Sandra‘s Closet

Just as you were all getting comfortable with your winter wardrobes and discovering the art of dressing sustainably, the close of 2019 has got some of us thinking about our 2020 wardrobe. Shopping needs to be more about investment pieces. From bermuda shorts with blazers to head-to-toe white and tropical prints, scroll through for the biggest trends from the S/S 2020 season here.

LoL, Sandra

There is a reason why Pantone announced it the Color of the Year 2020.

Denim borrows from all manner of eras, from the ’70s to the ’90s, more sophisticated than ever and perfect for everyday.

Putting a twist on the classic suit, designers embraced the Bermuda short suit for spring.

Welcome to the resurrection of the waistcoat. Wear the vest alone to a formal event or get dapper with a tailored three-piece.

This season, designers are encouraging us to get colorful, when it comes to buttery leather.

Extra volume and statement shoulders go well together.

This season, your adventurous spirit is to be celebrated and you are heading to the jungle in these tropical prints.

Subtle may not be their specialty, but these vibrant highlighter-inspired shades know how to make an entrance.

Crochet is getting a cool update come spring, modern with a special touch of Grandma’s handmade technique.

Seventies-style, bohemian rock accents, hippie silhouettes set a modern Woodstock tone.

Your grandparents’ old wallpaper, but make it fashion in the form of a swinging ’60s motif.

The look is most impactful in jacket form – extra style points if it has a contrasting collar.

Those slouchy white suits transition the monochrome set into daily wear. Alternatively, you can opt for upscale in an elegant lace.

There is a new kid in town. A hybrid between long pants and shorts. Too cool!

Thanks to the Khaite hype, crop tops are no longer cutting it – the bra top has officially entered the party, preferably with a pair of tailored pants.

Set your expectations high and keep your inseams higher with the newest versions of hot pants that are so tiny, they might technically be hot (under)pants?

The all-time favorite dot – simply put, the trend shows no sign of slowing, this summer, opt for colourful pieces.

What will 2020 entail? Feathers, feathers, and more feathers, and it won’t be long before they fly into your closets.

It wouldn’t be a spring trend report without some sort of floral reference. This season, designers are honing in on the queen of flowers, the rose.

Tiered dresses and skirts offer volume, high drama, and maximum twirl-ability, perfect for your next black tie gala.

Photos: Courtesy of the Brands

Mother’s Day came early at Dolce & Gabbana’s F/W 2015 show, it was obviously another of the designer duo’s beautiful celebrations of the Italian family. The collection was simply titled “Viva la Mamma” and inspired by the woman who’s the heart of the family.

Celebrating motherhood on so many levels, designers Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana sent models down the runway with their babies and kids, including the perennial D&G muse, Bianca Balti, who is highly pregnant with her second child, to roaring applause. Being pregnant seems to be the next season’s trend, so ladies get ready!

The collection on display matched the mother-loving theme: decidedly feminine dresses and skirts adorned with roses, lace and even embroidered doodles by their own nieces and nephews (in the same vein as Angelina Jolie’s wedding veil). Great news is that Moda Operandi is inviting you be to relive the magic with their newest trunkshow which includes all of our favorites, fresh off the runway!

Whether you gravitated towards the children’s doodles or the roses – they now have it live. It is your chance to get your favorite pieces in your size and no wait list required!

TO PRE-ORDER THE DOLCE & GABBANA F/W 2015 COLLECTION, PLEASE CLICK HERE.
The trunkshow ends on March 16 at 10 am EDT.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Dolce & Gabbana, Pietro D’Aprano/Getty Images and Moda Operandi

Here in Zurich, we have been anxiously awaiting for the flowers to bloom and the sun to shine. Finally, spring is here and you might be in the mood to look for a new scent. Roses are offering a modern twist on tradition and floral motifs have served as the main themes for some of the new fragrance launches .

Here are my three favourites highlighting the light and soft aspect of a rose, enhanced by feminine fruity notes. I hope that you will enjoy my mini-reviews for you.

EAU DE CARTIER Goutte de Rose

For Spring 2013, Cartier has launched a flanker to their best-selling Eau de Cartier from 2001, with the beautiful name Goutte de Rose. It is a bright and joyful fragrance, infused with the delicacy of a freshly picked garden rose, created by the French Maison’s in-house perfumer, Mathilde Laurent.

FLORAL
Top notes: Rose and yuzu
Middle notes: Violet, mulberry and litchi
Base notes: Cedarwood and lemon

Available as Eau de Toilette for CHF 65.00 (50ml), CHF 97.00 (100ml) and CHF 127.00 (200ml).

BALENCIAGA L’Eau Rose

The French fashion house’s newest flanker retains the iconic chypre character and violet accord of the original Balenciaga fragrance rom 2010. By adding luminous floral and fruity accords, the fragrance goes in a beautiful refreshing direction.

CHYPRE FLORAL
Top notes: Blackberry
Middle notes: Patchouli, rose and violet
Base notes: Musk, cedar and cypress

Available as Eau de Toilette for CHF 115.00 (50ml) and CHF 139.00 (100ml).
In Switzerland exclusively at Marionnaud.

pureDKNY A Drop of Rose

I have been enjoying the third fragrance in the pureDKNY series, quite much. The emphasis is on including roses that have been grown and harvested with care in the Turkish Isparta Valley by supporting CARE, an organisation helping lift women around the world out of poverty. The bottle is 100% recycable and the packaging is biodegradable as well. This scent is more than a fragrance – a state of mind, a way of being.

FLORAL
Top notes: Blackcurrant and Turkish rose
Middle notes: Magnolia and verbena
Base notes: Cedar and vanilla

Available as Eau de Parfum for CHF 59.00 (30ml), CHF 89.00 (50ml) and CHF 123.00 (100ml).
Body Butter CHF 57.00 (200ml) and Body Wash CHF 45.00 (200ml).

Wouldn’t one of this fragrances be a lovely surprise for Mother’s Day?! For more rosy gift ideas, have a look at this post.

LoL, Sandra

Photo: © Sandra Bauknecht, Stills: Courtesy of the Brands

On Wednesday last week, I went with Piaget to the beautiful Château de Malmaison. Located at the gates of Paris, the former residence of Napoleon Bonaparte and the Empress Joséphine, has a large variety of porcelain collections, paintings and furniture on display.

The Château de Malmaison, purchased by Joséphine in 1799, became her permanent home after her divorce in 1809 and she lived there until she died in her bedroom in 1814.

Madame Bonaparte was famous for her interest in the field of botany and created magnificent gardens. Joséphine grew many rare species of plants and cultivated 250 species of roses, her favourite flower. Unfortunately, her heritage is not present today and the fields lie fallow. But this will be changing soon because the rose has a history that Piaget is committed to preserving.

Yves Piaget, scion of the company’s founders, has been celebrating his love of roses since over 30 years. The house’s Rose jewelry collection is a tribute to this dedication. The famous Yves Piaget Rose is named after him which was beautifully put on display at lunch. For Monsieur Piaget, “the rose is a symbol of love, joy and peace.” He explained, “that he was fascinated  by the rose breeder’s mutual challenges, beauty and performance,” and went on about “the two passions in his life: The Piaget company and the rose.”

Yves Piaget with me

Philippe Léopold-Metzger (to the left), CEO of Piaget, announced that Piaget will finance the rebuilding and reconstruction of Château de Malmaison’s rose garden that is meant to be completely finished in 2014. Then, it will present 750 rose bushes from the First to the Second Empire, enhancing the knowledge of the botanical work of the Empress. Amaury Lefébure (to the right), Director of Château de Malmaison, expressed his gratitude to the house of Piaget as this support “is something that very seldom happens in the life of a curator.”

The Swiss luxury watchmaker and jeweler will also be involved in the restoration of some of the original gowns worn by Joséphine. “Another chance to bring back the beauty to the castle.”

After we had enjoyed a great tour around the property and the chateau, we were treated to a beautiful and delicious lunch. Didn’t my sweater match the Yves Piaget Rose décor perfectly?! Stay tuned for a detailed outfit post coming up soon.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht, Ad Campaign Photos: Courtesy of Piaget

This Sunday is Mother’s Day and it is still not too late to find the perfect gift for your beloved mum. Instead of giving a bouquet of roses have you ever thought of giving roses in a tube?

Here are some gift ideas for you:
(For my Zurich based readers, most products are available at Osswald and Jelmoli).

Rose Hair & Scalp Moisturising Masque by AESOP
CHF 38.- (120ml)

This rich conditioning treatment restores vitality and shine to all hair types with active ingredients of rose petals and lavender stems. It is to be used on the hair and scalp once a week for half an hour. Should hair be extremely dehydrated, it can be left on overnight. This masque is suited to all types of hair but ideal for dry, brittle or coloured hair.

The deep conditioning leaves hair soft, lustrous and moisturised; dry and flaky scalps will be soothed and hydrated.

Crème de Rose by DIOR
$26.50 / €24.50 / CHF 41.-

Crème de Rose is an essential nourishing and smoothing lip balm with a delicate rose fragrance that is simply addictive! It is enriched with a rare and precious Damask Rose essential oil extract, an anti-aging complex, energizing vitamins A and E, and shea butter for a long-lasting regenerating and smoothing anti-wrinkle effect. It leaves the lips optimally soothed, moisturized and nourished. Soft and beautifully plump, the lips are more radiant than ever!

Baume de Rose (Rose Balm Gloss) by BY TERRY
$55.- / €39.-

By Terry has created a chic and practical crystal case for their must-have Rose Balm which hydrates and nourishes the lips. It features an extremely high concentration of lipid-building substances and essential rose wax. The formula is a rejuvenating, reparative, strengthening, nourishing and anti-ageing treatment that enhances the voluptuousness of the lips and leaves them radiant with the glow of health!

Red Roses Bath Oil by JO MALONE
£38.- (250ml) – also availabe in a beautiful glass decanter (200ml)

Composed of seven types of roses from around the world, Red Roses is a surprisingly clean, voluptuous scent. With a heart of crushed violet leaves and hints of lemon and spearmint, it unfolds like a bouquet of fresh-cut flowers. Red Roses Bath Oil gently fragrances and moisturises the skin. Lush and softly foaming, it’s pure relaxation.

Crème Splendide Corps by ANNICK GOUTAL
€100.- (60ml)

Nutrition and firmness for all skin types. Highly concentrated in phyto-energizing active ingredients, caffeine and Active Rose Serum, Crème Splendide Corps nourishes, tones, firms and leaves skin satin-soft. Its luxurious, sumptuous texture and its fresh rose-like fragrance of morning dew win is seductive and irresistible. Rich in precious oils such as the oil of macadamia, and jojoba, this cream nourishes the skin in leaving it toned and soft like satin. It is a genuine, youth-promoting curative treatment which stimulates cellular renewal. I am completely addicted to the body cream.

Sa Majesté La Rose by SERGE LUTENS
CHF 119.- / €79.- (50ml)

A wonderful, intensive, floral bouquet with rose as the leading role in the center. For this fragrance, Serge Lutens combined Her Highness, the Rose, with fresh, green, opening notes, spices and woody notes in the base. For a previous interview with the famous perfumer, please click here.

Roses Scented Candle by DIPTYQUE
$60 (standard size) and $28 (mini size)

This beautiful scented candle recalls an armful of tender, changing roses that lightly evoke the world’s most universally loved flowers.

I would like to end this post with a huge thank you to all mums in the world:

“A mother is the truest friend we have, when trials heavy and sudden, fall upon us; when adversity takes the place of prosperity; when friends who rejoice with us in our sunshine desert us; when trouble thickens around us, still will she cling to us, and endeavor by her kind precepts and counsels to dissipate the clouds of darkness, and cause peace to return to our hearts.”

– Washington Irving

LoL, Sandra

The name Nina Ricci is famous, especially the house’s most famous perfume, “L’Air du Temps” (created in 1949), but the brand has dropped off the fashion radar for quite some years. The French fashion house was founded by Maria “Nina” Ricci and her son Robert in Paris in 1932, and has been owned by the Spanish beauty and fashion group Puig since 1998.

After Maria Ricci’s death in 1970, the label went through a difficult phase, with different owners and designers. In 2009, designer Peter Copping, who had worked for Louis Vuitton, took over and since then Nina Ricci has been on the rise again. I absolutely adore Peter’s designs.

When designing the F/W 2012 collection which will be presented this Thursday during Paris Fashion Week, Peter Copping, Creative Director of Nina Ricci, asked himself what the Nina Ricci uniform would be. First and foremost among the house codes is the little black dress.

Here you can see me in Paris, posing in front of the Nina Ricci store window on Avenue Montaigne in the same dress that was on display:
Ruched taffeta and lace dress by Nina Ricci, tweed and leather jacket by Antonio Berardi, Black Mamba gold-plated snakeskin-effect cuff by Yves Saint Laurent, studded leather ankle boots by Valentino and Constance leather clutch by Jason Wu.

Tweed materials are another house signature; here Copping whipped them up in a feminine and soft style. Combined with a floral skirt, it takes your summer wardrobe to the next level.

Tweed coat, open-knit crew-neck sweater, mini pansy-print skirt, ruched linen wedges and Liane top handle bag, all by Nina Ricci.

For all perfume lovers, I recommend Nina Fantasy, a gorgeous Limited Edition version of her classic Nina fragrance, which will be availbale in Switzerland in April, just in time for spring.

Slightly sweeter smelling than the original, the scent combines top notes of bergamot, mandarin and pear with the delicate, powdery heart notes of cherry blossom, rose and heliotropes. Base notes are mate and brown sugar.

The white procelain bottle in the shape of a flamboyant apple is very fairytale-like. It draws inspiration from spring and magical moments. It is finished with a golden stem and leaves, engraved with the Nina Ricci signature, and has some sweet illustrations in golden pink.

Eau de Toilette, Limited Edition, 50ml, CHF 77.-

LoL, Sandra