Sandra‘s Closet

Snow bunny in Gstaad … inspired by the world of winter sports, the Prada On Ice collection presents technical ski wear blending specialized know-how with a distinctive style. Ski clothing and accessories mix with oversized jackets animated by colorful geometric and floral patterns, jersey outfits and mountain-inspired cashmere sweaters.

My look: Printed nylon down jacket, printed technical fabric ski pants, jacquard cashmere crew-neck sweater, printed stretch jersey top, quilted printed Re-Nylon scarf, and printed Re-Nylon bucket hat, all by Prada, Audrey wayfarer sunglasses by Celine, and Trekkgirl snow boots by Valentino.

Do you prefer spending Easter in the sun or in the snow? In today’s world you can have both and enjoy your new ski outfit for many months during the year. Therefore it makes sense to invest in a great look that keeps your warm but that is also fun to wear.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht / Gstaad Photography Raphael Faux 
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Breaking news before the weekend: Valentino has named former Gucci designer Alessandro Michele its creative director. Only a week after designer Pierpaolo Piccioli exited the Roman couture house after 25 years, including 8 years as its sole creative director.

The brand will not show menswear or haute couture in June. Michele’s first show for the brand will take place during Paris Fashion Week in September.

«I feel the immense joy and the huge responsibility to join a maison de couture that has the word ‘beauty’ carved on a collective story, made of distinctive elegance, refinement and extreme grace,» Michele said in a statement.

Gucci S/S 2016 designed by Alessandro Michele

Rumors were that Michele would head to LVMH, so the news come a little unexpected. Valentino is owned by Mayhoola, the fashion group backed by the Qatari royal family that also owns Balmain and Pal Zileri. Last year, Kering acquired 30 percent of Valentino for €1.7 billion – implying a valuation worth of €5 billion – as part of a broader partnership with Mayhoola. The agreement gave Kering the option to acquire 100 percent of Valentino «no later than 2028». The former Gucci designer – a brand that also belongs to Kering – is a is known for its maximalist aesthetic that helped triple sales at the megabrand.

The designer will work once more with chief executive Jacopo Venturini, who previously led Gucci’s merchandising efforts alongside Michele and then-CEO Marco Bizzarri before joining Valentino.

«The reinterpretation of the maison’s couture codes and the heritage created by Mr. Valentino Garavani, combined with Alessandro’s extraordinary vision, will bring us moments of great emotion and will translate into irresistibly desirable objects,» Venturini said.

Kering chairman François-Henri Pinault added in a statement: «With his creativity, culture and versatile talent, Alessandro Michele will be able to interpret masterfully the unique heritage of this magnificent house and make it flourish.»

Valentino S/S 2024 ad campaign

It is an interesting choice and I am really looking forward to seeing how Michele will interpret the House of Valentino, which stands for sophistication, femininity and great tailoring.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of the Brands
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These are my kind of flowers, as they will be forever blossoming on my dress and heels. From fabric rosettes and plastic sculptures – this 3-d trend will continue to be in full bloom for a while.

The photos were taking in my suite at Hotel Maison des Champs-Elysées in Paris, before going to an amazing party with Delvaux during fashion week. Stay tuned for more!

My look: Riga double-breasted alpaca, wool and silk-blend jacket by Max Mara, appliquéd wool and silk-blend crepe mini dress, VSLING mini top handle handbag in black with sparkling embroidery,and 100 embellished leather sandals, all by Valentino, crystal-embellished snake necklace by Alessandra Rich, and fingerless leather gloves with bow by CHANEL.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht / Nadia Krawiecka
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Breaking news today. Pierpaolo Piccioli is parting ways with Valentino after eight ears as the Roman couture house’s sole creative director, according to a company statement which called the move a «joint decision.»

With Pierpaolo Picciolli and Maria Grazia Chiuri in 2013.

Piccioli started his career at Valentino in 1999 where he oversaw accessories alongside Maria Grazia Chiuri. In 2007, the duo were handpicked by founder Valentino Garavani to lead the brand’s creative direction after his retirement. In 2016, Maria Grazia Chiuri left for Dior leaving Piccioli as the sole creative director. During his tenure, Piccioli’s haute couture collections rose to fame exuding a certain poetry, which is missing often in today’s fashion world. Outstanding proportions and bold colours were styled with a sophisticated, youthful edge, the same concept he applied to his beautiful ready-to-wear collections I have loved so much.

Beautiful memory: a handwritten note from Pierpaolo Picciolli and Maria Grazia Chiuri.

«Not all stories have a beginning or an end, some live a kind of eternal present that shines so bright that it won’t produce any shadows,» said Piccioli. «I’ve been in this company for 25 years, and for 25 years I’ve existed and I’ve lived with the people who have woven the weaves of this beautiful story.»

Spread your wings and fly like me in Valentino S/S 2020.

A new creative configuration will be announced soon, the statement said.

«I am grateful to Pierpaolo for his role as creative director and for his vision, commitment and creativity that have brought the Maison Valentino to what it stands for today,» said Valentino chief executive Jacopo Venturini.

For F/W 2022 Pierpaolo created its own color Pink PP.
For the full look, click here.

«We extend our deepest gratitude to Pierpaolo for writing an important chapter in the history of the Maison Valentino,» added Rachid Mohamed Rachid, Valentino chairman and chief executive of owner Qatari investment fund Mayhoola, which controls Valentino.

Last year, Kering acquired 30 percent of Valentino for €1.7 billion – implying a valuation worth of €5 billion – as part of a broader partnership with Mayhoola. The agreement gave Kering the option to acquire 100 percent of Valentino «no later than 2028».

Pierpaolo walking his last finale for Valentino F/W 2024 earlier in March.

In 2023, former Valentino ready-to-wear director Sabato De Sarno’s departed to lead the designs at Gucci. The fashion wheel is turning and some big names are still out there, such as Alessandro Michele and Sarah Burton. In addition Givenchy and Lanvin are all currently missing a designer and Dries van Noten also announced this week that he is stepping down from his own brand.

Piccioli presented a black on black manifesto for F/W 2024 in Paris this month – probably a sign of his departure …

Thank you, Pierpaolo, for all your magic!

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht and © Valentino
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Theatrical and striking, Louis Vuitton’s XXL zippers put a fun twist on contemporary pieces. I wore this ensemble for tea time at Claridge’s Hotel in London where the Christmas tree was the perfect backdrop for this outfit.

My look: XXL Zip leather insert coat, XXL Zip tight fitting dress, and Petite Malle H27 bag, all by Louis Vuitton, studded Tan-Go platform pumps by Valentino,  gold-tone, enamel and faux pearl clip earrings, both by Saint Laurent, button-embellished metallic jacquard-knit cardigan by Balmain, and pearl necklace by CHANEL.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht / Felicia Sewerinsson @feliciasewerinsson
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Fun times ahead! Back to London next week, I packed my beloved Fendi boots and this super practical cashmere coat that actually feels like a cardigan. The dress is from Valentino’s Black Tie F/W 2023 collection and one of my season favorites.

My look: Leisure belted cable-knit wool and cashmere-blend cardigan by Max Mara, wool and silk-blend halterneck mini dress by Valentino, logo-embellished leather biker boots by Fendi, grooved cabochon clip earrings by Saint Laurent, My LV chain pilot sunglasses by Louis Vuitton, and Kelly Cut clutch in black Swift leather with gold hardware by Hermès.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht / @georgiashane
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For F/W 2023, Pierpaolo Piccioli takes black tie at face value, a figure of speech for a collection that builds around pieces drawn from every day. Conjecture and cultural capital are inverted – a symbol of masculine power, an emblem of orthodoxy and restriction, our preconceptions of the tie become theoretical architecture for a collection that toys with rules, emancipating meaning. Its ideological conceit is challenged, ultimately contradicted and redefined entirely.

My look: Ruffled wool and silk-blend mini dress, wool and silk-blend tie, Rockstud leather-trimmed wool fedora, and VSLING mini top handle handbag in black with sparkling embroidery, all by Valentino, Astrilarge Botta 100 two-tone leather over-the-knee boots by Christian Louboutin.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht / @georgiashane
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Feeling very «tropézienne» in the small seaside town of Saint Tropez on the French Riviera. Its fame started in the 50s and 60s, when Brigitte Bardot set foot on the soil of this fishing town. From then until today, this place never ceases to intrigue with its tiny streets and beautiful colors. A great time to come here is at the end of the season for the Voiles de St. Tropez, which is one of the most prestigious regattas in the Mediterranean. Both ultramodern yachts and rare wooden yachts participate in it. This year, it takes place between September 29, 2023 until October 8, 2023.

My look: Fringed wool and cashmere-blend jacquard scarf, and printed stretch-jersey leggings, both by Valentino, Playboy Lips appliqué canvas book clutch by Olympia Le-Tan, black bandeau top, metal glass pearls leather earrings, and logo metal chain belt, all by CHANEL, and Jodie black suede platform sandals by Saint Laurent.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Michael HJ Lopez Photographie / Sandra Bauknecht
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If you are in Mykonos, a shopping trip to NAMMOS VILLAGE is a must for every fashion lover. Just picture this: your favourite brands in the whole world await in an amazing location under the sun at the famous Psarou beach.

12.000 m2 full of green and water elements with special art pieces create the ideal essence of luxury, 10’ away from Mykonos town, combining the Nammos beach life and gastronomic adventure with a high end shopping catwalk.

Each year on July 17, the iconic NAMMOS VILLAGE Party takes place where the high end fashion houses invite their top customers from all over the world for a night under the stars. I was guest of VALENTINO and flew in for this occasion.

After a wonderful cocktail reception and some shopping, we enjoyed a seated dinner outside before burning of the calories to the sounds of Alessandro Ristori. Enjoy some impressions of the night and for the outfit post, click here please.

NAMMOS VILLAGE

Psarou Beach 84600 Mykonos, Greece
T: +30 22890 22440
M: +30 694 4722064
E-mail:

LoL, Sandra

With Marco Moscato from the Valentino family.

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht
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«We do not remember days, we remember moments.» One of those moments was the beautiful trip with VALENTINO to Mykonos this summer to attend the Nammos Village Party, that I will soon tell you more about. In the meantime, enjoy this head-to-toe Valentino look that has become one of my favorites.

My look: Pleated silk-georgette cape dress, orbit bag in gold, VLogo chain pumps 130mm, V-Logo crystal-embellished hoop earrings, and crystal logo ring, V-Uno V-Logo oversized square acetate sunglasses, and Vlogo chain bracelet, all by Valentino.

LoL, Sandra

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