Sandra‘s Closet

Mark my words! Emma Watson is becoming more and more a budding fashion icon, probably thanks to all her gorgeous Burberry outfits (see above).

Being BFF with Burberry’s Christopher Bailey, the former campaign face was the first person to step out in a trench coat with gorgeous leather sleeves from the new Burberry Bespoke collection last week at Heathrow airport.

The custom-made piece was a gift for her premiere and before the young actress left for N.Y., she tweeted: „That’s London done, now off to New York! Wearing my favourite trench that Christopher Bailey @Burberry designed for me. Love it! x“

Burberry Bespoke will be a new fully integrated, innovative digital platform, enabling the personalisation of the iconic Burberry trench coat in many different ways and will be available for those of us not on the fashion house’s immediate gift list sometime early in 2011. So now the question on my fashionista’s mind is how would my bespoke coat look like? As for me, I see a huge fur collar and cuffs. And you?

I truly love Emma’s look last week. She accessorized her one-of-a-kind trench with a beaded red poppy pin (in honour of Britain’s Remembrance Day – those pins are all over London in November), Ray-Bans, a pair of ballet flats and her beloved killer Burberry studded bag from the “Winter Storms” collection that she was seen with many times before.

The new capsule collection has the right pieces to fight blowing snow and whipping winds in style. I love the metal studs that are applied in unlikely places, such as on the underside of a jacket collar for example. They lend a certain rock glam to otherwise conservative pieces.
See for yourselves the stud-erific must-haves for men and women!

LoL, Sandra

(Photos: Courtesy of Burberry)

The best pieces of the Winter Storms colllection for women.

The best pieces of the Winter Storms collection for men.

The Burberry Beauty Lip Charm is a limited edition, inspired by the Burberry fashion accessory collection. Three silver cubes embossed with the British fashion house’s iconic check, one of which contains a perfect nude-beige lip gloss for to pups on the go.
This lovely piece makes a super gift, available now for $85.-/ CHF 120.-.; in Zurich at the new Jelmoli Burberry Beauty counter.

LoL, Sandra

My gorgeous press kit

Today, I was lucky to attend the Lanvin for H&M press preview. The line created by Alber Elbaz is breathtaking. Beautiful materials, well-tailored cuts, it seemed to me almost like a best of Lanvin collection, a playful take on his favourite pieces.

Please find herewith some impressions from the lookbook and more pictures of the ad campaign plus my personal photos that I took today in the showroom. They show the beauty of the clothes and accessories perfectly. I have also included the complete price list with all upcoming items, in Swiss Francs.

“What does luxury mean today? Can luxury be exclusive and democratic at the same time? How can we translate the essence 
of luxury to a wider audience? The world around us is changing rapidly and I find myself asking these questions more and more. 
Designer’s work is usually tailored to a very small group of people, but the collection for H&M was about trying to translate the dream 
of luxury to the masses. It was almost like going back to school for me.” Alber Elbaz, artistic director of Lanvin. Well done, Mr Elbaz!

Ladies, I will see you on November 23, 2010 because I want Lanvin…not flowers!

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of H&M
Lookbook, Photographer: Stéphane Gallois, Models: Irina Lazareanu and Vincent Olivieri
Campaign, Photographer: David Sims, Models: Natasha Poly, Hannelore Knuts, Tati Cotliar, Simon Nessman, Jane Schmitt and Garance Dumont

In the showroom.

I am totally in love with this dress and necklace.

The clothes come with the beautiful hangers.

Feminine dresses.

The fake fur looks a little like Chanel's fantasy fur, amazing!

Vibrant flower prints worn with pearls.

The illustrations by Alber Elbaz are fantastic.

I adore the T-shirts.

Leopard print and lipsticks.

Cute little clutches.

Love those men shoes!

Christmas trunk in Monogram canvas

Last week, I went to the Louis Vuitton Christmas collection press preview that took place in the beautiful Schloss Sihlberg in Zurich.
The gorgeous presentation with vintage toys from the Zurich toy museum (Züricher Spielzeugmuseum) put me directly into the gift giving mood. It is true, Holiday 2010 is almost upon us, so let’s better get organised.

All I want for Christmas…

LoL, Sandra

The Neverfull bag (left) comes in the Mon Monogram design where you can choose the colour of the lining and how your personal initials should look like.

The Artsy python bag is the new It-piece (approximately €5650.-).

The Stellar bags in Mahina leather start at approximately €2190.-.

I love the Tambour Blush watch (right).

Totally cute are the little pouchettes (from €205.-) with the first LV advertising printed on them. Adorable!

Photos: ©Louis Vuitton/Koto Bolofo

Feathers are a trend that seems to be always there. For F/W 2010 designers showed that fine feathers make fine birds. From beautiful marabou plumes to ostrich feathers, the creations were versatile. Being dressed in full feathers stands for a certain glamourous allure.
So Ladies, start looking for your feathers of prey:

A marabou jacket or cape is a piece for eternity. It adds the right amount of sophistication to every evening outfit or ball gown. I especially adore the ones from Balmain this season and would opt for a colourful piece.

The Gucci dress from the F/W 2010 runway collection is a smart choice as it comes with a removable feather-trimmed bolero.

In case you do not like to ruffle your feathers, I recommend a feather print or just a little detail like the ostrich-trimmed satin bag by Lanvin.

For F/W 2010, the possibilities are numerous. If you turn up your glam factor, you will surely not be shedding feathers.

And good news is, the feather trend is going to stay for S/S 2011. So those pieces are definitely great investments.

Ladies, it is time to adorn yourselves with borrowed plumes!

LoL, Sandra

I would like to dedicate this week to outstanding talented designers around the world who have impressed me with their work.
As the annual Munich Beer Festival, the famous Oktoberfest, is taking place at the moment, I would like to start with Lola Paltinger who creates the most beautiful dirndl couture– the embodiment of urbane German traditional costume, so-called “Tracht”.

Lola graduated like me from ESMOD. After her studies she trained with Vivienne Westwood before launching her own atelier.

Her style is eccentric and very feminine, inspired by the Hollywood glamour of the 1930s/40s. Her playful romanticism with that touch of drama is what makes her creations so special. As for me her dirndls are by far the most gorgeous ones on the market, elevating the traditional costume to a trendy must-have.

Her label Lollipop & Alpenrock stands for her famous couture dirndls, classy two-pieces and separates. The beautiful range of Bavarian accessories complete the collection.
For enquiries concerning the bespoke pieces, please contact the Munich atelier directly.

Under the name Happy Heidi, Lola Paltinger presents her prêt-à-porter range of very fashionable models in limited editions. Aprons, charivaris and matching blouses are also available from selective retailers both within Germany and abroad.

For my German, Swiss and Austrian readers: Himmelblau by Lola Paltinger is her casual line with Tracht elements that is sold exclusively to HSE24, the home shopping televison network.

She even has some famous fans who were spotted wearing her Bavarian pop couture, among them Selma Hayek and Paris Hilton.

One thing is for sure: Women of all ages, figures and types look great in a dirndl!
And with that famous “dash of Lola”, that coquettish wink, you will be snowed under with gingerbread hearts saying I love you!

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Lola Paltinger

Vending machines selling luxury goods seem to be on the rise. Katie Grand, editor-in-chief of LOVE magazine has teamed up with Selfridges to create such a machine for the beginning of London Fashion Week until October 15th. The new retail concept can be found in the lobby of London’s It-hotel St Martin’s Lane where many editors, models and buyers are staying at the moment.

You can get a lot of fantastic items, some highly exclusive, let me name a few:

-Falabella bag by Stella McCartney

-leather and sequined dress by Alexander Wang

-draped dress by Vivienne Westwood Anglomania

-a unique pair of trainers by Rick Owens customized by Chrome Hearts with solid silver hardware

-Amazona handbag by Loewe

-limited Dior nail polishes

-Mimosa candles by Diptyque exclusive to Selfridges in yellow

–Falke’s new „secret socks“ for men

-a vintage Rolex watch

-embossed leather wallets by Comme des Garçons

-clutch purses by Mulberry

A word to the wise, do not get drunk in the hotel bar, you might lose control and this could end on the way to your room passing the LOVE machine in a financial disaster.

LoL, Sandra

The traditional French house Hermès is starting to be more and more advanced by surfing on the internet trend. Similiar to the Sartorialist, they created their own street style inspired photos of It-girls all over the world for a standalone website named J’aime mon carré (I love my scarf). There you can find ideas and instructions on how to wear and knot your Hermès scarf.

Cashing on the recent 70’s trend, Hermès shows how hip the classic accessory can be.
It is definitely another sign of how luxury, fashion and street have merged in the last years.

If you like to be part of it, you can still get your pictures taken. Today in the Swiss Hermès boutiques in Basel, Bern and Zurich where last night the brand new and gorgeous store celebrated its opening. Other cities to follow will be: September 25th, Surabaya, Indonesia, September 27th Paris and November 3rd, Hong Kong.

LoL, Sandra

Some impressions of last night’s party:

The new Hermès store in Zurich on Bahnhofstr. 28A

Stilt walkers with Venetian masks were welcoming the guests.

Sophie C. Anache-Strobel, store manager, in HERMÈS with me wearing a LOUIS VUITTON dress and scarf, an ALEXANDER WANG leather jacket and a PROENZA SCHOULER PS1 clutch.

But I had a little HERMÈS accessory as well: A silk twilly wrapped around my wrist.

The party continued in the beautifully decorated Zunfthaus zur Meisen.

After my Fashion’s Night Out in London, I had another little treat on Thursday. Stella McCartney closed her boutique on Bruton Street in the afternoon to host a small special event for her girlfriends. I was so lucky to be there as well.
The presentation of her fabulous Resort 2011 collection was an eye candy. Gorgeous flower prints reminding me of the works by the Belgian painter and botanist Pierre-Joseph Redouté (1759-1840) who was called the “Raphael of flowers” evoked a longing for spring. Stella made the prints look as fresh as when first painted.

Slightly clashing pinks, clean whites and vibrant blues gave this collection a fresh and vigorous feeling.  The world’s most famous vegetarian designer who has built an empire on fur-and leather-free products knows her business. Without sacrificing sexiness for sustainability, she mixed elements of the sixties and nineties. The lace fabric with a three-d effect was to die for. I marked my choice with the little hearts.

If you are interested, please do not hesitate to contact the London store at .

In case you are not ready for spring yet, have a look at this stunning winter look that is available now. I am in love with the graphic well-tailored cuts.
By the way, Stella told me that there are no umbrellas this season, it is all about hats for her. Awesome, I am so on for this!

Before leaving my best shopping experience ever, Stella signed my Fashion’s Night Out T-shirt.
I will frame it now.

LoL, Sandra

Some of the most important Prada icons become “mini” accessories: the shopping bag in nappa gauffrè, the backpack in nylon and the saffiano boxy shaped bag have been reinterpreted in a new 15 cm size.

Even F/W 2010’s “Yo-Yo bag” goes  “mini” and becomes  part of  Prada’s heritage. The “Mini-Bags” turn into keyrings as well, which are made with the same fabrics used to make the bags.

Prada will also launch the “Pin Up Tricks” and the “Graffiti Tricks” collections that will include some fun earrings inspired by the work of street artists.The mini gift ideas by Prada will be available from November 2010 in the Prada Stores.

Prada Lisbon

It is always worth paying a visit to a Prada store, especially when it is a brand new one because it is sure to be filled with the best pieces of the season. Last weekend, I went to Lisbon where the legendary Italian label just has opened its doors on Avenida da Liberdade.

After conquering the market in over 70 countries, Prada has finally arrived in Portugal. Designed by the architect Roberto Baciocchi, the shop has some beautiful museum-like displays, resulting in a sumptuous “boudoir” ambience where each collection has separate compartments and is organised in different environments.

And for those travelling to Lisbon, I highly recommend a visit to the new Mude –Design & Fashion Museum. Take your time as you can spend hours in there.

LoL, Sandra