Sandra‘s Closet

You know the expression a match made in heaven. As a fashion collector, who has curated high-end fashion items for over 30 years, I like to observe the secondary market and follow auctions very closely. When I was approached by Sotheby’s, the prestigious auction house, for a collaborative venture at the new Sotheby’s Salon at Bucherer on Bahnhofstrasse 50 in Zurich, I was immediately drawn to this idea.

Within the Zurich flagship store of Bucherer, located on the third floor, the salon is the first ever permanent ultra luxury retail destination by an auction house worldwide. Offering an amazing selection of high-end items, including luxury fashion, jewelry, art, fine spirits and collectibles, the salon provides a bespoke and exclusive environment for clients to browse and acquire rare and valuable pieces. This venue enhances the traditional auction experience by offering a more personalized and intimate setting, appealing to discerning collectors and enthusiasts who seek exceptional items with a high level of service and expertise.

In love with this white diamond solitaire ring, 12.16 carat, D colour, VS1, with GIA certificate, price upon request.

Lots of treasures in the by now section.

The new «buy now» concept is also allowing collectors to buy at fixed price from a permanent curated selection of watches, jewelry, leather goods, fine wines, fine art and more. Overseeing the Salon will be representatives from Sotheby’s, each well-versed in their specialisms and in the products on sale – the selection of which will be influenced by the demands of the highly knowledgeable clientele and collectors to be found in this region. On top, from time to time, pieces that will go into an auction will be on display.

Fine wines and spirits are also part of the offering, as Jessica Graf, Deputy Director Sotheby’s Sales Manager Switzerland, explained to me.

So what prompted this remarkable joint venture? Both venerable businesses, Sotheby’s and Bucherer can indeed also be seen as a match made in heaven, particularly in the world of luxury and high-end collectibles as their partnership combines Sotheby’s expertise in auctioning and marketing rare and valuable items with Bucherer’s deep knowledge and prestigious reputation in the watch and jewelry market. However, the Salon is solely managed by the Sotheby’s team.

Three objects of desire on display for the auction: Shadow, Himalaya, and Faubourg Birkin.

Once you exit the elevator and enter the Salon, you might think you have landed in heaven. Nowhere else you can find such an outstanding collection of limited edition and hard-to-get handbags from Hermès or CHANEL that you can actually buy on the spot. The Sotheby’s sales team makes sure that all pieces are new or in immaculate condition. Furthermore, they have also a dedicated department that will help you source any piece you like to have.

How gorgeous are these yellow diamond pear shape earrings please?! 25.31 carat fancy deep yellow, VS1, 25.33 carat fancy brownish Yellow, VVS1, 4.8 carat white diamonds, H-I, with GIA certificates, price upon request.

Client relationship plays a huge part in this new retail concept. Therefore the Sotheby’s Salon also hosts exclusive events ranging from sealed auctions, fashion events to wine and spirit tastings in the Caveau, which features library vintages and bottles, usually reserved for long-term clients. Of course, events aside, it is the curation of products on sale that will be the main attraction – and it promises to be nothing if not varied.

If you are invested in selling a piece yourself, you can meet with a Sotheby’s specialist to receive valuations of your items and consign directly for sale at auction, retail, or private sale. Sotheby’s will take a 20% commission on the sale which I find absolutely fair.

Big smile as investing in fashion was a good thing to do …

Connoisseur or collector, you will love this new retail concept where dreams will come true and you will find your match made in heaven.

LoL, Sandra

Landed in shopping heaven …

… spoilt for choice!

On display and in Sandra’s Closet: the Hermès Constance Marble bag.

Watches are also part of the selection …

… as well as art.

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht / Sanjeev Velmurugan
DISCLOSURE: This post is sponsored. We may earn commission from links on this page, but I only recommend products I love. Promise!

Karl Lagerfeld was one of the fashion world’s most famous and revered designers who revolutionised and reinvented the leading luxury brands in the business. An icon of pop culture, whose influence was felt far beyond the realm of luxury fashion, Karl Lagerfeld was one of the most recognisable figures of his generation, but always remained enigmatic.
This December, Sotheby’s is paying tribute to this genius designer, presenting an anthology of his unique taste and treasured mementos of his life and career by selling more than 1,000 lots from his residences in France and Monaco, the homes that he so carefully designed.

The first part of the Karl online auction has offered collectors a unique opportunity to acquire art objects and pieces owned by the late designer. On Monday, Dec 6, is your final chance to bid on the first part of the auction. Click here to see the lots.

Georges Lepape – La comédie

This auction features a superb collection of Georges Lepape drawings, and a diverse selection of design, clothing, luggage and pieces portraying Karl Lagerfeld from his residences in Monaco and Louveciennes, every one of which bears witness to his extraordinarily good taste.

The second part of KARL Paris online auction opens between 6 and 16 December. Click here to find the catalog.

«The story of this sale is of Karl Lagerfeld at home, of the private man behind the public persona. We see him as an absolute aesthete, applying the very same precision to the spaces he lived in as to the designs that saw him conquer the world of fashion. A glimpse inside his homes reveal a designer who knew how to perfectly balance the old and the new, the traditional with the radical, the serious with the surprising, and often with a twist of fun. And, a flick through the catalogue provides a tantalising hint at what it might have been like to sit around his dinner table, with the eclectic tableware, porcelains, glasses, linens and silver on display. It is items like these, and the most personal pieces offered throughout the sales, whether they be from his celebrated wardrobe, his dressing table, his linen cupboards or silver chests that help piece together the story behind the persona of one of the great designers of our times». – Pierre Mothes, Vice President of Sotheby’s France.

«He (Karl) was forthright, charismatic and decisive in every aspect of his life, but it is his sharp sense of humour that really shined behind closed doors as well as his encyclopaedic knowledge of art and culture that he generously shared at every opportunity.
Karl’s scope of work didn’t just evolve, he continually re-invented it, emerging season by season as a key player and shaper of the fashion zeitgeist; his vision was so extraordinary. I’ve often described him as the Warhol of fashion, because like Warhol his work spanned such a wide variety of media and he understood the relationship between photography, artistic expression, celebrity culture and advertising.» – Claudia Schiffer

Unsurprisingly, Karl Lagerfeld’s sharp eye for style extended into his private world, and the twenty residences he is believed to have designed throughout his life. The sale brings together tens of important pieces of decorative arts that reflect his passion for contemporary and industrial design that preoccupied him for the last 20 years, with glimpses of the 18th-century and Art Deco periods that captivated him for so long before that.

Martin Szekely
103 Black Console, 2006 | Console 103 black, 2006

Radical pieces of design – moulded in cool steel, aluminium, leather, glass and stone – by the likes of Marc Newson and Martin Szekely are juxtaposed with 18th-century luxuriance (gilt bronze and crystal chandeliers, a regal Louis XVI bed draped in a silver thread and yellow silk lampas, 18th-century sculpture), and many classic art deco pieces, something that Karl Lagerfeld first fell for in the 1970s, especially the work of Louis Süe and André Mare.

Objects from his desk

Lagerfeld’s passion for a sharp contemporary aesthetic peaked with his design of the futuristic apartment he spent two and a half years renovating on the Quai Voltaire next to the Seine. Here, in a 300-year-old building, he reinvented the traditional concept of an artist’s studio for the 21st century, with a monochromatic interior of glass, metal, concrete and silicone. This would become his primary residence in the city, where he lived with his celebrity cat Choupette. In his words: «This is not a house…It’s a spaceship!»

Karl Lagerfeld’s 8 rue des Saint-Pères apartment

The sale also opens the door to two of his residences that had never been seen before: a two-storied apartment on Rue des Saints-Pères (also in Paris) where he powerfully mixed minimal design with decorative arts, and, the last home he ever decorated – a 19th century villa in Louveciennes, near Versailles. The latter was contrived as a love letter to his German roots, adorned with posters of advertising, furniture and works of art dated from the beginning of the 20th century from his homeland.

Karl Lagerfeld
Set of four scrapbooks with fashion sketches, circa 2000 | Ensemble de quatre carnets de croquis de mode, vers 2000

It is Lagerfeld’s homes, and the personal touches throughout the sale that remind us of the man behind the image: sketches that show him as an artist at work with drawings not only for shoes and fashion designs, but of his partner of almost 20 years, Jacques de Bascher. They are joined by scrapbooks of photos and cuttings assembled by Lagerfeld himself, and artworks by one of his great inspirations, the early 20th century celebrated French illustrator and fashion designer, Georges Lepape. Embroidered cushions read «Ici, c’est la place du chat», reserving a seat for his famous cat Choupette, and monogrammed personal items adorn his desk and dressing table.

To the world however, Karl Lagerfeld was best known for cultivating an image so recognisable that it achieved cult status, and was reproduced again and again through paintings, drawings, sculptures, and even dolls in the shape of his famous silhouette, many of which are included in the collection.

Saint Laurent Paris, Velvet Tuxedo Jacket, 2016 | Saint Laurent Paris veste de smoking, 2016

Lagerfeld’s signature uniform was always a contemporary sleek black suit, dark sunglasses, and fingerless leather gloves, matched with an 19th-century-style oversized collar, tie pins, handheld fans, and a powdered white ponytail. And, the sales open the door to this most famous wardrobe, notably jackets from the luxury Parisian fashion houses – Yves Saint Laurent, Christian Dior to Maison Martin Margiela – as well as a globally diverse group of designers, notably from Japan, represented by Comme des Garçons. Many are in Lagerfeld’s signature colour: black, but others are in fabrics with snakeskin and leopard print designs, or with stripes, embroidery and studs. As for his diverse repertoire of fingerless gloves, the sale includes a kaleidoscope of colours and designs, in pink, red, silver, bronze, studs, stripes, chain mail.

CHANEL
Black Embossed Lambskin Tote Silver Hardware, circa 2010 

Despite Lagerfeld’s designated role as the «channeler of Coco», Karl Lagerfeld rarely wore Chanel himself, once insisting that «In CHANEL, I look like my mother». Nonetheless a handful of Chanel items are represented in the sale. Most unique is the black shoulder bag that he took with him everywhere. The style was never released in CHANEL boutiques or even worn on the runway. Its exact design never materialised beyond the prototype style in Karl Lagerfeld’s personal collection, making it an item as mysterious as the owner himself.

You can visit the exhibition in Paris
11 December | 10:00 AM–3:00 PM
12 December | 10:00 AM–6:00 PM
13 December | 10:00 AM–8:00 PM
14 December | 10:00 AM–1:00 PM

Location:
76, rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré 75008 Paris

Karl Lagerfeld’s villa in Louveciennes

Sotheby’s Cologne will present another auction dedicated to the estate of the Hamburg-born Karl Lagerfeld in spring of next year, comprising an exquisite selection of objects from his last residence in Louveciennes, spanning various epochs and styles, but with a special focus on early 20th German art. The sale will star pieces from 1920s Germany by the architect and furniture designer Bruno Paul, as well the pinnacle of German commercial art from the beginning of the 20th century – rare collectible posters – that Lagerfeld collected for thirty years, and are likely to be particularly sought after in the auction. Highlights can be viewed in the prestigious space of Palais Oppenheim in Cologne in advance of the auction.

The auction of Karl Lagerfeld’s Estate is an insight into the world of this discerning and insatiable collector. Revealing the story of the couturier, the collector, the designer and the photographer – the true legend that Lagerfeld was.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Sotheby’s, Karl Lagerfeld and © Sandra Bauknecht

This week, Prada and Sotheby’s unveiled a selection of highlights from «Tools of Memory», an online auction to raise funds for the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), and its efforts to safeguard learning for students around the world in the face of the unprecedented disruption caused by COVID-19. At the peak of the pandemic, school closures to contain its spread interrupted the education of more than 1.5 billion children and youth – 90% of the world’s students – disproportionately impacting girls and women, for whom education is often a lifeline.

Prada will donate its proceeds raised in this auction to specifically benefit UNESCO’s new campaign entitled Keeping girls in the picture and their Global Education Coalition’s Gender Flagship, which has been leading collaborative efforts to promote the continuity of learning during closures and ensure a safe return to school for all women everywhere.

ITEM FEATURED IN AUCTION: GALLERIA SAFFIANO LEATHER TOTE – IN YELLOW, RED, BLUE, GREEN – AUTHOR: MIUCCIA PRADA 

An online sale like no other, every item featured is an original piece from the Prada F/W Men’s and Women’s fashion shows, including one-of-a-kind garments worn by the models, photographic prints of candid moments backstage, polaroid, seat cards and invitations, objects from the runway décor, and vinyl with the accompanying music for both presentations by Frédéric Sanchez.

ITEM FEATURED IN AUCTION: ANTI-HERO STATUE, MEN’S SHOW CENTERPIECE – PAINTED WOOD, 370 CM HEIGHT – AUTHOR: AMO/REM KOOLHAAS 

The sale features 72 lots in total and will open for bidding on Sotheby’s website from 2-15 October. Pop-up teaser exhibitions will also be staged at Sotheby’s in London and New York in the lead up to the sale. Debuted in January and February this year, Prada’s F/W 2020 shows transformed the grand hall of the Deposito of Fondazione Prada into two piazzas, designed by research and design studio AMO. An equestrian statue and a representation of the Greek Titan Atlas designed by Rem Koolhaas formed the centrepieces of the Men’s and Women’s shows respectively, and will now appear as highlights of the auction.

ITEM FEATURED IN AUCTION: CARNATION PRINT ORGANZA DRESS – WORN BY LICETT MORILLO – AUTHOR: MIUCCIA PRADA 

From layered fringes to deconstructed pleats, geometric prints, knitwear and shearling-lined outerwear, «Tools of Memory» features over 40 looks from the house’s F/W 2020 presentations. Comprising the clothing, shoes, and accessories worn by the models only for fittings and on the catwalk, each outfit is presented as an individual lot. Further items include unique garments, footwear and eyewear, handbags and jewellery, which will not be available to purchase in Prada’s stores but will be offered exclusively here.

ITEM FEATURED IN AUCTION: BEADED FRINGE EMBROIDERY DRESS – ITEM NOT FEATURED IN THE SHOW – AUTHOR: MIUCCIA PRADA 

A one-of-a-kind pastel blue dress with an embellished beaded fringe neckline also joins the line-up. Making its debut appearance, the dress was originally created for the show but the same prototype in a different colour featured on the final catwalk.

ITEM FEATURED IN AUCTION: PRE-SHOW PHOTOGRAPH OF GIGI HADID AND RIANNE VAN ROMPAEY – LARGE FORMAT FINE ART PRINT – AUTHOR: DANIEL ARNOLD

Photographic prints by Daniel Arnold, Phil Meech and model Gigi Hadid capture moments before and after each presentation backstage. Totems to the season, these shots as well as polaroid records of the models Kaia Gerber and Mensah Benjamin’s fittings, immortalise the backstage process and on-stage performance of the fashion experience.

ITEM FEATURED IN AUCTION: PRE-SHOW PHOTOGRAPH OF BANGALI DRAMMEH – LARGE FORMAT FINE ART PRINT – AUTHOR: DANIEL ARNOLD 

Detailed information about the online auction can be found on sothebys.com as well as on prada.com.

POP UP EXHIBITION DATES AT SOTHEBY’S
London 16-23 September
New York 18-22 September

LoL, Sandra

ITEM FEATURED IN AUCTION: ATLAS STATUE, WOMEN’S SHOW CENTERPIECE – PAINTED WOOD, 370 CM HEIGHT – AUTHOR: AMO/REM KOOLHAAS 

Photos: Courtesy of Prada and UNESCO
#PradaSothebys #PradaToolsOfMemory #PradaFW20

June 8th marks World Oceans Day which is a global day of ocean celebration and collaboration for a better future. This year’s overall theme is «Our Oceans, Our Future», with the focus on encouraging solutions to plastic pollution and preventing marine litter for a healthier sea life.

Shades of blue: GG Marmont matelassé mini bag by Gucci and the limited edition Crème de la Mer Blue Heart.

To commemorate World Oceans Day, La Mer has created as in previous years a special collector’s edition of its much coveted miracle cream «Crème de la Mer Blue Heart» which will be available from now for CHF 490.00 (100ml). The ultra-luxury skincare brand has long been a committed guardian in assisting with the protection of sea habitats. Inspired by its healing power and the natural regenerating properties of plants, the Crème de La Mer creator and aerospace physicist Dr. Max Huber looked to the sea to transform the look of his skin.

THE MISSION

The La Mer Blue Heart Oceans Fund launches with a focus on protecting ocean habitats by expanding Marine Protected Areas and empowering ongoing ocean conservation projects around the globe.

This year, La Mer is taking its mission a step further through a New York City-based art walk and auction in collaboration with ocean conservation organization Project 0 and the storied auction house Sotheby’s.

Here is a glimpse of the extraordinary sea-inspired sculptures on display in New York City through the end of June.

THE LA MER
WAVE WALK

Partnering with La Mer, Project 0 brought together some of the world’s most influential artists, designers and culture-makers to create their own wave-inspired, charitable works of art.

On display in New York City during the months around World Oceans Day, the artworks will be auctioned off with all net proceeds going to ocean protection efforts. The online auction will be live until June 23rd, 2017. Sotheby’s will auction off select wave sculptures in an exclusive, live charity event on June 21st in NYC.

YOU CAN SHOP LA MER ONLINE HERE.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of La Mer and © Sandra Bauknecht
#LaMerBlueHeart – #LaMerWaveWalk

Last April, I wrote a post about the amazing project that LOUIS XIII did in collaboration with HERMÈS, SAINT-LOUIS, and PUIFORCAT.

Four French luxury houses joined forces to create something very special.

Personally speaking, I still find it very impressive that each decanter of LOUIS XIII takes four generations of cellar masters over 100 years to craft. It is a unique blend of up to 1,200 eaux-de-vie, the youngest of which is at least 40 years old.

A veritable journey through time, it has been present at every milestone in the history of luxury travel. In tribute to this odyssey, the four French luxury houses joined forces to create three unique masterpieces. To crown their rarity, the LOUIS XIII cognac they house is a tailor-made coupe enriched with a selection of one of the oldest Grande Champagne eaux-de-vie, set aside over the decades by the Cellar Masters.

Touring the world.

Inspired by the iconic LOUIS XIII journeys, these objets-d’art have toured the globe, exhibiting their history and savoir-faire at Hermès boutiques, prestige museums and select venues in cultural capitals: Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong, New York, Singapore, Paris and London… For one year, LOUIS XIII shared its ode to adventure with the world.

To close this exciting tour, each decanter has been auctioned by Sotheby’s. In New York, the Americas edition topped the record for sale of a LOUIS XIII decanter; in Hong Kong in October, the Asia decanter surpassed that total; and at the final sale in London on November 16, the Europe decanter fetched US$ 235,000, bringing the full total to US$ 558,000.

“LOUIS XIII and The Film Foundation are both committed to preserving a cultural legacy, honoring the past while ensuring that films survive into the future. The work of the foundation has helped to restore over 700 films, from the 1880s onward, encompassing well over 100 years of this extraordinary art form. We are grateful for our partnership with LOUIS XIII, and its generous and continuous support for the foundation’s mission,” said Martin Scorsese.

The proceeds will benefit The Film Foundation, created by Martin Scorsese in 1990 to restore and preserve cinematic heritage. A great project with a lot of success – bravo!

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of LOUIS XIII

What happens if four French luxury houses join forces? They surely design something very special that exudes rare craftsmanship and unbroken tradition. Offering a bespoke tribute to one of the world’s most storied Grande Champagne cognac’s mythical journeys through the ages, LOUIS XIII has collaborated with HERMÈS, SAINT-LOUIS, and PUIFORCAT.

Each of them contributing their own expertise and centuries-old savoir-faire, they have created together a series of three one-of-a-kind masterpieces, L’ODYSSÉE D’UN ROI (JOURNEY OF A KING), that is paying ode to the travel heritage of the famous cognac house.

THE ULTIMATE JOURNEY
LOUIS XIII has been present at every milestone in the history of luxury travel — from the legendary bar-car of the Orient-Express to the first-class lounge of the S.S. Normandie ocean liner to the sleek cabin of the supersonic Concorde jet. To pay tribute to this heritage of adventure and discovery, L’ODYSSÉE D’UN ROI is inspired by the first shipments of LOUIS XIII in the late 1870s and the iconic journeys that followed to the farthest corners of the globe.

THE AUCTION
The three trunks will be offered in a special 1-lot sale in different auctions at Sotheby’s, one in NYC on September 10, 2016, one in Hong Kong on October 1, 2016 and one in London on November 16, 2016. Each masterpiece is unique, its design and contents are inspired by the continent for which it is destined. 

All proceeds will be benefiting «The Film Foundation», a non-profit organization founded by Martin Scorsese and other leading filmmakers in 1990 to preserve and restore classic films, ensuring their survival for future generations. In this same spirit of preservation, the house has pledged to replant 115,000 oak trees in France in partnership with ONF (French National Forest Office).

Ludovic du Plessis and Martin Scorsese

“LOUIS XIII – L’ODYSSÉE D’UN ROI is truly the result of a work of art and genius, a veritable tribute to craftsmanship and time. Much like the time, finesse and care it takes to create LOUIS XIII, so it is with the process of preserving classic cinema. We therefore decided that the proceeds of LOUIS XIII – L’ODYSSÉE D’UN ROI will be donated to THE FILM FOUNDATION, a group dedicated to film preservation and the exhibition of restored and classic cinema, a cultural legacy that one generation leaves to another.”
Ludovic du Plessis, LOUIS XIII Global Executive Director

Let’s have a closer look at those masterpieces that were created by more than 5o individual artisans that devoted over 1000 hours per piece to produce the three bespoke creations.

THE TAILOR-MADE OFFERING INCLUDES:

• A beautiful book that chronicles LOUIS XIII’s mythical journeys that begin on a 16th-century battlefield in rural France but will touch every corner of the globe.

HERMÈS

• A bespoke trunk hand-stitched by HERMÈS using the finest leathers and evoking a bygone era of luxury travel.

This bespoke trunk was hand-stitched by HERMÈS using the finest leathers. Modelled on a classic steamer trunk — the kind that would have been taken on an ocean liner or a long journey by train — it evokes a bygone era of luxury travel. In fact, the handles are exact replicas of those used for HERMÈS from the 1920s and30s. Of course the design of the interior was created for a very precise function, which is to luxuriously house a unique magnum decanter of LOUIS XIII. This unique object is a suitably grand conveyance for this unforgettable journey across space and time.

PUIFORCAT

• A white gold pipette forged by the Art Deco silversmith PUIFORCAT for the ritual of service.

This white gold pipette was forged by hand by the Art Deco silversmith PUIFORCAT for the ritual of service. The method is centuries-old: the craftsman spins a plate of silver on a mandril, which is a tapered piece of wood that turns horizontally. He uses a simple tool called a “spoon” to give shape to the object. Several passes are often needed for a piece to take on the desired contours. These steps are punctuated by “annealing,” a controlled heating process used to soften the metal. Etching is another whole step: the piece is wedged on a leather pillow full of sand. With thin notches made on the surface of the metal, the craftsman can draw a coat of arms or some other decorative pattern with exquisite precision, honed through decades of practice.

SAINT-LOUIS

• A sublime crystal decanter and four elegant serving glasses — mouth-blown, cut and wheel- engraved by hand at the royal cristallerie SAINT-LOUIS. Each decanter is etched with a 19th-century map of the continent where it is bound.

Three sublime crystal decanters and 12 elegant matching serving glasses were blown, cut and engraved entirely by hand at the royal cristallerie SAINT-LOUIS. The ancient, painstaking technique of copper-wheel engraving has given these crystal works their regal profile. Each magnum-size decanter was additionally etched with a 19th-century map of the continent where it is bound. For this project, SAINT-LOUIS capitalized on the savoir-faire of more than 10 craftsmen — including four glassblowers, one engraver, and a specially trained artisan to apply the palladium trim to each crystal object. The crystal was heated to over 1,400°c degrees and then mouth-blown at around 1,200 °c. Each glass required 110 man-hours of work while the magnificent decanter itself took no less than 270 hours to accomplish.

LOUIS XIII

• A blend of LOUIS XIII Cognac enriched with a selection of the house’s oldest treasures from Grande Champagne, that each cellar master pass on to each other, from generation to generation. A very special spirit revealing flavours that are at once singular and complementary. A cognac to savour and admire.

Of all of the legendary travels of Louis XIII, its most important journey is the one taken through time. That voyage begins in the rolling hills and chalky soil of Grande Champagne, the strictly demarcated and most prestigious cru of Cognac. Here the region’s delicate grapes — predominantly the Ugni Blanc variety — are harvested and turned into a low alcohol wine, which is then twice distilled in an onion-domed copper pot still, yielding an eau-de-vie of uncommon freshness and power. Only the tiniest sliver of this base spirit will be set aside to become, four generations later, a part of LOUIS XIII.

That ageing process takes time, but also a tremendous amount of savoir-faire, an almost mimetic genius possessed by each generation of LOUIS XIII’s cellar masters. The chais, or cellars, in which they work are dark, incredibly quiet places, the barrels in which the cognac rests covered in thick blankets of spider webs. As the alcohol evaporates over time, the spirit deepens and darkens, releasing a sweet and rich smell that fills the moist air.

The keeper of the legend, Baptiste Loiseau, the current cellar master, joined the house in 2007.

“In one century I won’t be here, so I have to be sure, deep inside, that what I select really corresponds to the universe of LOUIS XIII. It’s a big responsibility, if in tasting this blend, I don’t have the sensation or emotion given by the previous cellar master, then something is missing.”
Baptiste Loiseau

With each passing year, the cellar master dips a pipette into the barrel and tastes something different. At 20 years, there is almonds, figs and fresh-baked brioche. At 40, candied plums. At 70, honeysuckle and saffron. All the while, he is blending different eaux-de-vie, searching for perfection through a process called marriage.
By 100 years, hundreds of eaux-de-vie have been married together, resulting in a complex, ineffable flavour. On the nose, it is elegant and floral: dried rose and jasmine — the fragrances of Grande Champagne. These are followed by denser notes like dates, dried fig and walnut. On the palate, the first drop of LOUIS XIII unleashes a ballet of flavours; the walnut and fig aromas soften with those of honey as headier notes — of wax, tobacco and undergrowth — roll in like a wave. The tasting is distinguished by a haunting, lasting finish. The century-long journey of LOUIS XIII has come to its triumphant end.

L’ODYSSÉE D’UN ROI is a shining testament both to the heritage that created LOUIS XIII and the nature that continues to inspire it. The protection of cultural treasures — whether the art of filmmaking or the art of cognac — requires time, finesse and care. It is a beautiful project, bravo LOUIS XIII!

And if you interested, check LOUIS XIII’s other recent project in collaboration with John Malkovich: «100 Years: The Movie You will Never See» by clicking here.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Louis XIII

Last night, Sotheby’s achieved the highest jewelry sale in history with a total of $199,512,930 (CHF 183,054,500) in Geneva, Switzerland.

The highlight of the auction was an enormous diamond known as “The Pink Star”, which sold for $83,187,381 (CHF 76,325,00), far surpassing its expected price of $60 million. It is the highest price ever paid for a gemstone at an auction.

Representing an anonymous buyer, the vivid and flawless 59.60-carat vivid pink diamond was bought by the famous New York-based diamond cutter Isaac Wolf, who has renamed it after the sale “The Pink Dream”. It received the highest color and clarity grades from GIA for pink diamonds. Mined by De Beers in Africa in 1999, the 132.5 carat rough diamond was painstakingly cut and polished over a period of two years and transformed into this stunning gemstone. It was presented for the first time at auction last night.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Sotheby’s and The Associated Press

Yesterday, I had a pretty busy day with different events and the opening exhibition of the Gunter Sachs Collection at Sotheby’s in the evening. After many days of bad weather, the sun was shining for a change. So I chose this look that worked day to night perfectly:

Python-print silk dress by Chloé, double-breasted blazer by Balmain (a similar great piece is this military coat by Balmain which is available now), tri-colour Trapeze bag by Céline, Lady Excalibur watch by Roger Dubuis, belt and boots by Gucci.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht

Last night, I went to the exhibition opening of the Gunter Sachs Collection at Sotheby’s.

The art collection of famous German multimillionaire Gunter Sachs, who committed suicide at his chalet in Gstaad, Switzerland, at the age of 78, last year and who was once married to style icon Brigitte Bardot, will be sold at a Sotheby’s auction in London on May 22 & 23, 2012.

The 300 items are ranging from Pop Art works to Art Deco furniture, including paintings by Andy Warhol, Yves Klein and Mel Ramos, to name a few.

Sachs, one of the last great “playboys” and famed for his jet-set lifestyle, was friends with many famous artists.

Andy Warhol – Brigitte Bardot
Acrylic and silkscreen ink on canvas, 120 by 120cm
Executed in 1974
Estimate £ 3,000,000 – 4,000,000

I love this Bardot painting!

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LoL, Sandra

Photo: AFP, Getty Images, Reuters