Sandra‘s Closet

As the culmination of the Mercedes Benz Fashion Show Friday night in Zurich, Talbot Runhof showed their beautiful S/S 2012 collection.

The Munich-based label was born under Johnny Talbot & Adrian Runhof. The best way to describe their style is to focus on their attention to craftsmanship and detail and their exquisite couture cuts. A Paris Fashion Week regular and often seen on the red carpets, their billowing gowns and playful creations present a sophisticated, feminine glamour.

Talbot Runhof can be found in the best boutiques all over the world, including leading American department stores, such as Bergdorf Goodman, Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue and at Harrods in the UK.

Johnny Talbot to the left and Adrian Runhof to the right with me.

Before the fashion show, I went backstage to talk to the designer duo. Enjoy!

Adrian,  how does it feel to be here in Switzerland to present your collection?

I love Switzerland, I am often here. Therefore it is so exciting for us to have a show tonight. We have many fans among the Swiss and sell very well in Switzerland.

Please tell me something about your inspiration for the S/S 2012 collection that we are going to see tonight!

Christian Lacroix has designed the costumes for the Munich Opera recently. This has inspired us, not the costumes themselves, but the early stage of Lacroix. When we got started in the Nineties, Lacroix played such a major part in our fashion history. Later, he lost it, his creations became overloaded. His golden age was marked by his ability to mix and match patterns and fabrics, as well as his amazing colour combinations. And this has inspired us!

Do you have any Swiss woman that you would like to dress?

Actually yes and we dress her tonight: Sarina Arnold. She will open the show and will present the final look, too.

Sarina Arnold opened the show in a bright floral dress

What are your future plans?

(Both smiling.) Who knows? We have created for the first time bags and shoes and will take it from there.

The shoes are amazing!

Below you can see my favourite looks from the show. I took some details shots of the fabrics and details backstage for you to see the wonderful craftsmanship. Have fun!

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht

Christiane Arp

Last night, the Fashion Days Zurich welcomed Christiane Arp, editor-in-chief of German Vogue, in Switzerland. She came to present her „Vogue Salon“ which had taken place for the first time during the Mercedes Benz Fashion Week in Berlin past summer. It is no doubt an amazing stage for the hand-picked designers to show their talent. Originally intended to attract buyers, Vladimir Karaleev, Augustin Teboul, René Storck and Michael Sontag showed their collections in a showroom on mannequins in Berlin’s Hotel de Rome. Last night, on models. As for Christiane Arp, the Fashion Days Zurich are an interesting platform due to the fact that the guests are paying for the tickets which means that they are really interested in fashion.

Enjoy the photos of the four uprising young talents below:

Frankfurt-based designer René Storck’s austere aesthetics, a little reminiscent of Céline and Lemaire’s collection for Hermès, have a certain graceful elegance. The models appeared on the runway with their hair tied back in buns like ballerinas with the movement of the cloth emphasizing the flowing aspect of the subject.

Bulgarian-born Vladimir Karaleev has an interesting design approach: He only drapes his creations on the bust, so-called „moulage“,  skipping the old-school pattern making. This way, he is incorporating any of the infinite variations of shape the human figure can take and is creating interesting, new looks. His designs are highly influenced by contemporary art.

The collection of Annelie Augustin and Odély Teboul, so-called Augustin Teboul, was my favourite last night. The cutting-edge designs combining poetic and gothic elements truly impressed me with their craftsmanship. And those knee tassels…OMG!

Michael Sontag’s collection is very wearable, not too trendy with a focus on his interesting, assymetric cuts and liquid silhouettes. His colour palette is very refreshing, from powdery tones of rose and light grey to summery shades of white and curry.

The culmination of the night was the S/S 2012 show of Talbot Runhof that I will post soon. So please stay tuned for more!

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht