Sandra‘s Closet

Personally speaking, I am hopelessly devoted to Mary Katrantzou‘s designs and her F/W 2012 collection is my favourite for the next season. During Paris Fashion Week, I went to the London Showrooms to explore her amazing creations. I love Mary. She is so crazily successful but still completely down to earth and took all the photos of me in her to-die-for dresses. We went for lunch and played dress-up afterwards. I have fallen in love with every single piece.

“A pencil, a spoon, a hanger, a chess piece, a hedge, a typewriter: For F/W 2012 Mary Katrantzou discovers the beauty in the everyday, elevating the mundane to the sublime in a collection where product placement becomes placement print.”

For the first time, Mary decides to match: To match everything. The collection is divided into seven distinct sections, each featuring prints composed from objects associated with a single colour in shades of white, blue, green, ivory, yellow, red and black, Models are saturated in a statement hue, from head to toe, working through a colour spectrum as graphic and striking as a Crayola crayon box.

Finally the wait is over! The new-season is here! Prepare to get lost in dizzying detail and sumptuous colour of the princess of print, with luxe embroideries and outstanding cuts that are all highly collectables at the end. Available from today at net-à-porter.com and matchesfashion.com.

Please enjoy all the photos below of my must-haves and see Mary’s love for detail!

LoL, Sandra

WHITE & IVORY

Gleam Coat

Ivory Dress with many layers of chiffon and painted leather sleeves

Powdy Dress with long sleeves, Powdy Biker Jacket and Powdy Scarf

YELLOW

Powder Gun Dress

The most breathtaking dress of the collection: Sprinter Fritz Dress
It came straight from the Ritz for me where Anna Dello Russo had tried it earlier that day. Those bendable pencils are absolutely divine! This dress is a piece of art!

Sweet Mary brought it to perfection on me!

RED

Typo Dress – Let me be your secretary!

Roseterrier Dress, printed leather with pleated skirt – amazing!

BLUE

GREEN

Expandit Dress with bolsters and embroideries by the famous French Haute Couture Embroidery House Lesage who collaborated for the first time with a London designer

BLACK

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht

“I’m renowned for my love of a high collar and I wanted to create a true collector’s item,” says Karl Lagerfeld of his jewel-encrusted collar.

Fusing “the masculine with the feminine and uniting the world of fine jewelry and high fashion”, the designer’s spectacular collar is an extraordinary collector’s piece. Handcrafted from black suede, sparkling with pavé black diamonds and a single emerald- cut stone, produced exclusively for the Vogue UK jewelry editor Carol Woolton-curated Brilliant exhibition at Masterpiece, London, the capital’s luxury art and design fair, it will be on display from June 28th – July 4th. The piece will be accompanied by a hand-signed sketch from Mr Lagerfeld himself.

A percentage of profits from the sale will be donated to children’s cancer charity CLIC Sargent.

This collar will be available for shipping from 7th July.
TO SHOP, PLEASE CLICK HERE.

LoL, Sandra

For its upcoming highly anticipated ‘fashion meets art’ collaboration, Louis Vuitton has teamed up with avantgarde painter, pop art artist, fashion designer, sculptor, street performer and poet, Yayoi Kusama. At the age of 82, she is an artist of many talents.

The preview is not even on the official website, the Louis Vuitton press offices keep everything secret. But thanks to WWD and Stylerumour, the first photos have emerged.

Here is your very exclusive and so exciting preview of what the Japanese dot-enthusiast and Marc Jacobs have come up with. Personally speaking, I am crazy for those polka dots, especially the red and white ones that remind me so much of Minnie Mouse. Also included in the collection are wave prints. The colours are yellow, red, black and white.

The collection will be unveiled Mid July 2012 in Louis Vuitton stores around the globe, with a second wave of goods arriving in October.

Ladies, get yourselves on the wait lists now!

LoL, Sandra

Yayoi Kusama Louis Vuitton Pump Monogram Nylon Dots Infinity black

Yayoi Kusama Louis Vuitton Monogram Shawl Dots Infinity black

Yayoi Kusama Louis Vuitton Sunglasses Waves Rond White

Yayoi Kusama Louis Vuitton Pareo Monogram Waves white

Yayoi Kusama Louis Vuitton Lockit GM Monogram Nylon Dots Infinity yellow

Yayoi Kusama Louis Vuitton Cuff Dots Infinity yellow

Yayoi Kusama Louis Vuitton Lockit MM Monogram Vernis Dots Infinity yellow

Yayoi Kusama Louis Vuitton Pump Monogram Vernis Dots Infinity yellow

Yayoi Kusama Louis Vuitton Pochette Accessoires Monogram Vernis Dots Infinity red

Yayoi Kusama Louis Vuitton Ballerina Monogram Nylon Dots Infinity red

Yayoi Kusama Louis Vuitton Montre Tambour Dots Infinity 28 mm

Yayoi Kusama Louis Vuitton Bangle GM Dots Infinity red

Photos: Via Stylerumour and Franck Mura via WWD

Yesterday’s post about the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee inspired me to take out my “Union Jack” bags. The use of the Union Jack in fashion is obviously nothing new and I have always been a huge fan of the British flag. As for me, it has already become a fashion classic.

My Union Jack classics from left to right: Bag by Chanel and clutch by Alexander McQueen

Alexander McQueen is probably one of the main perpetrators of this trend. The brand’s veritable explosion of Union Jack patterns on clothes and accessories make fashionistas drool with desire. Seriously, it’s like the flag just takes every outfit to a complete new level of style.

To shop those fashion classics, click on the highlighted text.

LoL, Sandra

Red, blue and white crystal box clutch “Union Jack” by Alexander McQueen

Beige crystal box clutch “Union Jack” by Alexander McQueen

God Save McQueen printed modal-blend scarf by Alexander McQueen

Distressed Union Jack wool and silk-blend scarf by Vivienne Westwood

Vintage Union Jack-print Wellington boots by Hunter

Photos: Vogue Italia and © Sandra Bauknecht

Meet Roksanda Ilincic, one of London’s leading ladies. Her creations are the epitome of effortless elegance and the Duchess of Cambridge and Michelle Obama are among her fans.

After graduating from Central St Martins, the Serbian-born, London-based designer launched her eponymous line in 2002 and quickly gained recognition for her utterly modern brand of eveningwear. Choose from column gowns and cocktail dresses in draped-to-perfection silks and satins.

Her must-have piece from the S/S 2012 runway is the über-fabulous Margot lantern-sleeve dress. Roksanda got her inspiration from Balenciaga’s ’50s original bell sleeves and updated the look amazingly (see above).

Available in mustard-yellow and navy at matches.com and in pink at net-à-porter.com.

I went for the pink version. Stay tuned for the upcoming photos.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Roksanda Illincic and Balenciaga

Those tiered „scarf“ printed maxi dresses with colourful, intricate motifs recall the lavish decadence of the early Nineties. The time when Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana‘s diffusion line D&G launched in 1994.

Those must-have gowns are your chance to invest in a piece of fashion history as the designer duo showed their final D&G collection for S/S 2012 with a masterful tribute to the label’s history reinvigorating archive prints to create a fabulously feminine collection.

Please click here to shop those must-have looks.
Bye-bye D&G, you will be missed!

LoL, Sandra

How amazing is this all over beads sandal by Kanye West by Giuseppe Zanotti? The only downside is that it is a little overpriced. You would have to splurge $6000 on a pair of shoes!

The designer’s friends Kim Kardashian and Chanel Iman were already spotted rocking these pieces of art. In case you love to buy the shoes and rock the tribal trend, they are available at LuisaViaRoma.com.

LoL, Sandra

When my eyes spotted the net-trimmed ribbed knitted beanie designed by Stephen Jones on the Jil Sander S/S 2012 runway last fall, I was asking myself why had nobody before come up with the idea to combine a casual beanie with the glamourous feel of a veil. The outcome is so outstanding. Needless to say, this veiled hat has been on every fashion lover’s shopping list and it made its way into my closet, too. As the Jil Sander version (available in blue and white) is pretty expensive, you might want to try doing it yourself.

What do you need?

A sloughy knitted beanie, French veil netting (Available at fabric stores. To order, please click here), sewing thread of a similiar colour, a sewing needle and a pair of scissors.

How to do it?

This is pretty easy and doesn’t require advanced sewing skills. Just attach the French veil netting inside of the turn-up of the beanie. Turn the it over and sew the bottom edge of the netting to the beanie with a single stitch to the middle point.

I attached the photos of my beanie below for you to see it more in detail!

Have fun sewing!

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht

This fall, you might hear ladies screaming with delight: „Oh, it’s a boy!“
But they won’t mean their babies, they will admire the season’s It-bag: The Boy Chanel.

Embodying the androgynous charm Coco Chanel was known for, the design is inspired by a hunting cartridge style that was originally carried by the famous lady herself.

“Chanel used men’s underwear to make dresses; she had this boyish attitude, in fact it is the very spirit of Chanel. She got it from Boy Capel, the great love of her life, which, incidentally, explains why the new bag is called the Boy Chanel.”

-Karl Lagerfeld

Available in a palette of red, lead green, grey, black and ivory, these calfskin clutches, purses and totes come in five different styles. The hardware has a unique look in distressed silver or bronze. They range from $2500 to $4300 and hit Chanel stores in September. Get yourselves on the waiting lists for this ground-breaking Chanel collection now!

Is androgyny the new femininity?

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Chanel

Summer has officially just started, but when it comes to fashion, we are right in the middle of winter.
The F/W 2011 ad campaigns are popping up and one of the most talked about this season is Prada’s „fashion maximalism“. Shot by Steven Meisel, the photos show never-before-seen faces such as Frida Gustavsson, Ondria Hardin, Dorte Limkilde, Kelly Mittendorf, Antonia Wesseloh and Julia Zimmer.

One thing is for sure, same as the S/S 2011 banana prints, those trompe l’oeil boots in bright and exotic skins will be seen everywhere the next season and the `60s colour block shift dress will be on every fashionista’s shopping list.

It wouldn’t be Miuccia Prada, if she didn’t surprise us once more. The face of her Miu Miu F/W 2011 ad campaign is 14-year-old actress Hailee Steinfeld who was photographed by Bruce Weber.

After nine seasons working with Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott, Miu Miu is going in a new direction, with this different and fresh campaign.

Those glitter booties are sure to get even more buzz, they are to-die-for! Same as the oversized clutch bags, preferably in fur.

LoL, Sandra