Sandra‘s Closet

Supermodel and face of Guerlain NATALIA VODIANOVA shared her travel tips for Paris with us. The city where she is living with her three kids from a previous marriage and her partner Antoine Arnault with whom she is expecting her fourth child. The tall blonde was born 1982 in Gorky, Soviet Union (now Nizhny Novgorod, Russia) and moved to France 15 years ago when she signed with Viva Models to start her modeling career.

Your favourite city?
I love PARIS. It was the first city I moved to when I was 17. I feel more at home here than in any other city.

Your favourite hotel?
The BRISTOL is one of my favorite hotels in Paris. It was my second home before I moved to live in Paris.
112 Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré, 75008 Paris, +33 1 53 43 43 00

Your favourite restaurant?
L’ATELIER DE JOËL ROBUCHON, absolutely delicious, the perfect place for two.
133, Avenue des Champs-Elysées, 75008 Paris, +33 1 47 23 75 75

Your favourite bar or nightclub?
I love the CAVIAR KASPIA.
17, Place de la Madeleine, 75008 Paris, +33 1 42 65 33 32

Your favourite sightseeing spot?
I like to go to the PALAIS DE LA DECOUVERTE with my children, the science museum located in the Grand Palais.
Avenue Franklin Delano Roosevelt, 75008 Paris, +33 1 56 43 20 20

Your favourite park?
We love the playground at the JARDIN DU LUXEMBOURG.
6e Arrondissement, 75006 Paris, +33 1 42 34 23 62

Your favourite shop?
The GUERLAIN BOUTIQUE on Champs-Elysées. The atmosphere is unique, it is absolutely magic and with an incredible attention to details. I feel like home.
68 Avenue des Champs-Élysées, 75008 Paris, +33 1 45 62 52 57

Your must-have accessory?
A BAG.

Your favorite song?
I would say maybe “WHERE DO THE CHILDREN PLAY” by Yusuf Islam, I really like this song.

Your favorite holiday book?
My favourite book is Mikhail Bulgakov “THE MASTER AND MARGARITA”.

Thank you, Natalia, for sharing your insider scoop on Paris with us.

LoL, Sandra

Fashion designer SOPHIE MECHALY, founder of the Paul & Joe (named after her two sons) and Paul & Joe Sister clothing lines, shared her travel tips for Paris with us. The city where she was raised, lives, works and enjoys every moment of her busy life.

What is your favourite city?
PARIS of course! That’s where I was born, where I’ve always lived, where I work, all my friends and family are there too. Paris is the most beautiful city. I love its neighborhoods, they are all so different; its wonderful monuments; its architecture; its cultural richness…

What is your favourite hotel?
I love go to the BRISTOL to have a drink or do my business meeting. I love the atmosphere very classy and cosy. It’s a great mixture of tradition and modernity.
112 Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré, 75008 Paris, +33 1 53 43 43 00

What is your favourite restaurant?
I like to go to MADAME SHAWN for lunch, it’s close to the office. It’s a Thai restaurant where the food is really great.
18 Rue Caffarelli, 75003 Paris, +33 1 42 72 36 6

What is your favourite dish there?
I love their FISH COOKED IN A BANANA LEAF and their TAPIOCA WITH COCONUT MILK for dessert.

What is your favourite bar/nightclub?
I really like the SILENCIO in Paris. It’s a club opened by David Lynch few years ago. The musical selection is always very specialized, projections are organized and I love the cozy and intimate atmosphere.
142 Rue Montmartre, 75002 Paris, +33 1 53 65 65 58

What is your favorite sightseeing spot?
The BRIDGE ALEXANDRE III, where you can see all Paris. On the one hand the Invalides, on the other hand the Grand Palais and the Eiffel Tower… Paris makes complete sense at this place, it’s magic and exhilarating.

What is your favourite parc?
The LUXEMBOURG GARDEN (Jardin du Luxembourg) in the heart of St. Germain des Prés. It is a magic place, full of history, calm, romantic. I love strolling in the alleys. And sometimes I go there to jog.
6e Arrondissement, 75006 Paris, +33 1 42 34 23 62

Your favourite shop?
LE BON MARCHÉ, it’s an important store in Paris, Rive Gauche, near where I live. You can shop everything: fashion, food, books, beauty…. The fashion department is really great: the selection is refined and interesting aswell as the books or design section. The food department is amazing: you can find products that you couldn’t find anywhere else in Paris. It’s a real luxe…
24, rue de Sèvres  75007 Paris, +33 1 44 39 80 00

Your favourite accessory?
The MINI TOM in the collection! Since I’ve created it, I cannot separate myself from it. It is perfect: convenient, light and feminine. This is my new classic.

What is your favourite playlist?
PSYCHEMAGIK DIABOLICAL SYNTHETIC FANTASIA
Chic – I want your love (Todd terje édit)
Midnight magic – Beam me up
Bennis Cletin – Jungle magic
Part Magic – Sonando de ti

What is your favourite holiday book ?
TWENTY-FOUR HOURS IN THE LIFE OF A WOMAN by STEFAN ZWEIG – a real intense and strong story and he is one of my favourite writers.

Thank you, Sophie, for sharing your insider scoop on Paris with us!

LoL, Sandra

Last week, I was in Paris for an exciting special project that will be revealed in March. Here you see me at one of my favorite places in the city: at Place Vendôme, the most beautiful square in the 1st arrondissement and home to the biggest names in high-end jewelry.

My look: Black coat with lace detail by Prada, leather and cotton-jersey sweater, chain-trimmed leather mini skirt, and Betty chain red leather shoulder bag, all by Saint Laurent, fine-knit wool turtleneck sweater by Lanvin, boots by Chanel, Audrey wayfarer sunglasses by Céline and rose diamond ring by Piaget.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht

Today, I would like to wish you with all my heart a wonderful Christmas Eve. Despite all different traditions, some of you might not be celebrating this Christian celebration, others might unwrap their gifts tomorrow, some of us, like me, tonight. Nevertheless, what we all have in common is love and this is what I am wishing you, a night surrounded by the ones you love.

As I adore the magic of this time of the year, I attached some photos of different designer installations to get you in the right mood. Enjoy!

London’s famous hotel Claridge’s annual Christmas tree has been designed by long time guests and friends, designers Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana.
(Do you remember the trees in 2009 and 2010 by John Galliano?!)

This amazing installation depicts iconic elements from a traditional Christmas tree reinterpreted with Sicilian elements that draw on the Italian heritage of the designers: hand-crafted Sicilian puppets known as ‘pupi’, hand-painted Italian festive glass baubles and a bespoke multi-coloured ‘luminarie’ framework created in southern Italy.

This Christmas in London, on the streets of Old Bond Street and Sloane Square, Tiffany & Co. has been going back in time with horse-drawn carriages, loaded with small blue Tiffany boxes, which reiterates its message that “The Perfect Christmas Comes Wrapped in Blue.”

And of course, this message is spread around the world with the house’s global shopping window displays.

In Paris, Prada gave French department store Printemps holiday windows with a high-fashion touch. The display, entitled “A Joyful Obsession,” is a colorful creation that is classically Christmas with visual elements inspired by the Italian brand. As part of the collaboration, Prada designed an exclusive collection with apparel, handbags, accessories and footwear.

Here comes my favorite tree installation that can be found in front of the Palace of Arts in Budapest. Made out of 365 wooden sleighs, the 11-meter-tall tree is a sustainable design endeavor which channels the true spirit of Christmas.

After the end of the holiday season, it will be dismantled and the sleighs will be donated to kids living in the SOS Children’s Village homes in Hungary.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of the Brands, Claridge’s, Inhabitant

Yesterday I flew to Paris to attend the launch event of the amazing collaboration between the Queen of Cool Isabel Marant and H&M.

January Jones, Isabel Marant and Freida Pinto

In the evening, the major Paris fashion party took place and I couldn’t have been more excited to join in the fun. Celebritites such as Audrey Tautou, January Jones, Freida Pinto, Alek Wek and Olga Kurylenko entered the red carpet and partied in a lively urban atmosphere catching Marant’s bohemian energy until late.

The ambiance was outstanding, being transported into a street slice of Paris, in the early 90s, the time when Isabel debuted her eponymous line: bars, night clubs, brasseries, neon signs, pizza shops, souvenir shops, epiceries, street vendors and people casually enjoying a stroll in the outdoors.

There was even a roller skating rink.

“I design for everybody and am constantly inspired by the world I see around me, so it felt natural to have an urban setting as the backdrop of the event. And it had to be Paris, because the city is part of my DNA,” says Isabel Marant here with Olga Kurylenko.

The collection was presented in a cinematic setting that mixed images, films and models. The minute the DJ played the sounds of La Boum I went straight to heaven, or let me say travelled back in time… “Dreams are my reality. The only kind of real fantasy…”

The live music performance by Grandmaster Melle Mel and Rappers Delight, originally of Sugarhill Gang, lifted the atmosphere of this bohemian style party even more.

Gorgeous Freida Pinto with me

For actress Freida Pinto was it the second H&M collaboration she attended and for her “it’s important to collaborate with designers who young girls aspire to, but it’s also for girls like me who love shopping at H&M – to make fashion that is not just beautiful and classy but also affordable.”

Later at night, the pop-up store opened and we were able to shop the collection before it will officially hit the stores on November 14, 2013. Believe me, it felt like a war scenario…

During the day, I had already had the chance to explore the collection up close and to interview the charming French designer. A post about which pieces have to be on your shopping list will be coming up shortly.

It was THE party and I had an amazing time! During my ride home, I heard that the contract for the next collaboration had already been signed and that it will be something very special…

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht

The last evening of Paris Fashion Week, Veuve Clicquot hosted a toast-worthy event with its Veuve Clicquot Business Woman Award 2013, held at the iconic Place Vendôme. The room was filled with amazing women and it was a true pleasure listening to their passions and inspirations.

For 2013, Veuve Clicquot recognized the achievements and contributions of such inspirational businesswomen as Hélène Boulet-Supau, Co-director of the e-commerce site Sarenza (France).

Bea Petri (Swiss winner, Schminkbar) framed by Christelle Huwiler (PR Manager at Moët Hennessy Suisse S.A.) to the right  and me to the left.

Celebrating trailblazing winners from 9 countries (France, UK, Ireland, Switzerland, Finland, Holland, Canada, Germany and Australia) around the world, the celebration went on the next day at Reims, the capital of Champagne, nestled in this region, amidst the champagne vineyards.

The Widow Clicquot spent her life on these lands, taking the reins of the champagne company after her husband’s early passing in 1805. As the “original businesswoman,” she brilliantly built Veuve Clicquot into a champagne brand of international renown and success. Respectfully referred to by her peers as “La Grande Dame de la Champagne,” she has inspired subsequent businesswomen for generations.

Originally intended as a homage to Veuve Clicquot when it was first conceived forty-one years ago, the Veuve Clicquot Business Woman Award has since grown both in scope and size.

Delphine Arnault and Inés Sastre with me to the left.

Drinking champagne and meeting the most amazing women in such a beautiful ambiance – the perfect night to finish off Paris Fashion Week!

And here I go again… I landed this morning in Paris to attend the Isabel Marant for H&M launch party. I am super excited. Do you remember the Versace for H&M (2011) and the Maison Martin Margiela with H&M (2012) events in NYC?! Always superlatives… follow me on instagram (@sandrascloset) for live updates.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht

She’s elegant, chic, superb and totally effortless. The Lancôme Fall 2013 L’ABSOLU DESIR Collection is a tribute to the Parisian woman – always sophisticated and never overstated. Kate Winslet is the face for this beautiful makeup look that is in stores now.

L’ABSOLU ROUGE
Rose Nu (06), Rouge Rayonnant (07), Caprice (132), Rouge Désir (186), Rose Désir (322) and Prune Désir (386) – CHF 45.00

The signature of Parisian elegance: timelessly red lips. To celebrate this symbol of French beauty, Lancôme pays homage to its cult lipstick, L’Absolu Rouge. Which is your colour for the week?

BLUSH DESIR
A Kiss from Paris (01) – CHF 65.00

I love this product! A precious powder with orange and pink-toned shades, specially crafted to bring out your skin’s radiance. Like a postcard from Paris, the gold-embossed black case features the Eiffel Tower, roses and lipstick kisses… a real collectible!

VERNIS IN LOVE
Purple Fiction (185), Black Sepia (385) and Grey Lumière (485) – CHF 26.00

For fall, Lancôme brings to you black, reinvented! Discover the 3 new Vernis in Love limited edition shades – enlivened with captivating colour and pigments in intense plum, brown and grey!

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Lancôme

In the beginning of July while I was travelling through China, Chloé unveiled at the Hôtel de Miramion in Paris the amazing new fragrance Roses de Chloé, a celebration of the flower of love in the heart of the city of lights. The rose was already a key ingredient of the fragrance signature, launched in 2008.

Now, it has been reinterpreted, in the form of a Damascena rose essence. Reminiscent of a walk down the Parisian rose gardens, the sensual new scent includes bergamot, magnolia, white musk and amber.

In Switzerland available from August 22, 2013.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Chloé (Coty Prestige)

The first Piaget Rose Day is tomorrow on June 13, 2013 – a special occasion for a special rose, the Yves Piaget rose. It will be celebrated around the world, becoming an annual event for the brand. An ode to the rose and a fitting tribute to springtime.

To mark the occasion, special events have been organised in Piaget boutiques all over the world. The day honoring this distinctive rose will also be an opportunity to discover the collections it has inspired. I am absolutely in love with those romantic and dramatic jewlery creations that you see me wearing here.

To celebrate this day to the fullest, Piaget hosts in Paris a private Melody Gardot concert in a secret venue near Place Vendôme. The ambassador of the Piaget Rose collection will sing her version of ‘La Vie en Rose’ that she has created in honor of the famous jewelry brand. Bar Rafaeli, the face of the campaign, will also be present.

And I have also a very big surprise and some exciting news to share. I am a new ambassador for Piaget and I couldn’t be more happy about it! During the next months, you will be discovering some interesting projects, so please stay tuned!

In the meantime, I invite you to enter the Piaget Rose Contest by clicking on the picture below. Write your message now and make June 13 an unforgettable day for your loved one. Only a few hours left…

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Piaget and © Sandra Bauknecht

Cartier‘s newest collection PARIS NOUVELLE VAGUE is inspired by Paris, jewelry pieces that sparkle and shine like the famous City of Light. Dedicated to seven different Parisian women and places – Mischievous, Voluptuous, Impish, Emancipated, Sparking, Glamourous and Delicate, you can choose which one you would love to be. Here are my three favorites:

7.00 pm – Trocadéro, the place that never stops. Modern, sophisticated, it inspires the art-loving Parisienne who wears this unique necklace or bracelet. It is time to be liberal…

8.30 pm – The ferris wheel at the Tuileries is turning and the colours of the sky melt in all shades of green and blue. The desire to be cheeky awakes…

9.00 pm – An evening at the Opéra, baroque and beautiful, who wouldn’t love those diamant embellished jewelry pieces. It is time to be opulent…

The complete collection will be in stores in June 2013.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Cartier