Sandra‘s Closet

FRAGMENTS OF A DISCOURSE ON OLFACTION
It is a lover of N°5 who speaks and says…

The facts speak for themselves.
1921: Gabrielle Chanel is surrounded by perfume samples. There is one, the fifth… In its wake, an idea starts to take shape.
An idea… but what does it smell like?
Perfumer Ernest Beaux tells her. He says there is rose, jasmine, ylang-ylang, and a few other notes. That is all well and good, except that N°5 performs a sort of magic trick. It evokes nothing that can be picked out.
At once, she thinks: what it truly smells like – only women can teach us.

And so, Gabrielle Chanel gives a few friends some very simple bottles containing this mysterious elixir. She says to them, ‘You’ll tell me’.
‘Tell me how people react’.
And reactions there are. Everyone asks, ‘What is your perfume?’ Everyone is intrigued, captivated, caught. Everyone is in love. What does it smell like? No one can say.
Gabrielle Chanel hears this and smiles. She was right from the start: this N°5 is not just a mystery perfume whose name will soon be revealed. It is as indecipherable and elusive as love and women.

It is said: ‘It is the first abstract perfume’. But it remains to be uttered that this abstraction is something women want, quite concretely, on their skin.
It is said: ‘There are aldehydes’. No one knows what that means, and that is perfect. Jasmine, the heart note, is completely transformed by them.
It is said: ‘It smells like possibility’, ‘It smells like an encounter’, ‘It smells like elegance’. All of it is true.
It is said: ‘It smells clean’. That too is true.
It is said: ‘It smells of fine clothes’, clothes that Gabrielle Chanel would one day perfume before her haute couture shows.
It is said: ‘It smells of beauty’ and, at the same time, ‘it smells of modernity’.

N°5 is the first perfume that smells like whatever each person wants. Those who love rose will find it in there. Those who love jasmine, likewise. Those who love ideas, those evaporations of the mind, will find them there too.
N°5 is universal – it is the essence of the times.

Times, in this respect, that walk down the runway
A star looking for a stylish way out of an indiscreet question? N°5.
Catherine Deneuve likes to be swift in her speech? N°5.
Whenever a woman truly has something to say, in any situation: N°5.
This is what they call ‘charisma’.
Styles of dress come and go, but N°5 outlives them all.
It plays a dizzying role in women’s lives.
The first abstract perfume takes shape like no other.

2026: The perfumer creator says, ‘The originality of N°5 grows with each passing year’.
What if we proved it? What if we packaged N°5 Eau de Toilette in its original bottle – the absolute essence of simplicity?
As one returns to a blank page.
As one returns to the flasks Chanel loved.
And once again, we would see the reactions.

And reactions there are.
‘What does it smell like?’ Again. Again and again.
The spirit of the times replies:
‘It smells of freedom’, the freedom to be whoever one wants to be.
‘It smells universal’. Because an idea has no borders.
‘It smells of the essence of an allure’. Because, now more than ever, beauty is something one creates.
‘It smells of self-confidence’. Because it makes us stand tall.
‘It smells of dance’. Because we’re going out tonight.
‘It smells of connection.’ That bond, a treasure to be cherished, a century after the birth of N°5.
It smells, once again, of perpetual transformation.

Today, who is charismatic and multifaceted enough to be the new face of N°5? Margot Robbie.
A woman who always looks as though she always has something up her sleeve.
A natural woman – effortless and bright.
A woman that seems so close to us, that we dare to ask her:
‘What is your perfume?’ Even if it is self-evident. Even if we already have the answer…

« N°5 Eau de Toilette is a modern, abstract floral composition distinguished by its subtly woody facet. The fragrance asserts itself through its elegance and complexity. »
Olivier Polge CHANEL In-House Perfumer-Creator

A warm and vibrant interpretation of the original fragrance launched by Gabrielle Chanel in 1921, N°5 Eau de Toilette opens with a floral bouquet of rose, jasmine, and ylang-ylang, enhanced by aldehydes, while sandalwood and vetiver lend depth and texture to the scent.

N°5 EAU DE TOILETTE
Creation date: 1924
Perfumer: Ernest Beaux
OLFACTORY SIGNATURE
Aldehydes, rose, jasmine, ylang-ylang.
OLFACTORY IMPRESSION
Abstract floral with woody facets.
BOTTLE
Square, softly contoured bottle with a cylindrical cap.
No label, minimalist. N°5 screen-printed in black.

N°5 EAU DE TOILETTE NEW EDITION Vaporisateur 75 ml CHF 175.-
N°5 EAU DE TOILETTE NEW EDITION Vaporisateur 150 ml CHF 240.-

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © CHANEL @chanel.beauty #N5 #N5IsTheAnswer #CHANELFragrance
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Louis Vuitton Camionnette: A Timeless Object of Imagination

Louis Vuitton reimagines its historic delivery truck as an extraordinary horological sculpture, blending heritage, craftsmanship, and playful imagination. Inspired by early 20th-century vehicles that once transported iconic trunks from the Asnières workshop, this miniature «Camionnette» transforms a symbol of travel into a mechanical work of art.

Created by La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton in collaboration with L’Epée 1839, the piece features a Swiss-made movement with 218 components and an impressive 8-day power reserve. Time is displayed through rotating cylinders hidden beneath the hood, while the balance wheel is visible inside the cabin -merging automotive design with watchmaking ingenuity.

Every detail celebrates the House’s DNA, from Monogram motifs and historic addresses to a miniature trunk containing the key used to wind and set the clock. A highly exclusive jeweled edition, limited to 15 pieces, elevates the creation further with diamonds, sapphires, and intricate hand-guilloché craftsmanship.

More than a timepiece, the Louis Vuitton Camionnette is a poetic tribute to the Art of Travel, where past and present meet in a collectible object that captures both motion and memory.

Louis Vuitton Camionnette: CHF 57500 for the regular edition, price on request for the limited edition.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Louis Vuitton
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I am delighted to present Eclettica, Bvlgari’s latest High Jewelry and High-End Watches collection, unveiled this year in Milano as a bold expression of creativity, imagination and craftsmanship.

Eclettica, derived from the Italian word for «eclectic,» embodies Bvlgari’s philosophy of embracing contrasts, combining diverse inspirations and blending audacity with elegance. It represents a fearless approach to beauty, where artistic intuition guides technical mastery and imagination transcends traditional boundaries.

The collection brings together over 50 multimillion creations, including 14 transformable pieces, the highest number ever presented by the Maison and is crowned by nine exceptional High Jewelry «Capolavori» – masterpieces crafted from the world’s rarest gems with extraordinary skill and passion.

Rooted in Rome’s rich artistic heritage, Eclettica draws inspiration from sculpture, painting and architecture, transforming these disciplines into a creative playground. Designers and artisans explore form, color, light and structure to create pieces that are both technically extraordinary and emotionally expressive. Each work becomes wearable art, a dialogue between imagination and expertise where innovation and elegance coexist naturally.

Since its founding in 1884, Bvlgari has embraced eclecticism as a method rather than a style, turning contrasts into harmony and daring ideas into enduring beauty. Eclettica elevates this vision, offering High Jewelry and High-End Watches as a celebration of artistic freedom, visionary design and the Maison’s enduring pursuit of excellence.

Those pieces are true art. Let’s start dreaming …

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © BVLGARI
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Beauty and the Bag: Gucci introduces a new campaign starring Kate Moss for the Gucci Borsetto and Emily Ratajkowski for the Gucci Giglio

Gucci unveils a new campaign centered on the endless appeal of the House’s handbags, exploring the instinctive connection that forms between object and desire. The campaign reflects a singular idea: when a bag becomes part of one’s world, it occupies the mind completely.

Captured by Mert and Marcus, the campaign images feature Kate Moss with the Borsetto and Emily Ratajkowski with the Giglio, in portraits that center on the connection between each individual and the bag they carry. The Borsetto appears in GG Canvas, brown suede, and black leather, while the Giglio is presented in dark brown, black, and classic GG Canvas. Appearing in Gucci ensembles that echo the identity and feel of each bag, the styling moves from minimal to full GG across garments and accessories. The campaign continues through videos directed by Bardia Zeinali, where the narrative shifts into motion and the presence of the handbags builds, surrounding the protagonists in an endless, almost dreamlike accumulation.

The campaign highlights the essential role of the Gucci bag within the wardrobe. Materials, surfaces, and silhouettes repeat across images and film, returning again and again to the bag at the center of it all.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Gucci
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A few days at the newly reimagined Hotel Königshof in Munich last week and honestly, I didn’t want to leave. It’s one of those places that simply gets everything right. I’ll share more soon.

For now, this look: luminous violet, almost glowing against the warm, golden tones of Greta Oto. Perched above the city, the hotel’s restaurant brings a refined Latin American cuisine to Munich, weaving together Peruvian, Brazilian and Amazonian influences with modern finesse.

My outfit? All Dries Van Noten, except the shoes. I’ve always loved how the brand approaches color and texture. Building the look in layers and picking up the tone of the top again in the clutch, it pulls everything together without feeling too deliberate. The textures add depth, the color does the rest, distinctive, almost like art, but still completely wearable.

My look: Casia oversized silk-satin shirt, and matching silk-blend satin straight-leg pants, twisted patchwork voile and velvet halterneck top, and embellished striped wool-blend clutch, all by Dries Van Noten, Kate 100 leopard-print pony hair pumps by Christian Louboutin, Mitza ring by Dior Fine Jewellery, and royal crab Corsica earrings by Begüm Khan.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht / Diana Buenger @bydianabuenger
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On a quiet, cobbled corner in Zurich’s Old Town, and just around the corner of my favorite lunch place Bindella, Ralph Lauren has opened a new chapter. Tucked away at In Gassen 20, the store features a selection of apparel across Purple Label, Ralph Lauren Collection and Men’s and Women’s Polo Ralph Lauren, alongside a range of accessories including watches and jewelry, handbags, small leather goods, shoes and home offerings. It is second location in Switzerland after Gstaad, but notably the first to include Ralph’s Coffee.

I’ve lived in Switzerland for over twenty years, and quietly, I’ve always wondered why Ralph Lauren never really arrived here in a meaningful way. Because if any market feels instinctively aligned with the brand, it’s this one.

The store itself is exactly what you would expect: composed, polished, and confidently consistent. Ralph Lauren doesn’t reinvent its language, it refines it. Warm wood, tailored interiors, a sense of order and permanence. It’s less about surprise, more about precision. And that’s precisely why it works so well in Switzerland. There’s a shared appreciation for craftsmanship, for things that are made to last, for a certain understated idea of luxury that doesn’t need to announce itself.

At the same time, there are very few brands that have built such a complete lifestyle universe around themselves. Ralph Lauren doesn’t just sell clothes, it constructs a world. And you feel that here. It’s one of those spaces where you actually enjoy looking around, taking in the details, the textures, the way everything is put together. Not forced, not overdesigned, just coherent.

What makes this opening feel more complete, though, is Ralph’s Coffee, finally making its way to Switzerland. Not as a gimmick, but as an extension of the brand’s world. A place to pause, not just to shop. For me, this isn’t just another store opening. It feels slightly overdue and entirely right.

Ralph Lauren
In Gassen 20, 8001 Zurich, Switzerland
Store Hours:
Monday – Friday: 10:00 – 19:00
Saturday: 09:30 – 18:00
Sunday: Closed
Phone: +46 300 69 97 10

LoL Sandra

Photos: © Ralph Lauren
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A Black Rose Moment: Inside Sisley Paris’ Elegant Zurich Launch

Some launches feel less like presentations and more like an atmosphere. The unveiling of the new Black Rose Concentrate by Sisley Paris was exactly that.

At the Mandarin Oriental Savoy in Zurich, everything echoed the essence of the Black Rose: deep, velvety tones, refined florals, and a setting that felt intimate yet impeccably composed.

At its center: the new Black Rose Concentrate – Radiant Youth Serum (Concentré Rose Noire). What defines it is not only its immediate radiance and plumping effect, but its ritual. The formula is activated before use, freshly blending its key ingredients. In that moment, it turns into a soft, luminous pink, an elegant indication of its freshness.

This activation preserves the potency of the formula, which remains at its peak for six months. Rooted in Sisley’s botanical expertise, the serum combines the iconic Black Rose complex with hydrating and smoothing actives, leaving the skin visibly softer, fresher, and more radiant. And like the entire line, it is delicately scented with the signature Black Rose fragrance, subtle, refined, and unmistakably luxurious.

At the heart of the formula is an advanced antioxidant and soothing complex designed to protect and prolong a youthful radiance. A new, exclusive molecular extract of Black Rose, rich in anthocyanins, helps to defend the skin against environmental stressors such as UV exposure, pollution, and daily stress. Combined with knotweed extract and vitamin B12, it works to soothe, strengthen, and maintain the skin’s natural balance.

Experiencing the full Black Rose routine again underscored its coherence:
The Black Rose Precious Face Oil comes first, preparing and nourishing the skin. The Black Rose Eye Contour Fluid follows with a cooling, subtly firming effect – ideal for tired eyes and light enough to layer. Finished with the Black Rose Skin Infusion Cream, the result is skin that feels hydrated, plumped, and quietly luminous- all enveloped in that elegant Black Rose scent.

What stayed with me, however, was the ease of the afternoon itself, thoughtful conversations, a beautifully curated lunch, and that rare sense of shared attention.

A launch that felt less like a debut, and more like a continuation of something already deeply refined.
Available now for CHF 236.00 (30ml).

LoL, Sandra

With my lovely colleagues Zoe and Elena.

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht
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On the occasion of the 130th anniversary of the Louis Vuitton Monogram canvas, the House embraces the creative energy of this iconic motif with new expressions of its Color Blossom Fine Jewelry line.

Celebrating the Monogram flowers, this emblematic collection welcomes a new stone color – the eye-catching, navy-blue hued sodalite, which is rarely seen in jewelry today – while also introducing new pavé designs. A total of 28 new jewels now enhance the Color Blossom collection, inviting wearers to play, stack, combine and self-style the pieces.

First created in 1896 by Georges Vuitton in tribute to his father, the Monogram is rooted in artistic inspirations and movements, Neo-Gothic ornamentations, Japanism among them, embodying a timeless cultural resonance. An enduring icon for the House and universal symbol of creativity, it’s no wonder the motif has for 130 years been endlessly reimagined and reinterpreted, inspiring a host of artists and collaborators, and adorning pieces across the House from leather goods to ready-to-wear.

In 2015, the House welcomed Color Blossom, a graceful and versatile design that was themed around colored stones, each meticulously carved in volume to bring out of their individual beauty. Today the range of stones include ultra soft and feminine pink and white mother-of-pearl, refined and classic onyx, to radiant and lively cornelian, malachite and Amazonite. Combining luminous hues and delicate designs, each jewel, from rings and earrings to long sautoirs and short necklaces and bracelets, exude the effortless elegance and playful sophistication of the Color Blossom collection.

The House now welcomes a brand-new stone to the Color Blossom repertoire: sodalite. With a beautiful navy-blue hue, sodalite is a strong, relatively opaque stone with subtle inclusions, highlighting its link to nature and the elements. Known as the «salt stone», sodalite is rarely seen in jewelry today.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Louis Vuitton
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Happy St. Patrick Day with moments captured on Killiney Hill, where the wind doesn’t ask, it decides. Freezing, wild, and impossible to style against. My hair? Completely taken by the elements, and honestly, that’s the point.

Later, in front of a perfectly green door, I paused for a photo. It opened. Within seconds, I was invited inside. No hesitation, just that quiet, unmistakable Irish warmth. Effortless, real, rare.

The clover charm on my sweater felt like more than an accessory, a small lucky symbol, a subtle homage to a country that wears its spirit so openly. Ireland has a way of staying with you, quietly, honestly, and a little like the wind: you can’t quite capture it, but you never really lose it either.

My look: Vintage green velvet blazer, cashmere sweater with clover charm, Linea G 2 leather-trimmed canvas shoulder bag, and sunglasses with golden frame and burgundy lenses by Gucci, Beautiful jean by Alice + Olivia, «Coaching» Forever Scarf 90, and scarf ring 90 Régate, both by Hermès, and leather platform ankle boots by Versace.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht
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John Galliano x Zara: A Collision of Genius and Contradiction

When Zara announced its two-year creative partnership with John Galliano, the fashion world did what it always does in moments like this: it paused, tilted its head, and tried to understand.

Because Galliano is not just another designer. He is, quite simply, one of the most extraordinary creative minds fashion has ever produced. A couturier in spirit, a storyteller by instinct, someone who does not merely design clothes but constructs entire emotional universes around them. His work has always existed somewhere between theatre and technique, excess and precision.

And now… Zara.

The partnership, set to begin in September 2026, promises a reworking of the brand’s own archives, with Galliano deconstructing past garments and reshaping them into new seasonal collections. On paper, it sounds almost poetic: a dialogue between past and present, between mass production and couture authorship.

But the reality feels more complicated.

A visit to the Maison Margiela Couture atelier in 2024 when Galliano presented its last collection for the Maison for Spring 2024.

There is something deeply paradoxical about placing a designer of Galliano’s caliber within the machinery of fast fashion. His talent has always thrived on time, craft, and obsessive detail, qualities that stand in quiet opposition to the speed and scale that define Zara. It is difficult not to feel that something fragile might be lost in translation.

And yet, there is another side to this.

Discovering an amazing archive.

Fashion has long struggled with accessibility. The great maisons, once temples of aspiration, have increasingly become fortresses, defined by relentless price increases, a noticeable decline in quality, and, perhaps most discouragingly, a certain aloofness that keeps many new customers at the door rather than inviting them in. The joy of fashion, of discovery, of participation, has in many ways been diminished.

In that sense, this collaboration raises an interesting question: what does it mean to bring a couturier’s vision to a wider audience?

There is something undeniably compelling about the idea. About Galliano’s imagination reaching people who would otherwise never experience it. About dissolving, even slightly, the rigid boundaries between luxury and accessibility.

But accessibility at what cost?

Fast fashion, by its very nature, carries an uncomfortable weight, of overproduction, of disposability, of a system that prioritizes immediacy over longevity. To place a designer who has always embodied the opposite within that framework feels, at least emotionally, like a mismatch.

Perhaps what many of us hoped for was something in between.

Not the rarefied distance of heritage houses, nor the relentless pace of fast fashion, but a space where creativity, craftsmanship, and accessibility could coexist without compromise. A house that could have given Galliano the room he deserves, while still speaking to a broader, modern audience.

Because his talent deserves that. It always has.

And still, despite the ambivalence, there is curiosity.

What happens when a couturier engages with constraints? When someone like Galliano is asked not to escape the system, but to reinterpret it from within? There is a possibility, however small, that something genuinely new could emerge from that tension.

For now, the announcement leaves us suspended between admiration and unease. We celebrate the return of a genius to the spotlight, while quietly mourning the context in which it happens.

Perhaps that is where fashion finds itself today: caught between two extremes, still searching for its middle ground.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht, John Galliano: Photographer / Art Director: Szilveszter Makó @szilvesztermako
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