Louis XIII Fetches Record Price

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Last April, I wrote a post about the amazing project that LOUIS XIII did in collaboration with HERMÈS, SAINT-LOUIS, and PUIFORCAT.

L'ODYSSÉE D'UN ROI: An Ode to AdventureFour French luxury houses joined forces to create something very special.

Personally speaking, I still find it very impressive that each decanter of LOUIS XIII takes four generations of cellar masters over 100 years to craft. It is a unique blend of up to 1,200 eaux-de-vie, the youngest of which is at least 40 years old.

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A veritable journey through time, it has been present at every milestone in the history of luxury travel. In tribute to this odyssey, the four French luxury houses joined forces to create three unique masterpieces. To crown their rarity, the LOUIS XIII cognac they house is a tailor-made coupe enriched with a selection of one of the oldest Grande Champagne eaux-de-vie, set aside over the decades by the Cellar Masters.

louis-xiii-suite-3Touring the world.

Inspired by the iconic LOUIS XIII journeys, these objets-d’art have toured the globe, exhibiting their history and savoir-faire at Hermès boutiques, prestige museums and select venues in cultural capitals: Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong, New York, Singapore, Paris and London… For one year, LOUIS XIII shared its ode to adventure with the world.

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To close this exciting tour, each decanter has been auctioned by Sotheby’s. In New York, the Americas edition topped the record for sale of a LOUIS XIII decanter; in Hong Kong in October, the Asia decanter surpassed that total; and at the final sale in London on November 16, the Europe decanter fetched US$ 235,000, bringing the full total to US$ 558,000.

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LOUIS XIII and The Film Foundation are both committed to preserving a cultural legacy, honoring the past while ensuring that films survive into the future. The work of the foundation has helped to restore over 700 films, from the 1880s onward, encompassing well over 100 years of this extraordinary art form. We are grateful for our partnership with LOUIS XIII, and its generous and continuous support for the foundation’s mission,” said Martin Scorsese.

The proceeds will benefit The Film Foundation, created by Martin Scorsese in 1990 to restore and preserve cinematic heritage. A great project with a lot of success – bravo!

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of LOUIS XIII

Louis XIII – An Ode to Adventure

LSBerke_PRWhat happens if four French luxury houses join forces? They surely design something very special that exudes rare craftsmanship and unbroken tradition. Offering a bespoke tribute to one of the world’s most storied Grande Champagne cognac’s mythical journeys through the ages, LOUIS XIII has collaborated with HERMÈS, SAINT-LOUIS, and PUIFORCAT.

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Each of them contributing their own expertise and centuries-old savoir-faire, they have created together a series of three one-of-a-kind masterpieces, L’ODYSSÉE D’UN ROI (JOURNEY OF A KING), that is paying ode to the travel heritage of the famous cognac house.

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THE ULTIMATE JOURNEY
LOUIS XIII has been present at every milestone in the history of luxury travel — from the legendary bar-car of the Orient-Express to the first-class lounge of the S.S. Normandie ocean liner to the sleek cabin of the supersonic Concorde jet. To pay tribute to this heritage of adventure and discovery, L’ODYSSÉE D’UN ROI is inspired by the first shipments of LOUIS XIII in the late 1870s and the iconic journeys that followed to the farthest corners of the globe.

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THE AUCTION
The three trunks will be offered in a special 1-lot sale in different auctions at Sotheby’s, one in NYC on September 10, 2016, one in Hong Kong on October 1, 2016 and one in London on November 16, 2016. Each masterpiece is unique, its design and contents are inspired by the continent for which it is destined. 

All proceeds will be benefiting «The Film Foundation», a non-profit organization founded by Martin Scorsese and other leading filmmakers in 1990 to preserve and restore classic films, ensuring their survival for future generations. In this same spirit of preservation, the house has pledged to replant 115,000 oak trees in France in partnership with ONF (French National Forest Office).

N09549_500_6Ludovic du Plessis and Martin Scorsese

“LOUIS XIII – L’ODYSSÉE D’UN ROI is truly the result of a work of art and genius, a veritable tribute to craftsmanship and time. Much like the time, finesse and care it takes to create LOUIS XIII, so it is with the process of preserving classic cinema. We therefore decided that the proceeds of LOUIS XIII – L’ODYSSÉE D’UN ROI will be donated to THE FILM FOUNDATION, a group dedicated to film preservation and the exhibition of restored and classic cinema, a cultural legacy that one generation leaves to another.”
Ludovic du Plessis, LOUIS XIII Global Executive Director

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Let’s have a closer look at those masterpieces that were created by more than 5o individual artisans that devoted over 1000 hours per piece to produce the three bespoke creations.

THE TAILOR-MADE OFFERING INCLUDES:

A beautiful book that chronicles LOUIS XIII’s mythical journeys that begin on a 16th-century battlefield in rural France but will touch every corner of the globe.

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HERMÈS

A bespoke trunk hand-stitched by HERMÈS using the finest leathers and evoking a bygone era of luxury travel.

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This bespoke trunk was hand-stitched by HERMÈS using the finest leathers. Modelled on a classic steamer trunk — the kind that would have been taken on an ocean liner or a long journey by train — it evokes a bygone era of luxury travel. In fact, the handles are exact replicas of those used for HERMÈS from the 1920s and30s. Of course the design of the interior was created for a very precise function, which is to luxuriously house a unique magnum decanter of LOUIS XIII. This unique object is a suitably grand conveyance for this unforgettable journey across space and time.

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PUIFORCAT

A white gold pipette forged by the Art Deco silversmith PUIFORCAT for the ritual of service.

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This white gold pipette was forged by hand by the Art Deco silversmith PUIFORCAT for the ritual of service. The method is centuries-old: the craftsman spins a plate of silver on a mandril, which is a tapered piece of wood that turns horizontally. He uses a simple tool called a “spoon” to give shape to the object. Several passes are often needed for a piece to take on the desired contours. These steps are punctuated by “annealing,” a controlled heating process used to soften the metal. Etching is another whole step: the piece is wedged on a leather pillow full of sand. With thin notches made on the surface of the metal, the craftsman can draw a coat of arms or some other decorative pattern with exquisite precision, honed through decades of practice.

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SAINT-LOUIS

A sublime crystal decanter and four elegant serving glasses — mouth-blown, cut and wheel- engraved by hand at the royal cristallerie SAINT-LOUIS. Each decanter is etched with a 19th-century map of the continent where it is bound.

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Three sublime crystal decanters and 12 elegant matching serving glasses were blown, cut and engraved entirely by hand at the royal cristallerie SAINT-LOUIS. The ancient, painstaking technique of copper-wheel engraving has given these crystal works their regal profile. Each magnum-size decanter was additionally etched with a 19th-century map of the continent where it is bound. For this project, SAINT-LOUIS capitalized on the savoir-faire of more than 10 craftsmen — including four glassblowers, one engraver, and a specially trained artisan to apply the palladium trim to each crystal object. The crystal was heated to over 1,400°c degrees and then mouth-blown at around 1,200 °c. Each glass required 110 man-hours of work while the magnificent decanter itself took no less than 270 hours to accomplish.

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LOUIS XIII

A blend of LOUIS XIII Cognac enriched with a selection of the house’s oldest treasures from Grande Champagne, that each cellar master pass on to each other, from generation to generation. A very special spirit revealing flavours that are at once singular and complementary. A cognac to savour and admire.

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Of all of the legendary travels of Louis XIII, its most important journey is the one taken through time. That voyage begins in the rolling hills and chalky soil of Grande Champagne, the strictly demarcated and most prestigious cru of Cognac. Here the region’s delicate grapes — predominantly the Ugni Blanc variety — are harvested and turned into a low alcohol wine, which is then twice distilled in an onion-domed copper pot still, yielding an eau-de-vie of uncommon freshness and power. Only the tiniest sliver of this base spirit will be set aside to become, four generations later, a part of LOUIS XIII.

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That ageing process takes time, but also a tremendous amount of savoir-faire, an almost mimetic genius possessed by each generation of LOUIS XIII’s cellar masters. The chais, or cellars, in which they work are dark, incredibly quiet places, the barrels in which the cognac rests covered in thick blankets of spider webs. As the alcohol evaporates over time, the spirit deepens and darkens, releasing a sweet and rich smell that fills the moist air.

LouisXIII_Cellar_MasterThe keeper of the legend, Baptiste Loiseau, the current cellar master, joined the house in 2007.

“In one century I won’t be here, so I have to be sure, deep inside, that what I select really corresponds to the universe of LOUIS XIII. It’s a big responsibility, if in tasting this blend, I don’t have the sensation or emotion given by the previous cellar master, then something is missing.”
Baptiste Loiseau

With each passing year, the cellar master dips a pipette into the barrel and tastes something different. At 20 years, there is almonds, figs and fresh-baked brioche. At 40, candied plums. At 70, honeysuckle and saffron. All the while, he is blending different eaux-de-vie, searching for perfection through a process called marriage.
By 100 years, hundreds of eaux-de-vie have been married together, resulting in a complex, ineffable flavour. On the nose, it is elegant and floral: dried rose and jasmine — the fragrances of Grande Champagne. These are followed by denser notes like dates, dried fig and walnut. On the palate, the first drop of LOUIS XIII unleashes a ballet of flavours; the walnut and fig aromas soften with those of honey as headier notes — of wax, tobacco and undergrowth — roll in like a wave. The tasting is distinguished by a haunting, lasting finish. The century-long journey of LOUIS XIII has come to its triumphant end.

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L’ODYSSÉE D’UN ROI is a shining testament both to the heritage that created LOUIS XIII and the nature that continues to inspire it. The protection of cultural treasures — whether the art of filmmaking or the art of cognac — requires time, finesse and care. It is a beautiful project, bravo LOUIS XIII!

And if you interested, check LOUIS XIII’s other recent project in collaboration with John Malkovich: «100 Years: The Movie You will Never See» by clicking here.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Louis XIII

Fashion Before and In 100 Years

Fashion 100 Years

This week’s publication about the project «100 YEARS: THE MOVIE YOU WILL NEVER SEE» that will be released in November 2115 has inspired me to today’s post.

How will fashion probably be in 100 years? Will there be an innovation that will revolutionize the future that we don’t know about yet? Will women rule this world?

100 Years Louis XIIIThe movie with John Malkovich in the leading role was inspired by the legacy of hundred years of craftsmanship it takes to create LOUIS XIII Cognac.

Before thinking of 2115, let’s move back in time 100 years to the year 1915.

HobbleSkirtPostcardThe Hobble Skirt (1911) – the speed-limit skirt

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In 1915, women’s fashion was affected by the war in Europe in many ways, necessity was more important than style. The need to be able to move faster as well as the new independence of women also asked for a looser, more comfortable models. The rich opulence that the century had started with slowly disappeared. Hobble skirts that were widest at the hips and very narrow at the ankle transformed from floor length into styles above the ankle that opened up at the bottom, allowing for freer movement.

Theda Bara in the 1915 film SinTheda Bara in the 1915 film «Sin»

In 1915, makeup started to become more popular, literally, as the term itself was considered vulgar, “cosmetics” was the more common expression but applying beauty products was still nothing chic and done only by people in the theater or of dubious reputation and not something for the high society.

Rubinstein 5th avenue salonRubinstein’s Fifth Avenue Salon

A big milestone for the beauty industry took actually place in 1915, when two major forces opened salons on Fifth Avenue — Elizabeth Arden and Helena Rubenstein. By then, Max Factor, who was going to invent the first lipstick just a bit later had already perfected his first cosmetic product, the «pancake makeup» for sale. And 1915 marked another milestone, Tom Lyle Williams, who was only 19 at that time, founded one of today’s most successful beauty giants: The Maybelline Company.

max factor 1915Max Factor in 1915

Personally speaking, when I started to research about what happened one hundred years ago in fashion and beauty, I was utterly impressed about how much we still profit from those inventions and changes in the world. I learnt about all of that during my fashion design studies, but most of the knowledge fades away…

Chanel Store BiarritzChanel’s Biarritz store 1915

… but one designer that has always interested me the most, Coco Chanel, started to really influence the fashion world in the mid 1910’s. With her reputation firmly established, she opened her first couture house in Biarritz, France in 1915, followed only three years later by the opening of the famous 31, rue Cambon store in Paris.

coco_chanel_Biarritz2Just after 1915, it became popular to wear a knitted sweater that pulled over the head (yes, a pullover!), with long sleeves, belted at the hip that left a no discernible waist as seen here at Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel in Biarritz around 1920.

Just try to imagine the world now 100 years later if Coco Chanel had never been born, we might still be wearing corsets. This amazing woman redefined womanhood in fashion and gave us freedom. She gave us pants, the little black dress, costume jewelry and elegance in general.

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“I don’t understand how a woman can leave the house without fixing herself up a little – if only out of politeness. And then, you never know, maybe that’s the day she has a date with destiny. And it’s best to be as pretty as possible for destiny.” Gabrielle Coco Chanel

If we start to think forward now, who might be the designer pioneer of today about whom the world in 2115 will still be speaking? And especially how will fashion change?

 Personally speaking, for me it is very interesting to see that in 2015 trends are fading, everything is possible and that we are reviving previous eras constantly. There is nothing really new.

Today, we are constantly challenged by the limitation of our resources on our planet. Returning to nature will and has to play an important factor. Organic fabrics will mostly be extremely common in 2115. The improvement of technology makes everything from impossible to possible.

slide_223561_923452_freeAlready very innovative in 2015: Studio Roosegarde has developped a fabric that undresses you. ‘Intimacy‘ is a curious material made from opaque e-foils which turn transparent during personal encounters thanks to a sensitivity to the wearers heart rate.

If I imagine the world in fashion in 100 years, I could think of very innovative materials that will show their impact as they might not stain anymore and have a self-cleaning effect. In an Huffington Post article from 2012, Mingce Long and Deyong Wu from Donghua University are mentioned “who have developed a fabric which could see washing machines replaced by a stint in the sun. The fabric makes use of a titanium dioxide and nitrogen coating which decomposes stains and kills microbes using light from the visible spectrum.”

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UK-based BioCouture, the world’s first biocreative design consultancy, is already investigating the use of microbial-cellulose to produce lab-grown clothing. New materials that could be used in clothing production might include fibers that can produce heat in winter and coolness in summer, so that you might be able to wear shorts in the cold season. Probably to go one step further and imagine the beauty industry, there might be clothes that have the ability to constantly speed up your metabolism so that just by wearing them you are loosing weight or have a treatment included that can cure skin problems or fight aging. That is a nice idea, don’t you think?

There might be machines in which we put our faces inside in the morning that will apply makeup by themselves. I would miss the fun of putting on my favorite beauty products in the morning though, but I know a gazillion of my girlfriends who would be in heaven with a machine like that.

But who could be the Coco Chanel of today, meaning a designer that will be remembered for his or her changes?

Sandra Bauknecht-Stella McCartneyStella McCartney with me

First to my mind came Stella McCartney who helped to pioneer the vegan leather movement and made environmentally-conscious fashion stylish.

Sandra Bauknecht with Mary Katrantzou at Dinner at BlakesMary Katrantzou with me

Another designer I thought of is my beloved Mary Katrantzou who made digital prints popular. As you might now printing uses a lot of energy but “with digital printing, prints are directly applied to fabrics with printers, reducing water usage by 95 percent, energy reduction of 75 percent, and minimizing textile waste“*.

Coco Chanel, Stella McCartney, Mary Katrantzou, all women that have changed our thinking. Women are key to improving the well-being of children and achieving lasting change in society. We have the power to make this world a better place. And I am sure that in 100 years, Mr. Georges Clot, a former LOUIS XIII Cellar Master, who used to say: “When you discover LOUIS XIII, you become a different man“, would have said:”… you become a different woman.”

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of LOUIS XIII, © Sandra Bauknecht, via Huffington Post, New York Sun, © Chanel*via gbnews

My Look: My Summer Anthem

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Due to another amazing project that will be revealed soon, I had to cancel a very interesting trip to Grande Champagne with LOUIS XIII for the launch of their highly exclusive Rare Cask 42,6 cognac (one bottle is €18.000). Sometimes, I would love to clone myself…

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For the first time in weeks, I had an afternoon free that I spent with a good book at my pool. It feels so great that we finally have summer in Zurich and being outside in your own garden is for me one of the most luxurious things on earth. It was a great opportunity to try my new retro-style bathing suit. In general, I like to wear bikinis as you saw me last year in Maui or in 2011, but this one-piece looks great and is perfect during those cooler days.

My look: Embellished bathing suit and sarong, both by WolfordBowletto bag by Karl LagerfeldTribute Two textured-leather pumps by Saint Laurent, Audrey wayfarer sunglasses by Céline, earrings by H&M and bangles by Sal y Limon.

LoL, Sandra

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Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht