Sandra‘s Closet

While shopping on Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles, I came across a very interesting store called Duuya. I browsed through the subtle, very versatile avantgarde couture and asked the lady in the store about this beautiful collection. It turned out to be Jaga Buyan, the designer herself.

Born in Mongolia, she took her chance in 1999 and came to the US to fulfill the “American Dream”. Learning English quickly, Jaga began working in retail boutiques before launching her own clothing line and opening her shop on trendy Melrose Avenue in 2004.

Her courage paid off. Today, her unique signature distressed silk designs and perfect tailored pieces are sold in various stores in the US and internationally, and sometimes even seen on the red carpet in Hollywood.

Below you will find a preview of the upcoming S/S 2011 collection. If you are interested, feel free to contact Jaga at + 1 323 658 8481 (e-mail: ).

LoL, Sandra

Yesterday, I flew to London to celebrate the city’s biggest shopping spectacle: Fashion’s Night Out. Being a fashion addict, I felt like having arrived in heaven. The streets were filled with stylish people for whom fashion still has a thrill, an inspiring mood was in the air. The events were numerous, from Giorgio Armani’s cocktail party, Manolo Blahnik unveiling the World of Manolo pop-up store at Liberty to Sophie Ellis-Bextor’s DJ performance at the Juicy Couture store. Everywhere was something exciting to see or even to win.

The evening served also a good cause. Vogue launched a limited edition T-shirt for the night designed by Sanna Annukka of which all profits go to charity Kids Company.

There was so much to do it had been hard to decide where to start. Superstar appearances were guaranteed at the parties that required an invitation like the ones at Stella McCartney or Matthew Williamson. I was lucky to be there and had the best time ever. The photos I took speak for themselves. Enjoy my very own exciting moments of last night.

LoL, Sandra

It is August and the majority of fall campaigns can be seen now in the new fashion magazines, ads just keep coming out of the woodwork and so I wanted to give you a brief summary of the most important ones and by whom they were shot.
It is funny to see that this world in particular is pretty small and some photographers are ahead of the game.

My personal favourite is Bottega Veneta`s strong expressive F/W 2010 campaign. Shot by the godfather of energetic graphic photography himself: Robert Longo. The artist has became famous in the late 1970s and early 1980s with his series „Men in the Cities“ that depicts men and women in business attire contorted in extreme positions.

The winner this season seems to be renowned Mert Alas & Marcus Piggott. The dream team that has defined the look of the past decade, shot the most campaigns. Enjoy my preview:

The American photographer and long-time protégé of both Franca Sozzani and Anna Wintour, editors-in-chief of Italian and American Vogue is also a big shot in the world of fashion photography. No wonder, Steven Meisel shot all those gorgeous campaigns.

Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinood Matadin, a fashion photographer duo that is well known for their independent art work. Most of their photographs are both critical and slightly disturbing as you can see in the campaigns they shot for F/W 2010.

Italian-born Mario Sorrenti is a photographer and director best known for his spreads of nude models in the pages of Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar.

Peruvian fashion photographer Mario Testino has shot many fashion stories and celebrities. His work has been exhibited in numerous galleries and museums.

Hermès has come up with another really beautiful advertising campaign shot by Paolo Roversi. I love his romantic, vintage looking photos that always seem to tell a story. To me, a perfect choice for the French house!

Bruce Weber is a well-known face in the world of advertising photography. His career really took of in the late 1980s and early 1990s with his famous advertising images for Calvin Klein.

Juergen Teller‘s work is extraordinary and with a distinctive design. His raw style makes him one of the most influential fashion photographers working today.

Multi-talent Karl Lagerfeld likes to keep everything in his own hands. So no wonder that he shoots the advertising campaigns for his own collections for Chanel and Fendi.

Steven Klein is an American photographer that shot many high-profile advertising campaigns for various clients. This season he was hired by Dolce & Gabbana to capture a close knit Italian family with Madonna as the matriarchal figure through his lens.
Great job!

LoL, Sandra

With its successful signature fragrances, Burberry has already dipped its toe in the cosmetic industry. Now, the English brand will immerse one step further with the launch of a 96-piece beauty collection that according to its creative director Christopher Bailey „reflects the natural style and relaxed attitude“ of the iconic coat. The wearable shades of powders, bronzers, lipsticks, lip glosses, eyeliners and more come unsurprisingly in a cool Burberry check packaging.

The campaign for the new Burberry Beauty line was shot by Mario Testino and features three English faces: Lily Donaldson, Nina Porter and Rosie Huntington-Whiteley.

I am in love with the eye shadow in taupe brown n°7 and the blush in russet n°1. Said to keeping itself exclusive, the new beauty must-haves will be hard to get. For Europe, check out Harrods in London, for the US and Australia Nordstrom and for Asia Lane Crawford in Hong Kong.
Good Luck!

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Burberry