taylor Russell

Mercedes-Benz is continuing its collaborative streak, this time partnering with Proenza Schouler for a capsule collection inspired by travel, the open road, and the iconic Mercedes-Benz logo. The products in this collection are crafted from high quality, sustainable materials, such as recycled eco cashmere and upcycled leather, and made using responsible manufacturing practices involving natural dying and tanning methods. The campaign features Laura Dern and her son Ellery Harper.

Inspired by the great American road trip, the collection is titled The Power of Two and plays with the recognizable Mercedes-Benz logo. Each of the pieces are responsibly made, designed to «be loved and last,» and is also designed to be gender-neutral.

The Mercedes-Benz x Proenza Schouler apparel collection will be available from November 9, globally on Proenza Schouler’s website, as well as at Saks Fifth Avenue in New York, London’s Selfridges, as well as at Mercedes-Benz’s brand space at Odeonsplatz in Munich.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: #Mercedes-Benz x Proenza Schouler

For the first time, Louis Vuitton launches a capsule collection entirely devoted to skiing.

This collection features a complete wardrobe, suitable for the slopes or chalet, from morning to evening: limited edition ready-to-wear, accessories, shoes and skis.

Whether on the piste or on a walk, style encounters performance. Sporting a brand new LV snowflakeshaped Flocon logo, specially created for the occasion, all the ready-to-wear pieces were designed with comfort in mind, without ever compromising on technical details or style. Puffer feather-lined jackets display printed alpine landscapes at sunset and come with matching nylon leggings and pullovers. Reversible parkas in wool and silk are ideal for enjoying a breath of fresh air, while the pieces dedicated to skiing — jackets, salopettes and trousers — are cut in a stretch material and are completely waterresistant.

With hoods lined to provide warmth and softness, some parkas also boast rope belts and snap hooks inspired by rock climbers. Protective inner cuffs, multiple pockets, zipped trouser bottoms… A wide range of technical details to enable wearers to take full advantage of the snow at top speed.

Glimpses of Monogram appear here and there:
on the fleece fabric of a gilet, on the lining of a leather jacket, or even on the hood of a puffer jacket in ECONYL®. ECONYL® is a unique recyclable material made of 100% recycled nylon fibres, fully in line with Louis Vuitton’s circular creativity approach.

Ideal for a winter at altitude, sweatshirts – with and without zips – mini dresses, textured knitwear, chrome jerseys and soft furs complete the collection. Technical jersey ski trousers, as well as shiny satin jogging trousers, adapt to all winter occasions, day or night.

As for accessories, fox fur mittens and gloves are combined with woollen Monogram caps, brushed
silk and cashmere scarves, as well as hats in a variety of colours. An oversized scarf with a large
Monogram can be wrapped several times around the neck, like a cocoon.

The collection also showcases a variety of shoe models to be worn for après-ski. Inspired by rubber boots and available in two different heights, the TERRITORY boot features a notched sole, a metallic clasp, a Vuitton rubber label and beautiful Gommato leather. As for the POLAR ankle boots, they come in water-proof lined nylon or in Gommato leather, and are set on a wedge heel that’s perfect for a walk in Gstaad or Courchevel.

Last but not least, the collection unveils an innovative ski design. Available as numbered 200-piece limited editions, this pair of skis is made of a wooden core covered with an aluminium alloy sporting the iconic Monogram. As suitable on the slopes as they are off-piste, the skis are inspired by a trip to Courchevel. The alpine summit prints — which are also featured on certain ready-to-wear pieces — cover the base of the ski, topped by the new LV Flocon design.

To complete this exquisite technical set, a pair of high-tech ski boots have been designed, with the expertise and craftsmanship of Tecnica, for high performance results. Available in two shades and adorned with a gradation Monogram embossing and a Monogram canvas strap, the boots are equipped with a thermal heating system, supplied by a rechargeable lithium battery; Bluetooth control, and a soft and comfortable Merino wool lining.

Available in Louis Vuitton stores from the 26th November 2021.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Louis Vuitton

Dedicated to the mountains, the Coco Neige F/W 2021 collection offers essential winter sports pieces and accessories imbued with the codes of CHANEL. The collection campaign, photographed by Inez & Vinoodh, is embodied by artist and House ambassador JENNIE, reflecting different facets of the CHANEL spirit.

A collection moving between sport and style, designed for unrestrained enjoyment on the slopes.

A pair of sophisticated ski goggles has joined the Coco Neige F/W 2021 collection. Enhanced with three lines of micro-strass and signed with the CHANEL letters on the sides, these goggles come with a black, silver or electric blue mirror lens. For the ultimate touch of femininity, the black or pale grey elastic strap in gathered fabric has a satin-finish.

The Coco Neige F/W 2021 collection will arrive in boutiques from October 19th 2021.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht, © Trix Hildebrand and © CHANEL
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