Sandra‘s Closet

Louis Vuitton has entered the audio market with a collection of unique wireless earphones,
featuring cutting-edge technology.

The Louis Vuitton Horizon earphones are inspired by the House’s visual universe and come
in four colourway: black, white and red Monogram or yellow and blue LV stripes.

The architecture of the charging case harmoniously mirrors the shape of the Tambour Horizon watch with its contemporary, concave lines. Available in white for the Louis Vuitton Horizon White Monogram earphones and black for the other three finishes, the charging case provides the earphones with a total of 10 hours of battery life.

A single charge will give 3.5 hours of listening time. The volume is adjusted directly on one of the earphones, giving you the freedom to communicate and listen to playlists on the go, making them ideal for both everyday commutes and longer journeys.

The Louis Vuitton Horizon earphones have one of the best audio qualities ever achieved in the field, using a system developed by specialist Master & Dynamic.
This new Louis Vuitton-designed lifestyle accessory works with all Bluetooth© devices, as well as with the Tambour Horizon smart watch.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Louis Vuitton

«I AM SURE THAT MERMAIDS DO EXIST.» – MILO MANARA

Unveiled for the first time at the SIHH in Geneva, this series of ten enchanting erotic watches truly deserve their own post. Ulysse Nardin and celebrated Italian erotic comic book artist Milo Manara have teamed up to take you on a voyage into the depths of a mythical sea of desire where Ulyssa, a mermaid, and Nadia, a woman, meet, discover and love each other in a timeless, nautical reverie.

Based on Manara’s illustrations of underwater encounters between a hauntingly beautiful woman and a mythical mermaid, the watches are a palindrome, each one a unique, timeless moment that exists independently from the others.

Using micro painting over 150 years of watchmaking knowledge and experience, Ulysse Nardin has transferred Manara’s story onto ten watch faces in a series where mermaids and sharks bask freely in clear waters, in an underwater world freed from the constraints of time.

«The clock lends itself particularly precisely to this theme because in eroticism there is eternity», Milo Manara precised.

A mermaid and a human meet and engage tenderly under the watchful eye of a distant shark. Like the sirens in Homer’s classic tale of Ulysses, Manara’s mermaid enchants the young woman, taking her into a sensual embrace. Each scene is a moment where time disappears, and love propels them as they rock gently in the ocean waves.

«I had to think of a theme that brings all these ten images together and yet leaves each one its autonomy, so that it works on its own without the need for the others», Manara explained from his studio in Valpolicella, Italy. «This is not a linear story but there is a common thread based on two characters; one is a timeless girl and the other, a mermaid».

Born in northern Italy, Manara has been a graphic illustrator for over fifty years. He was classically trained as a painter, studying the works of Rubens, Caravaggio and de Chirico before defining his own style. For this series of watches, Manara chose a universal theme – erotic love – and created characters that exist in their own time frame.

«It is clear that these women represent an ideal. If we look at Greek classicism and the Renaissance, one can see that the morphology of the physical model has changed over the centuries. I see my work as a continuous reinterpretation of the ideal model.»

Manara has created just ten of these illustrations, a series that Ulysse Nardin has reproduced using micro painting. High in the Swiss mountains, artisans at the Ulysse Nardin Headquarters in Le Locle have been working during approximately 50 hours around the clock to miniaturize each of Manara’s drawings on the dials, a surface which is roughly ten times smaller than the original water color paintings. The art of miniature painting shows that perfection is indeed in the details.

There is an explosion of colours in the sensual details. From the deep blue of the sea to the coral reef barrier, to the little waves details on the surface of the water and the color of the mermaid’s lips and jewels, it has all been painted by hand using a brush the width of a single eyelash. Patience is key. To enhance Manara’s erotic scenes, a lacquer has been applied as a topcoat on the acrylic painting, reflecting the light and nobility of Manara’s art work.

Made of polished stainless steel, these Milo Manara special editions will also be manufactured in 5N rose gold. Ten pieces per drawing will be produced in stainless steel and ten pieces in rose gold, making the series limited to a mere 200 pieces in total.

Powered by the UN-320 self-winding manufacture movement and beating at the rhythm of silicium technology – which Ulysse Nardin has mastered for decades – only the hours and minutes are displayed in order to leave a maximum amount of space on the watch faces for the drawings. The hands are discreet, leaving the drawings to star on the face of each watch. These Classico Manara in 40 mm will be set on dark blue alligator straps to align with the color tonality dictated by Manara. As a special gift from Ulysse Nardin, each watch purchase will be accompanied by an original numbered Milo Manara print, signed by the artist himself.

Stainless Steel: $ 26.900
Rose Gold: $ 34.400

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Ulysse Nardin

HUBLOT has always pushed the boundaries of traditional watchmaking industry. This year, the watchmaker is celebrating ten years since the creation of Bitcoin by launching the brand-new Big Bang Meca-10 P2P limited edition watch, available for purchase exclusively online with Bitcoins and also featuring the transaction number engraved on the edge of the bezel, rendering each piece unique.

«This is the kind of dynamism and innovation that our partners in Asia delight in. It is a visionary approach that fully corresponds to Hublot’s vision. Through its partnership with OSL, this first P2P watch allows us to continue to explore future avenues.»
Ricardo Guadalupe, CEO of Hublot.

Bitcoin was created only just ten years ago in November 2008. This famous cryptocurrency, a virtual asset stored in digital form, was invented by Satoshi Nakamoto, a name used by the mysterious person – or persons – whose identity remains a mystery to this day. In any case, the peer to peer – P2P – payment system has attracted a large following of users and investors accepting payment for their transactions.

Ricardo Guadalupe and Wayne Trench launch the Hublot Big Bang Meca-10 P2P

A trailblazer in new technological and societal trends, Hublot has decided to mark the ten year anniversary of Bitcoin by launching the first watch that can only be purchased using Bitcoin. It will be sold exclusively via e-commerce and can only be ordered and paid for online. Such innovation was made possible through a collaboration with OS Limited (OSL), Asia’s leading digital asset brokerage. This makes Hublot the first big watchmaking brand to enter this sector.

«OSL is excited to collaborate with Hublot and LVMH, an industry leader in the luxury world, to enable a digital asset industry first. As investors are increasingly looking to diversify their investment portfolio by adding digital assets with generally low correlations to traditional asset classes, we are committed to providing our clients with industry leading trading solutions to support their investment journey.»
Dave Chapman, Chairman and Co-founder of OSL

The Big Bang Meca-10 P2P is a limited edition of 210 timepieces, a reference to the global limit of Bitcoins, which is fixed at 21 million.

True to the innovative design expected from the Big Bang collection, the “P2P” watch has a 45 mm case made from microblasted black ceramic. When we talk about ceramics in a Hublot watch, this does not mean clay-based pottery, but rather a high-tech material of zirconium dioxide pressed at a very high temperature. The Art of Fusion that is so dear to watchmakers and engineers at the Nyon manufacture.

It houses a HUB1201 manufacture calibre, a skeleton movement offering an exceptional 10-day power reserve. A number that was not chosen at random: Ten to mark the number of years the Bitcoin has existed. Each of the 210 pieces is unique: Manufactured for its wearer bearing the identification number of the transaction made via Bitcoin. Another reference to cryptocurrency can be found in the Blockchain inspired design – the interconnection network of computers on which virtual money works – on the blue calfskin leather strap which is lined with black rubber.

The Big Bang Meca-10 P2P was presented a few days ago in Hong Kong, where OSL headquarters is located. Ricardo Guadalupe, CEO of Hublot, greeted special guests at an event of technological splendour. Visitors entered through a captivating tunnel with an interactive display showing the world of cryptocurrency, and the unique payment system that enables Hublot to accept payment in Bitcoin.

A revolutionary milestone in the watchmaking world!
YOU CAN ORDER THE HUBLOT BIG BANG MECA-10 P2P HERE.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Hublot

Monday morning, I took the early flight to London to attend the first Breitling Summit, where the brand’s new Premier collection and additional distinguished products in all of their four universes, Air, Land, Sea, and Professional were introduced. The day started already beautiful with a breathtaking landing over the city in full sunshine.

A brand with a rich heritage

Breitling was founded in 1884 by Léon Breitling with the mission to create toolwatches with optimum functionality. Based in the Swiss Jura, he specialized in chronographs and precision timers. Until today, the watch company has been famous for its pilot-themed chronographs.
In 2017, Breitling, one of the last family-owned watch brands of note, was sold to one of the biggest private equity firm in Europe, CVC Capital Partners. I was curious how the watch company had evolved during the past 12 months after Georges Kern took over the helmet as CEO and also as an investor.

Breitling CEO Georges Kern

The day started with a presentation about Breitling’s journey over the past year and its vision for the future by Kern himself. For me, he is a marketing genius. In this short amount of time, he managed that Breitling is on everyone’s lips and he is proud of this achievement himself. His mission and energy to create a #legendaryfuture seems well on its way. With him in charge, the brand has a great chance to live up to its own spirit and to be flying high again.

Let’s take for example the #squadonamission campaign that is throughly thought through, celebrating the collective spirit of squads united in pursuit of their mission and featuring leading figures from the worlds of aviation, exploration, cinema, and sport. It was a pleasure listening to iconic photographer Peter Lindbergh who appeared on screen to tell us how much fun he had shooting Charlize Theron, Brad Pitt and Adam Driver for Breitling’s Cinema Squad campaign.

Kern said that «this clearly differentiates Breitling from the rest of the industry as Breitling is communicating with teams instead of individuals.» In a round table discussion he also wheeled out his top team.

My favorite: the new B01 Chronograph in Bentley Racing Green

His first steps to turn the brand around was to simplify the product range to four categories of Land, Air, Sea and Professionals and to speak to a broader customer base. On Monday, Breitling also announced new watches in each segment. One presented during the summit will be launched in partnership with Bentley, a collaboration that has been running since 2003, and that will be renewed in 2018 with the new B01 Chronograph in Bentley Racing Green – my favorite watch seen this Monday in London.

Combining purpose with style, the new Premier collections are worthy of Breitling’s legacy.

It is part of the probably most important launch, the elegant and stylish Breitling Premier collection that will be available from the end of October 2018. A reintroduced name that has a special significance for the brand as it was in the 1940s, when Breitling introduced its first collection of truly elegant watches, which were defined by their fash­ionable flair. Willy Breitling wanted to attract a new customer base and Kern wants to achieve the same with these new watches. Kern is clear about the role the Premier watches play in the brand’s product portfolio: «This is the first modern Breitling collection dedicated to everyday elegance. With outstanding quality and performance, these watches bear our unmistakable brand DNA, but they have been created with a focus on style that beautifully complements their purpose.»

Breitling’s new Superocean Héritage II Chronograph 44 Outerknown

Going with the zeitgeist and focusing on the sustainability aspect, Breitling’s new Superocean Héritage II Chronograph 44 Outerknown celebrates the brand’s partnership with Outerknown, a sustainable clothing company committed to improving environmental conditions for the entire planet. The watch features a first for Breitling: the strap is crafted from ECONYL® yarn, an innovative materi­al created from nylon waste, one source of which is fishing nets from oceans around the world.

Preview at the summit: Navitimer 8 inspired by Curtiss will be launched in 2019

Another very cool model that will hit the shelves in 2019 is for Breitlings’ aviation watch enthusiasts and «flying tigers»: the Navitimer 8 camouflage green dial will be produced in conjunction with Curtiss, an aircraft company best known for its WWII P-40 Warhawk fighter jet that is painted with a shark’s mouth under its nose.

Breitling Boutique in Zurich

During the round table Kern explained a little more about his sales strategy. He will increase their own retail and decrease wholesale. He closed most of the stores in South America and opened new ones in Asia and the US. In Paris, Breitling will open a flagship store in the next weeks featuring the new very masculine look, imagine a loft apartment with a pool table and a living room area with leather sofas, brick and concrete walls. «We call it modern retro,» Mr Kern said. Through their interior design, all stores offer an outstanding buying experience. Something that is key for Kern.

His biggest advantage in his new challenge? The independency of Breitling which gives him the capability to act faster than in a conglomerate. Kern is involved in every little step, even the design process of the watches.

Trying the new Premier Chronograph 42 with blue dial and brown alligator leather strap

An outlook for the upcoming year: Ladies, great news is that 2019 will mark the launch of a designated women’s watch collection. Stay tuned!

To a legendary future… I am wishing the whole Breitling team good luck for this thrilling journey!

LoL, Sandra

Photo: Courtesy of Breitling
Harold Cunningham/Getty Images for Breitling
@Breitling #breitling #squadonamission #legendaryfuture #premierstyle

«Every trip is experienced three times: when you dream it, when you live it and when you remember it.»

Last week, I attended the FALCONERI show in Verona, which took place at the Calzedonia Headquarter. The group auditorium turned into a real airport for the event, transporting us – the audience – into the waiting atmosphere of the departure.

Amazing atmosphere before the show.

Front row with my German colleagues: Annette Weber and Viktoria Rader, both of Glamometer.

The music started and the models walked, some accompanied by dogs, next to treadmill baggage, suitcases trolleys and chairs reminiscent of a boarding situation. A beautiful journey through the new F/W 2018 color palette of the brand which goes from neutral beige and grey to colorful hues of pink, lilac, sky blue and turquoise. The collection is perfect for travelling and everyday life, comfortable but stylish, modest but luxurious. Perfect looks to fly to the destinations where FALCONERI is present today, such as Milan, Rome, Moscow, Athens, Munich, Vienna, Bern and now opening Lisbon.

The collection is divided in three parts:

• «Natural Performance» is dedicated to sportswear, as cashmere meets the active world.
• «Knitwear Lovers» is for the customer who is looking for warmth and softness in comfortable sweaters and coats to wear both, day and night.
• «Orient Express» celebrates Asian elegance by presenting coats and jackets with natural textures and kimonos in precious paisley fabrics. The most trending part of the collection.

On the men’s runway, there were lots of noble and sophisticated materials for sweaters and warm, enveloping jackets – a modern and dynamic look for today’s jet-setting connoisseur, a new concept of clothing created for all situations from daily commitment to leisure time.

Located in Avio, Trentino region, FALCONERI was acquired in 2009 by the Calzedonia Group. In 2013, the production has been brought back to Italy. Since 2014, thanks to the cutting-edge Shima Whole Garment technology, the brand can directly produce a complete item without seams.

For more information about FALCONERI, I invite you to visit the brand’s homepage.

After the show, lovely Elena Ciuprina sketched me in my FALCONERI outfit. What a beautiful and fun memory. Then, it was time to kiss and fly back home to Zurich.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Falconeri and © Sandra Bauknecht 

Scarf addicts silk it out loud. Keep the carrhythm…
HERMÈS takes its theme of the year «Let’s Play» literally and invites you to play your favorite song and enjoy carréoké-ing in an Hermès F/W 2018 silk scarf (don’t miss the video at the end of this post…).

Scarf dressing has been spotted in all ways on the F/W 2018 runways…

With scarf dressing and revival of the ’80s being major fashion trends, it is absolutely worth checking out the French Maison’s new collection of must-have silk accessories that you can tie as you like for example as bag straps; purse accessories; nontraditional ankle straps or just wrapped around the head.. the creativity is all yours.

And moreover who does silk scarves better then HERMÈS –  the honest answer? Nobody!

Great news is that after Madrid, Rome, New York City, Brussel and Munich, on October 26, 2018, HERMÈS will open the SILK MIX pop-up store in Zurich, which will be inspired by the look of a record store to house the Maison’s men’s silk, presenting a great variety of shawls, scarves and ties along with the power of color that Hermès is so famous for. Carré motifs decorate album covers, tie designs dress cassettes. It is an invitation to let the beats and melodies drive you. Each disc – or cloth – is associated with a part from the soundtrack of the Prêt-à-Porter men’s runway shows of the past eight years.

Silk Mix Pop-Up-Store
October 26 until November 3, 2018
Galerie Nadja Brykina, Sihlstrasse 91, 8001 Zurich / Switzerland

Music is everywhere. For exploring, dancing and singing along.

LoL, Sandra

Photos and Video: © Hermès

Breaking news! CHANEL launches its first men’s make-up line, BOY DE CHANEL.
First available in Korea on September 1, 2018, it will be available in the rest of the world from November 2018 online, and from January 2019 in CHANEL stores.

By creating BOY DE CHANEL, CHANEL reaffirms the ever-changing codes of an unchanging vision: beauty is not a matter of gender; it’s a matter of style.
With its sleek blue night packs, the BOY DE CHANEL line consists of three essential products: a foundation, a lip balm and an eyebrow pen. Three make-up enhancers, to erase imperfections with accuracy, undetectably. Each offers textures for instinctive use, imperceptible formulas and a long, infallible hold for a natural result.Why shouldn’t men start to do the same efforts we take every morning! To more gender equality – be only you!

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Chanel
#BOYDECHANEL #BEONLYYOU #CREATEYOURSELF

Those shoes are dope. Finally I feel like hiking gets more fun with GUCCI‘s new FLASHTREK SNEAKER.

Sparkling crystals are embroidered onto a removable elastic strap, wrapping around the sneakers and resulting in an amazing effect. Inspired by the hiking world, this shoe line combines an oversize design with dream-like details.

Featuring a vibrant mix of leathers in different colors, the accessory is defined by the Gucci patch with the graphic font of SEGA – a fixture in the colorful arcades and coin-op game rooms of the ’80s.

TO SHOP THE NEW GUCCI FLASHTREK SNEAKERS ONLINE, CLICK HERE PLEASE.

Keep your eyes open, those shoes will be all around town…
Also available for men HERE (with less sparkle see photo below).

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Gucci

Almost thirty years ago, a nostalgic Bally sneaker quite accidentally became a legendary phenomenon upon the urban American hip hop scene.
Originally launched in 1991 to celebrate the 700th anniversary of the Swiss Federation, the Bally Animals unexpectedly became a status symbol of the growing US hip hop movement and in particular, the youth culture of New Orleans.

Long before rappers were calling out sneaker brands, Slick Rick wore a pair of bright red Bally kicks on the cover of his debut album, The Great Adventures of Slick Rick.

Bally’s street style presence had been underlying since the early 1980s with Doug E Fresh and Slick Rick advocating and wearing the brand but the Animals further developed this cult following; worn as a representative status symbol and adored by urban musicians and trend pioneers.

To celebrate its Swiss heritage and continued recognition of the brands mountain roots, Bally has reissued the sneakers alongside a selection of socks, launching in Switzerland this summer.

The collection consists of two replica Animal sneakers in selected derivations of blue, red and black with the familiar cow print procession along the sole and is available exclusively at Bally’s Zurich and Lucerne stores.

Happy Swiss National Day!

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Bally

Yesterday, Italian fashion entrepreneur, also called the «Jeans Genius», Renzo Rosso, was spotted during Paris Haute Couture Week wearing a T-shirt with cryptic wording on it. A mistake, or a purposeful provocation? It was both—a mistake on purpose.

Me with Renzo Rosso at Viktor & Rolf’s Flowerbombastic Party during Paris Couture Week.

DIESEL founder Rosso definitely doesn’t make a mistake. This move is a marketing strategy par excellence. The President of OTB Group, the parent company of Diesel, Maison Margiela, Marni, Paula Cademartori, Viktor & Rolf, Staff International (manufacturer and distributor of DSquared², Just Cavalli, Maison Margiela, Marni and Vivienne Westwood), and Brave Kid (manufacturer and distributor of Diesel Kid, Dsquared², John Galliano Kids, Marni and Trussardi Junior) knows how to get attention and make a statement in the right way.

His message?
Anything you do online, whether you are famous or not, will get judged. Hate brews on the internet; angry, bitter people are able to hide behind the anonymity of their screens. At one point or another, everybody receives hate on social media. He wanted to provoke his audience with an intentional misspelling in public and on Instagram. As expected, tons of comments appeared in his feed over the next few hours, giving more proof that conflict and hate are inescapable online.

DIESEL once again taps into current social issues in a very personal way, starting with self-mocking. The brand’s Haute Couture will be a bold message towards haters worldwide—and an invitation for everyone to step up, face and own the negative messages we receive every day.
The complete reveal of this new communication ‘adventure’ will occur at the end of summer—so, now more than ever, stay tuned. Bravo!

In the meantime, I will be on vacation wearing this shirt :-).
Swarovski crystal-embellished cotton-jersey top by Ashish

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Diesel and © Sandra Bauknecht