Sandra‘s Closet

GUCCI‘s Creative Director Alessandro Michele will present his new collection, the second one in the centenary year of the House, live in a momentous show along Hollywood Boulevard in Los Angeles.

Watch the live stream on November 2nd at 8pm PST. Click here to join the livestreaming.

Later this year, Ridley Scott’s highly anticipated «House of Gucci» will be released starring Lady Gaga, Adam Driver, Salma Hayek, Al Pacino, Jeremy Irons and Jared Leto. The film is not directly affiliated with the house but still tied to its legacy nonetheless as it tells the real-life Gucci family with a focus on the murder of Maurizio Gucci (Driver).

Two events that I am very much looking forward to…

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Gucci

In January, I wrote about the huge impact the Netflix series Bridgerton has on fashion (for the previous outfit post, click here). All of a sudden, corsets, rushed floral dresses, empire lines are all back in the game. The series’ costume with all of their fanciful and over-the-top looks have given us a sweet and much-needed outfit inspiration.

Here is the new H&M collaboration that celebrates those kind of looks. In a whimsical collection made from more sustainable materials, LA-based Brock Collection brings their signature laid-back charm to thoughtfully crafted romantic silhouettes.

Think country florals, corset tops and dreamy ruffles, effortlessly paired with classic denim for a modern touch. All made from more sustainable materials like organic linen, organic cotton, recycled cotton, recycled polyester and Tencel™ Lyocell.

«Brock Collection has always been about connecting the threads between uptown polish paired with a down-to-earth ease, which we are so happy to bring to a new audience. Each piece in the collection is special and carries a certain romantic charm, but is totally effortless,» says Laura Vassar and Kristopher Brock, Designers and Co-Founders of Brock Collection. The pair met in New York City while attending Parsons School of Design and after founding the brand in 2014, relocated to Los Angeles. Since then their emphasis on craft and cut and love of vintage references has gained a cult following.

«We’re thrilled to be collaborating with Brock Collection, who are well-known for their luxe craftsmanship, impeccable fits and structures, and have quite the celebrity following. But there’s also beauty in the fact that their designs always feel down-to-earth, thoughtful and easy to wear — I believe that’s the key to their success. We want to celebrate romance and make it accessible to the many. By adding more sustainable materials, it creates for a collaboration I hope our customers around the world will fall in love with,» says Maria Östblom, Head of Design at H&M.

Brock Collection x H&M is available now in Europe in selected stores and online. It will launch in the US and Canada on June 24, 2021.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Brock Collection / H&M, Netflix
DISCLOSURE: This post is not sponsored.

Miu Miu Famous Cats is a collection of five t-shirts, each carrying a film-still printed with different feline characters. Multi-faceted and free-spirited, these gorgeous creatures may be courageous, cowardly, aloof, playful, loving and at times, even mean.

The cats playing starring roles and featured in the collection include;
Jake – the extra-terrestrial cat from the 1978 American sci-fi comedy, The Cat From Outer Space. When forced to land his spaceship on earth, he leads various humans on a series of riotous escapades.

Jonesy – the mouse-chasing ginger cat resident on the ill-fated USCSS Nostromo in the 1979 blockbuster, Alien. With Ellen Ripley, he is the mission’s only survivor.

Three talking cats sit on Chibi-Usa’s shoulders from Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, broadcasted Japanese animation series since 1992. Luna, Artemis and their daughter, Diana, are companions to the eponymous Sailor Guardians.

The nameless cat in Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather was found wandering around the movie set, and was picked up and placed – impromptu – on Marlon Brando’s knee. His purring further obscured the actor’s famously muffled dialogue.

Finally, with her long lashes and crimson pout, Toodles Galore, from Hanna Barbera’s Tom & Jerry, reduces hapless Tom to a gibbering wreck every time he encounters her. And this despite the fact she never makes a sound.

Launching in March, t-shirts are available in plain white cotton and stills are printed alongside text contextualising their significance in big and small screen culture.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Miu Miu

Not sure what to do over the weekend. Here is an idea. Start watching the new Netflix series «EMILY IN PARIS» that launched last Friday. I swear, you will be daydreaming about living in France, eating chocolate croissants, and falling in love. I have become immediately addicted. Thank God, my fiancé is half Parisian, haha. I know the reviews are not the best, ranking from «too cliche» to «embarrassing series, completely wrong image of Paris», but honestly I am absolutely loving it!

Left: Lily Collins Emily in Paris – Right: Sarah Jessica Parker in Sex and the City

No other than Darren Star, who was also in charge of our favorites such as «Beverly Hills, 90210» (1990–2000), «Melrose Place» (1992–1999), and «Sex and the City» (1998–2004) created this American comedy-drama web television series. It stars Lily Collins as the titular character, Emily, an American woman moving to Paris for a job opportunity and better life. There she struggles to succeed in the workplace while searching for love and experiencing culture clash wth her «boring» Midwestern upbringing.

«You look American. Are you from Indiana?» asks Mindy (Ashley Park, right), when she first meets Emily, who has lunch alone in the park, wearing a fabulous Ganni silk top and dress, a Rag & Bone belt , combined with a Patricia Field Canary Bag.

Personally speaking, I have so many reminiscences with Emily. I used lived in Chicago, where she is from, and my first job experience was also in Paris. I worked at Sonia Rykiel at their ready-to-wear design department where I also experienced some funny moments and cultural clashes.

On her first day at the office in Paris, Emily wears an Alice + Olivia Eiffel Tower shirt, a Re/Done crop top,  snakeskin-print Ronny Kobo miniskirt, an Aldo bag and Christian Louboutin Gorgona booties, emblazoned with «Paris» and airmail stickers.

Emily in a green CHANEL (her favorite French brand) jacket from the Cruise 2020 collection combined with a checked Kangol hat.

The best about «EMILY IN PARIS» are the costumes. Behind them is my favorite stylist, Patricia Field, who became famous for her work at the set of «Sex and the City». We owe all those iconic Carrie Bradshaw fashion moments to her. Emily is like the Carrie Bradshaw for the next generation, with a wardrobe you wish you had yourself, and a growing Insta account you’d love to emulate.

An homage to Audrey Hepburn: Emily in a Christian Siriano dress, vintage fur and purse, La Compagnie du Costume jewellery and Cosmoparis shoes.

Don’t blame me, if you won’t leave your apartment this weekend and will be binge-watching all 10 episodes. And here are some Instagram accounts, you might one to follow after to get the details of the looks: @emilyinparis, and @emilyinparisfashion.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Netflix

Screen kisses may be loving, life affirming, adorable, darkly romantic, hotly anticipatory and even melancholic. Miu Miu Kisses is a capsule collection of T-shirts printed with film stills of some of cinema history’s most celebrated embraces.

Choose between the sweet – Prince Charming’s life-giving kiss in Walt Disney’s Snow White & The Seven Dwarves – or the sweetly spooky – the ghostly embrace in Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride. More emotionally charged is Bogart and Bergman’s parting kiss in Casablanca and Clarke Gable and Vivien Leigh’s passionate embrace in Gone With The Wind. Finally, if light-hearted and big-haired is the order of the day, the tangle between Jennifer Beale and Michael Nouri in the 1980s classic, Flashdance, more than fits the bill.

Miu Miu Kisses runs the gamut from mischievous to playful and from nostalgic to tender.
Produced in black and finished with the Miu Miu Kisses logo, T-shirts are available in Miu Miu stores worldwide. Such a great gift for Valentine’s Day!

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Miu Miu

Fashion is a novel. And the Louis Vuitton Pre-Fall 2020 collection embarks on a narrative journey where the garments tell their own tales.
These characters from our wardrobe set the scene for our days, our moods, our lives. This meeting of periods, stylistic movements and anachronistic combinations brings to life a rich cast of costumes.

In such a ‘wearable library’, each outfit writes its own chapter made up of romantic monologues. Peculiar dialogues between stylistic rebellion and fine crafts- manship. An account of sportswear’s encounter with tailoring. Taking the cultural references even further, Louis Vuitton has adorned one of the collection’s t-shirts with the original cover from William Peter Blatty’s 1971 cult science-fiction novel The Exorcist.

To illustrate this collection – a term that works just as well with fashion as it does with literature or on the big screen – the House’s muses proudly take to book covers or film posters as protagonists, fitting perfectly into Louis Vuitton’s history and brilliantly embracing the role of adventurer.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Louis Vuitton

Last weekend, I was invited to a birthday party in Fribourg with the dress code «Choose a Quentin Tarantino Movie Character». The possibilities are versatile but one that I truly liked and that looks great in daily life is the style of Mia Wallace (Uma Thurman) in Pulp Fiction. The 1994 movie is known for its many twists, but most poignant of all is her dance with Vincent Vega (John Travolta). It’s in that scene that Mia sports the outfit that has inspired one of the most popular Halloween costumes of the last two decades, with a white button down shirt as the quintessential piece combined with black cropped pants.

My look: Bandage flared pants by Hervé Léger, cotton-poplin shirt, sequined gun shoulder bag, and Janis suede platform pumps, all by Saint Laurent, Petit Jardin embroidered stretch-tulle underwired bra by La Perla, and diamond ring by Vainard Fine Jewellery.

You’ll never watch that scene the same way again when I tell you what else made it so iconic for a fashion lover. It was the nail polish on Mia’s fingers. First debuted at the F/W 1994 CHANEL show, Le Vernis Rouge Noir made its screen debut in Pulp Fiction 25 years ago. Until today, the hue is still one of the most coveted—and questionably duped—color in both fashion and beauty history.

I really like this hair style (the wig is from atop.ch). What do you think? Time to get a new hair cut?

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht 

Besides this season’s zebra pattern trend, you should not miss another black and white animal print as fashionistas can’t get enough of dalmatian prints. When «too much» is never enough, those pieces are giving major Cruella De Vil vibes.

It is a great example how fashion and cinema are linked together. In 2021, Emma Stone will be giving a new twist to the iconic villain as she plays her in the upcoming film «Cruella», showing the Oscar-winning actress as the younger, significantly more punk version of the famous protagonist who is crazy for the black and white dots.

Here’s your first look at Emma Stone as Cruella de Vil in Disney’s Cruella. The film, also starring Emma Thompson, Paul Walter Hauser, and Joel Fry, comes to theaters May 28, 2021.

Below you can find the best dalmtian print pieces available this season. Have fun and get ahead of the fashion trend.

Animal-print cotton-twill trench coat by Burberry

Pussy-bow dalmatian-print silk blouse by Burberry

Dalmatian-print high-rise pleated midi skirt by Burberry

Crystal-embellished animal-print faux fur coat by Miu Miu

Logo and dalmatian print nylon backpack by Burberry

Dalmatian furry cropped blouse by Batsheva

London dalmatian print bag by Manu Atelier

Pre-owned vintage Dalmatian shoulder bag by Louis Vuitton

I am on my way to the Venice Film Festival with Atelier Swarovski. Stay tuned!

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of the Brands, © Disney

Miuccia Prada, a true trendsetter, always goes interesting ways to introduce new product launches. For her  new beautiful MIU MIU Eyewear, she  presents «Head In The Clouds», a film that revolves around the female gaze, daydreaming and the Miu Miu Cloud – the latest addition to the brand’s iconic eyewear collection.

Set in the sun-dappled gardens of a country house outside of Paris, «Head In The Clouds» tells the story of a chance encounter between two girls. As Constance loses her glasses during an argument with her boyfriend, Laura stumbles upon these, discovering a new captivating interest – seeing the world through Constance’s eyes. The glasses in question make everything look rose-tinted, opening a portal to mystery, fantasy and the possibility of seeing a beautiful and elusive new friend again. The film celebrates the Miu Miu Cloud, this season’s playfully idiosyncratic cloud-shaped rimless sunglasses with lenses in multiple colors.

«Head In The Clouds» is written and directed by Agostina Gálvez and stars Marylin Lima and Calu Rivero. It is inspired by the director’s love of vintage film posters. Viewers will be able to see two or three moving images simultaneously combined in a manner that is at once poetic, cinematic and graphic. To watch the movie, click here please.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of MIU MIU

Last night, the 76th annual Golden Globes took place in Los Angeles. Many winners in different categories but what truly interests us fashion lovers is who won on the red carpet as here the drama takes it all.

Lady Gaga, who unfortunately didn’t win «Best Actress in a Drama» for her role in «A Star Is Born», was definitely the winner in terms of fashion in this lavender Valentino Haute Couture gown with a colour matching hairstyle.

Channeling a bit of Old Hollywood glamour, the dress evoked a look Judy Garland wore as the star in the 1954 version of the movie. But one award went to Lady Gaga, the 32-year-old accepted «Best Original Song» for her work on the movie’s hit «Shallow».

Valentino F/W 2018 Haute Couture Look 60

The style was first shown on the Maison’s F/W 2018 Couture runway. Pierpaolo Piccioli adapted the look to Lady Gaga.

Around her neck, a blinding $5 million diamond necklace by Tiffany & Co. shined.

Here are my personal other winners on the red carpet:

Gemma Chan in Valentino Haute Couture

Lupita Nyong’o in Calvin Klein by Appointment and Bulgari jewelry

Kiki Layne in Dior Haute Couture and Bulgari jewels.

Constance Wu in Vera Wang

Sofia Carson in Giambattista Valli Haute Couture

Rosamunde Pike in Givenchy Haute Couture

Emily Blunt in custom Alexander McQueen

Janelle Monáe in Chanel

Nicole Kidman in Michael Kors Collection

Have a great start into the week!

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of the Brands