Sandra‘s Closet

You know the expression a match made in heaven. As a fashion collector, who has curated high-end fashion items for over 30 years, I like to observe the secondary market and follow auctions very closely. When I was approached by Sotheby’s, the prestigious auction house, for a collaborative venture at the new Sotheby’s Salon at Bucherer on Bahnhofstrasse 50 in Zurich, I was immediately drawn to this idea.

Within the Zurich flagship store of Bucherer, located on the third floor, the salon is the first ever permanent ultra luxury retail destination by an auction house worldwide. Offering an amazing selection of high-end items, including luxury fashion, jewelry, art, fine spirits and collectibles, the salon provides a bespoke and exclusive environment for clients to browse and acquire rare and valuable pieces. This venue enhances the traditional auction experience by offering a more personalized and intimate setting, appealing to discerning collectors and enthusiasts who seek exceptional items with a high level of service and expertise.

In love with this white diamond solitaire ring, 12.16 carat, D colour, VS1, with GIA certificate, price upon request.

Lots of treasures in the by now section.

The new «buy now» concept is also allowing collectors to buy at fixed price from a permanent curated selection of watches, jewelry, leather goods, fine wines, fine art and more. Overseeing the Salon will be representatives from Sotheby’s, each well-versed in their specialisms and in the products on sale – the selection of which will be influenced by the demands of the highly knowledgeable clientele and collectors to be found in this region. On top, from time to time, pieces that will go into an auction will be on display.

Fine wines and spirits are also part of the offering, as Jessica Graf, Deputy Director Sotheby’s Sales Manager Switzerland, explained to me.

So what prompted this remarkable joint venture? Both venerable businesses, Sotheby’s and Bucherer can indeed also be seen as a match made in heaven, particularly in the world of luxury and high-end collectibles as their partnership combines Sotheby’s expertise in auctioning and marketing rare and valuable items with Bucherer’s deep knowledge and prestigious reputation in the watch and jewelry market. However, the Salon is solely managed by the Sotheby’s team.

Three objects of desire on display for the auction: Shadow, Himalaya, and Faubourg Birkin.

Once you exit the elevator and enter the Salon, you might think you have landed in heaven. Nowhere else you can find such an outstanding collection of limited edition and hard-to-get handbags from Hermès or CHANEL that you can actually buy on the spot. The Sotheby’s sales team makes sure that all pieces are new or in immaculate condition. Furthermore, they have also a dedicated department that will help you source any piece you like to have.

How gorgeous are these yellow diamond pear shape earrings please?! 25.31 carat fancy deep yellow, VS1, 25.33 carat fancy brownish Yellow, VVS1, 4.8 carat white diamonds, H-I, with GIA certificates, price upon request.

Client relationship plays a huge part in this new retail concept. Therefore the Sotheby’s Salon also hosts exclusive events ranging from sealed auctions, fashion events to wine and spirit tastings in the Caveau, which features library vintages and bottles, usually reserved for long-term clients. Of course, events aside, it is the curation of products on sale that will be the main attraction – and it promises to be nothing if not varied.

If you are invested in selling a piece yourself, you can meet with a Sotheby’s specialist to receive valuations of your items and consign directly for sale at auction, retail, or private sale. Sotheby’s will take a 20% commission on the sale which I find absolutely fair.

Big smile as investing in fashion was a good thing to do …

Connoisseur or collector, you will love this new retail concept where dreams will come true and you will find your match made in heaven.

LoL, Sandra

Landed in shopping heaven …

… spoilt for choice!

On display and in Sandra’s Closet: the Hermès Constance Marble bag.

Watches are also part of the selection …

… as well as art.

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht / Sanjeev Velmurugan
DISCLOSURE: This post is sponsored. We may earn commission from links on this page, but I only recommend products I love. Promise!

Karl Lagerfeld was one of the fashion world’s most famous and revered designers who revolutionised and reinvented the leading luxury brands in the business. An icon of pop culture, whose influence was felt far beyond the realm of luxury fashion, Karl Lagerfeld was one of the most recognisable figures of his generation, but always remained enigmatic.
This December, Sotheby’s is paying tribute to this genius designer, presenting an anthology of his unique taste and treasured mementos of his life and career by selling more than 1,000 lots from his residences in France and Monaco, the homes that he so carefully designed.

The first part of the Karl online auction has offered collectors a unique opportunity to acquire art objects and pieces owned by the late designer. On Monday, Dec 6, is your final chance to bid on the first part of the auction. Click here to see the lots.

Georges Lepape – La comédie

This auction features a superb collection of Georges Lepape drawings, and a diverse selection of design, clothing, luggage and pieces portraying Karl Lagerfeld from his residences in Monaco and Louveciennes, every one of which bears witness to his extraordinarily good taste.

The second part of KARL Paris online auction opens between 6 and 16 December. Click here to find the catalog.

«The story of this sale is of Karl Lagerfeld at home, of the private man behind the public persona. We see him as an absolute aesthete, applying the very same precision to the spaces he lived in as to the designs that saw him conquer the world of fashion. A glimpse inside his homes reveal a designer who knew how to perfectly balance the old and the new, the traditional with the radical, the serious with the surprising, and often with a twist of fun. And, a flick through the catalogue provides a tantalising hint at what it might have been like to sit around his dinner table, with the eclectic tableware, porcelains, glasses, linens and silver on display. It is items like these, and the most personal pieces offered throughout the sales, whether they be from his celebrated wardrobe, his dressing table, his linen cupboards or silver chests that help piece together the story behind the persona of one of the great designers of our times». – Pierre Mothes, Vice President of Sotheby’s France.

«He (Karl) was forthright, charismatic and decisive in every aspect of his life, but it is his sharp sense of humour that really shined behind closed doors as well as his encyclopaedic knowledge of art and culture that he generously shared at every opportunity.
Karl’s scope of work didn’t just evolve, he continually re-invented it, emerging season by season as a key player and shaper of the fashion zeitgeist; his vision was so extraordinary. I’ve often described him as the Warhol of fashion, because like Warhol his work spanned such a wide variety of media and he understood the relationship between photography, artistic expression, celebrity culture and advertising.» – Claudia Schiffer

Unsurprisingly, Karl Lagerfeld’s sharp eye for style extended into his private world, and the twenty residences he is believed to have designed throughout his life. The sale brings together tens of important pieces of decorative arts that reflect his passion for contemporary and industrial design that preoccupied him for the last 20 years, with glimpses of the 18th-century and Art Deco periods that captivated him for so long before that.

Martin Szekely
103 Black Console, 2006 | Console 103 black, 2006

Radical pieces of design – moulded in cool steel, aluminium, leather, glass and stone – by the likes of Marc Newson and Martin Szekely are juxtaposed with 18th-century luxuriance (gilt bronze and crystal chandeliers, a regal Louis XVI bed draped in a silver thread and yellow silk lampas, 18th-century sculpture), and many classic art deco pieces, something that Karl Lagerfeld first fell for in the 1970s, especially the work of Louis Süe and André Mare.

Objects from his desk

Lagerfeld’s passion for a sharp contemporary aesthetic peaked with his design of the futuristic apartment he spent two and a half years renovating on the Quai Voltaire next to the Seine. Here, in a 300-year-old building, he reinvented the traditional concept of an artist’s studio for the 21st century, with a monochromatic interior of glass, metal, concrete and silicone. This would become his primary residence in the city, where he lived with his celebrity cat Choupette. In his words: «This is not a house…It’s a spaceship!»

Karl Lagerfeld’s 8 rue des Saint-Pères apartment

The sale also opens the door to two of his residences that had never been seen before: a two-storied apartment on Rue des Saints-Pères (also in Paris) where he powerfully mixed minimal design with decorative arts, and, the last home he ever decorated – a 19th century villa in Louveciennes, near Versailles. The latter was contrived as a love letter to his German roots, adorned with posters of advertising, furniture and works of art dated from the beginning of the 20th century from his homeland.

Karl Lagerfeld
Set of four scrapbooks with fashion sketches, circa 2000 | Ensemble de quatre carnets de croquis de mode, vers 2000

It is Lagerfeld’s homes, and the personal touches throughout the sale that remind us of the man behind the image: sketches that show him as an artist at work with drawings not only for shoes and fashion designs, but of his partner of almost 20 years, Jacques de Bascher. They are joined by scrapbooks of photos and cuttings assembled by Lagerfeld himself, and artworks by one of his great inspirations, the early 20th century celebrated French illustrator and fashion designer, Georges Lepape. Embroidered cushions read «Ici, c’est la place du chat», reserving a seat for his famous cat Choupette, and monogrammed personal items adorn his desk and dressing table.

To the world however, Karl Lagerfeld was best known for cultivating an image so recognisable that it achieved cult status, and was reproduced again and again through paintings, drawings, sculptures, and even dolls in the shape of his famous silhouette, many of which are included in the collection.

Saint Laurent Paris, Velvet Tuxedo Jacket, 2016 | Saint Laurent Paris veste de smoking, 2016

Lagerfeld’s signature uniform was always a contemporary sleek black suit, dark sunglasses, and fingerless leather gloves, matched with an 19th-century-style oversized collar, tie pins, handheld fans, and a powdered white ponytail. And, the sales open the door to this most famous wardrobe, notably jackets from the luxury Parisian fashion houses – Yves Saint Laurent, Christian Dior to Maison Martin Margiela – as well as a globally diverse group of designers, notably from Japan, represented by Comme des Garçons. Many are in Lagerfeld’s signature colour: black, but others are in fabrics with snakeskin and leopard print designs, or with stripes, embroidery and studs. As for his diverse repertoire of fingerless gloves, the sale includes a kaleidoscope of colours and designs, in pink, red, silver, bronze, studs, stripes, chain mail.

CHANEL
Black Embossed Lambskin Tote Silver Hardware, circa 2010 

Despite Lagerfeld’s designated role as the «channeler of Coco», Karl Lagerfeld rarely wore Chanel himself, once insisting that «In CHANEL, I look like my mother». Nonetheless a handful of Chanel items are represented in the sale. Most unique is the black shoulder bag that he took with him everywhere. The style was never released in CHANEL boutiques or even worn on the runway. Its exact design never materialised beyond the prototype style in Karl Lagerfeld’s personal collection, making it an item as mysterious as the owner himself.

You can visit the exhibition in Paris
11 December | 10:00 AM–3:00 PM
12 December | 10:00 AM–6:00 PM
13 December | 10:00 AM–8:00 PM
14 December | 10:00 AM–1:00 PM

Location:
76, rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré 75008 Paris

Karl Lagerfeld’s villa in Louveciennes

Sotheby’s Cologne will present another auction dedicated to the estate of the Hamburg-born Karl Lagerfeld in spring of next year, comprising an exquisite selection of objects from his last residence in Louveciennes, spanning various epochs and styles, but with a special focus on early 20th German art. The sale will star pieces from 1920s Germany by the architect and furniture designer Bruno Paul, as well the pinnacle of German commercial art from the beginning of the 20th century – rare collectible posters – that Lagerfeld collected for thirty years, and are likely to be particularly sought after in the auction. Highlights can be viewed in the prestigious space of Palais Oppenheim in Cologne in advance of the auction.

The auction of Karl Lagerfeld’s Estate is an insight into the world of this discerning and insatiable collector. Revealing the story of the couturier, the collector, the designer and the photographer – the true legend that Lagerfeld was.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Sotheby’s, Karl Lagerfeld and © Sandra Bauknecht

Last April, I wrote a post about the amazing project that LOUIS XIII did in collaboration with HERMÈS, SAINT-LOUIS, and PUIFORCAT.

Four French luxury houses joined forces to create something very special.

Personally speaking, I still find it very impressive that each decanter of LOUIS XIII takes four generations of cellar masters over 100 years to craft. It is a unique blend of up to 1,200 eaux-de-vie, the youngest of which is at least 40 years old.

A veritable journey through time, it has been present at every milestone in the history of luxury travel. In tribute to this odyssey, the four French luxury houses joined forces to create three unique masterpieces. To crown their rarity, the LOUIS XIII cognac they house is a tailor-made coupe enriched with a selection of one of the oldest Grande Champagne eaux-de-vie, set aside over the decades by the Cellar Masters.

Touring the world.

Inspired by the iconic LOUIS XIII journeys, these objets-d’art have toured the globe, exhibiting their history and savoir-faire at Hermès boutiques, prestige museums and select venues in cultural capitals: Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong, New York, Singapore, Paris and London… For one year, LOUIS XIII shared its ode to adventure with the world.

To close this exciting tour, each decanter has been auctioned by Sotheby’s. In New York, the Americas edition topped the record for sale of a LOUIS XIII decanter; in Hong Kong in October, the Asia decanter surpassed that total; and at the final sale in London on November 16, the Europe decanter fetched US$ 235,000, bringing the full total to US$ 558,000.

“LOUIS XIII and The Film Foundation are both committed to preserving a cultural legacy, honoring the past while ensuring that films survive into the future. The work of the foundation has helped to restore over 700 films, from the 1880s onward, encompassing well over 100 years of this extraordinary art form. We are grateful for our partnership with LOUIS XIII, and its generous and continuous support for the foundation’s mission,” said Martin Scorsese.

The proceeds will benefit The Film Foundation, created by Martin Scorsese in 1990 to restore and preserve cinematic heritage. A great project with a lot of success – bravo!

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of LOUIS XIII

A rare enamel and diamond wristwatch designed by Bvlgari in 1965 was sold on June 4th at Christie’s in London from a private collection. This extraordinary sale, tripling the estimate, has set a new world record price for a Bvlgari snake watch at an auction.

Enamel & diamond snake watch, by Bvlgari, circa 1965

The iconic piece, estimated between $300.780 and $417.750 fetched more than $ 1 Million, changing hands for the final price of $1.107.038. The Roman jeweler, today part of the LVMH Group, celebrates its 130th anniversary this year. The important achievement at Christie’s is testament to the investment value Bvlgari jewelry has, now for over a century.

Serpenti Watch
Quartz movement. 40 mm 18-ct pink gold case, dial and double-spiral bracelet set with brilliant-cut diamonds and turquoises. Eyes in turquoises. SPP40D2GD2T.2T

Since their first introduction as wristwatches in the 1940s, the Serpenti creations became the icons of Bvlgari’s creativity. As the years went by, eclectic reinterpretations in tune with major trends and prestigious endorsements consolidated their status of brand icons.

No leader of the ancient world is more closely associated with the snake than Cleopatra. Strongly intertwined to the Roman Empire through her love affairs with Julius Caesar and Marc Antony, when she first arrived in Rome in 46 BC, the cheering crowd could admire her beauty enhanced through the coiled gold snake bracelets that were adorning her body.
Almost 2000 years later, in the 1960s, Elizabeth Taylor could not resist to ask her favourite jeweller in Rome at via Condotti 10, to create especially for her a Serpenti bracelet, that she was wearing on the set of Cleopatra, as the new queen of the Nile (see photo in the first collage).

Serpenti Watch
Quartz movement. 40 mm 18-ct white gold case, dial and double-spiral bracelet set with brilliant-cut diamonds and onyx. Eyes in onyx SPW40D2GD2O.2T

I am a huge fan of the Serpenti watches and cannot wait to finally have one on my wrist…

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Bvlgari

Last night, Sotheby’s achieved the highest jewelry sale in history with a total of $199,512,930 (CHF 183,054,500) in Geneva, Switzerland.

The highlight of the auction was an enormous diamond known as “The Pink Star”, which sold for $83,187,381 (CHF 76,325,00), far surpassing its expected price of $60 million. It is the highest price ever paid for a gemstone at an auction.

Representing an anonymous buyer, the vivid and flawless 59.60-carat vivid pink diamond was bought by the famous New York-based diamond cutter Isaac Wolf, who has renamed it after the sale “The Pink Dream”. It received the highest color and clarity grades from GIA for pink diamonds. Mined by De Beers in Africa in 1999, the 132.5 carat rough diamond was painstakingly cut and polished over a period of two years and transformed into this stunning gemstone. It was presented for the first time at auction last night.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Sotheby’s and The Associated Press

Last night, I went to the exhibition opening of the Gunter Sachs Collection at Sotheby’s.

The art collection of famous German multimillionaire Gunter Sachs, who committed suicide at his chalet in Gstaad, Switzerland, at the age of 78, last year and who was once married to style icon Brigitte Bardot, will be sold at a Sotheby’s auction in London on May 22 & 23, 2012.

The 300 items are ranging from Pop Art works to Art Deco furniture, including paintings by Andy Warhol, Yves Klein and Mel Ramos, to name a few.

Sachs, one of the last great “playboys” and famed for his jet-set lifestyle, was friends with many famous artists.

Andy Warhol – Brigitte Bardot
Acrylic and silkscreen ink on canvas, 120 by 120cm
Executed in 1974
Estimate £ 3,000,000 – 4,000,000

I love this Bardot painting!

Visit sotheby’s.com/sachs for further information, highlights and videos. For enquiries regarding the London auction, please call + 44 (0) 20 7293 5390.

LoL, Sandra

Photo: AFP, Getty Images, Reuters

Thursday night in New York City, Sofia Coppola, Andie MacDowell, Emma Roberts, Anna Sui, Tory Burch and Alexander Wang, among other guests, came out to celebrate the collaboration of the Lanvin for H&M collection and to enjoy show stopping designs by famed Lanvin artistic director, Alber Elbaz, at The Pierre hotel.
The haute couture creations, which were customized pieces from the Lanvin for H&M collection, made their way down the catwalk with the help of famed models Asia Chow, Pixie Geldof, Dree Hemnigway and Anna dello Russo.

The looks from the haute couture show along with five original sketches from Alber Elbaz went up for auction on www.lanvinforhm.com. All proceeds will be donated to UNICEF. The online auction will end on November 26th at midnight CET.
I especially adore the sketches.

Below you can see some photos from this amazing night (Photos: Courtesy of H&M).

LoL, Sandra

Sofia Coppola and Anna Sui

Elettra Wiedemann and Tory Burch

Emma Roberts

Patrick Demarchelier and Andie MacDowell

Anna dello Russo