Sandra‘s Closet

The Swatch Pastry Chefs Collection is inspired by sweet flavors and treats from your local candy shop. Featuring eye-popping and tantalizing designs for the wrist, they’re almost good enough to eat! From macaroons to waffles, they are sure to satisfy any sweet tooth.

A new edition comes from no other than extraordinary pastry chef and Maître de chocolate from Zurich Sara Hochuli has created this special New Gent DREAMCAKE. Inspired by her love for Japan, it’s decorated with a rose bow and cherry blossoms, has a cake knife and a fork to tell time on the dial, and the rose strap features a delicate pink flower on the rose loop.

It comes in a special packaging that looks like Sara’s creations and she has included a recipe for one of her cakes. Try it – it’s all sweetness and delight!

Don’t miss this delicious opportunity. Limited to 5678 pieces.
Pastry Chefs Special DREAMCAKE, in stores now for CHF 120.00.

If you are in Zurich, I also recommend a visit to her cafe, Les Gourmandises de Miyoko.

LoL, Sandra

© SWATCH LTD. 2014 , ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: SWISS WATCHES, Courtesy of Sara Hochuli

To celebrate the Christmas season, Swatch has created “Red Knit”. The strap is decorated with classic winter images; snowmen, snowflakes, a white rocking horse and snow-covered pines. The hand-knitted silhouette evokes the warmth and pleasures of winter nights by a crackling fire, with the fragrance of pine trees and woodsmoke.

The limited edition watch comes in a beautiful gift box and for those extra-cold nights, there’s a little something extra inside: an overly cute mini hot water bottle!

Limited to 14.999 numbered pieces, available now for CHF 120.00. What a lovely gift idea!

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Swatch

Swatch and post-modern pop star Mika have collaborated for the latest Swatch Art Specials, KUKULAKUKI and KUKULAKUKU. Swatch invited the singer to create “art for the wrist”. Like the Swiss watch brand itself, Mika turned 30 this year.

Born in Beirut and raised in Paris and London, he developed two different designs in collaboration with his sister Yasmine, both of which express his idea of the watch as a totemic object. Mika ‘s creative approach always begins with a story. For this project he imagined a totem pole/watch appearing on an unknown planet. The inhabitants are at first puzzled, then terrified of the alien object, which they come to worship. When it fails to give them what they want, they chop it down, and all that remains of the totem pole is the watch itself. Mika’s two timepieces feature a simple, bold pattern on the strap, with an image suggesting a traditional African tribal mask on each dial.

GZ287S KUKULAKUKI
Model: Gent
Dial: multicolored prints
Case: solid mat blue plastic
Strap: red silicone with multicolored prints on front and back
Available in a strictly limited edition of 999 pieces.

SUOZ171 KUKULAKUKU
Model: New Gent
Dial: multicolored prints
Case: solid mat dark blue plastic
Strap: blue silicone with multicolored prints on front and back
CHF 70.00

Mika speaks with great enthusiasm of his venture with Swatch: “I don’t come from a design background, which is why I have so much fun designing stuff and why I love collaborating with people. Doing this was fun, because for me the process is exactly the same as making music. I don’t see any difference between the two.”

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Swatch

Swatch has created a beautiful Mother’s Day gift set that consists of five Matryoshka dolls and three Swatch watches hidden within. These famous Russian dolls tell the story of three generations; mother, daughter & grand-daughter. Look inside to find three brightly coloured, floral watch designs (New Gent, Gent and Lady) wrapped around the ladies waists.
The set is available for CHF 200.00.

Happy Mother’s Day means more than flowers and gifts. It means saying thank you. But in case you are in need of a last minute surprise, CLICK HERE TO SHOP A NET-A-PORTER VIRTUAL GIFT CARD that will be delivered directly one second later to your mom’s inbox.

Happy Mother’s Day to my fabulous Mom. I love you very much!!!

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Swatch

This Valentine’s Day make her blush with something from this gift guide. Of course, those ideas work perfectly for every woman you love, your girlfriend, your mother, your daughter and your wife. If nobody is treating you, treat yourself and say be mine!

BEAUTY

Valentine’s Day is getting close, what if he offered you the new fruity floral KENZOAMOUR I♥U ?
A bouquet for every day, a subtle love message every morning.

Top notes: Grapefruit and black currant
Heart notes: Rose, cherry and lilac
Base notes: Musk and cedarwood
Available now. CHF 80.50 (40ml)

When it comes to the art of gifting, Jo Malone offers some of the most beautiful choices. For Valentines’ Day, the brand’s Red Roses fragrance is lovely, composed of seven types of roses from around the world.

Celebrate the essence of romance with the Red Roses Fragrance Chronicle™. A trio of exclusive accords to layer with voluptuous Red Roses. Create individual effects: Sweet Lemon brings tantalising transparency; Scarlet Velvet Rose adds richness; and Honeycomb, a nectar-like warmth. Write your own love story…
Available at Jelmoli Zurich and Globus Geneva for CHF 130.00

For Valentine’s Day, Bobbi Brown recommends to mix unusual colour combinations, her favourite at the moment: pink and red.

PINK & RED COLLECTION (New and limited edition shades from left to right):
Sheer Colour Tint in Sheer Pink and Sheer Cherry, CHF 39.00
Sheer Lip Gloss in Cheery (new) and Pretty in Pink, CHF 35.00
Nail Polishes in Pink Valentine and Valentine Red, CHF 27.00
Creamy Matte Lip Color in Hot (new) and Heart, CHF 38.00

The message that street artist Curtis Kulig spreads is amazing: Love is universal. Everything about the newest Smashbox collection “Love Me” is true to Curtis, to his art. Cute, beautiful and cool in one with hearts allover.

LOVE ME COLLECTION (In Switzerland exclusively availabe at Marionnaud)
Eye Shadow Palette in Admire Me (pink-brown) and Entice Me (blue-purple), CHF 44.00
Be Legendary Lipstick in Love Me (red) and Tempt Me (coral), CHF 26.00
Blush in Idolize Me (light pink), CHF 40.00
Paint Pen Eye Liner in Jet Black, CHF 29.00
Lip Enhancing Gloss in Adore Me (coral red) and Charm Me (bubblegum pink), CHF 24.00

FASHION

Declare your love with this playfully embellished jersey T-shirt by Lanvin. 
Blooming with vinyl flowers and sparkling with crystals, it will make the heart of every fashionista girlfriend leap with joy!

You cannot go wrong with a pair of fabulous shoes:
Love Me heart-appliquéd suede pumps by Charlotte Olympia

The Valentines Bayswater leather clutch by Mulberry is the perfect gift for your beloved one.

This beautiful Valentine bag by Gucci is part of a whole collection dedicated to love.

WATCHES & JEWELRY

You’re crazy in love? Say it out loud! Make it perfectly clear with A LA FOLIE (GZ281) — the Swatch watch that says,” I’m mad about you. True love has nothing to hide”, created especially for Valentine’s Day.

Model: Gent
Dial: pink with heart-shaped opening revealing some pink components within
Case: 34 mm solid mat white plastic
Bracelet: bi-colour mat white and pink silicone, smells like vanilla
Available now for CHF 70.00.

How cute is Montblanc‘s Valentine necklace?! It pairs a large heart in warm pink gold combined with the house’s star emblem in stainless steel. The two pendants are firmly tied together with an adjustable leather cord which is available in black or brown.
Available for CHF 325.00.

I hope that I could inspire you a little. And last but not least, here is an amazing contest for you:

VALENTINE’S DAY SSENSE Selfie Contest
To celebrate love in the modern world SSENSE is hosting a contest. The idea is simple: participants take a photo of themselves and upload it to Instagram with the hashtag #SSENSELOVESME. Two entries will be picked on Valentine’s Day, and the winners will receive a $2,500 gift card to use on ssense.com.

To participate: Follow @SSENSE on Instagram. Take a photo of yourself. Post that photo to Instagram with the hashtag #SSENSELOVESME and mention @SSENSE. The contest ends at 12:00pm EST on Valentine’s Day.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of the brands, © Sandra Bauknecht

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To all my Swiss readers: HAPPY SWISS NATIONAL DAY!
For all others who are not familiar with this special celebration, here is some information: Swiss National Day is celebrated with fireworks and a public holiday. August 1st is to the Swiss what July 4th is to Americans, or July 14th to the French. This day was chosen because August 1st 1291 was the date on which three Alpine cantons swore the oath of confederation, an act which later came to be regarded as the foundation of Switzerland.

The Alpine country is well-known in the world for its chocolate (My favourite: Lindt), their watches (IWC, Roger Dubuis, Swatch, just to name a few) and the famous Swiss army knives (Victorinox).

The colours of the Swiss flag, red and white, have inspired me today to this cute outfit:
Floral-print cotton mini dress by Sonia by Sonia Rykiel, heart-intarsia cashmere sweater by Banjo & Matilda, red wrap watch by Swatch, Big Kiss leather lips clutch and Paloma fan-pleat satin pumps, both by Charlotte Olympia.

Enjoy your day!

LoL, Sandra

Valentine’s Day is around the corner and I have put together a Valentine’s gift guide for you with small tokens, grand gestures and everything in-between. Gentlemen, have a closer look and delight your loved one! Wrap up something special and wow your Valentine.

And Ladies, I recommend sending a not-so-subtle hint! In case you are single, why not treating yourself to a fabulous gift?!

Swatch‘s numbered limited edition Valentine’s Day collection:
CATCH MY HEART GZ264S and LOVELY MINE GZ265S, each CHF 60.- (in Swatch stores only)

You can’t go wrong with Ladurée‘s special edition macarons for Valentine’s Day. Starting February 10th, you’ll be able to buy the grapefruit-flavored treats in a special pink-and-blue box.

What about this cute little bag by s.Oliver? €15.95

Sigg‘s famous drinking bottles come in a Valentine’s Limited Edition. A great surprise for your little girl.
Valentines Special / Art. Nr. 8341.70 / 1.0 L / CHF 27.-
Dear Deer / Art. 8322.40 / 0.6 L / CHF 25.-

Alternatively you can surprise your boyfriend in a cool shirt by New Yorker, CHF 16.95.

What about a little game on Valentine’s Day? Agent Provocateur‘s Charades is just perfect for the occasion, CHF 60.-.

Write a love letter with Montblanc‘s Bohème white gold fountain pen with a red heart-shaped ruby (CHF 23.100.-)…

…preferably with Montblanc‘s Love Ink in red (CHF 13.40).

Needless to say, famous fashion houses have jumped on the Valentine’s trend and have come up with many gift ideas, such as Gucci that offers a whole collection of little goodies.

I love this Miu Miu handbag (CHF 990.-) and the matching bracelets (CHF 290.- each).

How cute is this pocket mirror by Louis Vuitton?
Available now for €240.-.

Prada‘s adorable key chain with the little Kara bear trick will surely break some hearts (CHF 190.-).

Give a little love… your iPad will thank you for such a sweet cover (CHF 290.- each)! And spending money might be even more fun with Prada’s heart-print wallet (CHF 450.-).

Chanel offers a more subtle colour palette for their Valentine’s collection.
I am so in love with this cuff, please be mine!

LoL, Sandra

A fresh colourful collection of ten watch designs from Swatch: the New Gent Lacquered collection combines super-sleek and lacquered surfaces with a fabulous selection of fashion-forward colours.

The deconstructed dials of each of these ten Swatch designs with the inner mechanisms left fully exposed is ensuring that any wrist wearing them remains at the centre of attention.
With the returning 80’s trend, a Swatch is a must!

In stores starting February 1st, 2012. Available for CHF 75 each.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Swatch

This is an contest for all Polyvore lovers among you or those who would like to try it!
The Art of Gifting with Swatch brings a flash of opulence and classic Swatch elegance to the season for you and a friend. Create a stylish set inspired by our stunning Golden Rebel and Shimmer Ray timepieces, and you could win one each just in time for Christmas. Simply design your set as a gift for a friend, tag them using their Polyvore username, then share your inspiration with the world. If you create the winning set, you and your friend will receive the ultimate Christmas gift – a watch each from the Swatch Season’s Special Collection. Please use one tag only per set.

The contest runs from today until December 17, 2011. You can enter it below!
Good luck!

LoL, Sandra

Swatch has teamed up with the American designer Jeremy Scott for the second time to create a range of five new watches. Scott’s latest designs for the Swiss brand are typically bold and provocative – just as we know his eponymous fashion creations. These Swatch timepieces therefore demand attention, ensuring anyone wearing them stands out from the crowd for all the right reasons. Today is not the day for minimalists!

SUOZ121 SWATCH PORTRAIT

Model: New Gent
Dial: solid black with the portrait printed on the glass
Case: solid black plastic
Strap: solid black silicone
Special: silver picture frame case guard

CHF 70.-

GZ261 MELTED MINUTES

Model: Gent Original
Dial: transparent plastic with melted effect
Case: transparent light brown plastic
Strap: transparent light brown plastic

CHF 60.-

GZ251 SWATCH PUNK

Model: Gent Original
Dial: solid green with black hands
Case: plastic with leopard patterns
Strap: silicone with printed leopard patterns and 6 yellow loops, wraps twice around the wrist

CHF 60.-

GZ252 DOUBLE VISION

Model: Gent Original
Dial: white with red twirl effect
Case: black plastic
Strap: black plastic
Special: double watch cases and special packaging

CHF 100.-

MX001S HYPNOTIC HEART

Model: Special edition
Dial: white with twirl effect and roman numerals
Case: 12cm heart-shaped hanging on a black silk entwining necklace
Special: limited and numbered to 777 pieces

CHF 390.-

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Swatch