Sandra‘s Closet

Prada announces the twelfth installment of its Timecapsule NFT Collection. Featuring a yellow and grey design in the style of a tank-top, the drop on May 4th continues Prada’s expansion into the Web3 community.

This drop celebrates the one-year anniversary of Prada’s NFT Timecapsule collection. Through this journey, Prada is creating a unique experience that combines its rich heritage and creativity with innovative technology and utilizing archived materials to provide a phygital experience for collectors. Over the last year, the Prada Crypted community were offered opportunities to attend exclusive experiences, such as trips to their fashion week shows in Milan and invitations to cultural events such as Prada Extends and Prada Mode. Prada looks forward to continuing its exploration of this dynamic and evolving space and collaborating with different creators and artists.

For drop #41 of the Timecapsule collection, Prada crafted a tank top in grey and yellow striped technical fabric with striped monochrome knit borders featuring the iconic Prada enameled triangle logo and the name of the month transferred on the back. Each shirt comes accompanied with its own gifted NFT, serving as an invitation to join Prada’s exclusive Crypted NFT community on Discord.

Prada continues to create unique experiences for its community, with members receiving an invite to attend the ninth iteration of Prada Mode in Tokyo on May 12th and 13th 2023. This event will see the Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum transformed into a space where the guests can explore art in different forms and experience the historic architecture, the museum and the site-specific artworks, curated by Kazuyo Sejima – architect and a long-term collaborator of Prada.
Purchasers of Prada Timecapsule items prior to the launch of the NFT initiative in June 2022 can retroactively claim past Timecapsule NFTs in sync with their existing physical product. More details can be found on the Prada Crypted Community on Discord.

The drop is limited to 50 items, for 24 hours only, starting fromMay 4th, 2023 at 3pm CET.
To be eligible, you must:
● Hold a Prada Timecapsule NFT in your wallet (purchased from Prada directly or secondary market)
● Be part of the Prada Crypted discord
● Be verified as a holder and have the green tick to prove verification in the Prada
Crypted Discord

LoL, Sandra

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

Dior presents the CD 1947 capsule

Dior is unveiling an exclusive new men’s capsule, CD 1947, celebrating the infinitely rich dialogue between Kim Jones and the legacy of Monsieur Dior. Inspired by the founding couturier’s love of nature and gardens, the creations are distinguished by their sportswear cuts and technically advanced materials, ideal for the outdoors; thick canvas and polar knits are combined in silhouettes that merge elegance and minimalist spirit.

T-shirts, shirts, sweatshirts and Bermuda shorts are available in a palette of soft, luminous shades, from light blue to beige, including the Dior Gray, a favorite of the House. Emblazoning this new line, the «Christian Dior» signature and «1947» – the year of Monsieur Dior’s first fashion show – feature on ready-to-wear items and accessories.

A bob, a bandana, a belt or even B27 sneakers, reinvented in the colors of the capsule, are adorned with these essential symbols, also embroidered on the Saddle and Dior Lingot 50 bags. A jewelry series and a carabiner embellished with the initials «CD˚ complete this wardrobe, an invitation to travel and adventure.

The ultimate surprise, a gardening set pays tribute to Christian Dior’s passion for the art of gardening. This limited-edition ensemble is composed of a folding leather seat – evoking the curves of the Saddle – and a leather-clad shovel and rake, specially designed for this capsule with the finest craftsmanship; all objects of desire to be discovered from June 2022.

Dior and Birkenstock present an unprecedented collaboration Dior by Birkenstock

«Thankfully, there are flowers,» said Christian Dior. He was known as a gallery owner, an architecture enthusiast, and a passionate fashion designer, but he also delighted in gardening. It was in Granville, in the rose garden of the family home overlooking the sea, that this fascination with the interweaving of nature and culture blossomed in his childhood.

Alongside his mother, Madeleine, the young christian enriched his knowledge of botany among the roses, wisteria, maritime pines and reseda. «I loved more than anything else to learn by heart the names and descriptions of flowers in the color catalogs published by the Vilmorin-Andrieux house», wrote monsieur Dior in his memoirs.

For the Dior Men’s F/W 2022 collection, the house and Kim Jones pay tribute to this passion, joining forces with Birkenstock for the first time to reinvent two of its iconic models. Standing for function and quality, the German brand creates unique shoes – both in form and function – to support walking as nature intended, drawing from a heritage that can be traced back to 1774, the year when shoemaker brothers Johannes and Johann Adam Birkenstock set out on their orthopedically inspired footwear journey – a commitment to craftsmanship they passed down from one generation to the next.

The Milano, launched in 1965, was designed as an outdoor sandal for active people and nature lovers, whereas the Tokyo model was launched in 1987 as protective footwear for walking and professions requiring a lot of standing. Both of the collaboration’s felt or suede models are dressed in the season’s hues, in addition to essential Dior gray.

Celebrating the art of gardening, they serve up functional style thanks to rubber details and industrial buckles. The result of a unique creative dialogue, Birkenstock’s anatomically shaped orthopedic cork footbed is lined with smooth leather, while the outsole combines the Dior oblique pattern with the German brand’s signature bones graphic.

As a final surprise, an exceptional version of the Tokyo, hand-embroidered with delicate flowers, completes the show’s couture silhouettes, a new symbol of Christian Dior’s love for nature. A contemporary ode to functionality and elegance, reflecting several skills of excellence.

LoL, Sandra

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

Celebrate the 2021 holiday season with this indulgent 24-day advent calendar, full of full and mini-sized Shiseido treats, from skincare products and makeup to fragrances. I received one and I am so happy about it as I love to open those little doors before X-mas. The small sized products are also great for traveling.

Inspired by breathtaking visions of festive fireworks, the iconic Hanabi Show in Tokyo, the magical collection is housed in decadent packaging.

The price for this super luxury gift is CHF 140.00, available now and allowing you to immerse yourself in the essence of Japanese beauty.

Scroll down to see what’s inside… spoiler alert!

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Shiseido
DISCLOSURE: This post is not sponsored.

While many of us are isolated right now due to the corona virus quarantine, our ability to dream, to be inspired, and to visit faraway places in thought, remains unaffected. Therefore I would like to invite you to enjoy today’s travel insider.

NICOLAS DEGENNES, Artistic Director for Makeup and Colors at GIVENCHY, constantly aims to reveal and accentuate feminine beauty with his most innovative creations. For his job, he was always on the go and constantly travelling around the world. Among all destinations, he adores TOKYO and shares with us his favorite spots of the Japanese metropole.

Your favourite city?
TOKYO for the dynamism, the diversity, the silence and the day and night life.

Your favourite hotel?
The GRAND HYATT ROPPONGI. Each time I go to Japan, I usually stay at this hotel. This is where I have my habits, where I’m feeling well.
6-10-3 Roppongi, Minato-Ku, Tokyo, 106-0032
Phone: +81-3-4333-1234

Your favourite restaurant?
NARUKIYO in Tokyo, first because it is owned by a friend and secondly, because I love to have dinner at the bar where the atmosphere is so friendly!
2 Chome-7-14 Shibuya, Shibuya City, Tokyo 150-0002
Phone: +81 3-5485-2223

Your favourite local dish?
In Japan, I love to eat SEA URCHINS. The Japanese know perfectly well how to cook them.

Your favourite sightseeing spot?
I love walking in YANAKA DISTRICT. Old town Tokyo at its best. It’s a great place for a stroll and home to artisans, temples, and winding lanes. I love doing some shopping in local art and craft stores.

Your favourite park?
SHINJUKU GYOEN is undoubtedly one of my favourite parks in Tokyo, especially during the cherry blossom period. I love its very rich and diversified nature with its many lakes. It is very peaceful!
11 Naitomachi, Shinjuku City, Tokyo 160-0014
Phone: +81 3-3350-0151

Your favourite shop?
GIVENCHY of course! There are five Givenchy flagship stores in Tokyo.
One Omotesando 3-5-29 Kita-Aoyama, Minato-Ku, 107-0061, Tokyo
Phone: +81 3 3404 0360

Your must-have accessory?
BAGS and SHOES. I am totally crazy about bags and shoes.
Bags give an attitude and shoes some height. It is really pleasant to have new shoes and a beautiful bag when we go out – whether it is for men and women. (Photo: Givenchy S/S 2020)

The best souvenir to bring home?
TEA and WINE! All kinds of Japanese tea and high quality bottles of sake!

The best soundtrack for this destination?
THE MAGIC FLUTE by MOZART which reminds me personally speaking of my childhood and my dad. In general, classical music has always inspired me to travel.

The best book to read while being on vacation there?
Everything by COLETTE. I just love the way she talks about humanity. And I like humanity and her perfect prose.

Thank you, Nicolas, for sharing your insider scoop on Tokyo with us.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of the different locations
Givenchy Beauty is now available at Sephora Switzerland
#sephoraswitzerland #sephoralovesgivenchy #givenchybeauty @sephoraswitzerland
Photo of Nicolas Degennes: © PR, Robert Jaso for PARFUMS GIVENCHY

Tokyo is one of the top trendsetting cities in the world, so it should come as no surprise that OPI has selected the vibrant metropolis as its inspiration for the OPI Tokyo Spring 2019 Collection.

Inspired by the city’s balance of rich tradition and nature with fashion-forward style and ultra-modern cityscapes, this palette features a variety of colors that evoke the energy and creativity of Tokyo. The collection features 12 new shades in classic Nail Lacquer, Long-Wear Infinite Shine and GelColor formulas. With a nod to Tokyo’s status as a trendsetter, the collection includes a new take on millennial pink with dusty rose shades featuring tones of lavender and lilac (Rice Rice Baby, Another Ramen-tic Evening, Arigato from Tokyo, Hurry-juku Get this Color!).

Rich hues inspired by nature from matcha green tea to blooming gardens (How Does Your Zen Garden Grow?, I’m On a Sushi Roll, Suzi-san Climbs Fuji-san, Tempura-ture is Rising!) and vibrant purple and blue hues with metallic shimmer that capture the city’s electric energy and nightlife (All Your Dreams in Vending Machines, Samurai Breaks a Nail, Kanpai OPI!, Chopstix and Stones) round out the collection.

«Tokyo is known for being on the forefront of nail trends – a perfect fit for OPI, where we don’t follow the trends but set them,» declares OPI co-founder and brand ambassador, Suzi Weiss-Fischmann. «In this collection, we are revisiting the 80s and 90s, with pop colors that we’ve given a modern twist, taking inspiration from the famous Harajuku neighborhood. Tokyo brings so much life to this collection, from its eclectic fashion, vibrant nightlife and world-renowned cuisine to the rich traditions including matcha tea ceremonies and zen gardens.»

The collection will hit the shelves in Switzerland on February 14, 2019 and will be available for approximately 6 months.
Nail Lacquer – CHF 19.90 (15ml)
Long-Wear Infinite Shine – CHF 24.90 (15ml)

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of OPI

Say hello to the seven bag wonders of the world. I am so in love. Last spring, VERSACE launched the competition «7 Bags 7 Cities» and invited everyone to participate in the customization of seven limited edition of the Palazzo Empire bag featuring seven capitals.

Participants were asked to photograph a unique and inspiring place in the city of their choice. The Italian fashion house then selected their favorite images and used them to create the new Palazzo Empire bag with each city’s skyline being injected into the design. Great news for the winners: they will be invited to attend the Versace S/S 2017 show to be held in Milan in September.

Discover the seven limited edition Palazzo Empire handbags closer here…

BEIJING
Shop D4027, 4/F, SKP, 87 Jianguo Road, Chaoyang District

HONG KONG
Shop G122, Ground Floor, Gateway Arcade

MILAN
Via Montenapoleone, 11

NEW YORK CITY
647 Fifth Avenue

PARIS
45, avenue Montaigne

SAO PAULO
Av. Brigadeiro Faria Lima, 2232

TOKYO
6-7-12, Ginza

Only ten copies of each design will be produced and sold in the Versace boutiques in the seven selected capitals. So hurry up to catch one of those pieces of art!

TO SHOP THE CLASSIC PALAZZO EMPIRE TOTE BAG IN DIFFERENT COLOURS, CLICK HERE PLEASE.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Versace

OLIVIER ECHAUDEMAISON, Make-up Creative Director at Guerlain, is one of the most handsome, charming and entertaining men I have ever met in the industry. Since 2000, he constantly aims to reveal and accentuate feminine beauty with his most innovative creations. Olivier is constantly travelling around the world for his job. Among all destinations, he adores Tokyo and shares with us his favorite spots of the Japanese metropole.

Your favourite city?
After Paris, I love TOKYO: a city which is so modern with a great civilisation and culture.

Your favourite hotel?
Until the still on-going renovation, I loved the HOTEL OKURA. I hope they will keep its unique mood.
2 Chome-10-4 Toranomon, Minato, Tokyo 105-0001
Phone: +81 3-3582-0111

Your favourite restaurant?
I love small, traditional, non-trendy places. I went to TEN–ICHI RESTAURANT last time and I really liked it. It is known for its superb, remarkably light tempura specialties.
1-1, Uchisaiwaicho 1-Chome, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100-8558
Imperial Hotel, Tokyo, Tower Bldg., LL1
Phone: +81-3-3503-1001

Your favourite bar or nightclub?
I less and less go to night-clubs; as for the bars, I prefer popular, informal cafés.

Your favourite sightseeing spot?
There are two places that really impress me in different ways: TSUKIJI MARKET and EDO-TOKYO MUSEUM (pictured).
Tskiji Market: 5 Chome-2-1 Tsukiji, Chuo, Tokyo 104-0045
Edo-Tokyo Museum: 1 Chome-4-1 Yokoami, Sumida, Tokyo 130-0015 

Your favourite park?
As I love trees, bonsais and flowers, I really enjoy walking around the IMPERIAL PALACE GARDENS KOKYO.
1-1 Chiyoda, Tokyo 100-8111

Your favourite shop?
ITOYA – an amazing stationery store. I also like big department stores with floors dedicated to porcelain.
〒104-0061 Tokyo, Chuo, Ginza, 2 Chome−7-15
Phone:+81 3-3561-8311

ISETAN – for the men fashion floors because they have a great selection!
〒160-0022 Tokyo, Shinjuku, 新宿3-14-1
Phone:+81 3-3352-1111
I also like the ‘bonsai‘ shops. But I couldn’t say any specific name because there are small stores in various areas.

Your must-have accessory?
My OMAS FOUNTAIN PEN with red ink, because people recognize my handwriting immediately.

The best soundtrack for this destination?
Today: DAVID BOWIE, but classic music relaxes after a duty day.

The best book to read while being on vacation there?
Nothing specific while being in Tokyo. I mostly read in the plane, during long flights. I never watch plane programs, I prefer to read, and on paper; novels or essays like “IN PRAISE OF SHADOWS” by Jun’ichiro Tanizaki. So “enlightening“…

Thank you, Olivier, for sharing your insider scoop on Tokyo with us.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Hiroaki Fukuda, © Omas, © Sandra Bauknecht and the different locations

Editors of Vogue from around the world converge today in Tokyo for a very special Fashion’s Night Out event in a bid to boost spirits and sales following the earthquake and tsunami which devastated Japan earlier this year.

For the first time Vogue editors from all its magazines across the world joined forces for Fashion’s Night Out Japan. Led by American Vogue Editor Anna Wintour, who conceived of Fashion’s Night Out in the midst of the 2009 economic crisis, the editors represent the 18 countries where Vogue is published.

On the photo: Host editor, Mitsuko Watanabe, Editor of Japanese Vogue; Anna Wintour, Editor of American Vogue; Franca Sozzani, Editor of Italian Vogue; Alexandra Shulman, Editor of British Vogue; Emmanuelle Alt, Editor of French Vogue; Angelica Cheung, Editor of Vogue China; Christiane Arp, Editor of German Vogue; Yolanda Sacristan, Editor of Spanish Vogue; Viktoria Davydova, Editor of Vogue Russia; Kirstie Clements, Editor of Australian Vogue; Eva Hughes, Editor of Mexican and Latin American Vogue; Paula Mateus, Editor of Portuguese Vogue; Myung Hee Lee, Editor of Vogue Korea; Seda Domanic, Editor of Vogue Turkey; Rosalie Huang, Editor at Large of Vogue Taiwan: Anaita Adajania, Acting Editor of Indian Vogue, and Anna Harvey, Vice President and Editorial Director of Conde Nast New Markets, who will represent Vogue Brazil and Greek Vogue.

Jonathan Newhouse, Chairman of Condé Nast International, said, “The presence of all the Vogue editors in Tokyo underscores Condé Nast’s deep commitment to this market. Japan is a key market for the fashion industry, and we will give it the maximum support possible as the country recovers.”
Anna Wintour commented, “Japan is a major player in the global fashion community, both as supports and wonderful contributors to it. The country’s educated consumers and its designers – from supremely inventive established names such as Yohji Yamamoto and Junya Watanabe, to exciting new labels such as Sacai – invigorate our world. We are thrilled to support and celebrate Japan’s far-reaching influence and creativity with a very special Fashion’s Night Out in Tokyo.”

Asia is the future…

LoL, Sandra

Photo: Frederic Aranda for Vogue