At the Opening of Vogue’s First Concept Store

My dear readers, it is very important that you read until the end of this post as a very special treat is waiting for you to celebrate 9 years of my blog! I am convinced you will love it…

The idea of the concept store is by no means unheard of nowadays. In 1990 the first one of this kind opened its doors in Milan, 10 Corso Como, followed by Opening Ceremony, Colette and Dover Street Market, just to name a few.

The new VOGUE concept store inside the OUTLETCITY METZINGEN

What is a concept store? A 360 degrees experience, a type of living magazine, offering a unique mix of art, fashion, one-of-a-kind homeware and accessories. Christiane Arp, Editor-in-Chief of VOGUE Germany, takes the idea a step further. The tall blonde has been dedicated to supporting emerging talent within the fashion industry since many years. In 2011, she launched the VOGUE Salon, an initiative to grant up-and-coming German fashion designers the opportunity to present exclusive collections to industry opinion leaders. It takes place twice a year during Berlin Fashion Week.

With Christiane Arp, Editor-in-Chief of VOGUE Germany, at the VOGUE concept store opening.

Now, Christiane Arp takes her engagement a step further. Looking for new ways for print media to attract readers and to create attention for the brand itself, she had the idea to launch the VOGUE Concept Store in cooperation with OUTLETCITY METZINGEN.

From left to right: Tim Labenda, David Tomaszewski, Marina Hoermanseder, William Fan, Jeanne Zizi Margot de Kroon, Wolfang Bauer (CEO OUTLETCITY METZINGEN) and Christiane Arp.

Chosen for their one-of-a-kind viewpoints and unparalleled talent were Marina Hoermanseder (click here for a previous post about her collaboration with EOS), Tim Labenda, Dawid Tomaszewski, Jeanne Zizi Margot de Kroon and William Fan. The pieces of the respective designers, which are not older than three months, were bought by OUTLETCITY METZINGEN, which is operating the store in collaboration with VOGUE that is in charge for the marketing and advertising in return. Christiane Arp herself made the selection.

Always at work – here during the fashion show.

It is a win-win situation – a great way to support emerging talents in Germany. The young designers receive through the sale enough money to invest in their next collection.

The pop-up store will be there for six month until April 2019. Inside, you can find many interactive and augmented reality features such as ideas how to style the pieces. Moreover, via your smartphones, you can access information about the designers themselves and their inspirations.

The bestseller that night was definitely the VOGUE logo tops, sweatshirts that came with the latest issue of VOGUE Germany.

Catching up with longtime friends at the opening: Ingrid Hedley, Marketing Director VOGUE & AD Architectural Digest, and Marina Hoermanseder.

And when you are wondering why VOGUE opened in Metzingen in an outlet mall, that seems to be in the middle of nowhere, remember where Carla Sozzani opened her 10 Corso Como shop almost 30 years ago. The location seemed very far away to the people and it was not glamorous at all with its concrete floor. At the time, Via Monte Napoleone was considered the only shopping street. You have to think in new ways, especially print media… the same goes for blogging by the way.

Before it’s in Fashion, it’s in VOGUE! or let’s say now in the VOGUE concept store! And before that of course in Sandra’s Closet :-)!

To celebrate the 9th anniversary of my blog, I have a treat for you. When I was at the opening party of the VOGUE concept store, I was truly overwhelmed by the size and the design of the the OUTLETCITY METZINGEN. Personally speaking, some stores look so much better and are bigger than in Zurich. I attached a few pictures for you below. The collections on display are from S/S 2018 with prices marked down up to 70%.

Metzingen is not far from Stuttgart in Germany. The little village is dedicated to its OUTLETCITY. You can find many hotels and restaurants. If you prefer staying in Stuttgart, no problem, there are bus transfers for Metzingen, leaving from most of the hotels.

Toasting with Christina Gobil at the opening of the VOGUE concept store to 9 years of Sandra’s Closet!

HERE COMES MY ANNIVERSARY TREAT FOR YOU:

As my dear reader, you are entitled to the VIP Shopping Pass:
Mention «Sandra’s Closet» when you arrive at the International Service Point, located at Reutlinger Strasse 58, 72555 Metzingen, Germany.
You will receive a VIP Shopping Pass, a welcome Winzersekt (a vintner’s sparkling wine – German kind of champagne) and a coffee voucher. The VIP Shopping Pass offers also an extra 10% discount at the Vogue Concept Store and other participating stores.
The offer is valid until March 31st, 2019.

Have fun shopping!

LoL, Sandra

Bottega Veneta in OUTLETCITY METZINGEN

Prada in OUTLETCITY METZINGEN

Jimmy Choo in OUTLETCITY METZINGEN

Gucci in OUTLETCITY METZINGEN

The Burberry shop in OUTLETCITY METZINGEN has already the new logo.

The whole area looks like one of those amazing gigantic US shopping malls.

Photos: Courtesy of VOGUE, OUTLETCITY METZINGEN and © Sandra Bauknecht 

Fashion Days Zurich 2012: Closing Night

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I have been meaning to show this post to you since quite a while but time just flies. Nevertheless, everything you see here, is in stores now which is a very good thing. I am sure there are some looks that have been shown on the runway of the Mercedes Benz Fashion Days Zurich International Closing Night last November that you will surely adore. So let’s get started.

Arzu_Kaprol_SS2013

Arzu Kaprol is known for her architectural femininity. A Paris Fashion week must, the designer of Turkish origin was inspired by “bones” for her S/S 2013 collection that she has kept in a muted color palette. Very pretty!

Dimitri_Fashion_Days_ZurichSS2013

Dimitrios Panagiotopoulos is the designer behind the one of my favorite labels presented at the FDZ: Dimitri. A graduate from renowned fashion school ESMOD like me, he had worked for Jil Sander, Vivienne Westwood and Hugo Boss before launching his own label in 2007. His S/S 2013 designs are vivid and colorful, feminine and seductive.

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Berlin-based designer Dawid Tomaszewski founded his eponymous label in 2009. His designs are inspired mostly by art and architecture. For S/S 2013, he came up with an extremely eye-catching collection in luxurious fabrics, of which every piece has the potential to become a favorite.

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The culmination of the International Closing Night was the S/S 2013 show of New York-based designer Charlotte Ronson, who is part of the famous Ronson family. Her twin sister Samantha is a famous DJ and her brother Mark, a music producer and the face of Fan di Fendi pour Homme.

Sandra_Bauknecht_Charlotte_RonsonCharlotte Ronson backstage with me

Backstage she told me that water had been her main source of inspiration for this lovely slightly romantic collection. She combined ocean’s blues and greens with light yellows reminiscent of the sun. Her all time favourite, floral prints were of course also part of Charlotte’s designs. Personally speaking, what I liked most, was the mix of feminine details with a sporty approach, which took her looks from sweet to cool. Well done!

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht

Mercedes-Benz Fashion Days Zurich

FDZ Header

From the 7th to the 10th of November 2012, Switzerland celebrates for the third time the ZURICH FASHION DAYS, this year for the first year under the helmet of a famous sponsor: Mercedes-Benz and at the trendy location “Schiffbau” in Zurich West.

With numerous side events and runway shows of national and international acclaimed designers, it will surely be a lot of fun. Follow me on Sandra’s Closet to always stay up to date with the program. The Zurich Fashion Days offer a unique opportunity for fashion lovers: Tickets to the fashion shows are available for sale. To get yours, please click here.

Here is a brief summary of what is coming up:

FDZ-OpeningNightWednesday, 7th of November 2012

Mercedes-Benz Opening Night
“An Homage to Design and Desire”

Runway Shows: MSGM di Massimo Giorgetti, Marco de Vincenzo, Mila Schön, Angelos Bratis
Music: Pegasus

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Thursday, 8th of November 2012

annabelle award 2012 presented by Paul Mitchell
“An Homage to the Youth”

Runway shows: Claudia Zuber, Laend Phuengkit, van Bery
Runway Show: Barbara Bui/ Paris

Barbara Bui is coming to Zurich! The Parisian designer will be choosing the 9th winner of the annabelle award and show her collection on the runway of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Days Zurich.

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Friday, 9th of November 2012

Swiss Designers Show presented by Oerlikon
“An Homage to Diversity”

Special: Fibers & Yarns Award
Runway Show: Portenier Roth, Marc Stone, LBD White, Javier Reyes, KAZU

Official After Show Party: Radio 24 FridayNite, Kaufleuten

Four official languages and numerous different cultural regions are characteristic for Switzerland. This will also be visible on Friday evening when “an homage to diversity” is the motto. There will be various designers from different Swiss regions, who partially also manufacture their collection locally – something that has become relatively rare nowadays. Fashion from Switzerland for the whole world.

The collections will also be showcased the next day at the Swiss Designer Showroom. For more information, please click here.

InternationalClosingNight_FDZ2012Saturday, 10th of November 2012

International Closing Night
“An Homage to Glamour and Nightlife”

Runway Shows: Dawid Tomaszweski, Arzu Kaprol, Dimitri
Music: Kyla La Grange
Runway Show: Charlotte Ronson

Official After Show Party: Club Circuit Festival, Jade/Amber/Prive/Station

The closing night of the most important fashion event in Switzerland will end with the big closing party of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Days Zurich 2012.

FDZ-5_lateShopping

For all shopaholics, I have some great news. The Mercedes Benz Fashion Days will already kick off with on Tuesday evening with the Late Fashion Shopping Zurich event in cooperation with annabelle magazine and cool shopping maps. Around 40 shops will open their doors until 11pm and host special events, among them trend store Vestibule where you can create your own annabelle cover with the help of the egoshooting machine. The best one will win a CHF 1000.- shopping spree. All guests receive a 10% shopping discount during the event!

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Days Zurich, annabelle, Vestibule and © Sandra Bauknecht