Sandra‘s Closet

On December 3rd, 2020 the monthly Prada Timecapsule drop will be launched on prada.com – at 3pm CET – for 24 hours only. It is an exclusive product drop of 50 items, occurring once a month, each first Thursday.

This series of drops offer a classic boxy shirt, one of Prada’s wardrobe essentials, presented as unisex in an original printed version. The print’s motif is inspired by a theme related to the month of launch and includes a specific limited edition number 1/50, 2/50….

For this release, scheduled December 3rd, Prada offers a cotton popeline shirt for both women and men, characterized by an original print inspired by film posters of the 1960s. Available in XS, S, M, L, XL for €790,00 here for only 24h.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Prada 

After four cities, countless runway shows, it’s time to reflect on the themes and trends that emerged, both within the fashion industry and the cultural vibrations in general. So what’s new for next winter? Plenty. Easywear continues to be big, we’ll still see lots of ’80s references, and real fur has almost disappeared.  The overall trend might have been towards real clothes that are easy to wear in daily life. Next winter will be determined, celebrating individuality and style with a multitude of trends that are dying to be worn. It’s all about having fun!

Below is a summary of the most important trends for F/W 2018. Enjoy and choose yours!

LoL, Sandra

Layering is the absolute must next winter, with plays on texture and volume in a masterful game of accumulation.

After Gucci announced that it won’t be using any more real fur, many brands have followed the movement.

The only «real» fur trending next season is sheepskin which seems to be the natural choice for a cold weather wardrobe.

One of my favorite trends: the comeback of the cape, so versatile and easy to put over even the biggest sleeves.

Checkmate! Checks are at its best in fantastically mad all-over and color-blocked looks.

Classic Saville Row fabrics such as herringbone, glen plaid, and houndstooth look richer than ever. Enter the season with some swagger and a great men’s overcoat.

Wild West feeling!  Fashion looked to America to discover the New World through Western accents.

Black leather is out in full force. Rock your glam power woman silhouette with an sophisticated attitude to take the idea from Matrix remake to decidedly modern.

With a sensual masculinity and a boudoir elegance, those runway looks proved once again that nightwear is not restricted to an evening in.

From Brigitte Bardot’s beehive to Jackie Kennedy’s pillbox hat, and Mary Quant’s geometric prints, every ’60s fashion icon’s style has been revisited this season.

I don’t remember one season without any florals on the catwalks. F/W 2018 is no different -perennials come in every charming varietal – most important update is the three-dimensional effect.

This season, scarf prints are worn all over the body for a vibrant and flowing appearance.

With all these vibrant looks on the runway, clean, lean, and chic-white seems to be a very welcome alternative. Think: Maxi in length and slim in silhouette.

Ultra-reflective, high-shine materials – holographic, futuristic looks are big this winter. 

Think Dynasty in the ’80s where the focus was on glamorous eveningwear: sensual and festive frills.

Photos: Courtesy of the Brands

“My Spring 2014 Collection celebrates a simple purity of clean lines and structure with a nod to the bold spirit and playfulness of swinging London in the late Sixties.” – Ralph Lauren

America’s grand seigneur of fashion added a wonderful modern and young twist to his S/S 2014 collection. I loved those knee socks and little Mary Janes in the beginning of the défilé. He showed a lot of black and white looks, very elegant and sophisticated as we know Ralph Lauren.

When colour appeared in the second half of the presentation on the runway, it was eye-catching bright. From cobalt blue to lime green and acid yellow, those hues looked extremely beautiful on the many gowns that walked down the runway. My favourite was Karlie Kloss‘s cobalt-blue strapless long dress in which she certainly made an entrance.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Ralph Lauren Collection and © Sandra Bauknecht

First of all, this is one of my favourite outfits for summer and I couldn’t wait to wear it for the Louis Vuitton Maison opening party last week in Munich (post will be coming up shortly). I had fallen in love with the checkered ’60s style immediately during the S/S 2013 runway show.

My look: Citron and white checkered dress, Magic Square slingback pump in glazed calf, matching Enveloppe East West bag in Damier Mosaic, silk satin bow headband (all S/S 2013) and bracelet from a previous season by Louis Vuitton.

I love the way Jamie‘s photos have turned out, thank you so much! Have you seen my photo shoot with Louis Vuitton for the Art of Packing? In case not, please click here.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Jamie McGregor Smith for Louis Vuitton

Here is the fifth and final look that I wore for the shoot with Swiss News magazine:

Belted wool-crepe tunic, wool-crepe straight-leg pants, both by Miu Miu, bi-colour glittering ankle boots by Chanel, Muse Two bag by Yves Saint Laurent and hat by Louis Vuitton.

This look makes me always feel like escaping from everyday life. I love the ’60s vibe and the vibrant turquoise hue. It is comfortable and stylish in one!

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Carina Scheuringer and © Sandra Bauknecht

On Wednesday morning, I went to Louis Vuitton‘s S/S 2013 show that was as energizing and different as it was brief because the models walked out in pairs like twins. The setting was once more very special: Four escalators formed the fundamental structure of the presentation inspired by Les Deux Plateaux, a famous installation piece in the Palais Royal by the artist Daniel Buren with columns arranged in a grid.

The collection was very graphic and structured which had I expected after having seen Marc Jacobs’ signature line where minimalistic stripes ruled the runway (for more information, please click here). For Louis Vuitton, the designer went for ’60s silhouettes, gigantic checks and floral embroideries stitched in mini-squares. Even the house’s iconic Speedy bag got cubed, too.

It was the first ever Louis Vuitton collection not to make use of the Monogram. Instead, the Damier pattern provided the house’s signature.

A fundamental duality underpinned the collection, Marc Jacobs used always two colors, shiny and matt textures. He had the image of two very different French icons of the ’60s, Françoise Hardy and Jane Birkin, in mind when creating the collection: Hardy always very covered up, Birkin always revealing plenty of flesh, but both always in long, simple clothes. To reinforce these oppositions, the collection was presented on models in pairs.

For a finale, the models streamed down the four escalators very futuristically like an army of Louis Vuitton cult followers to the music from the opera “Einstein on The Beach” by Philip Glass. The show was different, especially compared to the excesses of last season and also optimistic as the sunshine yellow enlightened the room.

Marc Jacobs almost jumped down the escalator while the audience applauded.

Front row: Delfina Delettrez-Fendi, Natalia Vodianova, Antoine Arnault and Poppy Delevingne

Rachel Zoe and husband Roger Berman

Enjoy your weekend!

LoL, Sandra

Photos used for the collages: Courtesy of Louis Vuitton, all other photos: © Sandra Bauknecht

Anne Hathaway grabbed attention yesterday at the European Premiere of The Dark Knight Rises in London in a stunning  shimmering gown from Gucci’s Resort 2013 collection. The long-awaited conclusion to Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy is released worldwide tomorrow.

Speaking of Gucci Resort 2013, Frida Giannini seeked inspiration from a glorious 60s and 70s inspired getaway in Capri. Filled with sophisticated and elegant silhouettes, the designer plays with the iconic Flora print. The colours are divine, from vintage-like sorbet shades to earthy tones of beige, brown and black. Embroideries and embellishments on the neckline resemble a summer bouquet. I would love to have every single look!

It is so Bon Chic. Bon Genre!

LoL. Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Gucci and © Getty Images

The legendary fashion house Paco Rabanne that ruled in the 1960’s has started to make a comeback.

In 2011, Indian designer Manish Arora had been hired as Creative Director of Women’s Ready-to-Wear and showed his first collection for the French brand, owned by Puig Beauty and Fashion Group, for the S/S 2012 season during Paris Fashion Week. Now, after only two seasons at the helmet of the house, he left. A split that appeared abrupt and unexpected.

This week, the Paco Rabanne House announced the appointment of Lydia Maurer, 29 years of age, as the new Artistic Director.

Born in Germany of a Colombian mother and a German father, she travelled throughout her childhood, following her parents between Europe and South America. Then at sixteen: Paris, and fashion. In 2006, 24 years of age, freshly graduated from Studio Berçot, Lydia starts working for Yves Saint Laurent. This is where she learns the precision and discipline of a great Maison. A change of scenery the following year with the launch and development of Rue du Mail, with designer Martine Sitbon. For four years, Lydia will learn the ins and outs of the fashion industry: an enriching and intense journey. Third encounter with Parisian fashion in 2010, Lydia Maurer makes joins the Givenchy Womens-ready-to-Wear studio where she takes care of the capsule collection, capturing the essence of Riccardo Tisci’s vision of the prestigious house.

Last November, Lydia Maurer took the reins at the Paco Rabanne studio. A role tailored to her, a bespoke experience. Serving a fashion ever in motion, honoring the body, Lydia is sensitive to the alliance of cultures. Fascinated by 60s and 70s arts, which emphasize the material and can transform metal into divine sculptures, she naturally inscribes her universe of creation into the heritage of the Paco Rabanne House.

It rejoices her: “It is a great honor to be taking on the artistic direction of such an emblematic house at the heart of Parisian creation. I am very impressed by the creative power of Paco Rabanne, a House that from the very start strips out all conventions, using, among other things, an assemblage of unexpected materials. A creative approach based on both technology and craftsmanship, resulting in a fashion that is instinctive and playful”.

Lydia Maurer will present her first S/S 2013 collection in Paris this upcoming October.

Outrageous and sometimes impractical designer Paco Rabanne came onto the scene in 1966, when he showed his first collection, a provocative manifesto titled “12 Unwearable Dresses in Contemporary Materials”, the dresses embellished with rhodoid sequins and plaques. Clothes suddenly became an artistic expression of their time. Courting scandal and plaudits, Paco Rabanne never mellowed in his mission to question the process of thinking and showing fashion, preempting the conceptual turn that designers would take as the 21st century neared.

Paco Rabanne 1966 – Photographed by Ed Pfizenmaier

With one-off handmade pieces, pioneering the recycling of materials, event clothing, and ephemeral items, throughout his career Paco Rabanne reveled in experimenting with revolutionary projects and adapting materials for his own uses: hammered metal, knitted fur, aluminum jersey, dresses made from paper or fluorescent leather or fiber glass, to mention just a few of the more emblematic examples.

Paco Rabanne – Vogue Paris 1969

In 1971, he was recognized as a couturier by his peers when he became a member of the storied Chambre Syndicale de la Couture.

In 1999, after more than thirty years of internationally acclaimed creativity, Paco Rabanne announced his retirement from the world of fashion. In 2010 he was decorated an Officer of the Legion d’Honneur by the Frech culture minister, a timely acknowledgement of his work as a visionary designer and innovation originator in the world of fashion.

Here are some of his iconic pieces:

1966 – Dress in aluminium disks

1996  – Plastic and metal bubble dress

1997 – Plastic and silvered metal space

1997 – Dress in transparent rhodoid and water

Given the history of the label, I hope that Paco Rabanne will be back amongst the most renowned avant-garde fashion brands in the very near future.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Paco Rabanne

Earlier you’ve seen the new H&M Fall 2012 women’s collection, now here’s a look at the men’s lookbook!

Andreas Löwenstam, H&M’s Head Menswear Designer sums it up, “The suit is the most important garment for men at H&M this fall, and it’s amazing to see how it can be worn in so many modern ways. Traditions mix with new ideas to build a new wardrobe that’s all about personal style.”

I love the suit look layered with a hoody, this adds just the right amount of coolness to the classy look! The mix of texture and colour is nicely contrasted with burgundy and bottle green, THE colours for F/W 2012. The silhouette is very ’60s. Which one is your favourite?

Key garments: The suit, turtleneck sweaters, tailored pants, chinos, cords, mid-thigh coats, the cardigan and blazers.

Key accessories: Leather brogues, leather gloves, leather weekend bags, tweed ties and bow ties, suspenders, coloured socks, 60′s glasses frames and gentlemen’s umbrella.

LoL, Sandra

Photos Lookbook: Courtesy of H&M – © Kacper Kasprzyk
Photos Showroom: © Sandra Bauknecht

Let me introduce you to BoBo House, a brand new fashion label launched in early 2012.

Founder and designer, Eloise Lapidus brings her experience, fresh style, and Parisian charm to her line of apparel. As daughter of world-renowned French designer, Ted Lapidus, Eloise’s keen fashion sense has been instilled in her ever since childhood.

Introduced by her father’s designs, worn and coveted by icons such as Brigitte Bardot, Alain Delon, Francoise Hardy and John Lennon to name a few, Eloise is greatly inspired by ’60s and ’70s bourgoise bohemians, or “Bobos” of Paris and St. Tropez. Thus, her collections are comprised of classic pieces that are romantic while discreet and effortlessly sexy offering ultra‐soft tees, luxurious leggings and a bit of Parisian je‐ne‐sais‐quois like floral chiffon pareos and leathers vests. Pricepoints run from $85 – $499.

Very romantic rocker – I like!

BoBoHouse is now available at Los Angeles-it-girl-staple boutique SATINE. Jeannie Lee, Satine shop owner, describes Bobo House as “Whimsical, spontaneous and fresh.”
For other stockists, please click here.

If you are interested in a shopping guide for Los Angeles, click here for a previous post.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Satine Boutique and BoBo House