Sandra‘s Closet

On the S/S 2011 runways, there was an Yves Saint Laurent mood in the air. Many designers got inspired by the late master of colour and the father of the trouser suit.

The reason for this was probably the beautiful first posthumous retrospective of Yves Saint Laurent’s career with an exhibition of over 300 garments that took place last year at the Petit Palais museum in Paris. On display were his creations from his debut at Dior in 1958 up to the sumptuous evening dresses of 2002.

In 40 years of being a fashion designer, YSL revolutionized the female wardrobe by borrowing the tuxedo, the trouser suit and the safari jacket from men’s clothing in order to dress women, thereby transferring the symbols of power from one sex to another.

In 1961 Yves Saint Laurent decided to create his couture house. Just under 50 years ago, in January 1962, at the age of 26, he created a cultural shockwave by opening his first haute couture show with a caban jacket and trouser ensemble directly inspired by a fisherman’s pea coat.

The era in particular that was referenced for S/S 2011 was the 1970’s when Saint Laurent spent a tremendous amount of time at his second home in Marakkesh in his beautiful Majorelle botanical gardens. While being there he was greatly influenced by traditional Morrocan dressing and the gardens. His ashes were scattered there when he died in 2008.

I am in love with all those collections that are paying tribute to one of the greatest fashion designers of the 20th century and took the runways by storm. Therefore I put some collages for you together. I included photos of the exhibition of his previous creations to demonstrate the versatile references.

Enjoy this feast for the eyes.

LoL, Sandra

It is the beginning of October and we should slowly start thinking of  X-mas presents. What is always causing headaches for me is finding something for my hubby. Therefore I thought I have to show you those cool pieces that I have come across recently. From very expensive to absolutely affordable. And for my lovely male readers probably something interesting to treat yourselves a little. Enjoy!

The Versace “Business” watch is limited to 500 pieces and is sold in Versace stores worldwide for €1600.- which is truly an amazing price for a limited edition watch.

Prada offers some beautiful iPad (€150.-/€400.-) and iPhone (€95.-) cases along with matching USB sticks (€100.-), all made of their signature saffiano leather. Available from November in Prada stores.

The Ralph Lauren Home Brabham vice box in subtle leather is ideal for entertaining, with included crystal decanter and four glasses, poker chips, signature cards and coordinating coasters. It is a limited-edition of fifty and comes with an embossed nameplate stating so. The dream has its price: $4995.-

The Hammond chess set is a sleek and modern rendition of a classic favourite, an ideal gift for the luxury loving game aficionado, $1995.-.

The GG pattern shawl by Gucci is an iconic piece and comes in beige and metallic gold with brown GG or in grey and metallic silver with black GG.
Available online or in Gucci stores for CHF 420.-.

For all music lovers, Montblanc has released the John Lennon Collection, in commemoration of the late legend’s 70th birthday. The writing instruments collection consists of three editions.

I hope that I have inspired you a little!

LoL, Sandra

For all my male readers who have been asking for this frequently, here is my Menswear Trend Report for F/W 2010.
And Ladies, please stay tuned as you never know when this will come in handy. Your hubbies, daddies and boyfriends will love you even a little more for your fashion knowledge. Moreover the menswear trends are very similiar to the female ones. Have fun and get inspired! Even the classic pieces are definitely not boring this season…but see for yourself:

The end `50s and early `60s inspired many designers for their F/W 2010 collections. The well-tailored suit makes its return into the gentleman’s closet. Imagine Don Draper, the main character of Mad Men, shopping on Savile Row and there you go! Back to the basics, black, all shades of grey and camel welcome elegance as the new dress code.

Also back is the 3-piece suit. I like Costume National’s modern interpretation in grey worn with a turtleneck.

Anyway, turtlenecks were seen everywhere on the runways and seemed to have replaced the shirts. Those cozy pieces worn with a suit have this wonderful `70s vibe that is so up-to-date.

Camel is the new black! The camel coat has been a wardrobe staple of almost every fashionable era. This season, there are many different updated models in well-designed silhouettes, dynamic volumes and distinct cuts. A great investment for many years to come!

A vest or a jacket in velvet is a must this season. Beautiful shades make those It-pieces even more desirable.

Added to these revisited classics making them part of the modern times, were narrow tight leather or cropped pants.

The new hemline goes hand in hand with another rising trend for men. Pants were tucked into boots and it looked so hot! So guys, be brave and try it out!

If you like it more bright, you could add just a hint of colour, preferably in royal blue or a berry tone.  A little sweater like the Prada one will be a perfect eyecatcher.

Or you could opt for the total look. Tone on tone, from head to toe, dressed in the same colour family or matching fabrics give this creative concept a new take on the masculine dress code.

If it gets really cold, men will have a lot of stylish options this season. Fur was seen along with must-have shearling jackets. I adore the Burberry Prorsum ones very much.
Rustic sweaters evoking a winter sports atmosphere let us dream of after ski and evenings in the chalet.

So Gentlemen, I never want to hear again that you are indifferent to fashion! Enjoy your new look and the world will be your oyster!

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of the Brands

It is August and the majority of fall campaigns can be seen now in the new fashion magazines, ads just keep coming out of the woodwork and so I wanted to give you a brief summary of the most important ones and by whom they were shot.
It is funny to see that this world in particular is pretty small and some photographers are ahead of the game.

My personal favourite is Bottega Veneta`s strong expressive F/W 2010 campaign. Shot by the godfather of energetic graphic photography himself: Robert Longo. The artist has became famous in the late 1970s and early 1980s with his series „Men in the Cities“ that depicts men and women in business attire contorted in extreme positions.

The winner this season seems to be renowned Mert Alas & Marcus Piggott. The dream team that has defined the look of the past decade, shot the most campaigns. Enjoy my preview:

The American photographer and long-time protégé of both Franca Sozzani and Anna Wintour, editors-in-chief of Italian and American Vogue is also a big shot in the world of fashion photography. No wonder, Steven Meisel shot all those gorgeous campaigns.

Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinood Matadin, a fashion photographer duo that is well known for their independent art work. Most of their photographs are both critical and slightly disturbing as you can see in the campaigns they shot for F/W 2010.

Italian-born Mario Sorrenti is a photographer and director best known for his spreads of nude models in the pages of Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar.

Peruvian fashion photographer Mario Testino has shot many fashion stories and celebrities. His work has been exhibited in numerous galleries and museums.

Hermès has come up with another really beautiful advertising campaign shot by Paolo Roversi. I love his romantic, vintage looking photos that always seem to tell a story. To me, a perfect choice for the French house!

Bruce Weber is a well-known face in the world of advertising photography. His career really took of in the late 1980s and early 1990s with his famous advertising images for Calvin Klein.

Juergen Teller‘s work is extraordinary and with a distinctive design. His raw style makes him one of the most influential fashion photographers working today.

Multi-talent Karl Lagerfeld likes to keep everything in his own hands. So no wonder that he shoots the advertising campaigns for his own collections for Chanel and Fendi.

Steven Klein is an American photographer that shot many high-profile advertising campaigns for various clients. This season he was hired by Dolce & Gabbana to capture a close knit Italian family with Madonna as the matriarchal figure through his lens.
Great job!

LoL, Sandra

Our time machine is moving further. After the glam references of the past decades, some designers also saw the impact of architectural purity during the 90s and there is something intrinsically cool about today’s new minimalism.

The creations are great investment pieces, very versatile, less extreme and more functional. You could go through decades wearing the same thing and looking great.

If you want to add some 90’s minimalist sophistication to your wardrobe, think more about tailored silhouettes in superb quality. Draping, asymmetry and unusual fabrics give maximum choice for minimal style.

The colour palette is mostly muted with a lot of white, camel, grey and black. But if you love the bright hues, it does not mean that you cannot buy into minimalism. There were lots of beautiful choices on the runways.

To conclude our trip through time, those pure outfits have more longevity than any other seasonal looks. But wether or not, trends never really go out of fashion, it just takes a while for them to resurface and each decade has the same key factor, the need to be fashionable.

With this in mind, enjoy the comeback of 90’s great fashion moments!

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of the Brands

Can you guess where we are in time-travelling after my lastet posts about lace and rocking hot black leather? Yes, we have arrived in the `80s. For some people, the golden decade was the worst one fashionwise but since a few seasons designers have relied on some of the worth recycling styles. The leggings  and skinny jeans came back around 4 years ago and who would have ever imagined their ongoing success?! They have definitely conquered my closet and I never want them to vanish again as the modernized versions are stylish and comfy in one.

Designers have returned 20 years this F/W 2010 to find the `80s ma-ma-material beauty and so can you. Let`s begin!

You might feel like a virgin in a sharp leather pencil skirt, sequined blazer and fishnet stockings. Add lots of accessories like the iconic safety pins, stacked bracelets and big cross pendants for the ultimate killer look!

Balmain launched a real boom with the return of the shoulder pads. The last seasons, fashionistas have crazed all over the world for the must-have blazers and jackets. The hype is definitely not over yet! Party like it`s 1982 in those brocade and patchwork nightclub nostalgia pieces from the F/W 2010 runways. Absolutely screaming hot are red leather leggings, another must for this winter!


The `80s encouraged self-expression with eyecatching neon colours and rainbow dyes. I would not do the complete look but you can easily embed one sparkling bright piece into your daily wear. One thing I am not so sure is about the über-teased hair…. probably a little too much retro-style. But nevertheless the point of fashion is that girls just wanna have fun! So let`s start experimenting….

In case that you are looking for your personal Jesus, try black leather and fringes. So hot! Sequined leggings combined with a denim jacket would turn you also very fast back to the `80s without looking disguised.

If you want to find the fashion cure for this winter`s style heritage, you could opt for a goth look with an asymmetrical cropped sweater or some cut out off-shoulder-tops. And I am sure that this Friday, you will be in love.

 

My personal `80s-inspired object of desire is this gorgeous suede buckled V-neck dress by Balmain. Available from today at net-à-porter. This is rock glam chic at its best! Hard to beat it.

LoL, Sandra

During the next week, we will do some time-travelling through different decades and their impacts on the F/W 2010 collections. One of the most important ones to influence your fall wardrobe, is the era of the late fifties. It is a celebration of women with the return of the curvy silhouette. Forerunner of the mid-century modern look is Miuccia Prada that surprised once more with her first time focus on the breasts with ruffled  pointy-bra tops. But there is nothing vulgar about her designs. When nostalgia catches up, Marc Jacobs cannot be far away. In the same vein as Prada this season, his collection for Louis Vuitton accented the womanly figure via corsets, belted wasp waists, petticoated skirts, fitted tops and deep cuts.

 

The looks could have come straight out of the most popular American TV show of the moment, Mad Men. The Emmy and Golden Globe winning series is set in the late fifties/ beginning of the sixties in the world of New York advertising. Its visual style is highly acclaimed and has inspired many designers for fall.

 

 

 

 

The mood is very fresh feminine with an uptight but sexy secretary note. The full skirt that had reigned until the early 1960s as the emblem of the 1950s woman celebrates its comeback with a charming Frenchified accent.

The hair is scraped back into high, bouncy sort of Brigitte Bardot ponytails or preferably worn in high chignons, held by tight headbands. The make-up is very Dita Von Teese, sort of clean and all about eyeliner. If you like, you can add a red pout. This look will stay for Resort 2011 as seen beautifully at Dior.

To accessorize your Stepford Wives look, here is what you need:

First a pair of spiked little kitten heels, Those very pointed shoes are comfy and because of their short height, you can still look up to the stronger sex.

Secondly, a top handle bag that shows discreet elegance.

And last but not least, a pair of cat-eye sunglasses. You can choose from sharply exaggerated to sweetly retro, just unleash your feline side.

Can you write in shorthand “chic”? I am convinced that now you can…

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of the Brands

 

This summer, there was no body part safe from the cutout trend. If you think too trashy for you, you will be most likely mistaken. Strategically placed bare spots are glamourous and taking sexy to the next level without being vulgar. Revealing the right amount of skin can be much more sizzling than seeing it all. It is like playing hide and seek.

As the S/S 2010 season is coming to an end fashionwise, I truly recommend getting a cutout or cobwebby knitted dress now. The Gucci version has the must-have tribal print for summer but will not be a classic because of that.
Please find below my pre-selection of the best pieces on sale, available at Browns and Net-à-porter.

Trust me, it will be a good investment. The trend is going to stay for F/W 2010. The only obvious change is that the cutout styles are a little more subtle and smaller which is probably better for the cold winter months. Please see for yourself:

Play discreetly peekaboo and believe me heads will be turning your direction!

LoL, Sandra

As promised here are the best crochet and knit looks from the F/W 2010 runways. The designs were versatile, catering for all tastes.

From bohemian 60`s and 70`s inspired looks like the Versace or Missoni ones to crocheted knits combined with romantic details like bows and ribbons, spotted at Dior. If you like it more gothic or clean, Pringle of Scotland will be your choice this winter.

As I already told you, the “Miss Sicily” bag by Dolce & Gabbana is coming back in knitted versions and has been seen on Victoria Beckham already. So keep an eye on the upcoming sale, probably you can find one from the summer for a great price. I will keep my fingers crossed!

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of the Brands

Some of the most memorable looks on the runways for F/W 2010 impressed with the comeback of the season: Fur in all variations. From Karl Lagerfeld`s take on the full faux fur polar bear look to Versace`s colourful interpretations to shearling lamb footwear.

The emphasis was one the most luxurious finishing details you can imagine. The designers were using more fur than ever. I am wondering why PETA was so absent during the fashion weeks. They could have totally made an example.

Herewith you will find a gallery of the most desirable shoes and bags for the upcoming season. I am crazy for Chanel `s Nanook of the North fake fur boots with the icicle heels and the matching chain strap bag. Totally stylish are also the fur-trimmed boots like the ones by Hermès or YSL.

Another must-have for winter is a thick fur-covered tote, for example by Dolce & Gabbana or Christian Dior to name a few.

Love it or hate it, fur is one of the biggest trends.

LoL, Sandra