Sandra‘s Closet

The wheel of fashion is spinning very fast. During the last days I told you already a lot about the upcoming trends for F/W 2010.  Today we move one step further ahead to spring next year. Yesterday, Karl Lagerfeld presented his Cruise 2011 collection for Chanel in St. Tropez.

Great looks inspired by the 70s that are super wearable as shown by the different mostly barefoot models. Natasha Poly opened the show in a beautiful chiffon kaftan, plus-size model Crystal Renn looked absolutely stunning in a bi-color dress and Mick Jagger`s youngest daughter 17-year-old Georgia May was the finale on the back of a motorcycle.

And what did I see on the nails?! A light blue enamel! Let`s keep an eye on that…

The sun was incredible on the harbor of St. Tropez as well as all the Chanel looks and accessories spotted off the catwalk at the famous Sénéquier. See for yourself below what the ladies in the front row were wearing:

Worth watching is also the short movie “Remember Now” by Karl Lagerfeld that was created for the Cruise 2011 collection. I have loved the direction, visual aspect along with the music.

LoL, Sandra

Et voilà, here is the next season preview. Below you will find the Top 20 runway shows that are in my view the key collections for F/W 2010. Enjoy!

CHANEL: There is no way you can escape Karl Lagerfeld. The genius surprised with an outstanding play on global warming and the melting of the ice caps. The models literally made a splash on the catwalk in shaggy snow boots with ice-block heels and furry polar bear outfits. A quite outstanding collection as Lagerfeld chose to use fake fur instead of promoting the real thing. Global warming will accelerate as you will see a lot of polar bears in St. Moritz this winter.

PRADA: Miuccia Prada`s unique talent has once more surprised us. The convinced feminist put for the first time the emphasis on the chest. The early 60s inspired collection was an ode to the womanhood. Sexy secretaries with high chignons demonstrated an esthetic perfection on the runway. Well done!

LOUIS VUITTON: What was first defined by Miuccia Prada, was spotted a little later in Paris at Louis Vuitton again. In celebration of womanliness, Marc Jacobs created a curvy silhouette with 50s wasp waists, petticoated skirts and outlined busts.

ALEXANDER MCQUEEN: Final honours to McQueen`s last works. During the process of preparing this poetic, medieval show, the British designer committed suicide. One last curtain call for his huge talent that showed so well in the tailoring and theatrical aspect of this collection.

BALMAIN: When it comes to Balmain, I cannot be neutral as I am such a big fan of Christophe Decarnin`s work. His designs have been copied a zillion times but nothing can compete with that notoriously expensive collection. This season, he took his inspiration from a baroque rock `n` roll showing to-die-for colourful marabou jackets, sexy frock coats, tight lamé dresses and the return of the over-shoe flared pants that make your legs look sooo long.

CELINE: Phoebe Philo set a benchmark again with her second collection for the French house for breathtaking luxurious minimalism. Refined shapes, supreme quality, very contemporary – in her own words: “Strong, powerful, reduced.” That is what you call style.

STELLA MCCARTNEY: Her show was a paragon of the emerging trend of the season: polished minimalistic chic. A very wearable and feminine collection for modern businesswomen.

GUCCI: Frida Giannini seemed to take the same line like Stella McCartney. Her Gucci woman grew up and made a tasteful, very confident appearance not trying too hard. An hommage to the label`s golden 60s and 70s esthetics that I am totally in love with.

BALENCIAGA: Nicholas Ghesquière has a futuristic vision of couture showing once more in his artistic masterpieces of graphic, pastel and collaged compositions. The computer-age child creates probably not so user-friendly winter outfits, but this twist on Parisian chic is desperately needed in the world of fashion to push things forward.

GIAMBATTISTA VALLI: A breeze from the 60s combined with a girlish couture spirit, Valli fascinated with shapes and beautiful silhouettes. In this collection, glamour raised the tone.

LANVIN: The Moroccan born designer of the French house is known for his amazing couture-like creations. This season`s take was all about another, stronger idea of elegance. I love the new sexy contemporary Amazon look created by Alber Elbaz. And you?

BOTTEGA VENETA: As to me, Bottega Veneta seems to be finally back on track. I had not been a big fan of Tomas Maier`s latest collections for the Italian house. Now, he surprised me with awesome body-conscious (if the word could cross the border of his taste) looks in rich amazing colours like emerald green. Hats off!

BURBERRY PRORSUM: This was a brilliant show, globally live-streamed, and a super-clever act in one as you could pre-order the gorgeous outerwear straight from the runway over the internet for three days only. You can`t go wrong this winter with those big-collared shearling jackets and the python thigh high boots. Give three cheers for Christopher Bailey!

ALEXANDER WANG: I love every little bit of Wang`s contemporary nonchalance. A polished street-chic, precise tailoring and stunning new cuts showed his amazing talent on the runway. He deconstructed the gray flannel suit into something completely new. Layering was part of the success story. Keep his name in mind, that guy is a must!

MIU MIU: Young, plenty sexy, but still very preppy with a slight air of the 60s, those were the best adjectives for Miu Miu`s runway show. The Twiggy-ish collection with the emphasis on the legs also showed some gorgeous colour combinations. A good season, Mrs Prada!

VERSUS: Christopher Kane, Donatella Versace`s protégé, will thrill the young party girls with his bright and sexy second collection for Versus. This was definitely one of the most refreshing shows on the runways honouring the heyday of Gianni Versace himself.

CHRISTOPHER KANE: Kane`s innovative ideas also showed in his own presentation in London where he managed to make the combination of black leather and floral embroideries look good together. The eccentric slashed sleeves were trendsetting. With good reason, he is one of the most courted of young designers today.

D&G: I absolutely adore this après-ski collection. It will be the perfect way of looking stylish in the mountains. The knitwear with snowflake patterns was body-conscious and mixed with fur or chiffon. Only Dolce & Gabbana can transform the winter wardrobe into something breathtakingly sexy. Even the moon boots had high heels, love that!

GIVENCHY: Riccardo Tisci obviously thought of the ski sport as well while designing his sweaters in snowflake-patterned knits. But he combined them with neoprene skirts deriving from the scuba world. He created an interesting twist without taking it too seriously like D&G.

ROBERTO CAVALLI: This show was the 40th anniversary of the Italian brand, as strange as it sounds. When Roberto Cavalli started in the 70s with his little shop in St.Tropez, he took a lot of his inspirations from the rich-hippie look. This era was once more the force behind his winter collection. An opulent mixture of folk and bohemian elements combined with animal prints and brocade fabrics. Congrats, Roberto!

I hope that you have liked my little résumé. On the runways there were so many different propositions and multiple references, catering for all tastes. The versatility makes fashion so interesting.
Stay tuned as I will tell you much more about the newest trends and must-haves for F/W 2010.

LoL, Sandra

After my last Tuesday post, I have received so many e-mails from you asking me about my XXL Chanel bag that I wore on one of the photos.

The very large version of Chanel`s iconic 2.55 bag was presented last F/W 2009/10 for the first time in black vernis leather and was spotted immediately on stylist Rachel Zoe. For S/S 2010 the oversized model has appeared once more in grey denim but only a very limited number was produced. I am totally in love with this bag. It gives me a this “Alice in Wonderland” feeling being so big compared to my stature.

The story behind the legendary bag that has always been en vogue is magical. The 2.55 takes its name from the month and year when it was launched by Coco Chanel: February 1955. Her idea was to create a shoulder bag to free up her hands. The traditional hand-held bags were simply no longer practical. Therefore her introduction of the chain strap revolutionized fashion of its time.

In 2005, in celebration of the 2.55`s 50th anniversary,  Karl Lagerfeld (Chanel`s designer since 1983) revived the bag exactly as Coco Chanel had made it and launched the Reissue. As a new member of the traditional Chanel 2.55 family, the updated version has got a turn clasp (Chanel term: Mademoiselle Lock) instead of the classic interlocking CC closure introduced in the `80s (Chanel term: Classic Flap) and a chain strap without the interwoven leather accent. Both variations are available each season in many different ways.

2.55 with Classic Flap

XXL 2.55 with Mademoiselle Lock

Interesting to know is that the bag arrives folded into the stores and can be packed like this for travelling which makes it very convenient (see photo to the left). It is said that Karl Lagerfeld found one of Coco`s previous 2.55 models on a shelf, squeezed together between some books. As the shape of the bag was still in perfect condition, he has adopted that idea for his relaunch.

In case those bags are appealing to you, go to the nearest Chanel store and have a look. If you are there, please do not miss out this summer`s It- shoes:
Chanel`s “5 O`clogs” (love that name) are the hottest ones of all.

To me, Coco Chanel deserves the Nobel Prize post mortem. We owe her the LBD (Little Black Dress), stretch materials, pants and the chain strap. By banishing the corsets, she has been the pioneer of modern wearable womenswear. Thanks, Coco!

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht and via missylovely

The hype has started already last summer when stars like Sienna Miller and Claudia Schiffer were spotted on the streets wearing this ultra-cool Chanel nautical top. It seems like Coco Chanel sparks another trend from her grave as she has transformed the navy and white striped, authentic French sailor`s working garment into a style essential. (It was said that this stripe might help locating a man fallen into the sea).

And the nautical trend hasn`t come to an end yet.

In the movie „Coco before Chanel“ that hit the cinemas early fall, the look was refreshed again by Audrey Tautou when she appeared in a striped boatneck breton shirt playing the famous French couturier.

For the recent resort collections designers are still loving the nautical theme. Maritime colours, stripes and rope belts were seen a lot. Therefore the Lido in Venice was the perfect location for Karl Lagerfeld to show his Chanel Cruise 2010 collection (see the pictures above) that is an hommage to the fabulous Coco and the 1920`s.

My recommendation is not to go head-to-toe nautical. Snap up a great striped piece for youself like the ones above and team it with skinny jeans and high heels.  I am totally in love with the flower embellished one by Marc Jacobs
. It is a great addition to your summer wardrobe and will accompany you for many years.

And for those who love cruising, I have the perfect idea: the WHY. Two luxury goods companies, the yacht maker Wally and Hermès, got together to design this amazing boat. Go to their website www.why-yachts.com and get a tour. Enjoy and start dreaming.