Sandra‘s Closet

Indian actress and Audemars Piguet ambassador FREIDA PINTO who rose to prominence through the 2008 British drama «Slumdog Millionaire» was born and raised in Mumbai. Today she lives in Los Angeles where along with working on her film career, she promotes humanitarian causes and is vocal about women’s empowerment. Calling herself a «global citizen», she is still very proud of her Indian roots, the rich culture, heritage and family values she grew up with. Therefore she was happy to share her travel tips for INDIA with us. Enjoy!

Your favourite city?
UDAIPUR, the city of the lakes, it is in Rajasthan in Northwest India. It is romanticism at its highest level, it is not only romantic, it is about the whole concept of romanticism, color, light, architecture and texture of fabrics.

Your favourite hotel?
UMAID BHAWAN PALACE in Jodhpur which is also a very beautiful city. I have always wanted to do an event there, watever the event might be. I love how it is perched on the top of a cliff and expansive regarding the history behind. All palaces in India that got transferred into hotels have this old world charm that you wouldn’t find in a modern retreat.
Circuit House Rd, Cantt Area, Jodhpur, Rajasthan 342006
Phone: +91 291 251 0101

Your favourite restaurant?
MAHESH LUNCH HOME in Mumbai. It is a seafood restaurant that serves Mangalorean food.
For example next to J.W.Marriott, Juhu, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400049
Phone: +91 22 6695 5554

Your favorite dish?
My favorite dish is NEER DOSA with the fish curry.

Your favourite sightseeing spot?
CHHATRAPATI SHIVAJI TERMINUS, formerly Victoria Terminus, and better known by its abbreviation CST, is a historic railway station in Mumbai and also a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

I went to college very close by and we shot the last scene of «Slumdog Millionaire» there. So it has a lot of memories for me.
Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus Area, Fort, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400001

Your favourite beach?
I like the beaches in GOA because I like Goan food which is this beach shack kind of food but to be honest my favourite beaches are outside of India.

Your favourite shop?
AMRAPALI JEWELS. They have beautiful jewelry with locations everywhere in India (for store information, please click here). They even have a shop now in London.

Your must-have souvenir?
SILVER or PRECIOUS GEMSTONES anything in terms of jewelry that you would find only in India or that you would find in other countries but sold at ten times the price.

The best book to read about India?
THE SHADOW LINES by Indian writer Amitav Ghosh as it gives you a piece of history of my country. The novel is set against the backdrop of ancient events like the Swadeshi movement, Second World War, Partition of India and Communal riots of 1963-64 in Dhaka and Calcutta.

Thank you, Freida, for sharing your insider scoop on India with us!

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of the Locations, ©Archana’s Kitchen, via Slumdog Millionaire, © AUDEMARS PIGUET, © Sandra Bauknecht

As the women’s Royal Oak celebrates its 40th anniversary, I was invited last week by Audemars Piguet to join them for the unveiling of the new Royal Oak Frosted Gold in Florence at Palazzo Vecchio, which is the town hall of the Italian city.

The dinner was held inside the breathtaking Salone dei Cinquecento that has a length of 52 m (170 ft), is 23 m (75 ft) broad and dates back to 1494. On the walls are large and expansive frescoes that depict battles and military victories by Florence over Pisa and Siena by Giorgio Vasari. You immediately understand why it plays such a key role in Dan Brown’s «Inferno».

Interesting to know is that before the entrustment of Vasari, the two greatest Florentine artists of the time, Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo Buonarroti, were commissioned for the construction of two large murals to decorate the walls of the room. Leonardo started working on the «Battle of Anghiari», while Michelangelo focused on another portion of the wall for the «Battle of Cascina», but none of their work was ever completed. Attempts made to find Da Vinci’s original work behind the Vasari fresco have so far been inconclusive.

Two creative minds united: Jacqueline Dimier and Carolina Bucci

Personally speaking: The new Royal Oak Frosted Gold was love at first sight for me.

Coming back to the shining reinvention of an iconic design, that fast first created in 1976 for women by Jacqueline Dimier, the new Royal Oak Frosted Gold has been reinvented in collaboration with Florentine jewellery designer, Carolina Bucci. Both attended the gala dinner along with Jasmine Audemars, Chairwoman of the Board of Directors of Audemars Piguet, François-Henry Bennahmias, Chief Executive Officer, model Arizona Muse, as well as actress and brand ambassador Freida Pinto.

With Audemars Piguet CEO François-Henry Bennahmias

With Freida Pinto

Power Ladies: Sabina Hanselmann-Diethelm, Editor in Chief Style Magazine/Bolero, Jasmine Audemars, Chairwoman of the Board of Directors of Audemars Piguet and Dominique Lohm, PR Audemars Piguet/The Pool with my humble self

Beautiful table setting

Having a great time with Sabina Hanselmann-Diethelm, Editor-in-Chief Style Magazine/Bolero and David Pantillon, Country General Manager Switzerland

Chef Annie Féolde and her team framed by Freida Pinto and François-Henry Bennahmias

After a sensational dinner imagined by local 3* Chef Annie Féolde, the evening ended with a showcase concert by Brocken Back, sending us off in the crisp Florentine night with lots of amazing memories.

Live performance by Broken Back

The next day my adventure continued. I flew with a private jet back to Switzerland to visit Audemars Piguet’s manufacture in Le Brassus.

Stay tuned for more for more details on the visit and the new Royal Oak Frosted Gold that has captured my heart in a second as well as an amazing interview with Carolina Bucci and Freida Pinto.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Audemars Piguet and © Sandra Bauknecht

Those who have been following me on instagram have got already an impression how fabulous my trip to Dubai was this week. Karl Lagerfeld had chosen the Emirates destination as the place to present the Chanel Cruise 2015 collection. You would imagine that past presentations in St. Tropez, Dallas and the Palais de Versailles among others would be hard to top. Think again. It’s Karl Lagerfeld. It was a feast for the eyes, an amazing experience, like the fairytale of One Thousand and One Nights.

The guests, among them celebrities such as Dakota Fanning, Vanessa Paradis, Freida Pinto and Tilda Swinton, were brought by junks to a manmade island off the coast of Dubai where an enormous golden hangar covered in an interlocking double C’s lattice awaited us. From far away it looked like traditional Islamic fretwork.

We were asked to wear flat shoes (even that flats are trending at the moment, this was a challenge for me) as we walked through the sand. With an outdoor temperature of around 36°C, it felt like a beautiful evening in the desert. We were greeted in the souk tents with refreshing lemonades and Arabic coffee while enjoying the Dubai skyline.

Inside comfy, cushioned seating around the catwalk, yummy hors d’oeuvres, champagne and gigantic fake palm trees awaited us.

In the middle of the location, the food was on display that we enjoyed after the show, from mini pita-shawarmas and falafel with date chutney to pistachio baklava.

The show was beautiful, Karl Lagerfeld dreamed up his “idea of a romantic, modern Orient, a new One Thousand and One Nights.” He mixed precious and costume jewelry and played with the sickle-moon motif. Those pearl crescent-moon hair pieces and Bedouin-inspired cuffs are divine. Aladdin’s slippers, harem pants, ghutra-pattern-inspired jackets, mosaiced skirts, necklines and embroidered leather camellias bring the Arabian culture into the Chanel style in a respectful and culturally sensitive way.

It wouldn’t be Karl Lagerfeld though if he didn’t add some humor to his collection. I adore the tunic tops hemmed in a sequined version of the Dubai skyline and the golden jerrycan bag will surely be on many shopping lists.

After the dinner, we enjoyed a private concert by Janelle Monáe.

Vanessa Paradis with me after the show

Sweet Dakota Fanning

Tilda Swinton giving an interview outdoors

When we walked back to the boats through the candle-lit sandy path, it felt like a million-and-one Arabian nights. Thank you, Chanel, for this beautiful night. In the September issue of L’Officiel Switzerland, you will find an exclusive report and some amazing pictures. Stay tuned!

While you are reading this, I am already on my way to the next adventure. For one evening, I fly to Shanghai with Omega for an exceptional dinner with George Clooney.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht and Courtesy of Chanel

Yesterday I flew to Paris to attend the launch event of the amazing collaboration between the Queen of Cool Isabel Marant and H&M.

January Jones, Isabel Marant and Freida Pinto

In the evening, the major Paris fashion party took place and I couldn’t have been more excited to join in the fun. Celebritites such as Audrey Tautou, January Jones, Freida Pinto, Alek Wek and Olga Kurylenko entered the red carpet and partied in a lively urban atmosphere catching Marant’s bohemian energy until late.

The ambiance was outstanding, being transported into a street slice of Paris, in the early 90s, the time when Isabel debuted her eponymous line: bars, night clubs, brasseries, neon signs, pizza shops, souvenir shops, epiceries, street vendors and people casually enjoying a stroll in the outdoors.

There was even a roller skating rink.

“I design for everybody and am constantly inspired by the world I see around me, so it felt natural to have an urban setting as the backdrop of the event. And it had to be Paris, because the city is part of my DNA,” says Isabel Marant here with Olga Kurylenko.

The collection was presented in a cinematic setting that mixed images, films and models. The minute the DJ played the sounds of La Boum I went straight to heaven, or let me say travelled back in time… “Dreams are my reality. The only kind of real fantasy…”

The live music performance by Grandmaster Melle Mel and Rappers Delight, originally of Sugarhill Gang, lifted the atmosphere of this bohemian style party even more.

Gorgeous Freida Pinto with me

For actress Freida Pinto was it the second H&M collaboration she attended and for her “it’s important to collaborate with designers who young girls aspire to, but it’s also for girls like me who love shopping at H&M – to make fashion that is not just beautiful and classy but also affordable.”

Later at night, the pop-up store opened and we were able to shop the collection before it will officially hit the stores on November 14, 2013. Believe me, it felt like a war scenario…

During the day, I had already had the chance to explore the collection up close and to interview the charming French designer. A post about which pieces have to be on your shopping list will be coming up shortly.

It was THE party and I had an amazing time! During my ride home, I heard that the contract for the next collaboration had already been signed and that it will be something very special…

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht

For the Cannes Film Festival 2012’s opening night, the who’s who of Hollywood came down to the Côte d’Azur. Here are the best dressed ladies of this amazing night. Enjoy!

Jury member Diane Kruger looked amazing in a mint green sheer couture gown by Giambattista Valli.

Eva Longoria wore a flowing, feathered train gown by Marchesa in which she had quite some problems walking on the red carpet.

American singer Lana Del Rey was wearing a classy black long dress by Alberta Ferretti that gave all the attention to the 18-carat white gold necklace set with a 31 carats yellow pear-shaped diamond by Chopard.

Eva Herzigova, the Czech model, was wearing a lace gown by Dolce Gabbana combined with the Marilyn Monroe Tribute set from the Red Carpet collection composed of a necklace in 18-carat white gold set with beads diamonds (151.64 cts), heart shaped diamonds (30.72 cts) and diamonds (18.53cts). Earrings en suite. All by Chopard.

Actress Tilda Swinton, who stars in Wes Anderson’s Moonrise Kingdom, wore a bronze gown by her fashion friend, designer Haider Ackermann.

Slumdog Millionaire actress Freida Pinto wore a strapless beaded bodice gown, with a peplum pink satin skirt by Michael Angel, accessorized by Chopard jewelry.

The legendary Jane Fonda, wearing Chopard jewelry, looked absolutely stunning at 74  in a form-fitting metallic gown from Stella McCartney‘s new evening collection I saw her during the day at the Chopard lounge and was overwhelmed by her charisma.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: ©VALERY HACHE/AFP/GettyImages, ©Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images, ©Rex, ©Lia Toby / WENN

Last week when I was in Paris for the Dior shoot, another amazing event took place in my favourite city Los Angeles. Drew Barrymore, Winona Ryder and Milla Jovovich were among the guests who attended a party to celebrate the launch of Marni at H&M.

Held in a beautiful Hollywood residence, the evening was hosted by Marni’s Founder and Creative Director, Consuelo Castiglioni, the Director of the Marni at H&M campaign, Sofia Coppola and Margareta van den Bosch, H&M´s Creative Advisor.

The setting, the 1926 Sowden House in Los Feliz, designed by Lloyd Wright, couldn’t have been more magical. The Mayan architecture, tropical palm trees, kilim rugs and cushions were the perfect backdrop for Marni’s signature, playful and tribal aesthetic. The guests were eager to see the collection, which was beautifully displayed in the house’s walk-in closet.

Sofia Coppola, who shot a campaign film for the collection in Marrakech, Morocco, was also at the event, wearing a gold brocade top from Marni at H&M. Many guests at the party were dressed in Marni at H&M included Jessica Chastain and Drew Barrymore. It is a great way to see the collection on real people. For the detailed post on the looks, please click here.

Drew Barrymore

Jessica Chastain

Freida Pinto

Felicity Jones

Consuelo Castiglioni, R Jones and Sofia Coppola

Mel Gibson and Consuelo Castiglioni

“It has been an inspiring night, surrounded by a perfect setting and a great crowd. LA encapsulated the dream! It is not long before Marni at H&M is in the stores, and I am happy to share these magic moments with everybody.”

– Consuelo Castiglioni

Another highlight of the night: Bryan Ferry‘s performance. Remember his show in January at the IWC Top Gun gala event?!

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of H&M