Louis Vuitton Editions Pop Up at Art Basel

Louis Vuitton opens an Editions Pop Up from 12th to 18th June at Art Basel, celebrating the Maison’s literary launches.

Following successful similar pop ups across the globe – from Venice to Shanghai and Dubai – this latest touchdown at Art Basel will be housed in Hall 1 of the world-renowned contemporary art fair, presenting a large array of works from Louis Vuitton’s Editions catalogue. The Maison’s pioneering publications of over one hundred titles – including the City Guide, Travel Books and Fashion Eye collections – explore travel, design, art and fashion. Each of these oeuvres call upon the talents of freelance journalists, experienced authors and cultural savants, to capture the essence of the subject or destination.

Open to visitors for the duration of Art Basel, this latest Louis Vuitton Editions pop will welcome painter and illustrator, Yann Kebbi, for an exclusive signing of his latest work for the Maison, the Travel Book Las Vegas. On site from 4pm to 5pm on the 13th and 14th June, Kebbi’s Travel Book will also be available in an exclusive «Artist Edition».

Louis Vuitton invites clients and visitors on a journey across the Maison’s literary works, from far off destinations to wide-ranging themes, all soon to be discovered in the heart of Art Basel.

Practical information:
Art Basel, Messe Basel
Messepl. 10
4058 Basel, Switzerland
Louis Vuitton Editions Pop Up from 12th to 18th June, in the entrance of Hall 1

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Louis Vuitton
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Louis Vuitton Skin: The Architecture of Luxury

«None of Louis Vuitton’s stores are designed to fit into the urban context in any conventional way… They are buildings designed to have the same appeal as the Maison’s products, elevated to civic scale.» − Paul Goldberger

An extensive exploration of Louis Vuitton’s façades—called the «skin» in architectural parlance—by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Paul Goldberger, Louis Vuitton Skin: The Architecture of Luxury takes readers on an exhilarating world tour of the Maison’s most distinctive stores. From São Paulo to Seoul, Miami to Mexico City, the book visits Louis Vuitton locations that collectively form what Goldberger calls «the most radical rethinking of the concept of brand identity in our time.»

Avoiding consistency, the French luxury house effectively invested not in a single architectural identity but rather in the notion of architecture itself as being Louis Vuitton’s identity. To that effect, the Maison has commissioned significant buildings, many by internationally renowned architects—including Frank Gehry, Jun Aoki and Peter Marino — with bespoke exteriors designed to create a powerful visual experience, relating to the specificities of its location, and above all, evoke emotions. Unequivocally modern, yet upholding Louis Vuitton’s unparalleled tradition of quality craftmanship, each store’s skin is constructed to have the same appeal as the Louis Vuitton products within it.

Undercutting the expectation that a vast luxury company must assert itself behind standardized visual codes, the Louis Vuitton stores highlighted in this book are each dramatically different urbanistic and architectural expressions, all unlike anything the Maison has previously designed. At the Istanbul Istinye Park location, for example, the exterior resembles a topographical map made from a three-dimensional printer, whereas in Tokyo’s Namiki Dori store, the glass façade references the nearby Tokyo Bay, with undulating surfaces that transmit shifting colors for a wave-like effect.

The book will be available in six different covers, each featuring one of Louis Vuitton’s most architecturally distinctive stores around the world: Beijing, Paris, Seoul, New York City, Tokyo and Singapore.

Paul Goldberger, whom the Huffington Post has called “the leading figure in architecturecriticism,” is currently a contributing editor at Vanity Fair. From 1997 through 2011, he served as the architecture critic for The New Yorker. He also holds the Joseph Urban Chair in Design and Architecture at the New School in New York City, where he was formerly dean of the Parsons School of Design. He began his career at The New York Times, where in 1984 his architecture criticism was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Distinguished Criticism, the highest award in American journalism. Goldberger is also the author of several books, including Building Art: The Life and Work of Frank Gehry, Christo and Jeanne-Claude and Why Architecture Matters. In addition, he has served as a special consultant and adviser on architecture and planning matters to several major cultural and educational institutions, such as the Morgan Library Museum in New York, the New York Public Library and Harvard University.

Available in English or French for $160 – €160 – £120 from 14th April 2023.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Louis Vuitton
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CHANEL Haute Joaillerie Book

A spectacular book published by Thames & Hudson to celebrate the exceptional CHANEL High Jewelry creations, from the launch of Gabrielle Chanel’s first collection in 1932 to the most contemporary pieces.

«I used my penchant for all that shines to try and reconcile elegance and fashion in a set of jewelry.»
Gabrielle Chanel

From Gabrielle Chanel «Bijoux de Diamants» collection to the newest interpretations of her signature signs and symbols by Patrice Leguéreau, Director of the CHANEL Fine Jewelry Creation Studio, CHANEL High Jewelry remains eternally modern and true to the spirit of her enterprise.
Breathtaking new photography and classic images from the CHANEL archives brings together revealing combinations in a stunning visual narrative, privileging aesthetic form over 4 chapters: the origins, the symbols, the spirit, and the allure. Gabrielle Chanel’s passion for fabulous and improbable marvels is celebrated here in a covetable book-object that pays tribute to the House’s unparalleled insistence on luxury and refinement, creativity, and beauty.

Based on extensive research and exploring Chanel’s inspirations and art through some of the most precious of all her creations and the eternally modern ideas they have inspired, the book features superb photographs by Karl Lagerfeld, Mario Testino, Patrick Demarchelier, François Kollar, Roger Schall, George Hoyningen-Huene, Horst P. Horst, André Kertész, Sarah Moon, Koto Bolofo, Karim Sadli, Dominique Issermann, and many others. It is also illustrated with images from CHANEL’s archive and sketches that express the creativity and joie de vivre of the world’s finest High Jewelry collections.

Retail price: £150 / 150€ / $200
Publication dates: France / United Kingdom: December 2022
China / Japan / Korea: January 2023
United States: March 2023

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © CHANEL #CHANELHighJewelry
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My Reading List

Right now, I am in the Maldives at the beautiful Ritz-Carlton Fari Islands Resort and I am feeling very well balanced and grateful. I absolutely enjoy having the time to exercise and to finally read some great and captivating books.

At Amazon you can enjoy the Sandra’s Closet book shop online, where you can discover my actual reading list., filled with my favorite genre: psychological thrillers. I added the titles if available in both languages, English and German.

Auris by Vincent Kliesch & Sebastian Fitzek (only in German)
A famous phonetician who uses sounds to solve the mystery.

Das Netz by Lilja Sigurðardóttir / Snare by Lilja Sigurðardóttir
The first book in her Reykjavík Noir Trilogy.

Das Geheimnis um Zimmer 622 by Joël Dicker / The Enigma of Room 622 by Joël Dicker
An innovative page-turner, the most diabolically addictive thriller yet of the famous Swiss author.

Die Assistentin by Alexandra Andrews / Who is Maud Dixon by Alexandra Andrews
A well written thriller about two women: the famous author and her young assistant who also dreams about becoming one.

Abendrot by Lucy Foley / The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley
Instantly took the number one spot on The New York Times bestseller list. I can only recommend it.

Mimik by Sebastian Fitzek (only in German, soon available in English)
Always the best to give you goosebumps.

CLICK HERE TO BE TRANSFERRED TO THE SANDRA’S CLOSET x AMAZON BOOK SHOP.

Reading relaxes me significantly. I always recommend to read at least five minutes before turning off the lights. It will help you to sleep better. Good Night!

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht
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Meet One of My Favorite Authors: Joël Dicker

During the launch party of PIAGET‘s new POLO S watches in New York City, I had the pleasure to meet one of my favorite authors, award-winning Joël Dicker, as we have been both ambassadors for the brand.

Born in Geneva on June 16, 1985 to a bookseller and a French teacher; he is of both French and Russian descent and has literature in his blood thanks to his parents. Dicker spent his childhood in the French-speaking part of Switzerland. At the age of 19, he decided to move to Paris to take acting classes. A year later, he returned to his hometown to study law at the University of Geneva, obtaining a degree in 2010.

His early beginnings as a writer were not the easiest. However, they show that passion and persistence can overcome all odds. With his first work, the short novel «The Tiger», he participated in a youth literary contest in 2005. In this competition he was disqualified because the main judge presented doubts about his authorship. However, this didn’t stop Dicker and today, he sees it as a milestone in his career.

In 2009, Dicker completed his first novel called «The Final Days of our Fathers», based on the UK Secret Intelligence Service. After not raising interest in any publisher, in 2010 he decided to enroll her in the Prix ​​des Ecrivains Genevois for unpublished works. The writer was the winner of this important award, to finally achieve its publication a year later with Éditions de Fallois.

His style to structure and write a book is different and therefore addictive. Throughout his work, fates and different worlds will cross, and some stories will be parallel all along to meet at the end, as the reader finally will discover the outcome.

Dicker has a very special way to come up with an intoxicating plot mixing shady past and shifting present while spicing it up with suspense and crime. The outcome? Thrilling, delightfully twisted, continually shocking, literary and intelligent novels that all kept me eagerly turning the pages.

My first Dicker book was «The Truth About the Harry Quebert Affair» (2012), the story of an American novelist with writer’s block who begins to investigate a murder of which his former university professor is accused. You could say that this thriller took the world by storm. In summer 2013, the title displaced Dan Brown’s Inferno from the top of bestseller lists all over Europe. It has been translated into more than 40 languages ​​and has sold more than 4.000.000 copies worldwide. In addition, the he won the Prix Goncourt des lycéens, the Prix de la Vocation and the Prix du roman from the French Academy. It has also subsequently been made into a 10-part television mini-series with Patrick Dempsey in the leading role.

Dicker’s third novel, «The Baltimore Boys», was released in 2015, followed by his fourth novel, «The Disappearance of Stephanie Mailer» in 2018, which is another one of my favorites by Dicker, a captivating thriller with a killer twist.

In bed with «The Disappearance of Stephanie Mailer».

After releasing his fifth novel «The Enigma of Room 622» in 2020, his fans were waiting impatiently for his new book … It’s now done! «L’Affaire Alaska Sanders» has been hitting the shelves… and I cannot wait to read it!

YOU CAN SHOP HIS BOOKS ONLINE HERE IN SEVERAL LANGUAGES.

LoL, Sandra


Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht / Photo on bed: David Biedert Photography
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My Look: The Newbury Boston

The Newbury Boston is one of my favorite hotels worldwide, a historic landmark in Boston, Massachusetts, originally opened in 1927 as The Ritz-Carlton Hotel at that time. The property anchors fashionable Newbury Street and the picturesque Boston Public Garden, located in the heart of the Back Bay. It is also home to Contessa, Boston’s most sought after dining experience and definitely the most trending hot spot. After a complete refurbishment under the creative vision of renowned designers Ken Fulk, Jeffrey Beers, and Alexandra Champalimaud and being renamed The Newbury Boston, it opened its doors again in May 2021.

Its slogan «a well-crafted life» fits its service and the beautifully decorated rooms perfectly. Here you see me in my corner suite with its stunning views, reading the iconic Bostonian children’s book «Make Way for Ducklings» by Robert McCloskey.

My look: Glitter jumpsuit, pearl necklace and flap bag with top handle in iridescent grained calfskin and gradient lacquered metal, all by CHANEL, April silk-satin hair clip in pinkicon by Jennifer Behr, and Fira velvet-trimmed suede and flocked tulle pumps in black by Jimmy Choo.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht
DISCLOSURE: We may earn commission from links on this page, but I only recommend products I love. Promise.

An Unprecedented Novel About Louis Vuitton

This fall, Louis Vuitton and Editions Gallimard publish an unprecedented novel about Louis Vuitton, marking the bicentennial of his birth.


At just 14 years old, in clogs and without a penny to his name, he left the family mill to get away from his stepmother. Armed only with determination – and a surname that means «stubborn» in the local Jura dialect – he began an initiatory trek that would lead him to Paris two years later. There, he found work at Maréchal, Faubourg Saint-Honoré’s most prestigious trunkmaker and packer. From then on Lady Luck would keep smiling on him. In her lively and entertaining style, Caroline Bongrand traces the ascent of this intrepid young man in a Paris transformed by Baron Haussmann. A virtuoso craftsman and a visionary, Vuitton was the favourite packer and long-standing friend of Eugénie de Montijo, who kept him by her side as she became Empress of France. In 1854 Vuitton set up his eponymous business, never ceasing to innovate. Buoyed by the splendours of the Second Empire, he designed trunks to protect the most extravagant outfits and survive the farthest-flung travels, turning his own life into the stuff of fiction.

Novelist Caroline Bongrand has written numerous books, including Ce que nous sommes, published by Denoël in 2020, and an essay about issues facing women. She also wrote the screenplay of the 2021 film Eiffel.

The novel is published by Éditions Gallimard in the Hors-série Littérature collection, in French and English. A beautiful gift idea for a fellow fashionista.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Louis Vuitton

Masterclass with Dr. Nigma Talib

Last night, I had the pleasure to enjoy a talk hosted by Net-à-Porter’s Global Beauty Director Newby Hands, arguably one of the most qualified experts in the game, and Dr. Nigma Talib ND, a licensed naturopathic doctor based in Los Angeles, who is qualified to treat an array of health conditions such as allergies, chronic pain, digestive issues, hormonal imbalances, obesity, chronic fatigue and menopause. Furthermore, she is the author of the best selling book «Reverse the Signs of Ageing» and «Younger Skin Starts in the Gut».

To shop Dr. Nigma Talib’s books, click here please.

With over 15 years of experience in naturopathic practice, she is responsible for the radiant glow of some of Hollywood’s most famous faces, including Gwyneth Paltrow, Sienna Miller and Penelope Cruz. Based on the link between digestive health and premature ageing, her products target common skin concerns that are a result of our diet. Her passion for creating quality and science based supplements and skin care has reached consumers internationally and started in Net-à-Porter being one of the first pioneers to introduce vitamin supplements to the fashion industry.

For Nigma, it’s all about maintaining the right balance of good bacteria vs. bad bacteria that populate the gut. She explained that we have 100 trillions bacterias, good, bad and ugly ones. 70-80% of our immune system is in the gut. If it is unbalanced, we experience problems, such as bloating, constant chronic diseases, skin problems, fatigue and much more. Newby, who suffered from migraines before, told us that Nigma changed her life in only 36 hours.

Nigma’s daily tips:

Eat slowly, never in front of a TV (try to chew a piece of bread very slowly and it will taste sweet because you break down the carbohydrates)
– Be 80% healthy and 20% you can cheat
Take a probiotic (it is very important that the probiotic you take can survive the acidity of your stomach), collagen, Vitamin C, E, zink, and selenium (women in their 30s with thyroid problems mostly lack selenium).
Stop eating salads at all, even for lunch. They are too hard to digest and don’t have a lot of nutrients. Opt for steamed vegetables, they are very good for your hormones, especially cauliflower, broccoli clean out your «dirty hormones».
– Especially in the cold season, your body needs warming food. Nigma even warms up her blueberries in the morning.

When you age, your stomach produces less acidity which can cause problems. Maintaining a healthy acidalkaline balance means, that your blood levels should be alkaline, but your stomach acidy.

Your hormones are messengers. If they send the wrong message, you gain weight, you are moody or age prematurely. If your hormones go crazy in your late 30s or 40s, first make sure that your gut gets going. It will solve a lot of your problems.

Nigma explains: «Supplements are so helpful. I tested them on more than 1000 patients over so many years. They looked five years younger when they changed their diet and took them regularly.»

Nigma’s Vitamin C cocktail seems to be a true miracle product. Both, Newby and Nigma, were sipping this kind-of-looking-like-a-fancy-Bellini drink while talking. The sachet includes 1000mg of Vitamin C of which 90% will be absorbed by your body. This encourages collagen production and helps to get rid of dry skin. It will also boost your iron and energy levels (a little tip from Newby: take one sachet before going out and you will be in great form). Nigma’s Vitamin C supplement is not giving you diarrhea.

Something extremely interesting Nigma was explaining to us is that if you don’t drink enough water, you might be carving for sweets as the dehydration causes your sugar levels to sink. Too much sugar can cause skin sagging. It decreases the immune system because sugar sticks to collagen or the white blood cells.

Nigma divides the problems in different kind of faces:

The Dairy Face
– darkness under the eyes
– eye puffiness
– adult acne
Eliminate animal milk, and opt for nut milks with no sugar!

The Sugar Face
– sagging skin
– spots, pimples, redness
Too much sugar messes up the hormonal cycle.

The Gluten Face
– puffiness all over
– inflammation, redness
Like bread rises, your face gets puffy.

In terms of a healthy diet, Nigma recommends an ayurvedic lifestyle. Himalaya salt will help with your insulin levels. Look around your farmer’s market to find fresh and locally produced food. This in combination with the right supplements will improve your well-being in a short amount of time.

TO SHOP DR. NIGMA TABIL ND AT NET-A-PORTER, CLICK HERE PLEASE.

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LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Dr. Nigma Stabil ND, © Net-à-Porter and © Sandra Bauknecht
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My Look: Bookworm

I would consider myself a fashionable bookworm. In my house, I have my own little library, filled with all sorts of books. Reading is so much more my thing than watching TV. During quarantine I indulged in so many captivating books – psychological thrillers are my favorite genre. You can find my reading list on my Amazon x Sandra’s Closet book shop. Stay tuned, as I will upload a new section very soon. Don’t forget, fashion can be as imaginative as your favorite stories.

My look: Peggy paisley-print ramie midi dress by Zimmermann, Sundance 140 metallic vegan leather platform sandalsicon by Aquazzura, embossed leather shoulder bagicon by Fendi, orange gold-tone and resin clip earringsicon by Dolce & Gabbana, Pétales de Camélia ring in yellow gold with diamonds by CHANEL Fine Jewellery, Panthère de Cartier Manchette 22mm 18-karat rose gold and diamond watchicon by Cartier.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © David Biedert Photography
DISCLOSURE: We may earn commission from links on this page, but I only recommend products I love. Promise. 

Welcome to My Amazon Book Shop

I love to read and I have always preferred books to television. Great news is that I have teamed up with Amazon and opened a Sandra’s Closet book shop online, where you can discover now my first reading list.

My favorite genre? You might not believe it, but it is psychological thrillers. Why is that? Those captivating stories keep your adrenaline flowing and activate a part of your brain that is in general not stimulated. We release strong emotions like hate and fear that are normally repressed, thereby experiencing a catharsis. No other genre can make you feel so absorbed and involved, in my opinion. We all love to play detectives and as the story moves along, guessing on clues, the twists and turns can be so rewarding. During quarantine I read so many amazing psychological thrillers, that I would like to share with you today for the perfect summer entertainment. I added the titles if available in both languages, English and German.

The Perfect Wife by JP Delaney / Tot bist Du perfekt by JP Delaney
Rotkäppchen’s Traum by Max Bentow (only in German)
Dear Child by Romy Hausmann / Liebeskind by Romy Hausmann
The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides / Die stumme Patientin by Alex Michaelides
Last Seen Alive by Claire Douglas / Still Alive by Claire Douglas
Die Lieferung by Andreas Winkelmann (only in German)
Play Dead by Harlan Coben / Honeymoon by Harlan Coben
Auris by Vincent Kliesch & Sebastian Fitzek (only in German)
The Whisper Man by Alex North / Der Kinderflüsterer by Alex North
Forget My Name by J.S. Monroe / Vergiss nie – Ich weiss, wer Du wirklich bist by J.S. Monroe
Der Insasse by Sebastian Fitzek (only in German, soon available in English)

CLICK HERE TO BE TRANSFERRED TO THE SANDRA’S CLOSET x AMAZON BOOK SHOP.

Reading relaxes me significantly and helps me to sleep better.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © David Biedert Photography and © Sandra Bauknecht
DISCLOSURE: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning when you click the links and make a purchase, we receive a commission.