Sandra‘s Closet

Israeli actress and model GAL GADOT is the face of GUCCI‘s newest fragrance BAMBOO. In 2004, she won the Miss Israel title and is known for her role as Gisele in The Fast and the Furious film series. She also stars as Wonder Woman in the upcoming movie Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. I met her in NYC for the launch of the Gucci Bamboo campaign. During the interview, the stunning, tall brunette was so lovely to give us some amazing tips for her hometown.

Your favourite city?
TEL AVIV – It is just non stop. You can walk everywhere, we hardly use our car when we are there, we just take the bike. There are so many cafés, you have the beach, it is so lively. It’s like the Marais in Paris meets Miami meets NYC.

Your favourite hotel?
VARSANO HOTEL (photo) – It used to be my husband’s hotel.
Shabazi St 11, 65150, Israel, Phone +972 77-554-5500
(Editor’s note: In April 2015, the Varsano was bought by Roman Abramovich for 100million Israeli shekels (£17.1m). It is said that he will turn it into a private residence so that it is no longer functioning as a hotel.)
NORMAN HOTEL and MONTEFIORE HOTEL – They have both great restaurants, beautiful rooms and are located in good spots in Tel Aviv.
Norman Hotel, Nachmani Street 23-25, 6579441, Israel, Phone +972 3-543-5555
Montefiore Hotel, 36 Montefiore Street, 65201, Israel, Phone +972 3-564-6100

Your favourite restaurant?
PRONTO – Superb Italian food.
Herzl St 4, Tel Aviv-Yafo, 6688215, Israel, Phone +972 3-566-0915
MANTA RAY (photo)– Great seafood, it is at the ocean and just gorgeous.
Alma Beach, near the Dolphinarium, Tel Aviv, 68012, Israel, Phone +972 3-517-4773

Your favourite dish?
HUMMUS, you can find it the best at ABU HASSAN in Jaffa.
HaBarzel St 2, Tel Aviv-Yafo, Israel

Your favourite bar or nightclub?
SURAMARE – On a rooftop, beautiful, casual, nice food and great music, my favorite in spring time.
Se’Adya Ga’on 24, Tel Aviv, Israel

Your favourite sightseeing spot?
The PORT IN JAFFA – It is walkable, very old, it looks like it was painted. Absolutely romantic.

Your favourite beach?
ALMA BEACH (This is where the Manta Ray restaurant is located) – It has the best sunsets.

Your favourite shop?
KEREN WOLF JEWELRY in Neve Tzedek – She is a friend of mine and makes handmade jewelry. Very romantic pieces, you feel like you have entered a Parisian store.
1 Shabazi Neve Tsedek, 18 He Be’lyar Kikar Medina, Tel Aviv, Phone +972 3-516-1222

Your must-have accessory?
SUNSCREEN, SUNGLASSES and BATHING SUIT – The sun is always shining.

The best soundtrack for this destination?
ZERO 7 – Whenever I travel back to Israel, I listen to them, it reminds me of home.

The smell of Tel Aviv?
It smells like the OCEAN.

Thank you, Gal, for sharing your insider scoop on Tel Aviv with us.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of the Locations and Gal Gadot

Meet the face of GUCCI‘s newest fragrance BAMBOO: GAL GADOT. In 2004, the Israeli actress and model won the Miss Israel title and is known for her role as Gisele in The Fast and the Furious film series. She also stars as Wonder Woman in the upcoming movie Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice along with Ben Affleck and Jeremy Irons.

Gadot seems to be the epitome of a Wonder Woman as she is a wife, a mother of a 4-year-old girl and a successful businesswoman. She served for two years as a soldier in the Israel Defense Forces. Strong and beautiful, the same duality that Gucci Bamboo reflects. I met her in NYC for the launch of the new campaign.

Were you involved in the creative process of creating the fragrance? Or was it already finished?
I came to this beautiful result. It was already done. But before we shot the commercial, I really wanted to know what am I shooting. The moment I smelt it, I was so happy because it is just so good. It has all the right elements, it’s sexy and floral, but not too heavy. It’s sweet, but not too sweet and it’s fresh! I love it.

What is a bamboo for you? A strong wood or a weak plant?
It is both. It’s adjustable.

You seem to be a Wonder Woman. Model, actress, wife and mother in one. How do you accommodate all those tasks?
I just do it. I don’t sleep much.

How do you look so gorgeous when you don’t sleep a lot?
(Laughs) Two hours of hair and makeup. And I try to stay healthy. I work out a lot and eat good things. I keep my skin always clean before I go to bed. I try to wear light makeup and I drink a lot of water. And the most important I stay happy and positive.

You were in the Israeli army. How was that?
It’s mandatory in Israel. We all have to go, men do three years and women two. It was a good experience for me, I learnt a lot. It is not about you, it is about giving back to community which I find a beautiful thing. The discipline taught me a lot. You need to get up at 6 am, you run, you are on your legs constantly.

Did you learn how to use a weapon? Did this help you with your role as Wonder Woman?
Yes, of course, I learnt how to use a weapon. But it didn’t help me for Wonder Woman as she only uses a sword, a lasso and a shield.

In the commercial for Gucci Bamboo you are a multifaceted woman. In one scene, you are even fencing. Please tell us a little more about shooting the campaign.
Unfortunately, that is the only scene I couldn’t do myself due to my busy schedule. Art Director Fabien Baron came up with this beautiful vision how we wanted to promote this fragrance on the big screen and make people experience this perfume visually. It is basically a woman how is strong and powerful but at the same time she is feminine, sexy and elegant.

What is your first memory of a perfume?
I remember the first time I ever used a perfume. I sneaked in my mother’s bathroom and I just bathed myself in different scents. I was around 8 or 9 years old.

Do you ever worry about aging?
Not yet. I just had a discussion with my husband about the fact that women don’t age as good as men. And I was asking myself why. We try so hard to stay young, use all those facial creams and treatments. So I came to the fact that it is just nature. Once we cannot reproduce anymore, we start aging. But on the other side, there are so many older women today that are relevant, so strong and symbolize so many good things. I have four grey hairs already and I feel good about them. I don’t tear them out, I feel I earned them.

What makes you the most happy?
My family.

Do you have a role in mind you would like to play in the future?
I actually do, but it is kind of depressing. I would like to do a movie that deals with the Holocaust.

By whom do you get inspired?
By people who are optimistic, who are grateful for life, who are original and think outside of the box.

Israeli women have a special aura. Why is that?
We say what we think, there is no filter. Stylewise it is just affected by the weather. It is so hot we dress less.

Gal Gadot in three words.
Mother, wife and actress. Heart, smile and fruit.

Thank you, Gal, for this lovely interview!

To find out more about GUCCI BAMBOO, please click HERE for the previous post.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Gucci and © Sandra Bauknecht

Monday last week, I arrived in NYC to attend the launch of Gucci‘s newest fragrance GUCCI BAMBOO that took place at the Bowery hotel for two days with special events. During that time, I was able to meet and interview the face of the campaign, Israeli actress and model GAL GADOT, who is known for her role as Gisele in The Fast and the Furious film series and as Wonder Woman in the upcoming movie Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Stay tuned for the interview which will be coming up tomorrow. For now, let’s have a look at the new fragrance.

First of all what does Bamboo means? For Gucci, it is not so much about the plant but about the woodstock, its strength and resilience which is used for the iconic bag handles for example (If you are interested to see a tour around the manufacture in Casselina, I invite you to click here).

For the fragrance, the Italian fashion house tried to stay true to its DNA and transported the iconic leather and wood aspect to the scent. It has been a long process of almost 3 years, with lots of iterations until the final result was found.

Duality plays an important role, reflecting strength and femininity at the same time. Woody floral fragrances have been used for a long time in the Gucci perfume world but with GUCCI BAMBOO, another story has been written, something different and exotic from all the others.

The Notes

1. Casablanca Lilies from North Africa (a Headspace recreation) add a wonderful complexity as if the sun is touching the petals itself.

2. Ylang Ylang from the Comoros Islands of the East coast of Africa (natural extraction). Only the extract is used for Gucci Bamboo. The small yellow flowers are handpicked and than right afterwards put in a steamed distillation.

3. Sandalwood from Australia (a natural extraction of the bark). This is another very important signature note for Gucci as it adds the duality.

4. Tahitian Vanilla (special chosen quality). It has more dryness, a balsamic quality, very rich, not too sweet, more leathery.

5. In order to bring to life the dazzling and fresh aspect of the fragrance, Pear and Italian Bergamot were used as opening notes. This give that crunchy freshness.

The fragrance is really beautiful and it literally grows on you during the day. In the morning, you apply the freshness that transforms during the following hours in something very rich and floral and that ends with a captivating dryness.

The face, Gal Gadot, is the epitome of a modern multifaceted woman. Mother, wife and businesswoman. Warm and open. Strong and feminine, just like a bamboo.

GUCCI BAMBOO is available from July 30, 2015.
Eau de Parfum 30ml (€64.00), 50ml (€89.00) and 75ml (€114.00)

Shower Gel 200ml (€35.00), Body Lotion 200ml (€37.00) and Deodorant Natural Spray 100ml (€26.00).

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Gucci, © Sandra Bauknecht

Last Monday, I flew for 48 hours to NYC for the launch of Gucci‘s newest fragrance Bamboo that I will tell you all about soon. Here you see me at the Bowery Hotel where I attended the revealing of the campaign.

My look: Black cardigan by Miu Miu, color block dress, Bamboo Shopper large textured-leather tote and new Adina suede pumps, all by Gucci, beaded bracelet by Saint Laurent and Lady Excalibur watch by Roger Dubuis.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht