Sometimes it just needs one statement piece to draw all the attention to your outfit. But wait, a statement piece….? What is the statement? Here, it is the sequined Playboy bunny on the back of the hoodie that I wore last weekend on my flight to London for Fashion Week. Looking all innocent and casual at first sight, it unveils this fun message when you turn around. The only question left is what is the statement that the wearer is trying to make…? This you have to figure out yourself… mine will stay a statement secret.

My look: Cropped hoodie with zipper and sequined Playboy bunny by Marc Jacobs, snake-print cotton tank by Stella McCartney, skinny mid-rise distressed jeans by Dolce & Gabbana, Bamboo leather tote by Gucci, white and black leopard calf hair bootie by Rodarte, diamond ring and bracelet, both by Vainard Fine Jewellery.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht

As we all know, fashion trends can be difficult to keep up with. In an industry where one color, fabric or print can be crazily hot one season and totally out the next, there’s no doubt that following is no easy task. Not to worry, I am here to help you looking chic all year long! Scroll through my forecast for what styles will be on everyone’s shopping list this F/W 2014 season.

Capes, ponchos, fur, feathers and shearling, the collections are all about wrapping up against the cold. Get ready to ward off Winter’s grip in khaki hues, Sixties prints and flashes of shining gold. Enjoy!

LoL, Sandra

F/W 2014 TREND 1: SWEET SIXTIES
Miu Miu – Gucci – Dsquared²

F/W 2014 TREND 2: SUITS
Hermès – Christian Dior – Ralph Lauren Collection

F/W 2014 TREND 3: MILITARY KHAKI
Calvin Klein Collection – Isabel Marant – Balmain

F/W 2014 TREND 4: HEAD TO TOE KNITS
Stella McCartney – Céline – Marc Jacobs

F/W 2014 TREND 5: ARGYLE SWEATERS
Louis Vuitton – Maison Martin Margiela – Tommy Hilfiger

F/W 2014 TREND 6: FELINE
Carven – Givenchy – Sportmax

F/W 2014 TREND 7: OPTICAL ILLUSIONS
Matthew Williamson – Bottega Veneta – Dries Van Noten

F/W 2014 TREND 8: TEAM PLAYERS
Tom Ford – DKNY – Jeremy Scott

F/W 2014 TREND 9: SHEARLING
Anthony Vaccarello – Prada – Christopher Kane

F/W 2014 TREND 10: FANCY FURS
Versace – Emilio Pucci – Chloé

F/W 2014 TREND 11: PONCHOS
Roberto Cavalli – Burberry Prorsum – Etro

F/W 2014 TREND 12: CAPES
Dolce & Gabbana – Elie Saab – Valentino

F/W 2014 TREND 13: GOLDEN GIRLS
Just Cavalli – Saint Laurent – Moschino

F/W 2014 TREND 14: BIRDS
Emanuel Ungaro – Marni – Alberta Ferretti

F/W 2014 TREND 15: BLACK VELVET
Emporio Armani – Chanel – Nina Ricci

Photos: Via Style.com

Yesterday, my cute little monster charm had his first excursion through Zurich and dangled from my vibrant Fendi bag. Honestly, my new friend could spike up every one of my existing totes. Buggies are the season’s cutest and fuzziest fashion accessory! A special collection with different facial expressions and luxurious materials, such as fox hair, mink fur, leather and more. Those creatures will eventually become collectors’ pieces, even the swans were impressed. If you have a sense of humor about your personal style from time to time, this is definitely for you!

My look: Duffle coat, classic Plonge leather shorts and printed silk scarf, all by Saint Laurent, Mickey Mouse embroidered top by Marc Jacobs, wool-felt trilby by Gucci, boots with fringes by Balmain, 2Jours medium calf hair, mink and leather shopper and textured-leather and fox monster bag charm, both by Fendi, ring and necklace, both by Piaget.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht

Forty internationally renowned experts from the world of fashion (among them Jefferson Hack, Katie Grand, Natalie Massenet, Carine Roitfeld and Patrick Demarchelier to name a few) are to meet thirty applicants to the LVMH Prize during Paris Fashion Week.

They will select a short-list of ten young designers who will go forward to present their work to the jury in May 2014. Entries have already been received from all over the world, including Asia, Africa and South America as well as the United States and Europe, with many more anticipated before the closing date of February 2nd, 2014.

The members of the jury for the first edition of the prize in 2014 are eight creative directors from LVMH Fashion Houses including: Nicolas Ghesquière (Louis Vuitton), Marc Jacobs (Marc Jacobs), Karl Lagerfeld (Fendi), Humberto Leon and Carol Lim (Kenzo), Phoebe Philo (Céline), Raf Simons (Dior) and Riccardo Tisci (Givenchy).

The designers will be joined by Delphine Arnault, Jean-Paul Claverie (advisor to Bernard Arnault and head of corporate philanthropy for LVMH) and Pierre-Yves Roussel (Chairman and CEO of the LVMH Fashion Group).

YOU CAN APPLY HERE! Good luck!

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Louis Vuitton

If you have a weekend in Bangkok, squeeze in a day trip to Chatuchak Weekend Market and you will not be disappointed. This must-visit is one of the world’s largest weekend markets with over 15,000 booths selling goods from every part of Thailand. Everything is on sale here, shop ‘till you drop’, although not all at the best bargain rates.

The best way to get there is to hop on the Skytrain (BTS) to Mo Chit station, and follow the crowd until you see rows of canvas stalls selling clothes and other items. Almost everything can be found here, and most vendors actually come from local factories, like antique wood carving, clay handicrafts, wooden funitures, hand made decorated flowers, and much more.

My look: Tulle floral skirt and jacket (you need one for the Skytrain, the air conditioner feels like being in a freezer), both by Jean Paul Gaultier Femme, tank top by American Vintage, Vela nylon backpack (great piece to carry your personal belongings while travelling) by Prada, sunglasses by Marc Jacobs, studded bracelet by H&M and golden sandals by Zara.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht

The title might sound a little pathetic looking at all the fur clothes that Miuccia Prada presented for her S/S 2014 collection. But even if you don’t like fur, you will have to admit that those designs are pieces of art. Colourful and vibrant, the craftsmanship that is needed to create those intarsia details is outstanding. Miuccia Prada uses the fur like a canvas and as most clothes cost as much as a masterpiece, why not combine the two? “Art” has been a major inspiration for many designers for the S/S 2014 season.

Personally speaking, I love the facial prints seen on the handbags the most. Cannot wait to get my hands on those…

Somebody else who couldn’t wait for those pieces to hit the shelves was no other than Marc Jacobs. He walked his dog on Christmas Day in Saint Barts wearing already one of the Prada S/S 2014 fur coats. He is a great admirer and friend of Miuccia Prada and I spotted him frequently at her Miu Miu shows in the afternoon after he had shown Louis Vuitton in the morning. 
Let’s see which one of the must-have pieces Anna Wintour and Anna Dello Russo will pick. Nevertheless, Marc was first!

LoL, Sandra

Photos: PacificCoastNews, Courtesy of Prada

Marc Jacobs dedicated his final collection for Louis Vuitton to the women who inspire him. In the same spirit, the S/S 2014 advertising campaign is devoted to a series of portraits of the designer’s muses.

Catherine Deneuve, Sofia Coppola, Gisele Bündchen, Fan Bingbing, Caroline de Maigret and Edie Campbell, the model hand-picked by Marc Jacobs to open his final runway show, are photographed by Steven Meisel.

The simple studio backdrop and restrained color palette turn the spotlight on the personality of each, as well as on the season’s variations on the iconic Noé bag – embroidered with feathers, crystals, alligator or Sprouse sequins, in supple calfskin, or in Monogram canvas trimmed with black leather.

Just as Marc Jacobs’ valedictory show was intended as a celebration, so this, his final campaign for Louis Vuitton, offers a vibrant homage to women and to enduring style.

On the S/S 2014 runway, a single bag appeared in a myriad different guises, the NN14 – the season’s statement update of the iconic Noé bag, famously designed by Gaston-Louis Vuitton in 1932 in response to a request from a champagne producer for an elegant way of carrying five bottles of fizz.

The limited-edition NN14 was created through what Marc Jacobs described as a “cleaning” of the original design – smaller, more streamlined, but still recognizable as a “bucket” for champagne. In addition to Les Extraordinaires, the extremely rare and precious editions whose extravagant embellishments – feathers, crystals, sequins, studs, alligator appliqués – testify to Louis Vuitton’s exceptional savoir-faire, several simpler versions of the NN14 bag will set the tone of the next season.

All share the NN14’s distinctive details: a hand-pleated leather tassel closure, a Louis Vuitton-embossed leather handle, and the emblematic LV padlock and key bell. Inside the bag, a matching removable zippered pocket is perfect for stowing valuables.

The NN14 in Monogram Idole combines canvas with calfskin trim in black, dark red or deep blue. The bag comes in two sizes: small for elbow and hand carry (also available in classic Monogram canvas with natural cowhide trim), and large, which can additionally be worn on the shoulder.

This bag will surely fly of the shelves… question is which one is your favorite?! I am crazy for this embellished one…

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Louis Vuitton

Finally it is official: Nicolas Ghesquière has found a new home. It has been already 12 months that he left the house of Balenciaga after 15 years. Today LOUIS VUITTON has named him Artistic Director. The 42-year-old designer is replacing Marc Jacobs.

In early October, I had felt it already in my bones when I posted that Ghesquière will eventually take over (click here for the previous post), even though LOUIS VUITTON denied all rumors.

I am wishing Nicolas all the best and I am curious to see his first collection (F/W 2014) in March next year.

LoL, Sandra

Today was a big day! The last day of Paris Fashion Week started with the Louis Vuitton S/S 2014 show. Rumors had been out quite a long time about Marc Jacobs leaving the French brand after 16 years, but the minute I arrived at the venue, I knew, it was true. It felt like a journey through time. From the governess girls at the entrance to the station clock, the carrousel, the elevators and the escalators, the fountain, last season’s hotel corridors, every little detail was reminiscent of something amazing Marc had created for a Louis Vuitton show.

In the press kit on my seat, Marc Jacobs wrote something so beautiful that I truly would like to invite you to read it:

“This collection is dedicated to the women who inspire me and to the showgirl in every one of them, Emmanuelle Alt, Jane Birkin, Betty Catroux, Carlyne Cerf De Dudzeele, Coco Chanel, Cher, Grace Coddington, Sofia Coppola, Victoire de Castellane, Catherine Deneuve, Claude Lalanne, Julie de Libran, Lady Gaga, Judy Garland, Katie Grand, Juliette Gréco, Françoise Hardy, Zizi Jeanmarie, Rei Kawakubo, Madonna, Liza Minnelli, Kate Moss, Louise Nevelson, Edith Piaf, Miuccia Prada, Lee Radziwill, Millicent Rogers, Sonia Rykiel, Carla Sozzani, Elsa Schiaparelli, Barbra Streisand, Diana Vreeland, Vivienne Westwood, Anna Wintour.

Whether extrovert or esoteric, they are figures that keep visual language vital. Their style, imagination, creativity, talent, vision and voice have changed our landscape.”

He continued: “When I look around Paris, it isn’t the depth of the city that takes my breath away. It’s the decoration and the applied ornamentation that dazzles. It is not about thinking, it is about feeling. There may be no deeper sensation than this when it hits. While designing this collection the same instinct gathered momentum. I take pleasure from things for exactly what they are, revealing in the pure adornment of beauty for beauty’s sake. Connecting with something on a superficial level is as honest as connecting with it on an intellectual level.

TO THE SHOWGIRL IN ALL OF US.“

Speaking of which, many of the forty-one extremely dark looks resembled showgirl clothes, all exquisitely embellished with jet beads, crystals, and glossy feathers. Each and every one of the models wore an amazing headpiece of ostrich plumes designed by Stephen Jones for the show. The first look was pretty evocative, nothing but a G-string and the Stephen Sprouse-designed LV logo showing all over the model’s body, along with handcuffs and chains.

The biker jackets and denim pants were amazing, something you are dying to have in your closet. I love the collection and Marc’s creativity, it might not be commercial, but it is definitely for the showgirl in us!

Never forget, it was Jacobs who brought Louis Vuitton’s foray into prêt-à-porter to a huge success, and whatever the behind-the-scenes speculations of the past few months, he appears to be leaving on good terms. I was backstage and started crying like everybody else after all those heartfelt hugs.

Marc said that he wants to focus on his own Marc Jacobs brand. And I think, the announcement will be coming out soon that Nicolas Ghesquière will replace him at Louis Vuitton. So watch out!

LoL, Sandra

Marc’s last finale…

… and heartbreaking moments backstage.

Having fun behind the scenes: Sofia Coppola and Dakota Fanning

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht

In June 2013, the Coca-Cola Company launched in Argentina its first soda that is said to be naturally sweetened with sugar and stevia: COCA-COLA LIFE.

The product can be seen above sporting a green label and is packaged in the award-winning PlantBottle™ that is constructed of 30 percent plant material and is fully recyclable. The new drink contains 54 calories per 300ml, a 60% reduction compared to the classic Coke.

For the time being, it is only available in the South American country and it is still unknown if it will be launched elsewhere in the future.

Personally speaking, I am a Coke Zero addict and drink a lot of it. Of course, I would be over the moon to consume a “healthier” version of my favourite drink. But drinking sugar or high fructose corn syrup – even that it is less – is still kind of absurd. On the other hand, what does this new launch say about the other Coca-Cola drinks?!

What do you think about the green label? I don’t find the bottle appealing at all and prefer my Diet Coke without calories well-dressed in Marc Jacobs. Cheers!

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Coca-Cola and © Sandra Bauknecht