Sandra‘s Closet

Ladurée is worldwide known for their double-decker macaroons which come in various flavours and seasonal specials. Founded in Paris by Louis-Ernest Ladurée, in 1862, the famous luxury pastries shop and café is always worth a visit. Today, the brand can be found all over the world and has even opened its doors in Zurich last winter.

Even if you are not into caloric treats, you should pay the shop a visit. The interior itself is overly stunning and inspiring, definitely nothing for minimalists.
Remember my friend, I wrote about, that built her dream closet in the famous Ladurée green.

The Ladurée universe includes much more than sweets. They sell the most beautiful gifts you can imagine from scented candles to shower gel, from ruffled printed umbrellas to tea degustation sets. All gorgeously wrapped and packed in their signature boxes in pastel colours.

Many designers got together with the famous French patisserie for the best fashion/food collaborations ever. Names like Christian Lacroix, Christian Louboutin, Marni, which are making our hearts go all aflutter with their designs, have created adorable macarons gift sets.
In the end of October, John Galliano will be decorating his special edition for Ladurée: The rose-ginger macaroons.

While the sweets inside may not last long, the fashionable packaging will be worth keeping it forever.

LoL, Sandra

Recently the couture bottle design has become a huge craze. Companies team up with famous designers to get new “clothes” for their drinks.

After some really amazing collaborations with some of the biggest names in fashion, like Christian Lacroix, Jean Paul Gaultier and Paul Smith, Evian has chosen Issey Miyake this year to create a stylish cover. Clean, contemporary and colourful is the new design that will be available in gourmet stores.

Perrier is spicing up his bubbles with the help of burlesque star Dita van Teese who will be their new cover girl this year. Before that they worked with Custo Barcelona, Agnès B. and Paul & Joe to create some very desirable cans and bottles.

Finally San Pellegrino decided to be part of the hype and has chosen Missoni to cover their famous bottle label with the Italian fashion house’s zig zag pattern for their 111th anniversary. Thirty million units are being produced and will be sold in the best restaurants worldwide. In Zurich, they are everywhere.

Diet Coke has been increasing its connections with the world of fashion since quite a while. So no wonder that a long list of famous designers already have got a chance to embellish the beloved soft drink. Karl Lagerfeld has even changed the shape of the bottle this spring.

For all champagne loving fashionistas, Piper-Heidsieck has got some amazing pieces, from the corset bottle designed by Jean Paul Gaultier in 1999 to Christian Louboutin’s Le Rituel Box with a red soled shoe flute and Viktor & Rolf’s limited edition Rose Sauvage set with an upside down bottle.

Dolce & Gabbana’s first experiment in the wines and spirits sector is the Martini Gold Limited Edition. The exclusive mix: bergamot from Calabria, lemons from Sicily as well as oranges, Spanish saffron, myrrh from Ethiopia, ginger from India, and cubebe pepper from Indonesia was developed by the design duo themselves.

A good investment was definitely one of the 2000 individually numbered whiskey bottles that featured Alexander McQueen’s signature Union Jack colours. The late designer had teamed up with Chivas Regal to create that special piece in 2008.

As to me, all those bottles are really striking and sophisticated object d’arts and a show stopping addition to any dinner party.

Cheers!

LoL, Sandra

Vending machines selling luxury goods seem to be on the rise. Katie Grand, editor-in-chief of LOVE magazine has teamed up with Selfridges to create such a machine for the beginning of London Fashion Week until October 15th. The new retail concept can be found in the lobby of London’s It-hotel St Martin’s Lane where many editors, models and buyers are staying at the moment.

You can get a lot of fantastic items, some highly exclusive, let me name a few:

-Falabella bag by Stella McCartney

-leather and sequined dress by Alexander Wang

-draped dress by Vivienne Westwood Anglomania

-a unique pair of trainers by Rick Owens customized by Chrome Hearts with solid silver hardware

-Amazona handbag by Loewe

-limited Dior nail polishes

-Mimosa candles by Diptyque exclusive to Selfridges in yellow

–Falke’s new „secret socks“ for men

-a vintage Rolex watch

-embossed leather wallets by Comme des Garçons

-clutch purses by Mulberry

A word to the wise, do not get drunk in the hotel bar, you might lose control and this could end on the way to your room passing the LOVE machine in a financial disaster.

LoL, Sandra

The Swiss based label Ginger Tea & Nuts has launched its online shop today.
Individual T-shirts, longsleeve tops and more for babies, girls, boys and mamis are available with cute little prints. Each piece is a one of a kind and can be personalized at your request.
Ginger Tea & Nuts offers worldwide shipping. Please send an e-mail to for further details.

LoL, Sandra

Have you always dreamt of having a cup of tea with your favourite designer? Now your dream becomes true, you can have a tête-à-tète with Karl Lagerfeld, Jean Paul Gaultier and Donatella Versace. The Prêt-à-PorTea set characters recline in your cup.
What a lovely way to enjoy your afternoon tea. To the Haute Brew!

Karl Lagerfeld will be more accessible from next year anyway. Groundbreaking news this week was also that the genius has cancelled his show, which was scheduled to take place in Paris on October 3rd, to focus more on his new vision: The launch of his “Masstige” line next year. The term is coming from the combination of “mass market” and “prestige”. The Kaiser seems to be a true visionary by exploring his notion of “mass elitism” using his own name.
The collection, which will be of good quality but more more affordable than designer clothes, will only be sold online. By saving the inherent costs of opening a boutique and investing more in the product itself, Karl Lagerfeld is anchoring himself in modernity and will make his company highly profitable again.

I like his vision of everybody in the streets well dressed! Go for it, Karl!

LoL, Sandra

Some of the most important Prada icons become “mini” accessories: the shopping bag in nappa gauffrè, the backpack in nylon and the saffiano boxy shaped bag have been reinterpreted in a new 15 cm size.

Even F/W 2010’s “Yo-Yo bag” goes  “mini” and becomes  part of  Prada’s heritage. The “Mini-Bags” turn into keyrings as well, which are made with the same fabrics used to make the bags.

Prada will also launch the “Pin Up Tricks” and the “Graffiti Tricks” collections that will include some fun earrings inspired by the work of street artists.The mini gift ideas by Prada will be available from November 2010 in the Prada Stores.

Prada Lisbon

It is always worth paying a visit to a Prada store, especially when it is a brand new one because it is sure to be filled with the best pieces of the season. Last weekend, I went to Lisbon where the legendary Italian label just has opened its doors on Avenida da Liberdade.

After conquering the market in over 70 countries, Prada has finally arrived in Portugal. Designed by the architect Roberto Baciocchi, the shop has some beautiful museum-like displays, resulting in a sumptuous “boudoir” ambience where each collection has separate compartments and is organised in different environments.

And for those travelling to Lisbon, I highly recommend a visit to the new Mude –Design & Fashion Museum. Take your time as you can spend hours in there.

LoL, Sandra

Do you want your children to be colouring in style? Thanks to Hermès, they will be able to scribble fashionably in the brand-new most exclusive colouring book ever.
Hermès Les 4 Mondes is available for $130.- which sounds kind of expensive for twelve pages and 24 designs (markers sold seperately) but it is a real steal compared to the French house`s bestselling toys like the pull-along wooden horse for $600.- or the cute plush animal for $520.-. I am sure that all fashionable Mums will love it and that children could not care less.

To the cream of the crop, better start them young!

LoL, Sandra

A few days ago I was at the Ralph Lauren store on Robertson Blvd when my eyes caught something so adorable that I had to take a photo and share it with you: Sweet little baby feet in a pair of patent thong sandals with a big suede flower topping off the mini-fashionista look.

The flats have also a stay-put wraparound ankle strap and are available at RL stores or online for $45.- (on sale now for $34.99 in the US) in pink and white. It is never too early to become a shoe-addict!

I also loved the cashmere blanket in Ralph Lauren`s signature cable knit covering the tiny legs ($295.-) that can be personalized for an additional $5.- with custom-embroidered initials or name.

A gorgeous gift for a stylish mum!

LoL, Sandra

Remember your first sets of day-of-the week undies when you were a little child? I still have strong memories of being excited to pick out the correct one each morning. I am sure that many of you had the same experience. To relive your girlhood delight, Stella McCartney has these sassy knickers of the week for us adults. Every day is well taken care of with the seven silk-blend briefs with multicoloured floral embroidery that come in a stylish dressing-drawer style box. The set will look adorable in your bedroom boudoir or make a fabulous gift for a fellow fashionista. Available in black,white and light pink.

Get yourself organized! These knickers are a natural winner!

LoL, Sandra

Paris Hilton at Madame Tussauds

It is Sunday and I feel totally cozy. When I am at home, I usually wear all sorts of track suits, mostly by Juicy Couture. By transforming the sloppy sweat suit into a sexy uniform, the brand has been on everyone`s lips since quite a while. Spotted on many celebrities, it seems to be perfect for everyday life. Paris Hilton, a big fan of the label, is even displayed at Madame Tussauds wax museum in London in Juicy Couture.

In the US it is quite usual to wear the comfortable clothes to all sorts of different occassions from grocery shopping to lunch. In Europe, the trainer look is becoming more and more part of a fashionable wardrobe during the day. I could live in those, sooooo comfy and still body-consciously sexy, also great for yoga and pilates. By the way, the quality is amazing, you can wash them a zillion times.

Apart from the tracksuits, Juicy Couture offers a lot more, from cute underwear to kids clothing, dog couture, jewelry and a lot of fun stuff.

I am totally in love with those cute pieces above. The colour combo of mint green and soft pink is enchanting. Who could resist a girl in such a cute bathrobe at the breakfast table sipping her coffee?

Pam Skaist-Levy and Gela Nash-Taylor

Juicy Couture changed the flavour of casual dress and style. The company was founded by two smart Californian women Pam Skaist-Levy and Gela Nash-Taylor in 1994 and belongs since 2003 to the Liz Claiborne group. The brand extended their product range to include ready-to-wear, denim and more. The sister line Bird by Juicy Couture was introduced last year, a more serious fashion that offers a great value for money. I recommend it warmly to you.

Usher in an era of relaxed luxe that will sooner or later take over the world!

LoL, Sandra