Sandra‘s Closet

Last night, the Super Bowl took place in Houston, Texas. If you are not familiar with it, just a brief explanation. It is the annual championship game of the National Football League (NFL), the highest level of professional American football in the world. The day on which the Super Bowl is played, is now considered by some as an unofficial American national holiday, is called “Super Bowl Sunday“. Believe me, I lived in the States, it is truly a lot of fun! Can you imagine… it is the second-largest day for U.S. food consumption, after Thanksgiving Day and in addition, the Super Bowl has frequently been the most-watched American television broadcast of the year; the seven most-watched broadcasts in U.S. television history are Super Bowls.

Therefore brands are eager to collaborate and advertise on that day while this sports event fascinates the nation. This year, Tiffany & Co. and Atelier Versace took center stage with the help of Lady Gaga who dazzled with a stunning half-time show.

She opened the show in a futuristic custom made, Atelier Versace fully beaded iridescent jumpsuit with sculptural shoulder detail and matching fully embroidered boots, both with Swarovski crystal accents.

She later topped her look off with a custom-made, Atelier Versace cropped gold jacket fully embroidered with Swarovski accents and accentuated with armor-like shoulder pads topped with a cluster of dramatic gold spikes.

For her final set, the singer wore another custom-made, Atelier Versace look, this time rocking a pair of fully embroidered hot-pants and cropped sculptural white jacket made of a special silicon material with metallic hardware details and coordinating Swarovski crystal accents.

And that was not all… Lady Gaga was everywhere on Super Bowl Sunday, except not playing the game. The pop star is the face of Tiffany & Co.’s new fashion jewelry collection, Tiffany HardWear.

Pieces from the new Tiffany HardWear collection.

She stars in the new ad campaign that aired last night for the first time right before her half-time performance. It marks the first time Tiffany has advertised during the Super Bowl, but it has a long connection with the game. The company has crafted the Vince Lombardi Trophy, awarded to the winning team, since the game’s inception.

Former US Vogue editor Grace Coddington served as creative director of the new campaign, which was photographed by David Sims. “In New York, you’re born knowing that Tiffany is the best, and that it is where the magic happens,” Gaga said in a statement. The shoot is part of Tiffany’s long-running Legendary Style campaign, which has previously featured Lupita Nyong’o and Elle Fanning.

See the one minute movie below:

It will be interesting to watch the famous jewelry brand’s future development as it goes through tumultuous time in its history. Earlier Sunday the House announced that CEO Frederic Cumenal stepped down. Former CEO Michael Kowalski is leading the company until a replacement is found. The resignation came amid a time of plummeting sales for the brand.

Let’s boost the economy and shop a beautiful piece from Tiffany & Co. which is also available now at NET-A-PORTER.

LOVE IT! Tom Brady holding his daughter Vivian and kissing his wife Gisele Bündchen.

Ah sorry, I completely forgot to tell you, who won… ok first of all, fashion again. Tom Brady, Gisele Bündchen‘s husband, has now a record for the fifth Super Bowl win for a quarterback after the biggest comeback in the game’s 51-year history. In one of the most exciting games in recent Super Bowl history, the winner of the game is the New England Patriots. The Atlanta Falcons were off to an early lead in the game, but the Patriots were able to catch up and tied the game.

And everyone please never forget:

Thank you to the lovely Kelly Fisher Katz, for this fun quote. Gentlemen, her husband Martin Katz, offers just the right pieces… just saying!

Have a lovely evening!

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Christopher Polk/Getty Images, © Tom Pennington/Getty Images and Courtesy of Tiffany & Co.

The Met Gala is an annual fundraising event for the benefit of the Metropolitan Museum of Art‘s Costume Institute in New York City and marks the grand opening of its annual fashion exhibit. Celebrating this year’s theme “China, Through The Looking Glass”, it seems to be one of the most challenging yet. See below who honored China’s heritage and its present culture on the red carpet best.

This year’s award to best dressed of the night goes to:

Rihanna wearing Chinese designer Guo Pei

The butt girls:

Jay Z and Beyoncé in Givenchy

Kanye West and Kim Kardashian West in Roberto Cavalli

Donatella Versace and Jennifer Lopez, both in Atelier Versace.

Best Chinese inspirations:

Zendaya Coleman in Fausto Puglisi

Karolina Kurkova in Tommy Hilfiger

I am always looking forward to seeing Sarah Jessica Parker‘s outfit because she has never let us down in pulling off the best looks. And let’s just say the headpiece combined with her H&M dress is divine.

Georgia May Jagger in Gucci and Alessandro Michele

Chloë Sevigny in J.W. Anderson

Very sophisticated: Tom Ford and Rita Ora in his design.

Alexa Chung in Erdem

George Clooney and Amal Clooney in Maison Margiela

Not so inspired by the Chinese theme… but great to watch:

Jeremy Scott kissing Kate Perry‘s hand who is wearing Moschino.

Also Madonna wore Moschino.

Stella McCartney framed by Cara Delevingne, Sofia Richie, and Zhu Zhu, all dressed in her designs.

Alexander Wang kissed by Lady Gaga in Balenciaga

Miley Cyrus and Zoë Kravitz dressed in Alexander Wang.

Kendall Jenner in Calvin Klein Collection

Robert Pattinson and FKA twigs in Christopher Kane (definitely not my favorite gown of the night).

Supermodel Joan Smalls arrived at the Met Gala in a black tulle and purple silk one-sleeved Roberto Cavalli gown with cutouts and sheer paneling. Her date was the newly appointed designer of the Italian fashion house Peter Dundas. Isn’t this gown to die for?!

Anna Wintour in Chanel

LoL, Sandra

Photos via: Alessandro Garofalo / Indigitalimages.com, Moschino, Vogue and Style.com

The 57th Annual Grammy Awards were held last night at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. Rapper LL Cool J hosted the show for the fourth consecutive time. In all, 83 Grammy Awards were presented, one more than in 2014.

Sam Smith accepts the Best New Artist award from singer Taylor Swift onstage

Sam Smith was the big winner at the 2015 Grammys, taking home four awards for best new artist, best pop vocal album, record of the year and song of the year. In an upset, Beck took home album of the year for Morning Phase, beating out Beyonce’s Beyonce.

But what interests us most are the best dressed winners and of course the worst as well. Enjoy, from a dreamy Giambattista Valli frock on Rihanna to Taylor Swift’s sexy Elie Saab gown, most of the celebs hit all the right notes on the music industry’s biggest night.

Rihanna in Giambattista Valli Couture

Taylor Swift in Elie Saab

Beyoncé in Proenza Schouler

Nicki Menaj in Tom Ford

Rita Ora in Prada

Ariana Grande in Atelier Versace (one of my favorite looks)

Awkward moment: Miley Cyrus in Alexandre Vauthier grabs Katy Perry’s boob who wore Zuhair Murad

Weird boob situation: Lady Gaga in Brandon Maxwell

Kiss of the night: Kanye West and Kim Kardashian in Jean Paul Gaultier Couture

Also in love: Nicole Kidman in Thierry Mugler Pre-fall 2015 with her husband Keith Urban

Ageless beauty: Jane Fonda in Balmain Pre-fall 2015

Looking cute: Charli XCX in Moschino…

… but how cute is her doggy?!

And last but not least: Queen M Madonna in Givenchy Couture…

… who still knows the best how to seek attention in the right moment.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images, Valerie Macon/Getty Images, Reuters, Wireimages

Gucci dressed Beyoncé for her Mrs Carter show, Lady Gaga had the most amazing wardrobe for her Born This Way Ball tour created by Giorgio Armani and now it is Roberto Cavalli‘s turn to provide Miley Cyrus with the most dazzling costumes for her upcoming ‘The Bangerz World Tour’ that will commence on Feb. 14 in Vancouver. Here is a sneak preview:

Black knitwear jumpsuit all over embroidered recreating a zebra pattern.

Nude jumpsuit in stretch silk tulle all over embroidered with Swarovski crystals creating a nude effect on the body.

Washed denim with leopard print jacket, shorts and bra embroidered with a dégradé of blue crystals.

Washed denim with python print jacket, shorts and bra embroidered with a dégradé of blue crystals.

Over washed denim sleeveless jacket,shorts and bra with an all over ombré embroidery of metallic studs and crystals.

As the singer has announced she will include animals in her show, she couldn’t have gone for a better designer to create her outfits than the king of animal prints, Roberto Cavalli. Even that I am not the biggest Miley fan, I really like her looks for the show.

LoL, Sandra

Sketches: © 2014 ROBERTO CAVALLI SPA All rights reserved.

Lady Gaga is the face of Versace‘s S/S 2014 campaign, the first time that the famous singer has starred in any fashion advertising. Channeling Donatella’s iconic look, the very long platinum blonde hair, Lady Gaga appears in a series of images shot in London by Mert Alas & Marcus Piggott, wearing pieces from the new summer collection along with some must-have accessories, such as the new Palazzo bag, which was introduced at the S/S 2014 show.

The campaign marks the latest stage of a continuing friendship between Donatella Versace and Lady Gaga. It began with Lady Gaga wearing archive Versace pieces in her video for Edge of Glory, with most recently Lady Gaga titling a track on her new Artpop album Donatella. “I am honoured that my friend Lady Gaga is the face of our new Versace campaign. I wanted to capture her true beauty and spirit in images that are elegant and alluring. She is like family to me, the embodiment of the Versace DNA.”

TO SHOP VERSACE ONLINE, PLEASE CLICK HERE.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Versace

Another blockbuster fashion event took place this week in NYC. One evening after the Maison Martin Margiela with H&M launch party, Donatella Versace hosted a cocktail party to celebrate the opening of her new Versace boutique in Soho on 160, Mercer Street followed by a dinner at the Waldorf Towers.

A huge variety of celebrities chose to attend both events, with everyone from Gerard Butler and Kanye West to supermodel Linda Evangelista and close friend of the House Lady Gaga.

Carrying both menswear and womenswear ready-to-wear collections in addition to accessories, the store will also house special collaborations.

Kicking off the shop’s opening, Donatella Versace tapped Christopher Kane, who also creates the Versus line, to design a capsule collection of tees and other items with iconic Versace images pulled from the archives, which will be sold exclusively at the Soho store. With printed T-shirts being so à la mode, be sure that those tops will activate another fashion hype!

Below, find a complete list of celebrities who chose to wear Versace:

Donatella Versace entered the cocktail party at the boutique in a Fall 2012 black corset top with a Swarovski encrusted jewelled cross emblem on the front with a velvet pencil skirt (see photo below with Princess Charlene of Monaco).  She changed later for the dinner into another look from Fall 2012 (as you can see above with Lady Gaga) – she was perfect in a black Versace leather top with crescent-shaped neckline with Swarovski crystal details and Versace leather pants, completely embedded with Swarovski crystal details from the knee down.

Princess Charlene of Monaco wore a chic black Versace cocktail dress paired with thigh-high leather Versace runway boots with a gold capped-toe. She finished her look with a black Versace cashmere waistcoat with leather inserts.

Linda Evangelista wore a black velvet Versace coat from the Fall 2012 runway enriched by Swarovski crystal crosses.

Doutzen Kroes wore a Versace Fall 2012 black coat with flared skirt covered entirely in Swarovski crystals.

Bar Refaeli looked amazing in a fitted black leather cocktail dress with Swarovski crystals detailing with a matching leather jacket and black Versace booties.

Coco Rocha wore a black dress with metallic detailing from Versace Fall 2012 paired with black Versace Fall pointed toe pumps.

Alexa Chung here with Christopher Kane wore a look from the Versus Fall 2012 runway: a burgundy knit turtleneck top paired with a matching leather miniskirt.

Karolina Kurkova wore a black leather bomber jacket with intricate floral detailing with a pencil skirt with a matching pattern, paired with black Versace pumps and a black Versace clutch.

Leigh Lezark sporting a yellow cocktail dress with leather cutouts at the hem and on the side with a modern crescent shaped neckline. She completed her look with black Versace shoes.

Tali Lennox, daughter of Annie Lennox, wore a full look from Versus Fall 2012 – she looked fabulous in a fuchsia top, miniskirt, and huge fur coat. She completed her outfit with blue booties with fuchsia inserts.

Hunger Games star Alexander Ludwig chose a Fall 2012 look – he wore a blue floral printed suit with matching tie. He completed his look with Versace Fall boots with gold buckles and a black Versace belt with a medusa buckle.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Versace

Finish shoe designer Minna Parikka and artist Jani Leinonen (For a previous post on Jani’s work, click here please.) collaborated on an art project filled with corporate mascots and shoes.

The duo created a space with an optical illusion covered with a print based on Jani Leinonen’s painting. The print also takes over 3 styles of Minna Parikka’s satin shoes that all have their place in the installation.

“Here the common and tacky commercial characters collide into the luxurious and abundant high heels. The battle between the classes has began.” the duo states.

The 3 styles of shoes are all numbered and signed in series of 25. “They are art and we can not control what do you do with them, frame them or wear them!” The pairs come in sizes 36-41 and are sold through Amos Anderson during ‘Boutique’ exhibition which is officially part of Helsinki World Design Capital Year.

Boutique – Where Art Meets Fashion until 12th of November at Amos Anderson art museum.

Lady Gaga wears Minna Parikka’s bugs pumps on her European tour. See the original post by Terry Richardson on Terry’s Diary.

Gaga is already familiar with Parikka’s creations as on her visit in Helsinki in October 2010, she received a double platinum award designed by the Finish shoe designer.

Aren’t they amazing?! Check out Parikka’s website, it is truly worth it!

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Terry Richardson and © Minna Parikka

In case that you are in the city of Zurich tomorrow, September 8, 2012 looking for your Cinderella shoe, you should pay a visit to the newly redecorated Giahi flagship store at Löwenstrasse 8 that is now Europe’s biggest tattoo and piercing studio. A famous guest is waiting there between 1-4 pm for an autograph session: He is none other than Rick Genest, aka Rico, aka Zombie Boy, aka the muse of Mugler’s and Gaga’s Nicola Formichetti.

Rick’s ambition was turning himself into a zombie after he had survived a brain tumor at the age of 16. After countless hours of tattoos, the 28-year-old performance artist has covered today 80% of his body with black ink. The skeleton tattooed Rick Genest walked on Mugler‘s catwalk, starred in the house’s ad campaign and played in Lady Gaga‘s video “Born This Way”.

I am completely fascinated by him. Last February, I saw him in NYC during Fashion Week and couldn’t take my eyes of him. Scary and intriguing at the same time.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Via Giahi, Vogue Hommes Japan, Zimbio, Getty Images and Courtesy of Mugler

Charlie Le Mindu, Lady Gaga’s eccentric hairstylist, has redesigned L’Oréal Professionnel’s Infinium hairspray. “Fashion hairstyling is very demanding, and styling products should give the best result possible in record time,” he explained. “This is why a majority of hairstylists use L’Oréal Professionnel’s products. They know the exact result of each formula, so if, for example, they want a really strong hold hairspray which also gives the hair a beautiful shine, Infinium is ideal and very easy to use.”

This new design comes with a silhouette of one of Charlie’s designs lined in midnight blue on a pearl white background.

On his website he says: “The inspiration behing this drawing was a model I loved on one of my catwalks but it is also a drawing of a hat that Lady Gaga was wearing few month ago. I m really exited to see this spray backstage and in every bathroom.”

If you like strong hold hairspray, you will love this limited edition Mademoiselle Infinium,
available in two versions, Strong (2) and Strong (3), both for CHF 18.- (300ml) in L’Oréal Professionnel salons.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of L’Oréal Professionnel, © Zak Hussein/PA Wire

Honouring the 120th anniversary of Vogue, Anna Wintour took a trip down memory lane and shared her Vogue story. While working on this September’s cover (which will be the biggest one ever, be prepared to weight-lift) of a Marc Jacobs–clad Lady Gaga made her think about her first one as the editor of Vogue in November 1988 which starred the Israeli model Michaela Bercu, photographed by Peter Lindbergh and styled by Carlyne Cerf de Dudzeele.

As the model couldn’t fit in the skirt, she had to wear jeans which made their first ever appearance on the cover of Vogue, and thus fashion history was made.

“Michaela was wearing a Christian Lacroix jacket with a beaded cross and stonewashed Guess jeans. The jacket was part of a suit, but the skirt didn’t fit Michaela; she had been back home and had gained a little weight. Not that that mattered. In fact, it only reinforced the idea: Take couture’s haughty grandeur, playfully throw it headlong into real life, and see what happens. What none of us expected was to run that picture on the cover, least of all the magazine’s printers, who asked if there’d been some mistake. It was so unlike the elegant close-ups typical of Vogue’s covers back then. This one broke all the rules. It looked easy, casual, like a moment snapped on the street, which was the whole point. Afterwards, people applied all sorts of interpretations: It was about mixing high and low, Michaela was pregnant, it was a religious statement. None of that was true. I had just looked at that picture and sensed the winds of change. And you can’t ask for more from a cover image than that.” – Anna Wintour

She also shared some of her favourite images from Vogue:

Vogue, July 15, 1928 – Photographed by Edward Steichen

Vogue, July 1, 1930 Swimmers – Photographed by George Hoyningen-Huene

Vogue, September 15, 1939 Manboochers corset – Photographed by Horst P. Horst

Vogue, May 1, 1947 One of Irving Penn’s most famous tableaux, often referred to as “The Twelve Beauties.” At this sitting Penn first fell in love with wife-to-be Lisa Fonssagrives, sixth from left. – Photographed by Irving Penn

Vogue, June 1, 1948 Cecil Beaton’s iconic image of Charles James ball gowns, photographed in the salon of French & Co., New York.- Photographed by Cecil Beaton

Vogue, December 1989 Naomi Campbell, Mike Tyson and Don King were all part of a feature on Tyson called “Fight Knight” – Photographed by Bruce Weber

Vogue, August 1990 Cleopatra’s Eye – Photographed by Irving Penn

Karl Lagerfeld’s “city ballerinas” shot in Paris. – Photographed by Ellen von Unwerth, Vogue, October 1991

I hope that you have enjoyed this little retrospective as much as I did. Such beautiful images!
For the complete slideshow, please click here.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Via Vogue