Today is Independence Day (colloquial: the Fourth of July), a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the Declaration of Independence of the United States on July 4, 1776. So here is my round-up of patriotic but fashionable pieces to wear to all those Fourth of July parties or of course all year around. Luckily, designers have found plenty of ways to transmute the classic stars and stripes motif into something fun, and dare I say elegant.

1 Embroidered apliquéd leather bomber jacket by AMIRI (50% off)
2 Chuck Taylor All Star 70 logo-print canvas high-top sneakers by Converse + JW Anderson
3 Storm rubber and ribbed-knit thigh sock boots by Givenchy (40% off)
4 American flag-intarsia wool-blend sweater by Saint Laurent (40% off)
5 American flag-appliqué cotton baseball cap by Vetements (50% off)

6 American Flag T-shirt by Polo Ralph Lauren
7 Flag print dress by Polo Ralph Lauren
8 Eagle print iPhone X cover by Palm Angels
9 U.S.A. print T-shirt by Balmain (50% off)
10 Flag print hoodie by Calvin Klein Jeans

Happy Fourth of July!

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of the Brands,
Runway Photo in Collage: Viktor & Rolf F/W 2000

If you’re wondering how to win your football-crazy guy’s heart, here are a bunch of ideas to turn the World Cup 2018 in a romantic love story. Watching him looking all stylish in front of the TV might help the relationship as well! I’ve found cool cufflinks, retro shirts and a vintage football that even you will want to display. And promised there is absolutely no dull coffee table books about lionised managers from bygone eras. Apologies if that’s your thing…

Football cufflinks by Paul Smith

Archive-print football V-neck T-shirt by Versace

Predator 18+ football trainers by Adidas by Pogba

Football-print cotton T-shirt by Vetements (50% 0ff)

Footballs socks by Saks Fifth Avenue Collection

Vintage World Cup ’98 football by Louis Vuitton

LoL, Sandra

Stills: Courtesy of the Brands

Trending now is the hoodie, but not just a hoodie… I am talking oversized, logo embellished, expensive and sold-out hoodies! The streets of New York, London, Milan and Paris have been filled with showgoers cocooned in those must-haves, and celebrities like Rihanna and Kim Kardashian are stepping out in hoodies that don’t call for any pants.

Suddenly, the hoodie becomes a luxurious wardrobe piece that you can dress up with a pencil or ruffled skirt and heels. But how much should you pay for a hoodie?

My favorite this F/W 2017: Cotton hoodie by Balenciaga –
it comes with a hefty price tag of approximately CHF 600.00.

If you are maxing out your credit card for one of these beauties below, don’t feel guilty! It is worth this season… and if you don’t want to, no worries. You can always buy a CHF 10.00 hoodie and maybe look just as cool.

Printed cotton hoodie by Gucci

Printed cotton-blend hoodie by Vetements

Mansel printed cotton hoodie by Isabel Marant Étoile

Leaf Crop cotton hoodie by Off-White

Embroidered cotton-blend hoodie by Dolce & Gabbana

Distressed chiffon-paneled cotton-jersey hoodie by Givenchy

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of the Brands, via Getty Images

Demna Gvasalia knows how to turn imitations in the opposite direction – think of his DHL T-Shirt for Vetements or the Bazar shopper for Balenciaga. His newest take on transforming a completely unsophisticated non-luxurious item into a must-have piece for fashion victims around the globe is his latest accessory for Balenciaga Men and targets originally the male customer. Playing with consumerism, he sent down the runway the so-called ‘Arena Extra-Large Shopper Tote Bag‘ which looks like a copy of the iconic IKEA‘s ‘Frakta Tote‘ in shape, size, and color.

To the left the Balenciaga for $2145.00, to the right IKEA for $0.99.

The only difference? The absence of the IKEA logo on the handles which makes sense, of course, the material (the IKEA version is made from 100% recyclable polypropylene whereas the Balenciaga tote is made of leather), and not surprisingly the price.

I would really like to get into Demna’s head, creative genius or making fun of the fashion world? I somehow tend to believe the latter. What do you think?

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Balenciaga and IKEA

“We feel it’s inevitable and crucial to create contemporary clothing,” says Demna Gvasalia, the Creative Director of Paris design collective VETEMENTS.

The Maison Margiela alumni elevates deceptively simple pieces with meticulous construction, considered fabrics and playful proportions. Georgian Demna Gvasalia graduated from the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp in 2006. After designing womenswear for Maison Martin Margiela, he worked as head designer for Louis Vuitton womenswear. In 2014, he launched the label VETEMENTS, a design collective comprising Demna, his brother Guram and five other friends, that is based on the idea of urban cultures, the internet, everyday life on the streets and a modern wardrobe without seasonal themes.

Vetements is THE trend-setting label at the moment. Demna Gvasalia, the brainchild behind the hot fashion brand and creative director at even hotter fashion house Balenciaga, is serving up clothes that come with a healthy side dish of humor. Just think of the famous DHL T-shirt or the Polizei cap.

Just now, bigger plans have been revealed for the company. Demna and his younger brother and CEO Guram Gvasalia decided to move their headquarters and design offices to Zurich in Switzerland. How cool is that? In the former headquarters of Bernie’s Fashion that went bankrupt, Vetements has opened its doors.

Don’t miss the cult collaboration with Manolo Blahnik by clicking here that is available now!

Vetements + Manolo Blahnik printed satin pumps

Personally speaking, I love watching the hype about Vetements –  still in my closet there is no piece yet. Just saying… but I absolutely adore what he does for BALENCIAGA.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Vetements and Getty Images, via Manrepeller/Hypebeast

“We feel it’s inevitable and crucial to create contemporary clothing.” – Demna Gvasalia.

The Creative Director of Paris design collective Vetements and Maison Margiela alumni elevates deceptively simple pieces with meticulous construction, considered fabrics and playful proportions. Leading the fashion tribe, he set a new tone for denim with its no-hem-hemline: think cut-off, let-down, frayed and raw. With its coolness, it’s completely street style approved and worth the investment.

Reworked high-rise slim-leg jeans by Vetements

And now, aside from Vetements, it’s gone mass: J Brand, Mother, Frame and many others (see below), are going for the uneven, distressed hem.

If you don’t feel like maxing out your budget on a pair of denim jeans, I suggest taking your scissors to create your own frayed style. For all others have fun shopping!

LoL, Sandra

Distressed mid-rise straight-leg jeans by Steve J & Yoni P

Insider cropped high-rise slim-leg jeans by Mother

Distressed mid-rise slim-leg jeans by Facetasm

Carolina high-rise skinny jeans by J Brand

Le Crop Mini frayed mid-rise bootcut jeans by Frame

Photos: Courtesy of the Brands and via Tommy Ton

Love it or leave it: Balenciaga’s first new bag, the Bazar Shopper, from designer Demna Gvasalia, who is also one of the co-founders of upcoming cult fashion brand Vetements. When he was appointed to the French brand months ago, fashionista were looking forward to seeing what his first bag would look like and it was quite a surprise.

His ‘Bazar’ collection is inspired by sampeng bags – striped shoppers traditionally used in the markets of Thailand.

Bazar striped textured-leather tote by Balenciaga

Bazar medium grained-leather tote by Balenciaga

But Balenciaga is not the first one to come up with a plastic shopping bag being transformed into something high end in leather. Do you remember the Louis Vuitton S/S 2007 collection?

I leave it to you if you like it or not… I got the Vuitton one nine years ago as a piece for my little “museum“…. and now I am thinking about the Bazar shopper. I like it!

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of © Balenciaga, © Louis Vuitton and © Instagram/Icerati

Here they are: the most important trends for the S/S 2016 season. Scroll through my forecast to see which styles will be on everyone’s shopping list next season. Let’s be honest, there is nothing really new, but that is the beauty of our century. Everything is possible!

LoL, Sandra

S/S 2016 TREND 1: SWEET GIRLS
Miu Miu – Gucci – Dries Van Noten

S/S 2016 TREND 2: SLEEPWEAR
Balenciaga – Loewe – Alexander Wang

S/S 2016 TREND 3: ARM CANDY
Dior – Fendi – Céline

S/S 2016 TREND 4: OFF THE SHOULDER
Sonia Rykiel – Proenza Schouler – Edun

S/S 2016 TREND 5: ROMANTICISM
Alexander McQueen – Saint Laurent – Etro

S/S 2016 TREND 6: TRIBAL
Balmain – Prada – Valentino

S/S 2016 TREND 7: JUNGLE
Roberto Cavalli – Versace – Bottega Veneta

S/S 2016 TREND 8: TIE-DYE
Narciso Rodriguez – Altuzarra – Paco Rabanne

S/S 2016 TREND 9: FINE LINES
Salvatore Ferragamo – Stella McCartney – Tommy Hilfiger

S/S 2016 TREND 10: STARS & STRIPES
Lacoste – Marc Jacobs – Max Mara

S/S 2016 TREND 11: BOYISH OVERALLS
Louis Vuitton – Isabel Marant – Ralph Lauren Collection

S/S 2016 TREND 12: NEW DENIM
Derek Lam – Chloé – Chanel

S/S 2016 TREND 13: DISCO SPARKLE
Lanvin – Vetements – Nina Ricci

S/S 2016 TREND 14: SILVER
Victoria Beckham – Tom Ford – Courrèges

S/S 2016 TREND 15: TRANSPARENT EMOTIONS
Dolce & Gabbana – Emilio Pucci – Burberry Prorsum

Photos: Via Vogue.com