Sandra‘s Closet

Designed in New York. Made in Italy. Worn with affection.

Shoes transport you: From the cobblestoned streets of SoHo to the cafes and canals of Venice, comfortable, chic, shoes allow us to explore fashion and culture. With this in mind, J.Crew’s new Italian shoe collection has the style of New York and the craftsmanship of Italy. To check out which ones are your favorites, click here please.

Personally speaking, I love the Janey patent flats in lime green and the Etta pink leopard sequins pumps (see above).

Great news for you, my dear readers! Here is your chance to receive a trip for two to NYC, a tour of the Vogue offices, a $1,000 J.Crew shopping spree with a Very Personal Stylist, and dinner for two at a NYC Italian hot spot. All you have to do is to share your interpretation of how your world reflects the mix-and-match fashions of NYC and the cultural community of Italy.

HOW TO ENTER

- Subscribe/log-in to Pinterest and follow J.Crew on Pinterest.
– Create a board entitled “My Shoe Story”.
– Pin 5 shoe or product images from jcrew.com or J.Crew Pinterest together with images of the places that inspire you.
– Use the hashtags #jcrew and #myshoestory in the pin descriptions.
– Click here to enter.
- The contest ends on April 29, 2013.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of J.Crew

Can you tell a woman’s star sign by her shoes or bag? The answer is yes with Charlotte Olympia’s cosmic collection. Find your soul mate in those uber-cute zodiac charms.

TO SHOP CHARLOTTE OLYMPIA’S COSMIC COLLECTION, PLEASE CLICK HERE.

If you sign hasn’t arrived yet, check back in a few days. In case that you are interested in fashion astrology, have a look at this previous post. For an interview with the amazing designer, click here.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Charlotte Olympia

Welcome to Fort Worth in Texas, that is the sixteenth most populous city in the United States of America and a cultural gateway into the American West. The city was established in 1849 and today still embraces its Western heritage and traditional architecture and design. A must see are the Fort Worth Stockyards.

My look: Twill cargo shorts by Alexander McQueen, olive green top by Prada, cuff by Stella McCartney, Pandora bag by Givenchy and Monogram ballet flats by Louis Vuitton.
The stetson is a souvenir from Mesquite.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht

Who would have thought that cheetah print and red lace could look so lovely together?!

Olivia Palermo knows her style well and combines her animal-print shorts by Tibi with a red lace top by Zara for a punchy contrast. She keeps the rest simple with a pair of ballet flats by Repetto and a gold cuff.

If you are planning already your fall wardrobe, have a look at those pieces:

Printed cotton-blend sateen blazer (40% on sale) and skinny pants (50% off on sale), both by Tibi and Cecilia lace shirt (new season) by Erdem.

You could work the look from head to toe with the pants and the jacket together or just wear one at a time with this beautiful lace shirt for a fashion-forward combination.

LoL, Sandra

After over one week in bed sick, I have been ready for some vibrant colours to embrace spring.
I really like the colour combination of orange and turquoise blue.

My look: Wool jacket with lamé trimand embellished wool-cashmere cardigan, both by Marc Jacobs, ballet flats by Dolce & Gabbana (similiar to the leather ballerina by Repetto), straight-leg pants by Stella McCartney, orange-coloured Birkin bag by Hermès, earrings by Christian Dior and striped scarf by Louis Vuitton.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht

During the last days, I did a lot of sightseeing in this phenomenal city. Today was my favourite: Istanbul’s most famous monument, the former cathedral and later mosque of Haghia Sophia (meaning „Divine Wisdom“) that was originally built in 537 A.D., in the rule of Emperor Justinian, and later converted to a mosque after the conquest of the city by Ottoman Sultan Mehmet II in 1453.

View of the Haghia Sophia from the beautiful Four Seasons at Istanbul Sultanahmet terrasse.

The interior is truly awe-inspiring, particularly the main chamber, roofed by its fabulous dome, 30m (98ft) in diameter, just breathtaking.

While sightseeing, I like to be comfortable but don’t want to look too sloppy. Today I went for my T-shirt dress with colourful applications and ballet flats by Lanvin and had an extra pair of  leggings plus my ikat print scarf by Louis Vuitton with me to respect the local dress codes if necessary. Backpack (very practical) by Prada.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht

Bally, which celebrates its 160th anniversary this year, came up with a very practical and cute idea: The Bally-Rina collection. Consisiting of matching totes and ballet flats, it epitomises effortless summer flair and versatility. Available in a range of understated summer colours, the bags and shoes retail for CHF 275.- each and are available in-store now.

I especially like the Bally-Rina logo that is inspired by the artwork from an original Villemont poster housed in the archive of the Swiss brand. Bernard Villemont (1911-1989) was a French graphic artist known primarily for his iconic advertising images.

LoL, Sandra

Bally Pink Shoes

Bally Kick

Isabella Fendt, the mastermind behind ballerinas to go, had a brilliant idea when she invented the disposable ballets flats that are sold exclusively in shoe automats placed in night clubs. What a relief for hurting feet!
You can buy the pain killers for 7 Euros in four different colours and in sizes 34-43. They also come with a little pouch to store your high heels. Unfortunately, only available in Munich at the moment. But I am sure that this concept will soon spread all over the world…

LoL, Sandra

Me in my beloved blue leopard cardigan from Dolce & Gabbana's S/S 2010 collection

Due to the ongoing leopardmania, there will be a lot of wild cats around this winter, so you probably better make sure to stick out of the crowd. And the best way might be Dolce & Gabbana`s colourful twist on their signature animal print.  What started last season in blue and red, is for this fall all about pink and green.

Give your wardrobe some va va voom and pick your leopard print essentials for this fall. A stylish cardigan or scarf will bring a bit of colour to an all black outfit and an animal-print bag will add an instant hit of glamour to your daily look.

Make a roaring fashion statement in those colourful leos!

LoL, Sandra