Sandra‘s Closet

The MOSCHINO after show dinner took place at Osteria La Risacca 6, an amazing restaurant specializing in seafood in Milan. Each dish on the menu was extremely good, prepared exclusively with fresh seasonal ingredients. The atmosphere was vibrant, great music played and we danced at the table.

With lovely Sara Bongiorni from MOSCHINO.

If you love fish dishes and you are in Milan, you must visit this restaurant.

After the dinner, we ended the night at Just Cavalli Club. As the name implies, the nightclub was designed by the designer Roberto Cavalli. Especially during fashion week, the club attracts fashionable club-lovers from across the world owing to its bespoke interiors and the overall clubbing ambiance.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht
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This was the outfit I wore to the Versace F/W 2022 show in Milan. The Italian Maison has such a huge momentum again, its skyrocketing platform heels are all over along with the iconic codes we all adore so much. The surge in archival interest, and Donatella’s enduring icon status have made the brand a star once more.

My look: Envers satin jacket dress, Medusa chain embellished waist belt, Medusa Aevitas embellished satin platform pumps, and small Medusa top handle bag, all by Versace, black panties by CHANEL, and gold mesh necklace by Prada.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht / Nadia Krawiecka
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Last week, while visiting the Salone di Mobile in Milan as guest of Louis Vuitton, I also took the opportunity to explore the newly opened MARNI flagship store at Via Montenapoleone 26. The new boutique, coinceived as multi-disciplinary creative hub, presents an unprecedented design concept, allowing for an immersive brand experience across three levels. To mark its opening, a site-specific installation by one of Iceland’s leading contemporary artist Shoplifter was presented and clients had the chance to delve into Marni’s imaginative world through ART JAM, a series of workshops and customizations courtesy of artists Shoplifter and The Aluminum Group.

I have been a huge fan of the work of Shoplifter / Hrafnhildur Arnardóttir, who is living between New York and Reykjavik, and I was looking forward to meeting her in person. Working with both synthetic and natural hair, her sculptures, wall murals and site-specific installations explore themes of vanity, self-image, fashion, beauty and popular myth. For Shoplifter hair is the ultimate thread that grows from our body. Hair is an original, creative fiber, a way for people to distinguish themselves as individuals, and often an art form. Humor plays a large role in her life and work, sometimes subtly, but at other times taking over.

Shoplifter represented Iceland at the Venice Biennale in 2019 and her installation Chromo Sapiens opened at the Icelandic Pavilion in May 2019 in Venice, Italy. The installation later traveled to Iceland opening at the Reykjavik Art Museum in January 2020.

It was a true pleasure getting to know her during the art session at the MARNI boutique where she created a beautiful charm for me as a gift.

Below you can find many more photos of the really cool new flagship.

Phone: +39 02 76317327

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht
DISCLOSURE: We may earn commission from links on this page, but I only recommend products I love. Promise. 

I love Aquazzura shoes and I love their stores. Each one of our boutiques has a very different feel but share a common thread. One of my favorite ones is located at the heart of Milan in Via Sant’Andrea, 12. While I am furnishing my new house, this interior design has fully inspired me. I adore its fine custom made décor in fine, sophisticated materials, such as French marble, blown glass, velvet and brass.

You can shop a large selection of Aquazzura shoes online at Net-à-Porter.

The black and white stripes, which are recurrent features of the brand and which are being used for their shoe boxes for example, look so great together with the pale pink furniture and glossy lacquer paneling walls, inspired by 70’ Italian style. The beautiful interior was designed by Casa do Passadiço’s interior designers, Cláudia and Catarina Soares, in collaboration with Aquazzura’s Edgardo Osorio.

The golden brass wall is covered of thousands of hand-cut golden scales, creating a pattern that is reminiscent of the gold pineapple, another iconic symbol of the brand. Another highlight of the shop is the mouth-blown Murano glass chandelier, which adds to this intimate luxurious parlour a contemporary elegance and luxury.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Aquazzura
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As much as I love fashion, I love medicine. The only reason why I didn’t become a doctor was that I didn’t want to wear a white coat every day and have short nails. I know it sounds superficial but it is true! During my law studies, I took a few semesters of forensic medicine because I was so interested.

Therefore I was absolutely fascinated by The Prada Group‘s latest commitment to support PROTEGGIMI with the aim of exploring the role science plays in contemporary society. This research project dives into male susceptibility to Coronavirus. Clinical data suggest that COVID-19 affects men more seriously than women: San Raffaele Hospital in Milan, supported financially by the Prada Group, will investigate the role played by male sex hormones in this imbalance.

San Raffaele Hospital in Milan

Coming on the back of the «Human doctors, warrior patients» project, a partnership with the Gianni Bonadonna Foundation to develop innovative cancer treatment and research, the initiative not only coincides with a period of global health crisis – researching why the pandemic predominantly affects men – but also reflects Prada’s forward-looking, original research, which seeks to foster dialogue between neuroscience and culture.

Prof. Andrea Salonia

The PROTEGGIMI project, developed by the San Raffaele research hospital in Milan and coordinated by urologist and andrologist Prof. Andrea Salonia, director of the San Raffaele Urological Research Institute and a lecturer at Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, will seek to explain the disparity in the impact of COVID-19 on men and women and to assemble a European register of epidemiological data on COVID-19, broken down by sex. The project will also involve various research groups from Italy and across Europe.

According to the latest data, men account for 66% of deaths from COVID-19 in Italy – a percentage that rises as the age bracket gets younger – and they are also more likely to require treatment in intensive care, accounting for 82% of all admissions in the Lombardy region. Sex hormones, and testosterone in particular, could explain this disparity, at least in part.

«It is crucial to be able to examine separate data for men and women», Prof. Salonia explained, «if we are to understand whether testosterone levels are linked to the severity of the illness, and to assess any long-term impacts on the overall health of men who have recovered from the virus. We hope this research will produce its first results in the next few weeks».

Personally speaking, I am really looking forward to seeing the outcome of this research.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Prada

While being in Milan for ACQUA DI PARMA‘s launch event for the new home collection, I had the pleasure to meet with Laura Burdese, the Italian brand’s President and CEO, who gave me her tips for her home town Milan and Liguria, where she loves to spend her free time.

After graduating in International Economics and obtaining a Master in Marketing at the University of Trieste, Laura began her career in beauty industry with brand management tenures at Beiersdorf and L’Oreal. In 1999 she joined Swatch Group, where over the course of almost 18 years she held different positions of increasing responsibility. In 2006 she was appointed Country Manager / Managing Director of Swatch Group Italy. In 2012, in addition to this role, she was also appointed President and CEO of Calvin Klein watches and jewelry Co ltd. On October 2016 she joined Acqua di Parma as President and CEO. The charming blonde is married and has two teenage kids.

Your favourite city?
MILAN – it is my home and the most international city in Italy.

Your favourite hotel?
The BELMOND SPLENDIDO MARE in Portofino. It is all about timeless glamour and exceptional indulgence, it is my favorite place on earth. Originally a monastery, the building was transformed into a noble villa and then, early in the previous century, became a legendary hotel, with breathtaking views of the bay. I like it so much that I decided to shoot our Acqua di Parma campaign for the new home collection there.
Via Roma, 2, 16034 Portofino GE, Phone: +39 0185 267801

Your favourite restaurant?
Definitely GIACOMO MILANO. Conceived and designed by architects Renzo Mongiardino and Roberto Peregalli in an evocative setting that recalls the old Milanese trattorias of the early Nineteen hundreds, it is one of the most comfortable places for me.
Via Pasquale Sottocorno, 6, 20129 Milano MI, Phone: +39 02 7602 3313

Your favourite sightseeing spot?
VARIGOTTI – a picturesque seaside town in Liguria, Northern Italy. You have to see this fishermen’s place once in your life. It is a magical place that not many people know. My family has a house there only 50 meters from the sea, I spend my childhood there, I got married there – it is the place of my heart.

Your favourite beach?
VARIGOTTI BEACH – Varigotti is famous for its sea and beaches, particularly the Saracen’s Beach, which is one of the largest public beaches in Liguria.
17024 Varigotti, Savona

Your favourite park?
I love the PARCO SEMPIONE in Milan. Its is a large green-space close to the Castello Sforzesco. It was built between 1890 and 1893 imitating a typical English garden.
Piazza Sempione, 20154 Milano MI, Size: 39 ha

Your favourite shop?
Of course our ACQUA DI PARMA store in Milan that allows you to dive into our universe. We will close it in the end of April after the Salone di Mobile for two months and completely renovate it.
Via Gesù, 1, 20121 Milano MI, Phone: +39 02 7602 3307

Your must-have accessory?
A watch as I worked for 18 years in the watch industry and a fragrance. My favorite is COLONIA PURA. A great fresh contemporary unisex scent – my first launch at Acqua di Parma, my first baby so to say. I have an emotional connection to this beautiful scent.

The best soundtrack for this destination?
At the moment I cannot stop listening to the album of A STAR IS BORN. SHALLOW is my favorite song. I am not so fond of Italian music.

The best book to read while being on vacation there?
I read a lot and love contemporary literature, especially by American authors. THE TENDER BAR by J.R. Moehringer is my favorite book – a classic American story of self-invention and escape, of the fierce love between a single mother and an only son, it’s also a moving portrait of one boy’s struggle to become a man.

Laura in three words…
Passionate, authentic and warm-hearted.

Thank you, Laura, for sharing your insider scoop on Milan and Liguria with us!

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Acqua di Parma, © Sandra Bauknecht and Courtesy of the different locations

Last week, you could find me in Milan for the launch of ACQUA DI PARMA‘s new home collection. The beautiful event location was next to Arco della Pace, a triumphal arch in the Sempione Park. I will tell you more about the Italian brand’s new scented candles and diffusers, that bring a touch of Italy to your home, next week in detail due to the embargo date. In the meantime, I invite you to enjoy some impressions of the night.

My look: Vintage embellished cropped wool jacket by Prada, Unbridled Tempest asymmetric cutout floral-print silk-blend dress by Zimmermann, Nina leather tote in cognac by Gabriela Hearst, leather platform pumps by Gucci, and earrings by Miu Miu.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht

On the streets of Milan on my way to a business meeting…

My look: Perfecto leather biker jacket, Betty chain red leather shoulder bag, and star-appliquéd leather ankle boots, all by Saint Laurent, floral print lace dress by Philosophy di Lorenzo Serafini, rose diamond necklace, ring and Limelight Gala watch, all by Piaget.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht

This took me by surprise. Moncler announced that the house will discontinue its GAMME BLEU and GAMME ROUGE runway collections after the S/S 2018 season, announcing a new strategy in the coming weeks. Because of this development, they also part ways with Thom Browne and Giambattista Valli, who designed the fashionable sub-labels of the outerwear brand that has more than a $1 billion revenue per year. Browne was in charge for GAMME BLEU, the line for men, since 2009. Valli partnered first with Moncler in 2008 for GAMME ROUGE, the womenswear collection.

TO SHOP MONCLER GAMME BLEU FOR MEN, CLICK HERE PLEASE.

TO SHOP MONCLER GAMME ROUGE FOR WOMEN, CLICK HERE PLEASE.

Moncler is highly successful at the moment with high growth rates. This, of course, brings competitors in the game, trying to get on the gravy train as well. So, Moncler might prepare itself for a new consumer behavior, faster and more volatile.

While I was in Milan a few weeks ago, the Italian outerwear brand opened its new 800-square-metre flagship on Via Montenapoleone with a fantastic party. They even transformed the famous shopping mile into a winter wonderland and fake snow was falling from above the windows. Inside, products from their different lines, still including the Gamme collections, are presented next to each other and not divided into different departments.

I am curious to hear more about the brand’s new strategy. The wheels in fashion are turning, and obviously faster and faster…

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Moncler, © Sandra Bauknecht

Last month, when I visited Milan with my daughter, I took her to the Teatro alla Scala, the famous opera house in Milan, which is regarded as one of the leading theatres in the world. Most of Italy’s greatest operatic artists, and many of the finest singers from around the world, have appeared at La Scala. We enjoyed the German opera «Der Freischütz» by Carl Maria von Weber. Being considered the first important German Romantic opera, especially in its national identity and stark emotionality, it was a true pleasure to see it in our mother tongue surrounded by the stunning ambiance of La Scala.

My look: Ruffle-trimmed single-breasted wool coat, ruffle bow dress, embellished leather pumps, and Sylvie mini buckle leather shoulder bag, all by Gucci. Choker with evil eye symbol by Chanel, diamond rose ring and Limelight Gala watch, both by Piaget.

My scent: Gucci Bloom Eau de Parfum, which is the first fragrance developed wholly under Alessandro Michele’s creative vision and blended by master perfumer Alberto Morillas. The beautiful powdery floral scent features tuberose and jasmine combined with rangoon creeper, also called Chinese honeysuckle, which is a unique flower discovered in South India that is being used for the first time in perfumery to create a rich fragrance that transports its wearer to an imaginary garden.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht
A big thank you to my daughter for taking them!