Sandra‘s Closet

Capri, Ischia, the beautiful Amalfi Coast, I adore those places and enjoyed the past days there. Everything there smells like summer, from the slices of lemon to the salty skin after sea-bathing, from the beautiful flowers around every corner to the solar-soaked elements. There really is nothing like summer days, where time seems to stop, and the world moves slowly, all under the nourishing warmth of the sun. Therefore I love ACQUA DI PARMA’s BLU MEDITERRANEO collection. Those novel fragrances evoke the charm of the Italian Mediterranean and you can immerse yourself in this beautiful energy, even after you are back home.

Recently, I was invited by ACQUA DI PARMA to celebrate summer at Brera restaurant in Zurich. Along the beautiful scents, we enjoyed great food and cocktails that were inspired by the ingredients of each fragrance. Enjoy those beautifully fresh and buoyant fragrances to make your summer days halcyon.

ARANCIA DI CAPRI
Discover the relaxing and bright fruity fragrance Arancia di Capri encapsulating the signature scents of orange, mandarin, and lemon of Capri.

Top Notes: Italian Sweet Orange, Italian Mandarin, Italian Lemon
Heart Notes: Petit Grain, Cardamom
Base Notes: Caramel, Musk

FICO DI AMALFI
Fico di Amalfi by Acqua di Parma offers a revitalising scent that continuously surprises just like the spectacular view of the Amalfi coast.

Top Notes: Italian Lemon, Italian Bergamot, Grapefruit
Heart Notes: Fig Nectar, Pink Pepper, Jasmine Petals
Base Notes: Fig Wood, Cedarwood, Benzoin

MIRTO DI PANAREA

Mirto di Panarea will enchant you with its uplifting fragrance, bringing a sense of renewal to your soul.

Top Notes: Myrtle, Basil, Italian Lemon, Italian Bergamot
Heart Notes: Marine Breeze, Jasmine Absolute, Damask Rose Absolute
Base Notes: Lentisc Ansolute, Juniper, Virginian Cedarwood, Amber

BERGAMOTTO DI CALABRIA

With Bergamotto di Calabria, Acqua di Parma created an enchanting eau de toilette celebrating the majestic Calabria and its golden Bergamot fruit.

Top Notes: Calabrian Bergamot DOP, Citron
Heart Notes: Cedarwood, Red Ginger
Base Notes: Vetiver, Benzoin, Musk

My favorite ACQUA DI PARMA BLU MEDITERRANEO scent was not included in the menu, but I absolutely suggest you try this yummy gourmand fragrance when you get a chance.

MANDORLO DI SICILIA
Acqua di Parma has created an eau de toilette spray with a caressingly soft scent evoking the sweet memories of a Sicilian way of life: Blu Mediterraneo Mandorlo di Sicilia.

Top Notes: Star Anise, Italian Bergamot, Italian Orange
Heart Notes: Green Almonds, Ylang Ylang
Base Notes: Madagascar Vanilla , Lebanese Cedarwood, Tolu Balsam, Musk

Wishing you a lovely weekend with lots of sunny moments!

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © David Biedert Photography and © Sandra Bauknecht
#vibrantlyalive

Are you looking for a great gift idea or a self-treat? Here is an idea. Why not decorate a beautiful scented candle with a personalized calligraphy. This Saturday, May 29, there will be a calligraphy activity at the Acqua di Parma Jelmoli stand, where you can make your product truly unique.

Surprise someone with a flower bouquet (I can recommend Tom Flowers for delivery in Switzerland) and a personalized Blu Mediterraneo scented candle. Entice your senses and immerse in golden moments under the sun with the unmistakable spirit of Blu Mediterraneo.

If you cannot make it on Saturday, get yourself a waterproof pen and start decorating it yourself. I am sure that you will make someone very happy!

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht
#aquadiparma #tomflowers #vibrantlyalive #blumediterraneo #jelmoli

Wherever you are, ragazze, Acqua di Parma‘s evocative scents of summer will put you in a blissed-out state of mind before you know it. And they come covered in LA DOUBLEJ‘s vibration-raising prints (naturally!). In other words, you’ll smell as good as your bathroom looks and your mood? Boosted, babe.

The collaboration is the first between La DoubleJ and Acqua di Parma, but the brands shared interest in the visual, olfactory, or tactical richness of the Italian landscape make them natural partners. Street-style star, journalist and contributing editor at Harper’s Bazaar and Wallpaper* magazines JJ Martin launched La DoubleJ in 2015, initially as a platform to sell her collection of vintage clothing. Soon, she began to create ready-to-wear pieces, working with top Italian textile manufacturers, such as Mantero, to use reissued vintage prints from their archives. More recently, the Milan-based brand has expanded to include homeware, collaborating with expert makers such as Mascioni and Bitossi Home to create patterned linens, porcelain plates and bold tableware.

Through the partnership with Acqua di Parma, La DoubleJ offers 100% Made in Italy terry-cloth towels and sun-burst bathing suits, to an exquisite range of products scented with Arancia di Capri, Bergamotto di Calabria, Fico di Amalfi and Mirto di Panarea, it is an ode to all the soul-satisfying colours and home-grown aromatic delights that Italy has to offer; created and crafted to be enjoyed this summer and for many summers to come.

Great news is that you can also enjoy this pure Italian style during your next summer holidays at the Alpemare Beach Resort in Forte dei Marmi as the Maison symbolising the most refined Italian style and the Brand created by JJ Martin dress up the Bocelli family’s bathing establishment on the elegant beachfront at Forte dei Marmi with the Blu Mediterraneo by La DoubleJ capsule collection.

The wonderful view of the Apuan Alps and the Mediterranean scents of the pine forest on one
of the most evocative stretches of the Forte dei Marmi beachfront, together with contemporary
works of art set out in various spaces, make Alpemare a veritable jewel of beauty and well-being.
Andrea Bocelli himself, the great tenor and Italian singer who is famous throughout the world,
often treats himself to relaxing breaks and even performs here.

The elegant tents that welcome guests on the Alpemare beachfront are even more radiant, with beach towels and cushions from the capsule Collection. The Confetti Blu print, designed by La DoubleJ in blue and yellow tones, creates a bright Mediterranean atmosphere for an unforgettable summer.

In all relaxation areas and collective spaces, from Alpemare’s garden to its exclusive restaurant, Arancia di Capri candles give off the light and effervescent scent of one of the most popular Blu
Mediterraneo fragrances.

The cabins, maintained by Alpemare in their original form, come complete with Arancia di Capri
amenities from the Acqua di Parma hotel line to enhance the resort’s refined harmony for a truly Italian holiday.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Acqua di Parma

Finally, I am allowed to share with you the official photos of ACQUA DI PARMA‘s new home collection that were photographed at the iconic Belmond Hotel Splendido Mare in Portofino by Guido Taroni in his sister Virginia Taroni.

When I met with Laura Burdese, I asked her about the biggest challenge the luxury industry is facing at the moment. She replied: «Personally speaking, it is to build up a global brand into a world that is splitted in two. We have the Western and the rising huge Asian world. To bring these two universes together is sometimes hard. Masculinity for example is different in Asia than in Eurpoe. What seems probably feminine to us, is very masculine for Asian people. Sometimes you are tempted to do certain things just for one place and you can get lost intranslatuion in the middle. Therefore, the biggest challenge for me is to build up a global brand with the same values, and the same assets, that can be read in the same way through different cultures.»

Launching the new home collection is surely a great step forward into building up one global brand. The home is the place that brings people together around the world. Everyone dreams of creating a space of relaxation, comfort and pleasure. It is the most intimate and personal space. The place that reflects your choices and tastes more than any other. Objects, colours, books, music.

All these things create an atmosphere that defines you, creating a space where you can entertain friends and make them feel at home. A certain ‘savoir-vivre’ that is palpable in the air. Light, subtle tones released into the air by an elegant candle or a simply designed room diffuser, bring the brightest Italian style to every room. The new Acqua di Parma Home Collection lends the final touch to a genuine home.

The brand that is the symbol of Italian lifestyle has produced ten new fragrances for candles and room diffusers. A range of sensory impressions, not just for your personal pleasure but also for the well thought out art of welcoming guests, or for an elegant, carefullychosen gift. Five different fragrances capture the typical moments of Italian living: Luce di Colonia, Buongiorno, La Casa sul Lago, Caffè in Piazza and Oh, L‘amore.

And for those who want to recreate the breath of the unforgettable Italian Mediterranean in their own home, five fragrances inspired by the Blu Mediterraneo line: Arancia di Capri, Fico di Amalfi, Bergamotto di Calabria, Chinotto di Liguria and Mirto di Panarea. Essences that contain ingredients symbolising the magnificent natural landscapes of the Italian Mediterranean.

My personal favorite: Oh, L’amore.

Home Collection from Acqua di Parma lights up your living spaces with a touch of sophisticated Italian style and the sheer pleasure that comes from feeling perfectly at home. The new scented candles and diffusers combine sensuality and design, and further enrich the world of creations conceived for the home, ranging from the Cube to the refined Murano Glass Candles, Powder Soap and Scented Paper drawer liners. All for a sense of light, natural elegance, to experience along with the brand name which has come to symbolise Italian lifestyle.

LoL, Sandra

Scented paper drawer liners are so awesome for your closet.

Photos: Courtesy of Acqua di Parma #HomeCollection