Sandra‘s Closet

ARIZONA MUSE is not only a famous model, the face of Estée Lauder‘s new scent Modern Muse, but also a mother and extremely sweet and charming young woman. During New York Fashion Week she shared her travel tips for Great Britain’s capital with me.

Your favourite city?
LONDON – I love this city, I live there, I am half English and very patriotic.

Your favourite hotel?
FIRMDALE HOTELS – The interior is so cute, every room is different and the food is amazing.
For example the HAYMARKET HOTEL, 1 Suffolk Place, London SW1Y 4HX, +44 20 7470 4000

Your favourite restaurant?
GRANGER & CO – They have very healthy and delicious food. They are on Westbourne Grove in Notting Hill, an exciting pretty street, very close to where I leave.
175 Westbourne Grove, London W11 2SB, +44 20 7229 8944

Your favourite dish there?
My favourite dish is their MISO PORRIDGE for breakfast.

Your favourite bar or nightclub?
THE BOX – The best place for a crazy night out.
11-12 Walker’s Ct, London W1F 0SD, +44 20 7434 4374

Your favourite sightseeing spot?
The TATE MODERN – A really interesting building and there are a lot of great things to do near there, too.
Bankside, London SE1 9TG, +44 20 7887 8888

Your favourite park?
RICHMOND PARK – It is so wild, so large, you can just roam around there the whole day, spotting deers. It is absolutely beautiful.
Richmond, Greater London TW10 5HS, +44 20 8948 3209

Your favourite shop?
JOSEPH – They have the most amazing choice and the shops are so lovely to walk into.
299 Fulham Road, London SW10 9QH UK,  +44 20 7352 6776

Your must-have accessory?
An UMBRELLA – A must for London.

Your favorite playlist for vacation?
THE XX – I absolutely love their music. It is an English indie pop band, formed in Wandsworth, London in 2005.

Your favorite scent to wear in London?
Obviously it is MODERN MUSE around the world.

Thank you, Arizona, for sharing your insider scoop on London with us!

LoL, Sandra

Recently, I was invited for lunch to Hamburg. And it was as fantastic as it sounds. I was flown in by André Maeder, Chief Retail Officer Karstadt, to celebrate his collaboration with the German reality television series FASHION HERO that airs every Wednesday on ProSieben.

The concept of the show focusing on fashion design and hosted by no other than Claudia Schiffer is pretty easy and convincing.

The 21 contestants compete with each other to create the best clothes and are restricted in time, materials and theme. Their designs are judged by a jury that consists of three buyers, André Maeder (Karstadt), Anne Rech (Asos) und Petra Winter (s.Oliver). Each week, the three retailers buy their favourite designs (sale to the highest bidder) that will be available online directly after the show or the next morning at the respective department store.

In the end, whoever meets the needs of the three retailers in the finale will receive a capsule collection worth €1.5 million within each shop.

I sat next to André Maeder, who is of Swiss origin, and had a very interesting conversation about this new show that is adapted from the US format called Fashion Star.

He told me that “for the first time in Karstadt history, the website collapsed as too many people wanted to buy the pieces right after the show.” Maeder, a born leader who had worked at Harrods, Boss and Charles Vögele before, knows what he wants and has a clear vision of style. Being asked who are his own fashion heroes, he replied: “Jil Sander and Marc Jacobs.” Can’t argue with that!

Below you can enjoy some impressions of the lunch:

Framed by the winners of the first show, Sahra Tehrani und Marcel Ostertag.

Beautiful ambiance at The Box in Hamburg.

On display were the designs of the first show, that are available here.

Beautiful Hamburg – always worth a visit! Bye-bye, see you soon again!

LoL, Sandra

Some photos of the first collage: Courtesy of ProSieben, all other photos: © Sandra Bauknecht