Sandra‘s Closet

While many of us are isolated right now due to the corona virus quarantine, our ability to dream, to be inspired, and to visit faraway places in thought, remains unaffected. Therefore I would like to invite you to enjoy today’s travel insider.

NICOLAS DEGENNES, Artistic Director for Makeup and Colors at GIVENCHY, constantly aims to reveal and accentuate feminine beauty with his most innovative creations. For his job, he was always on the go and constantly travelling around the world. Among all destinations, he adores TOKYO and shares with us his favorite spots of the Japanese metropole.

Your favourite city?
TOKYO for the dynamism, the diversity, the silence and the day and night life.

Your favourite hotel?
The GRAND HYATT ROPPONGI. Each time I go to Japan, I usually stay at this hotel. This is where I have my habits, where I’m feeling well.
6-10-3 Roppongi, Minato-Ku, Tokyo, 106-0032
Phone: +81-3-4333-1234

Your favourite restaurant?
NARUKIYO in Tokyo, first because it is owned by a friend and secondly, because I love to have dinner at the bar where the atmosphere is so friendly!
2 Chome-7-14 Shibuya, Shibuya City, Tokyo 150-0002
Phone: +81 3-5485-2223

Your favourite local dish?
In Japan, I love to eat SEA URCHINS. The Japanese know perfectly well how to cook them.

Your favourite sightseeing spot?
I love walking in YANAKA DISTRICT. Old town Tokyo at its best. It’s a great place for a stroll and home to artisans, temples, and winding lanes. I love doing some shopping in local art and craft stores.

Your favourite park?
SHINJUKU GYOEN is undoubtedly one of my favourite parks in Tokyo, especially during the cherry blossom period. I love its very rich and diversified nature with its many lakes. It is very peaceful!
11 Naitomachi, Shinjuku City, Tokyo 160-0014
Phone: +81 3-3350-0151

Your favourite shop?
GIVENCHY of course! There are five Givenchy flagship stores in Tokyo.
One Omotesando 3-5-29 Kita-Aoyama, Minato-Ku, 107-0061, Tokyo
Phone: +81 3 3404 0360

Your must-have accessory?
BAGS and SHOES. I am totally crazy about bags and shoes.
Bags give an attitude and shoes some height. It is really pleasant to have new shoes and a beautiful bag when we go out – whether it is for men and women. (Photo: Givenchy S/S 2020)

The best souvenir to bring home?
TEA and WINE! All kinds of Japanese tea and high quality bottles of sake!

The best soundtrack for this destination?
THE MAGIC FLUTE by MOZART which reminds me personally speaking of my childhood and my dad. In general, classical music has always inspired me to travel.

The best book to read while being on vacation there?
Everything by COLETTE. I just love the way she talks about humanity. And I like humanity and her perfect prose.

Thank you, Nicolas, for sharing your insider scoop on Tokyo with us.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of the different locations
Givenchy Beauty is now available at Sephora Switzerland
#sephoraswitzerland #sephoralovesgivenchy #givenchybeauty @sephoraswitzerland
Photo of Nicolas Degennes: © PR, Robert Jaso for PARFUMS GIVENCHY

Tokyo is one of the top trendsetting cities in the world, so it should come as no surprise that OPI has selected the vibrant metropolis as its inspiration for the OPI Tokyo Spring 2019 Collection.

Inspired by the city’s balance of rich tradition and nature with fashion-forward style and ultra-modern cityscapes, this palette features a variety of colors that evoke the energy and creativity of Tokyo. The collection features 12 new shades in classic Nail Lacquer, Long-Wear Infinite Shine and GelColor formulas. With a nod to Tokyo’s status as a trendsetter, the collection includes a new take on millennial pink with dusty rose shades featuring tones of lavender and lilac (Rice Rice Baby, Another Ramen-tic Evening, Arigato from Tokyo, Hurry-juku Get this Color!).

Rich hues inspired by nature from matcha green tea to blooming gardens (How Does Your Zen Garden Grow?, I’m On a Sushi Roll, Suzi-san Climbs Fuji-san, Tempura-ture is Rising!) and vibrant purple and blue hues with metallic shimmer that capture the city’s electric energy and nightlife (All Your Dreams in Vending Machines, Samurai Breaks a Nail, Kanpai OPI!, Chopstix and Stones) round out the collection.

«Tokyo is known for being on the forefront of nail trends – a perfect fit for OPI, where we don’t follow the trends but set them,» declares OPI co-founder and brand ambassador, Suzi Weiss-Fischmann. «In this collection, we are revisiting the 80s and 90s, with pop colors that we’ve given a modern twist, taking inspiration from the famous Harajuku neighborhood. Tokyo brings so much life to this collection, from its eclectic fashion, vibrant nightlife and world-renowned cuisine to the rich traditions including matcha tea ceremonies and zen gardens.»

The collection will hit the shelves in Switzerland on February 14, 2019 and will be available for approximately 6 months.
Nail Lacquer – CHF 19.90 (15ml)
Long-Wear Infinite Shine – CHF 24.90 (15ml)

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of OPI

Those stylish GUCCI paper fans will make your summer days so much cooler. Comprised of paper and a wooden handle, the designs by Alessandro Michele derive inspiration from Japan. Too cool!

Click on the highlighted text below, to be transferred directly to the store.

Owl printed fan

Flower printed fan

As if Beyoncé didn’t have enough fans :-)… she was spotted at a basketball game in New Orleans in a dramatic floor-length Gucci fur-trimmed kimono and a paper fan.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Gucci

Yesterday, Dolce & Gabbana showed their S/S 2017 haute couture «Alta Moda and Alta Sartoria» show at the Tokyo National Museum in Japan. It is cherry blossom, so-called sakura season at the moment and who has ever been during that time to Tokyo knows how beautiful it is to see this national icon of the Asian country. I have been there many years ago and love to indulge in those memories of pink petals plastering the streets.

Of course, there was an in-bloom cherry tree on the runway when the designer duo presented their almost 100 looks for both, men and women, to an audience of mostly local clients and other guests from all over the world.

Contrary to other shows that Dolce & Gabbana hosted, the models came mostly from Japan, a way of showing respect, which is the backbone of this Asian culture. After the show, the designers shook hands with their guests, another important gesture as for the Japanese, every person has a role to play towards the collective. It is always about «we», never about «me».

The collection was of course very much inspired by Japan, beautifully embellished and embroidered, something Dolce & Gabbana stands for. There were headpieces designed as branches of a cherry blossom tree or hand-painted floral motifs on lace. Just beautiful – have a look at the video below where you can get a great impression of this Italian artwork in Japan!

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Dolce & Gabbana, © Luke Leitch / Vogue

OLIVIER ECHAUDEMAISON, Make-up Creative Director at Guerlain, is one of the most handsome, charming and entertaining men I have ever met in the industry. Since 2000, he constantly aims to reveal and accentuate feminine beauty with his most innovative creations. Olivier is constantly travelling around the world for his job. Among all destinations, he adores Tokyo and shares with us his favorite spots of the Japanese metropole.

Your favourite city?
After Paris, I love TOKYO: a city which is so modern with a great civilisation and culture.

Your favourite hotel?
Until the still on-going renovation, I loved the HOTEL OKURA. I hope they will keep its unique mood.
2 Chome-10-4 Toranomon, Minato, Tokyo 105-0001
Phone: +81 3-3582-0111

Your favourite restaurant?
I love small, traditional, non-trendy places. I went to TEN–ICHI RESTAURANT last time and I really liked it. It is known for its superb, remarkably light tempura specialties.
1-1, Uchisaiwaicho 1-Chome, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100-8558
Imperial Hotel, Tokyo, Tower Bldg., LL1
Phone: +81-3-3503-1001

Your favourite bar or nightclub?
I less and less go to night-clubs; as for the bars, I prefer popular, informal cafés.

Your favourite sightseeing spot?
There are two places that really impress me in different ways: TSUKIJI MARKET and EDO-TOKYO MUSEUM (pictured).
Tskiji Market: 5 Chome-2-1 Tsukiji, Chuo, Tokyo 104-0045
Edo-Tokyo Museum: 1 Chome-4-1 Yokoami, Sumida, Tokyo 130-0015 

Your favourite park?
As I love trees, bonsais and flowers, I really enjoy walking around the IMPERIAL PALACE GARDENS KOKYO.
1-1 Chiyoda, Tokyo 100-8111

Your favourite shop?
ITOYA – an amazing stationery store. I also like big department stores with floors dedicated to porcelain.
〒104-0061 Tokyo, Chuo, Ginza, 2 Chome−7-15
Phone:+81 3-3561-8311

ISETAN – for the men fashion floors because they have a great selection!
〒160-0022 Tokyo, Shinjuku, 新宿3-14-1
Phone:+81 3-3352-1111
I also like the ‘bonsai‘ shops. But I couldn’t say any specific name because there are small stores in various areas.

Your must-have accessory?
My OMAS FOUNTAIN PEN with red ink, because people recognize my handwriting immediately.

The best soundtrack for this destination?
Today: DAVID BOWIE, but classic music relaxes after a duty day.

The best book to read while being on vacation there?
Nothing specific while being in Tokyo. I mostly read in the plane, during long flights. I never watch plane programs, I prefer to read, and on paper; novels or essays like “IN PRAISE OF SHADOWS” by Jun’ichiro Tanizaki. So “enlightening“…

Thank you, Olivier, for sharing your insider scoop on Tokyo with us.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Hiroaki Fukuda, © Omas, © Sandra Bauknecht and the different locations

Editors of Vogue from around the world converge today in Tokyo for a very special Fashion’s Night Out event in a bid to boost spirits and sales following the earthquake and tsunami which devastated Japan earlier this year.

For the first time Vogue editors from all its magazines across the world joined forces for Fashion’s Night Out Japan. Led by American Vogue Editor Anna Wintour, who conceived of Fashion’s Night Out in the midst of the 2009 economic crisis, the editors represent the 18 countries where Vogue is published.

On the photo: Host editor, Mitsuko Watanabe, Editor of Japanese Vogue; Anna Wintour, Editor of American Vogue; Franca Sozzani, Editor of Italian Vogue; Alexandra Shulman, Editor of British Vogue; Emmanuelle Alt, Editor of French Vogue; Angelica Cheung, Editor of Vogue China; Christiane Arp, Editor of German Vogue; Yolanda Sacristan, Editor of Spanish Vogue; Viktoria Davydova, Editor of Vogue Russia; Kirstie Clements, Editor of Australian Vogue; Eva Hughes, Editor of Mexican and Latin American Vogue; Paula Mateus, Editor of Portuguese Vogue; Myung Hee Lee, Editor of Vogue Korea; Seda Domanic, Editor of Vogue Turkey; Rosalie Huang, Editor at Large of Vogue Taiwan: Anaita Adajania, Acting Editor of Indian Vogue, and Anna Harvey, Vice President and Editorial Director of Conde Nast New Markets, who will represent Vogue Brazil and Greek Vogue.

Jonathan Newhouse, Chairman of Condé Nast International, said, “The presence of all the Vogue editors in Tokyo underscores Condé Nast’s deep commitment to this market. Japan is a key market for the fashion industry, and we will give it the maximum support possible as the country recovers.”
Anna Wintour commented, “Japan is a major player in the global fashion community, both as supports and wonderful contributors to it. The country’s educated consumers and its designers – from supremely inventive established names such as Yohji Yamamoto and Junya Watanabe, to exciting new labels such as Sacai – invigorate our world. We are thrilled to support and celebrate Japan’s far-reaching influence and creativity with a very special Fashion’s Night Out in Tokyo.”

Asia is the future…

LoL, Sandra

Photo: Frederic Aranda for Vogue

It is just so extremely saddening what  is currently happening in Japan. In this difficult situation, there are many possibilties to help the victims of the catastrophe.

French concept store Colette for example says: „We love Japan“ and helps to raise funds for the country’s disaster relief.
Several designers have contributed: Kuntzel+Deygas buttons, an original drawing by Fafi, bracelets by Aurélie Biderman, Cool Cats T-shirts , a “Rescue Jacket” by Kitsuné, teddy bears by Vika Gazinskaya, Case Scenario x Keith Haring iphone cases, Olympia Le Tan brooches, Eiko Maekawa rabbits and many more to come.
100 percent of the proceeds of the sales of these products will be directly donated to the JAPANESE RED CROSS SOCIETY.

I am working since many years with the SWISS RED CROSS and this amazing organisation is always one of the first ones to help. Your contribution will truly make a difference.

That is us: The ladies of the Swiss Red Cross ball committee.

For other organisations that are collecting funds, please click here.
My heart is with Japan and the Japanese people.

LoL, Sandra