Sandra‘s Closet

I got so many lovely messages regarding my two last Prada outfit posts and lots of you were curious about the locations I shot the looks in Milan. Thank you for your interest!

For Prada‘s F/W 2021 campaign #FeelsLikePrada, the Italian fashion house came up with an amazing concept. The patterns of the show decorate buildings, houses and walls in different cities around the world. You can find them in Paris, Milan, Florence, Rome, Shanghai, Tokyo, New York and Hong Kong until October 21, 2021.

Left: Feels Like Prada – Milano – Corso Garibaldi 95 – Building artwall
Right: Dinner with Prada – Milano – Via Spallanzani – Viale Regina Giovanna (Porta Venezia) – Building artwall

Feelings – emotions and senses, intimacy and tactility. The Prada F/W 2021 campaign, showcasing the collections for women and men designed by Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons, is an exploration of the evocation of feeling.

To feel has connotations both sensorial and emotional – rather than intellectual discourse, it is about instinct, spontaneity. Photographed by David Sims, each image is implicitly a fragment of an independent narrative – yet presented in serial, laid side-by-side, these photographs form a new abstract story of their own, expressing emotion. Deeper than appearance, this campaign is about what feels like Prada.

Building in New York

This narrative will come to life through a variety of experimental activations during Fall 2021, spanning digital and physical – life, re-fashioned, through the lens of Prada. Real-world spaces and quotidian objects will be enveloped in tactile patterns drawn from the Prada F/W 2021 collection, alongside building façades also featured in the campaign imagery – objects and places that can be touched, felt.

Prada objects at the Wet Market in Shanghai

The campaign as a whole is a proposition, a proposal – positing a vision of a brand, intentionally multi-faceted, to reflect its complex and ever-transforming nature. It is that which – always – feels like Prada.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht / Nadia Krawiecka
Prada F/W 2021 Campaign
Photographer: David Sims – Creative director: Ferdinando Verderi
#PradaFW21 #FeelsLikePrada #Prada

This knitwear piece should definitely be on your fall shopping list: the half-zip sweater. I promise, it will add instant cozy to your wardrobe.

Half-zip sweaters are simultaneously effortless and polished, and the best part is they come in a range of colors and textures across all budgets. I love eye-catching details like oversized collars or ribbed waists. Ahead, my favorites of half-zip sweaters to shop now. Enjoy!

LoL, Sandra

Ribbed wool and cashmere-blend sweater by Alaïa

Risoul cropped layered ribbed merino wool sweater by Jacquemus (my favorite)

Mouline wool and cashmere-blend sweater by Alexa Chung

Hester ribbed cashmere sweater by Nili Lotan

Bowee ribbed wool-blend sweater by Equipment

Giana knitted sweater by REMAIN Birger Christensen

Tiphaine ribbed merino wool sweater by Officine Générale

Rane cotton-blend sweater by Isabel Marant

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

 After a fashion show staged as a real fantasy – almost-impossibly presented in the landscape of Cortina d’Ampezzo in the Dolomites Alps – the F/W 2021 Miu Miu collection designed by Miuccia Prada returns to the context of fashion, itself another fantasy of realities, exploring the power of clothes as a conveyance of character, an expression of strength. 

As this collection champions the notion of bravery and intrepid exploration, the hero of this Miu Miu campaign is the actor Emma Corrin – whose courage in her abandonment, whole-heartedly, to every role, has boldly powered her to international prominence. Acting requires innate courage – emotional bravery, the baring of one’s soul, to bring fantasies to life. 

An actor’s craft is to lend fact to fiction, to embody people other than themselves. Corrin’s career has been marked by the power of her performances – her paradoxical bravery in showing her own vulnerability, the strength of character she can convey. Here, Corrin is captured in a direct and arresting series of studio portraits, her gaze in each an echo of female archetypes – joyful and reflective, serious or seductive – photographed by Steven Meisel with creative direction by M/M Paris. Her personality projects onto every image – staring boldly from the picture plane, framed in a new context. 

Miu Miu celebrates bravery, boldness – it is rooted in and inspired by communities of women, in the power of the collective. Here, Corrin shifts between different identities, different sense of self – playful or powerful, fragile but strong. Accompanying the print campaign, a series of five short films allow Corrin to reinvent herself once more – as different characters, within different personae. Corrin reads aloud a series of anecdotes, recollections, remembrances – recounting memories, true and imaginary, in her own voice and those of others. Again, lines are blurred: is Corrin acting, or actual – are these her words, or a script? 

Throughout, both films and imagery constantly interrogate our ideas and ideals of reality and fantasy, the courage needed to traverse between the two. As Corrin gives her characters strength, Miu Miu clothes its wearers for brave endeavours. 

The first episode of ‘A BRAVE HEART’ films is online at miumiu.com. Watch the trailer HERE.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Miu Miu CREDITS: Creative Direction: M/M (Paris) – Photographer: Steven Meisel – Videographer: Benn Northover – Styling: Lotta Volkova – Talent: Emma Corrin

Summer has just begun (here in Switzerland it feels more like fall), but in true form the fashion universe has already started spinning its own narrative for the possibilities that lie ahead. The F/W 2021 season will go down in history as it marks a year of no-contact, virtual fashion weeks. How is it to watch a fashion show behind your laptop screen? Let me assure you, it is not the same, you miss the energy, part of the message the designer wants to transport and of course the theater of fashion surrounding the event.

The outcome? F/W 2021 doesn’t wrap up as succinctly as previous ones. Designers have been working in exceedingly unusual circumstances, from home, with zoom meetings, in a vacuum, catering to an audience whose lives are forever changed. And yet, creativity reigns. For F/W 2021, the collections fell in line with the times by embracing that new positive joyful everyday outdoor, prepping for a new-wave Roaring ’20s, finding stability in leather, and keeping comfort key in elevated knitwear. A statement coat is one of the must-haves, proof, we have the urge to spend time outside.

There is something for everyone. Show some skin or cover it up! Be comfortable or be crazy! The choice is yours!

LoL, Sandra

Designers skipped the minimalism in favor of something optimistic and grand with a clear message: Let your light shine, ladies, the future is looking bright.

Conscious and respectful of the animal cause, brands are coming up with faux fur that is both cozy and seemingly more realistic than the real thing.

Statement coats are a must this fall but who says a blanket isn’t a garment? JW Anderson’s artful throws definitely do double duty and fashion’s newest hybrid, the puffcho, a blanket poncho that Gabriela Hearst hybridised with a high puffer collar for Chloé, will surely be seen on fashionistas around the globe.

Cosmonaut, alien or astronomer? A bit of everything at the same time. Fashion is dreaming of elsewhere and further afield, to say the least, rocketing winter into the sphere of futurewear, with inspirations ranging from sci-fi to NASA.

A feat of geometric style, fashion is displaying its taste for mixing and matching, juxtaposing and seeing together a variety of fabrics and leathers (vegan at Chloé by Gabriela Hearst).

A variation on a theme that springs eternal. This season, leather comes with a bourgeois 19eline and a baby doll biker look at Dior.

This season, fashion has taken to the slopes, with salopettes, parkas and quilted pieces revisited for the woman about town. A modern twist for keeping warm this winter in comfort and style.

The obsession of the season, knitwear goes for a comfy yet sexy silhouette. Dresses worn long, showing skin here and there, or are see-through for a more daring effect.

Branding is still a big game with these all-over logo prints. It is more subtle than wearing the designer name on your chest.

The classic skirt suits of recent seasons have morphed into quirky but prim pleated skirt sets.

The trusted suit has gotten a revamp. Traditionally, the style is composed of a blazer-and-trouser combo. For F/W 2021, designers introduced something new into the fold: coats with matching pants.

Cropped jackets and tops are still trending. However, these elegant, midriff-baring looks are far from the mini tees of your youth. Sophisticated and chic, these short takes are for posh girls only.

This fall, many runways showed an ode to the famous movie «Clueless». This 1990s interpretation means retro varsity jackets, and Clueless-esque skirts. Rodarte actually tapped ‘90s style icon, Clueless’ Cher Horowitz (aka Alicia Silverstone), for their latest lookbook.

Sweatpants are not forever. Slouchy, wide-leg jeans emerged as key looks for fall. Consider these ’90s pants for your post-pandemic life.

The Swinging Sixties revisited for the digital age get top billing this season, with monochrome, streamlined variations that are both sexy and tasteful.

Bulbous, bubble-like shapes started trending early in the lockdowns. For F/W 2021, the silhouettes show  an emphasis on the hips and thighs. Both womanly and protective, these new orbs offer coziness and a little forgiveness from the skintight silhouettes seen elsewhere.

Whimsical flamingo motifs spread their wings over ruched mini dresses at Moschino, oversized shoulders walked down the catwalk at Dolce & Gabbana, and ’80s-inspired pieces lit up the runway at Emporio Armani. Miami Vice or Dynasty, the choice is yours.

For those who subscribe to the idea of a new Roaring ’20s on the horizon, you’ll be perfectly outfitted for the occasion with these new flapper dresses.

There is a festive air about the collections this season. With dreams as a leitmotif, evening dresses come out of the closet, and a deluge of silver is shaking up fashion, with strength and character.

No matter your taste, there is a F/W 2021 catsuit to match your lifestyle. Those sexy one-piece wonders are perfect to dance the night away.

Photos: Courtesy of the Brands

Unveiled during Louis Vuitton’s F/W 2021 show by Men’s Artistic Director, Virgil Abloh, the Felt Line, features three iconic leather good pieces and reflect the Maison’s ground-breaking approach to circular creativity. Designed using several eco-responsible materials: organic cotton and recycled wool-based jacquard, 100% recycled polyester derived from existing stocks, as well as recycled plastic for the chains.

A Keepall, a Keepall XS and a Soft Trunk — a design created by Virgil Abloh since his very first fashion show for Louis Vuitton; these three staple pieces from the menswear collection showcase Louis Vuitton’s commitment to circular creativity. Moving blankets — functional, protective and on-the-go — were Virgil Abloh’s inspiration for this new adventure, perfectly in line with the sustainability dedication he has shown since joining Louis Vuitton in 2018. A real creative challenge, this holistic approach is embodied in the creation and use of sustainable and responsible materials used for each product in the Felt Line collection.

An innovative textile — the main material of the pieces — was designed using 43% certified organic cotton, the highest standard, and 20% recycled wool. The unpredictable result of this jacquard underscores the uniqueness of each leather good, on which the Monogram pattern appears and disappears thanks to a lurex thread tufting. The global process emerges in every detail of these three light and practical models, as well as in a form of stylistic adaptation. The lining comes from the House’s existing stocks of 100% recycled polyester, which have been upcycled, thus maximising the use of existing materials and limiting production. The chains and corners were produced using 70% recycled plastic with a multi-colour effect reflecting the jacquard’s chromatic aspects. For the straps and handles, an LWG (Leather Working group)-certified leather was selected, the most exacting environmental label for tanning.

Meeting all the quality and durability criteria cherished by Louis Vuitton, the three models of the Felt Line, as well as one piece of ready-to-wear, a long coat, express the choice of a responsible and sustainable sophistication. By celebrating beauty and creativity in everyday life, which is the central theme of the F/W 2021 fashion show, the Felt Line demonstrates the vivacity of Louis Vuitton’s expertise and ingenuity to provide the best response to its clients’ needs as well as the challenges of the contemporary world. All products feature the signature initially conceived by Virgil Abloh, placed on a leather patch from existing stocks. This emblem is the symbol of Louis Vuitton’s sustainable development policy, as by 2025, 100% of its products will be created through eco-conception.

«Our committed journey» is Louis Vuitton’s sustainable development plan, in line with the LIFE360 (LVMH Initiatives For the Environment) plan. Through six lines of action, it aims to preserve natural resources (sustainable supply of materials, contribution to climate protection, circular approach of creativity) and to have a positive impact on society (diversity and inclusion, commitment to local communities, development of know-how).

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Louis Vuitton

This week, Nicolas Ghesquière sent the models mingling with ancient Roman, Greek, and Etruscan sculptures to the tunes of Daft Punk’s mega-hit «Around the World» down the Louvre’s Denon wing for his Louis Vuitton F/W 2021 show without an audience due to the current pandemic.

The press release stated: «There’s no need to venture far to create the impression of traveling. It’s enough to reach far back… to the Golden Age, or Age of Enlightenment, eras that forged the essence of our civilization. Everything is expressed so purely in Greco-Roman antiquity, the acme of an aesthetic whose primacy is uncontested. More than a journey, Louis Vuitton embarks on an odyssey with a F/W 2021 collection that incorporates fabulous drawings by Fornasetti, the delicate, fanciful engravings of an enduring era. His imaginative strokes explore, illustrate and impart style. It’s also a story of conquest — of body, heart and mind — in which humankind takes centre stage, in all its functional elegance, intellectual dominance, and earthly seduction. The astonishment of age-old principles endures and continues to guide us, such as contrapposto, a stance that first appeared in the 6th century BC and lent statues a dynamic allure, which countless couture poses have reprised since and still denotes a certain stylistic tension in fashion.»

I absolutely loved how Louis Vuitton’s Artistic Director of Women’s collections Nicolas Ghesquière has explored the unique creative world of renowned Italian artistic design atelier Fornasetti for the Maison’s F/W 2021 collection. The multifaceted collection showcases Fornasetti’s iconic hand-drawn imagery that has enchanted art and design lovers since Piero founded his atelier in 1940.

The collaboration begins with Nicolas Ghesquière’s F/W 2021 collection which integrates Fornasetti’s distinct visual universe into multiple designs. Unveiled in the spectacular setting of the Michelangelo and Daru Galleries in the Louvre, the collection with its Fornasetti images of antiquity builds a time-travelling aesthetic and creative dialogue with the museum’s remarkable array of Greek, Etruscan and Roman sculpture.

The collaborative designs in the F/W 2021 collection feature specific Fornasetti themes and artworks, selected by Nicolas Ghesquière in dialogue with Barnaba Fornasetti, the Artistic Director of the Fornasetti atelier, and their teams, from the 13,000-piece Fornasetti archive in Milan. These clothes and accessories use a rich combination of colours, textures and traditional, cutting-edge techniques including jacquard, embroidery and laser printing, intertwining Fornasetti’s exquisitely illustrated world with Nicolas Ghesquière’s strikingly contemporary design.

Highlights include velvet dresses, shiny printed jersey tops upon which Fornasetti drawings of ancient statues are overlaid on high-tech thermal-camera imagery, as well as fleece hooded jackets and tailoring pieces. Oversize outerwear pieces feature Fornasetti print both in a stamp inspired coloured version and, in a gold, coated version.

The show collection will be followed by a wider Louis Vuitton-Fornasetti capsule collection to be launched at a later date featuring a broader selection of Louis Vuitton products that draw on Fornasetti motifs, such as buildings, locks, keys and portraits. These include a captivating version of the Cannes bag in transformed leather, beautifully embellished with a Fornasetti black-and-white architectural drawing and reminiscent of the Renaissance-era Baptistery in Florence, and a reworked Petite Malle that seems to have been inflated and covered with a dome printed metallic leather, creating a striking optical illusion.

«With this collaboration, I wanted to use the pieces to evoke the continuing modernity of Fornasetti’s artistic world,» says Nicolas Ghesquière. «Fornasetti’s enduring body of work is the realisation of a remarkable hand-drawn technique and magical take on the world, and I am particularly drawn to the way Fornasetti re-explored and reworked the heritage of classicism and ancient Rome, adding new references to historical imagery. As a designer who has always loved fashion’s ability to evoke the past, present and future simultaneously, I wanted to add new layers to this creative palimpsest. Exploring the Fornasetti archives had the excitement of an archaeological dig, searching for and finding drawings from the past to give them a new life for Louis Vuitton – for now and the future.»

«My father was an innovator who believed in the handmade, just like Louis Vuitton,» says Barnaba Fornasetti, son of Piero Fornasetti, and the brand’s artistic director. «Our vision has always been to bring Fornasetti’s unique artistic imagination to people through beautifully crafted objects, and this rewarding collaboration represents a new opportunity to expand and explore its visual creativity.»

In all its facets, the Louis Vuitton-Fornasetti collaboration embodies the two Houses’ shared sense of experimental traditionalism: an effective blend of Louis Vuitton’s forward-looking creativity and craft and Fornasetti’s magical and visionary depiction of the world.

Personally speaking, I absolutely love it! Finally, a collection with creativity behind it. Something that has been missing lately…

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Louis Vuitton
DISCLOSURE: This post is NOT sponsored. I am just loving it!

Personally speaking, it was THE show of Paris Fashion Week that I have been eagerly waiting for: Gabriela Hearst’s first collection for Chloé.

Hearst called her first collection for the French Maison the «Aphrodite» to her own brand’s «Athena». Chloé in Greek means «blooming». The question is if it is a new bloom for the Maison with Hearst at the helm. It definitely is in terms of sustainability and this key word was Hearst’s approach to Chloé’s F/W 2021 collection: sustainability was her inspiration, her technique, her fabrics and even her volumes.

The Uruguayan-American designer claimed in the press release that Chloé’s F/W 2021 collection could be considered «four times more sustainable compared to last year,» and she explained that she got there by «eliminating virgin synthetic fiber (polyester) or artificial cellulosic fiber (viscose) and sourcing recycled, reused and organic denim,» adding that «more than 50% of the silk comes from organic agriculture and more than 80% of cashmere yarn for knitwear is recycled.»

This earthy point of view is also something Hearst is known for at her own eponymous brand. For me, I had to look at the collection many times until it has started to warm up to me. You have to understand it to like it as there is not something really excitingly new for the eye, but for your consciousness. I can see the DNA of both brands. However, it is missing this romantic, bohemian playfulness I have always loved at Chloé, even that Hearst only sent dresses down the digital runway.

Gabriela Hearst presented the last look herself.

My favorite item was the coat Gabriela wore for the finale of the show, along with the eco-leather dresses and the printed puffer coats. Hearst created them by repurposing from Chloé overstock spanning designers and eras, with Sheltersuit, a nonprofit organization providing aid to the homeless, which also collaborated on a series of backpacks. The marble prints on blouses and dresses had been created by the artist Peter Miles using seaweed and eggs.

The show was presented digitally last week on March 3rd, one hundred years to the day of founder Gaby Aghion’s birth. Both Gaby and Gabi, as is Hearst’s nickname too, are two strong fashion designers that interpret femininity in their own independent way and respective generations. It is surely a very viable wardrobe with lots of investment pieces to last for a very long time. As Hearst noted to Gaby in a statement, «your House is in good hands» – I would sign that! At least she made me start to re-think the state of fashion today.

LoL, Sandra

The rebirth of Chloé’s Edith bag by Gabriela Hearst.

Photos: © Chloé