Sandra‘s Closet

It is the weekend of weddings, Charlene Wittstock, now called Her Serene Highness Princess Charlene, has finally married long-time bachelor Prince Albert, son of late Grace Kelly and Prince Rainier, in Monaco and Kate Moss has tied the knot with indie rocker Jamie Hince in Cotswolds. We all have been speculating the last weeks what the famous brides will be wearing for their big day.

Charlene went for Chanel and wore a pale blue suit jacket with beautiful lace trims and a long, flowing skirt.

“It’s a collaboration between me and Karl Lagerfeld,” Charlene explained to Vogue. “We wanted something to match the color of my eyes. It is my creation and I’m proud of it. It’s feminine and keeps with tradition yet has a little twist that reflects my personal style. I thought it was a nice change to go for trousers instead of a skirt, especially since I’m an athlete and have always kept my clothes clean and simple.”

Let’s see what she will be wearing today for the religious ceremony. Rumours are that she decided to go for Armani…

Montblanc takes part in the crowning moments as they have created a one-of-a-kind writing instrument, a Création Privée from the Artisan Atelier Hamburg, that the couple used to seal their civil union.

The very unique fountain pen is embellished with precious stones (161 rubies and 128 diamonds) and the monogram of the Princely Couple.

Kate Moss looked absolutely stunning in her John Galliano vintage-style dress with sequins and rhinestone details. She teamed it with Manolo Blahnik shoes.

After the furore in Spring surrounding John Galliano (he was sacked as chief designer of Christian Dior for an anti-semitic tirade), she was said to be in turmoil but she stood by her friend John Galliano after all.

Wouldn’t you sign this?!

I am invited this weekend as well to two weddings and I am off now to Austria…
Congrats to all newlyweds!

LoL, Sandra

 

Louis Vuitton’s F/W 2011 show had already the best invitation with a gorgeous tassel hanging from it. Marc Jacobs also touched the Parisian World War II-era like Miu Miu did but he added a fetish vibe which is said to be a metaphore for women’s obsession with bags. Talking about the power of a handbag which brand could be better than Louis Vuitton.

The show’s decor was absolutely amazing. Four elevators transported the models on stage. Porters for each opened the lift doors like in a luxury hotel.

The looks were all about peaked caps, sculpted jackets, jodhpur pants, tiny little briefs and below-the-knee pencil skirts.

Later on, French maids in plasticized lace and embellishments in the shape of masks and handcuffs started to exalt the imagination.

Kate Moss presented the last look waving a cigarette and looked smoking hot in both senses. If you are interested, you can watch the show by clicking here.

The must-have Louis Vuitton bag for F/W 2011 will be the reinterpreted 1958 top-handle Lockit bag. For the show, some versions had a diamond encrusted handcuff attached to it.
What can you say… such a Louis Vuitton handbag is for life.

Below you can see which celebrities were spotted at the show. I hope that you will like it.

LoL, Sandra

Kate Moss is the new face of Dior Beauté, specifically Dior Addict Lipstick. The English supermodel is proving that at 37, the girl’s still got it.

The advertising campaign will include a very cool TV-spot that shows Kate during Paris Spring Fashion Week last October, applying Dior Addict Lipstick in Diorkiss N° 578. She was spotted front row at Dior wearing already the new make-up look.

Therefore the fashion world had begun speculating about Kate’s possible advertising contract with the luxury fashion house months ago. What a clever idea, well done, Dior!

The Dior Addict Lipstick collection will hit the shelves on March 1st in a revised look. I was lucky to try them out. The new texture is amazing. Aside from the iconic lipstick, the high shine will offer more translucent shades. 
Creamy, opaque but still very shiny and light. So modern. I am in love with them. Below you can find my favourite shades for summer.

LoL, Sandra

Since May 2007, Kate Moss had designed thirteen times in a row for Topshop. But all good things come to an end and so her fourteenth collection for the fast-fashion chain will be her last and probably her best. The amazing pieces with Kate’s so famous bohemian chic plus a vintage-inspired jewelry range will go on sale November 2nd.

In honour of the big success, there will be also the “Kate Iconic“, a capsule collection of the ten most popular designs of the last years, like the must-have one-shoulder dress above.

I am in love with the supermodel’s style and you?

LoL, Sandra

It is August and the majority of fall campaigns can be seen now in the new fashion magazines, ads just keep coming out of the woodwork and so I wanted to give you a brief summary of the most important ones and by whom they were shot.
It is funny to see that this world in particular is pretty small and some photographers are ahead of the game.

My personal favourite is Bottega Veneta`s strong expressive F/W 2010 campaign. Shot by the godfather of energetic graphic photography himself: Robert Longo. The artist has became famous in the late 1970s and early 1980s with his series „Men in the Cities“ that depicts men and women in business attire contorted in extreme positions.

The winner this season seems to be renowned Mert Alas & Marcus Piggott. The dream team that has defined the look of the past decade, shot the most campaigns. Enjoy my preview:

The American photographer and long-time protégé of both Franca Sozzani and Anna Wintour, editors-in-chief of Italian and American Vogue is also a big shot in the world of fashion photography. No wonder, Steven Meisel shot all those gorgeous campaigns.

Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinood Matadin, a fashion photographer duo that is well known for their independent art work. Most of their photographs are both critical and slightly disturbing as you can see in the campaigns they shot for F/W 2010.

Italian-born Mario Sorrenti is a photographer and director best known for his spreads of nude models in the pages of Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar.

Peruvian fashion photographer Mario Testino has shot many fashion stories and celebrities. His work has been exhibited in numerous galleries and museums.

Hermès has come up with another really beautiful advertising campaign shot by Paolo Roversi. I love his romantic, vintage looking photos that always seem to tell a story. To me, a perfect choice for the French house!

Bruce Weber is a well-known face in the world of advertising photography. His career really took of in the late 1980s and early 1990s with his famous advertising images for Calvin Klein.

Juergen Teller‘s work is extraordinary and with a distinctive design. His raw style makes him one of the most influential fashion photographers working today.

Multi-talent Karl Lagerfeld likes to keep everything in his own hands. So no wonder that he shoots the advertising campaigns for his own collections for Chanel and Fendi.

Steven Klein is an American photographer that shot many high-profile advertising campaigns for various clients. This season he was hired by Dolce & Gabbana to capture a close knit Italian family with Madonna as the matriarchal figure through his lens.
Great job!

LoL, Sandra

When Fashion meets Art, the outcome is mostly promising. Fashion is like art a medium for interpretation and expression. As for me, my body is my very own canvas that serves as a communication tool. Every day, I can express myself new and seek out what suits my personal taste. Clothing sends a message and communicates emotions. It can be your vision of the world.

Therefore the union between art and fashion is in particular very interesting. The possibilities are versatile. Miuccia Prada`s Fondazione Prada has supported many ambitious artists in their creative process and enjoys an international reputation in the art scene.

Supermodels become life models and pose for painters. Famous example is Lucian Freud`s portrait of a pregnant Kate Moss.

Other luxury brands had famous artists contribute to their collections in particular.  The numerous successful collaborations between Louis Vuitton and artists like Takashi Murakami, Stephen Sprouse and Richard Prince serve as a good example and show the French house`s commitment to the arts.

Zaha Hadid, the Pritzker Price winning architect, who is known for her highly futuristic and curvaceous designs has joined many of those interesting projects as well.  She created the Icone Bag out of moulded plastic for Louis Vuitton and teamed up with Karl Lagerfeld for the 50th anniversary of the Chanel handbag to develop the Chanel Mobile art container, “a museum that can travel”. Her architectually inspired shoes for Melissa and jewelry for Swarovski have already become collectors`pieces.

Last week, it was a busy and important time for all art lovers as the 41th Art Basel took place. Before the opening of the famous art fair, I was very lucky to attend two amazing events in Zurich that inspired me to write this post.

First, the opening of the fifth annual “Art in the Park” outdoor exhibition that will go through August 1st, this time devoted to Pop Art. If you are living in Zurich, I truly recommend a visit to the beautiful garden of the hotel Baur au Lac where Gigi Kracht, the show`s creator and curator, shows in cooperation with Zurich`s Galerie Gmurzynska many impressive works, including the famous “Lucky Numbers One through Zero” by Robert Indiana, gigantic installations of cereal boxes with interesting insinuations by young and hyped Finish artist Jani Leinonen and sculptures by Allen Jones and Rotraut, the widow of Yves Klein and sister of Günther Ücker, just to name a few of the oustanding pieces. At the dinner I was sitting next to Jani Leinonen who gave me an impressive insight into his works and we had a great conversation about fashion and art.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On Sunday, I saw Jani again when Galerie Gmurzynska opened the exhibition Zaha Hadid and Suprematism. Drawing on Zaha Hadid`s formative inspiration from the masters of the Russian Avant-garde, the famous architect both curated and designed this historical exhibition. I loved the unbelievable installation in which the exhibition is taking place. The works of the recently named one of the 100 Most Influential of People of 2010 by TIME Magazine come in a variety of mediums. Enjoy the photos. The exhibition at the Galerie Gmurzynska will go through September 30th.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

At previews, I always love to observe what people are wearing. To borrow the cliché, Marni, Yohji Yamamoto, Comme des Garçons and Prada are loved by the art crowd. Said to be intellectual fashion.

As I just met Allen Jones, Jani Leinonen and Zaha Hadid, I got inspired by their works to put together some great oufits. Have a look below. I hope that you will like them.

LoL, Sandra

The cult of Louis Vuitton`s Stephen Sprouse leo scarf is a worldwide phenomena. It started in 2006 when Marc Jacobs made his first tribute to the artist, who had died at the age of 50 in 2004, by using the leo print the two had created together. An It-stole was born.
The first colour marron has become an integral part of every year`s collection, followed by other seasonal versions. Wrapped around many celeb necks, the scarf is bound to go down in history as one of the most famous of its kind.

Another historical moment took place last month in London when Louis Vuitton celebrated their new store on New Bond Street with the launch of 4 limited editions of their iconic Leo scarves. Only available in the British capital, they were sold out immediately on the opening day.

I know so many who were diappointed the last years because they missed the new colours. We do not want this to happen again! Here is the preview of the two latest designs for F/W 2010, said to be in stores around August. The statement piece was seen already on Margherita Missoni in Monte Carlo (see above). Always good to be friends with a designer.

 

 

 

 

 

 

So girls, who are not on good terms with Marc, get yourselves on the wait lists now and claws out for the new leo!

LoL, Sandra

In the last two weeks, after the release of the Weltwoche Style edition, I have received so many lovely e-mails from my Swiss readers asking me about the black leather jacket that I am wearing in the photo.
It is from Balmain`s last F/W 2009 collection and definitely one of my favourite pieces in my closet. The sleek cut is divine and emphasises all the good parts of the body. The metal chain adorning one sleeve gives it a rock-chic appearance and can also be removed. Stylists around the world love this motorcycle jacket in supersoft leather as you can see above.

But no worries if you missed that one, Christophe Decarnin designed two other interesting variations for this summer. The cut has remained the same, but colours and materials follow the newest trends: military and denim. I can recommend both as those are the perfect stylish addition to your wardrobe.

Beyoncé was seen recently at a basketball game wearing Balmain`s canvas version in olive green paired with a pair of Balmain`s camouflage jeans and some rivet suede pumps by Brian Atwood. This military jacket is one of the season`s It-pieces.  But be aware, there is no chance to hide in this stunning look!

Style icon Kate Moss was spotted several times in Balmain`s denim jacket that she combined with her beloved Superfine Blondie skinny jeans and her Kate Moss for Longchamp zebra print bag that she created in collaboration with the French house.

The Balmain pieces are available through www.net-a-porter.com or for the Swiss fashionistas at Trois Pommes and Designer am See.

LoL, Sandra