Sandra‘s Closet

Last week, I flew to Abu Dhabi to greet the winner of the amazing contest with Etihad Airways, L’Officiel Switzerland and Sandra’s Closet. Nadya Toncheva from Hamburg won a shopping spree at The Galleria on Al Maryah Island and we truly had a great time.

Abu Dhabi’s premier lifestyle destination offers a world-class shopping experience while absorbing panoramic views of the city’s skyline. Enjoy some impressions of our shopping spree in the Middle East below.

Having fun at Dior

Nadya looking all fabulous in this Ralph Lauren look.

A happy Sandra in shopping heaven who just adores her job!

A must-have for a well equipped closet: a cotton-gabardine trench coat by Burberry London. Nadya fell immediately in love with it!

While shopping at Burberry, I spotted myself on the big screen front row at the S/S 2015 runway show in London.

We browsed almost every store in The Galleria and put many things aside. Then we had a drink and decided which pieces would be the best. Needless to say we had to get the fabulous cotton-gabardine trench coat by Burberry London first.

Nadya was looking for great pieces she could wear during the day for work that would translate easily into evening wear. This tunic blouse by Tory Burch offered both in perfection.

Mission accomplished!

Filming a little behind the scenes video for The Galleria with lovely Maria Bosenko.

Thank you Journey Feng and Maria Bosenko of the hospitality team at The Galleria for accompanying us and taking all the pictures. We had a lot of fun with you, guys!

Our lovely day ended with a yummy dinner at Cipriani and another round of drinks at Iris. Nadya, it was lovely meeting you!

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht – thank you Maria Bosenko for taking them!

MYTHERESA has started the winter sale and I browsed through the selection to put together a list of items you cannot go wrong with. Have fun shopping!

1 Rockstud Noir haircalf kitten heels by Valentino
Every season re-interpreted – an awesome pair to get on sale.

2 Susanna studded ankle boots by Chloé
Already a classic.

3 Leather ankle boots by Saint Laurent
Something that belongs into every woman’s closet.

4 Falabella striped clutch by Stella McCartney
Such a beautiful piece to be kept forever.

5 Obsedia leather and calf hair shoulder bag by Givenchy
Show your stylistic command with this object of desire.

6 Leather shorts by Isabel Marant Etoile
A great investment for the next season.

7 Leather and woll-blend biker jacket with fur collar by Victoria Beckham
You need a biker jacket and this one is perfect. No discussion!

8 Leather accented pencil skirt by Burberry London
Sexy and sharp. All said.

LoL, Sandra

Stills: Courtesy of Mytheresa

While promoting her new single ‘Come and Get It‘, Selena Gomez was spotted last Wednesday in NYC wearing a killer look from 3.1 Phillip Lim. And the slogan matches her new song…

Get her look: Get It Girl cotton-appliquéd silk-chiffon top and botanical-print silk tapered pants, both by 3.1 Phillip Lim, mid-length gabardine zip detail trenchcoat by Burberry London and two strap Elisabetta heels by Bionda Castana.

I am in love with 3.1 Phillip Lim’s botanical print for S/S 2013 and couldn’t resist this floral top and the matching Polly small flap clutch (also available at Vestibule in Zurich) that has been featured in the brand’s first ad campaign shot in New York City.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of 3.1 Phillip Lim, Via justjared and  © Sandra Bauknecht

On my last day in Los Angeles, I had a little time to walk down Rodeo Drive and to meet with my Beverly Hills girlfriends at the Beverly Wilshire for a drink before heading to the airport.

Bonnie Star (to the left) is a famous American jewelry designer, who made the wonderful cuff that I am wearing on the photo, modeled after nineteenth-century French lace.
(For a previous post on Bonnie, please click here).
Claudia Deutsch (to the right) is the owner of the Artspace Warehouse gallery in Los Angeles that offers high quality original artworks from established and emerging international artists at affordable prices for every budget. She brought this new concept also to Zurich, check out the Kunstwarenhaus.

My look: Striped glossed rayure-effect blazer and flat tote bag, both by Saint Laurent, classic white tee by Burberry London, stretch leggings by Stouls, long tank top by Rick Owens, skull silk scarf by Alexander McQueen, boots by Balmain, gold lace cuff by Bonnie Star and 4810 hoop earrings in pink gold with diamonds by Montblanc.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht

“Life is not about waiting for the storm to pass, it’s about learning to dance in the rain.”

I came back from my amazing road trip through the US this week and left immediately to Munich for a day with Bobbi Brown. Stay tuned, I will tell you all about it very soon.

During the last 5 weeks, I went through 9 states – Illinois, Colorado, Wyoming, South Dakota, Utah, Nevada, California, Hawaii and Texas – and besides the horrible hail storm in South Dakota, I was blessed the whole time with beautiful sunny weather. So I was quite shocked when I got back to Switzerland where there was no sign of summer at all. Surprisingly, I found severe hail damage in my garden, my pool cover looked like shot with a pump gun. What a subtle irony! And when I experienced a mini tornado yesterday at Lake Zurich, I was inspired to this outfit.

Mini Tornado in Zurich on July 21, 2012 (Photo via Tagesanzeiger)

Invest in some great fall key pieces. Bottle green is one of the hottest colours for the season. Peplum hems appeared on many runways and are one of the most flattering trends. A trench coat is a true classic piece that works for so many occasions and definitely belongs in your closet – with Burberry you cannot go wrong. Finally, add a piece of colourful statement jewelry.

Mid-length cotton-gabardine trench coat by Burberry London, fine-knit wool peplum top, bottle-green De Manta leather tote, skull-print modal and cashmere-blend scarf, skull-embellished umbrella, all by Alexander McQueen, stretch-leather skinny pants by Yves Saint Laurent, multi-stone cuff by Emilio Pucci and ‘Original Tall’ Wellington boots by Hunter.

Nars Fall 2012 collection offers for your eyes and nails some icy shades with stormy names:

Vent Glacé (Glacial Wind) Duo Eyeshadow, CHF 59.-

Storm Bird Nail Polish (Limited Edition), CHF 32.-
Both available from August 2012.

Good news: The weather forecast says that the arrival of summer is close in Zurich. Let’s hope that the weather gods will be merciful.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Nars