Sandra‘s Closet

«Why do cows wear bells? Because their horns don’t work.» Joking aside, there is a huge discussion going on in Switzerland. It is said that the classic cow bells worn by Swiss bovines could be damaging the animals’ hearing and feeding habits, according to researchers in Zurich.

So it might be much safer if fashionistas wear them instead. Call me a dopey cow. I love fashion with a sense of humor and nobody does it better than Jeremy Scott for Moschino. This costume actually makes quite some noise when you are wearing it. So you can meet me easily under the mistletoe.

My look: Tweed jacket with cow bells, and matching pencil skirt, silk shirt with cow print, cow print leather bag, and funny cow hoop earrings, all by Moschino (F/W 2021), Averly 100 bow-detailed satin pumps by Jimmy Choo.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht / David Biedert Photography
The photos were taken in front of the Krug Chalet at Dolder Grand in Zurich.
DISCLOSURE: We may earn commission from links on this page, but I only recommend products I love. Promise!

I am not a fan of those typical costumes for Halloween, poorly produced, made out of horrible materials, they create waste and are bad for the environment. Luckily, many Halloween costumes can be easily created just from the clothes in your closet and common household items.

Think of one of your favorite iconic movie characters and dress like them. If you have a lot of pink in your closet, then you can probably pull off an Elle Woods or become a Barbie girl (think of the latest Valentino Pink PP collection). Or be a «Queen of Hearts». Put on a long preferably red dress and find your household deck of cards for this easy DIY costume. Just attach some cards with safety pins and off you go. The easiest way is to play with make-up and accessories such as a pair of funky boots and stockings, top it off with a little flour in your hair to make it wiry and wild, and carry around your kitchen broom or your Dyson.

Personally speaking, I always put together costumes with pieces from my own closet. However, I know that my wardrobe is huge and I have many items that scream «dress up» already. Here some of my designer outfits that would be perfect for Halloween! Moschino, Dolce & Gabbana along with Prada are the brands that offer the easiest take on fashion with humor. For all details of the looks, click on the highlighted texts.

LoL, Sandra

Frankenstein’s Wife

Trick or Chic

Queen of Hearts

Old Hollywood Glamour

Pulp Fiction

Marie Antoinette

Great Gatsby

Racer Girl

Desperate Housewife

Barbie Girl

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht / David Biedert Photography / Andrea Monica Hug
DISCLOSURE: We may earn commission from links on this page, but I only recommend products I love. Promise. 

With an unduly cheerful, optimistic, or favorable view of things: now you can literally see everything through rose-colored glasses. Being a huge trend this season, designers offer a large selection of sunglasses in all shades of pink to choose from. The choice is yours!

As I love pink, I couldn’t resist myself…

LoL, Sandra

Cat-eye acetate sunglasses by Givenchy

Twist cat-eye acetate sunglasses by Balenciaga

DiorSignature B1U cat-eye acetate and gold-tone sunglasses by Dior

Venessa cat-eye sunglasses by The Attico x Linda Farrow

Medusa Biggie sunglasses in pink by Versace

Pink heart-shaped frame sunglasses by Moschino

Loulou heart-shaped acetate sunglasses by Saint Laurent

Oversized sunglasses in pale pink by Gucci

Dynasty oversized geometric-frame sunglasses by Balenciaga

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

I am spreading the love with my curation of heart shape bags you will want to have and to hold. If you’re looking out for a quite literal take on a romantic gift for the one or a little treat for yourself, brands are rolling out something for you in their S/S 2022 collections. Heart shape bags are a must this summer with CHANEL leading the trend as they already did over 25 years ago… You will be astonished for how much the vintage heart shape edition is selling on Farfetch. Just scroll to the end to explore it… I am keeping mine for sure. I have always known it is a great investment piece.

LoL, Sandra

Heart shape wicker bag by Dolce & Gabbana

Heart shape design tote bag by Kate Spade

Heart shape mini bag by MSGM

Heart shoulder bag by Gucci

Le Coeur leather shoulder bag by Alaïa

Heart shape biker-style leather tote bag by Moschino

Heart shape bag by CHANEL

S/S 1995 vintage CC heart shaped vanity bag by CHANEL Pre-Owned

Photos: Courtesy of the Brands, © Sandra Bauknecht / David Biedert Photography
DISCLOSURE: We may earn commission from links on this page, but I only recommend products I love. Promise. 

Art Basel is taking place, time to talk about art, my kind of art!

Fashion is art and you are the canvas – in my opinion it is a cultural good that should be remembered and that I want to preserve for generations to come. Therefore I am dreaming of and working on opening my museum one day. I like to call fashion as a form decorative or applied art. Just think of the amount of artistic expression that goes into clothes and the way you style a look.

I love to dress up, and I mean really dressing up. Jeremy Scott for Moschino is one of those designers who creates fashion as art for me, his designs are outstanding, different, you just want to look at them. When I add the crinoline to my pink leather dress, it becomes such piece of art for me. It is not practical, but looking at a sculpture, a painting or a fresco, who would say that art needs to be practical? It needs to be beautiful in the eye of the beholder. And in this case, it makes me happy, call me the doll!

My look: Pink belted leather dress (Look 26 F/W 2020) with crinoline underskirt (exclusively produced for me), cake slice clutch bag, pearl-embellished belt, and peace pearl-embellished pendant earrings, all by Moschino, tiara headband by Miu Miu, and leather over-the-knee boots by Alexander McQueen.

The photos were taken inside Galerie Gmurzynska‘s Zaha Hadid exhibition.

LoL, Sandra

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

Now that you know all about the S/S 2022 bag trends, I put together for you a list to shop each trend immediately off the runway. Just click on the highlighted text to be transferred directly to the respective online shop. Enjoy!

LoL, Sandra

BOWLING BAG
Logo-print bowling bag by Diesel

BOXY
Small leather shoulder bag by Jil Sander

FANTASY
Bottle-shaped crossbody bag by Moschino

HEART
Heart biker leather crossbody bag by Moschino

MINIATURE
Hourglass mini crocodile-effect leather bag by Balenciaga

MULTIPLE
Esme small suede and leather pouch and Esme small suede and leather shoulder bag, both by Ulla Johnson

SLOUCHY
Luna Anagram-strap leather shoulder bag by Loewe

SQUARE
Medium Carolyn tote bag by Prada

Photos: Courtesy of the Brands
DISCLOSURE: We may earn commission from links on this page, but I only recommend products I love. Promise.

Last month, I posted already a spoiler about this amazing collaboration between Barbie® and Balmain. For the previous post, click here please.

However this is not the first time, Barbie has collaborated with a fashion house, as she launched a collection with Jeremy Scott for Moschino in 2015. Olivier Rousteing and Barbie are also obvious admirers of one another, as the designer sat Barbie and Ken front row at Balmain’s digital fashion show last year.

Olivier Rousteing wrote on his Instagram account, showing him as a child next to a Barbie doll: «So this collaboration is more than just a collaboration. There is a message stronger than just a color card. When I was a little boy, I remembered hearing comments saying: a girl plays with Barbie, a boy with a car. This is such a cliché. As much as blue is for boys, pink is for girls. That’s why I love so much this collaboration, because Balmain and Barbie are stopping clichés and bringing a new ear where FREEDOM is the right word. I feel so proud of this collaboration because we are building a world where you are not defined by neither a gender, neither colors, neither codes that are not relevant today anymore. I am proud of this picture because it shows that the beauty of letting dreams about freedom since a young age happen will make you a free adult with passion.»

«Barbie® and Balmain are embarking upon a distinctly multicultural, inclusive and always joy-filled adventure,» said Olivier Rousteing, Balmain’s creative director.

With a lot of pink which is synonymous with the brand and perfectly aligns with the modern Balmain Army’s bold spirit, and the familiar Balmain’s signatures like the House’s iconic marinière and its mesmerizing labyrinth pattern, this limited-edition Balmain x Barbie capsule collection is the perfect match of fashion and toy industry heritages. Launching on January 13, the collection also includes unisex styles as Ken can be seen wearing a rosy robe in a photo.

TO SHOP BARBIE® AND BALMAIN, CLICK HERE PLEASE.

Bridging the physical and digital worlds, there is also a NFT auction, hosted by @mintnftofficial, that features three Barbie avatars created by @forgetmenot_bln wearing an exclusive look from the high-fashion Balmain x Barbie collection. The highest bidder of each auction will win both the avatar and a physical, one-of-a-kind Barbie-scaled version of the outfit their avatar is wearing.

The auction is live on NFT.MattelCreations.com, so get ready to bid!

 If you’ve ever wanted to be a Barbie girl in a Balmain world, this is your collection!

LoL, Sandra

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

Bringing Versailles to the street, here is another outfit from Moschino‘s fab F/W 2020 collection that I love so much. Inspired by the gilded extravagances of Marie Antoinette, this look is envisioned with both grand theater and good humor. Full of fun and fantasy, fabulous fashion let’s us dream and play dress-up. Something we definitely need today.

My look: Flared-sleeve mini dress, thigh-high boots, and bow-embellished pillow clutch, all by Moschino, and vintage multi-strand couture pearl choker necklace by Dior.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © David Biedert Photography – The photos were taken inside Baur’s Zurich‘s fumoir.
DISCLOSURE: We may earn commission from links on this page, but I only recommend products I love. Promise.

I am invited to Gstaad this weekend for a fun birthday / wedding anniversary celebration. It feels good to go back to my home away from home, even though my favorite hotel, the Gstaad Palace, already closed for the summer season. When people ask me why I love this hotel so much, the explanation is easy. Everything that happens in Gstaad, happens at the Palace. The lobby is a vibrant yet cozy place where you can sit for hours to enjoy great conversations, amazing food with your friends or people who might have just met.

My look: Damask and jacquard tulle dress, floral-print crossbody bag, Made in Heaven pearl choker, and peace pearl-embellished pendant earrings, all by Moschino, La Di Da 130 two-tone metallic leather platform sandals by Aquazzura.

LoL, Sandra

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

The Met Gala is typically held on the first Monday in May, but this year, the event was postponed due to COVID-19 and falls right in the middle of fashion month. As Iris Apfel once said: «When we were small children, we all played dress-up and everybody had a good time, so why stop?». This is how Met Gala is for me, a huge party for everyone who loves to dress up and has never stop to indulge in fashion.

Ensemble, Christopher John Rogers (American, born 1993), F/W 2020; Courtesy Christopher John Rogers. Photo: HAPPYMONDAY / Courtesy of the Costume Institute

Also referred to as «fashion’s biggest night out,» the Met Gala is a fundraising benefit for the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. This year, the Costume Institute will host its first two-part exhibition, on the theme of American fashion, during 2021 and 2022. Part one, «In America: A Lexicon of Fashion,» will open in the Anna Wintour Costume Center on September 18, 2021, and will remain on display when «In America: An Anthology of Fashion,» opens on May 5, 2022 in the period rooms of the American Wing. Both shows will run through September 5, 2022.

Below, you will find my personal selection of outfits, that I loved or didn’t like and hope you will enjoy it.

LoL, Sandra

Fashion that makes us dream – my favorite look of the gala: Iman in Harris Reed

Cracking the codes: Kim Kardashian in Balenciaga

Rihanna in Balenciaga Couture and Maria Tash jewelry and A$AP Rocky in ERL

Wild West: Jennifer Lopez in Ralph Lauren

Fitting the American theme of the upcoming exhibitions perfectly: Helen Lasichanh and Pharrell Williams in CHANEL

Sporting the American flag: Debbie Harry in and with Zac Posen

Trio infernal with an American «Statue of Liberty» touch: Sienna Miller in Gucci, Hamish Bowles in Thom Browne, and Emily Blunt in Miu Miu

Feathers were also a trending theme: Serena Williams in Gucci

One of my favorites last night: Zoë Kravitz in Saint Laurent

And another one of my favorite looks: Kendall Jenner in Givenchy

Julia Garner in Stella McCartney

Hailee Steinfeld in Iris Van Herpen

Donatella Versace in Versace

Whoopi Goldberg, Pierpaolo Piccioli and Carey Mulligan in Valentino

Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabello in Michael Kors Collection

Literally eye-catching: Hunter Schafer in Prada

Gigi Hadid in Prada

A great look, but somehow not for her: Diane Kruger in Prabal Gurung and Jimmy Choo shoes

Beautiful: Emily Ratajkowski in Vera Wang

Mmh… definitely not my favorite look: Vera Wang in Vera Wang

Playing dress-up: Erykah Badu in Thom Browne

Making a statement: Cara Delevingne in Christian Dior

Flowers were a huge theme: Lili Reinhart in Christian Siriano

LOVE: Irina Shayk in Moschino

YouTuber Nikkie Tutorials (Nikkie de Jager), who came out as transgender last year, paid homage to activist and drag queen Marsha P. Johnson with this «pay it no mind» sash.

Anna Wintour wore a floral Oscar de la Renta gown.

Stunning in Oscar de la Renta: Karlie Kloss and designer Wes Gordon

Billie Eilish in Oscar de la Renta. Her bombshell gown symbolizes her activism for animal rights. According to The New York Times, she agreed to work with Oscar de la Renta on the condition that the designers would no longer use fur in their pieces.

Dan Levy in Loewe

Designer Virgil Abloh in Off-White

And here comes the golden king in his amazing outfit that revealed different layers: Lil Nas X in Versace

Photos: via Vogue.com