Sandra‘s Closet

Jaume Plensa was born in Spain in 1955, and shares his residence between Paris and Barcelona. Between his first exhibition in his hometown in 1980 and today, he has been living and working in Germany, Belgium, England, France and the US. Also, teaching at the École Nationale des Beaux-Arts in Paris, where we celebrated recently his artwork for Ruinart. Today, he shares with us his favorite spots in Spain, his home country.

Your favourite city?
BARCELONA. It is my city where I found home, a place where I could develop my work. It has the perfect size, it is not too big and not to small. It is right in front of the sea which is important for me.

Your favourite hotel?
VILLA REAL in MADRID. I feel at home. I could never separate a place from the people and I love the ones that are working there. They have taken me as a friend. I always stay there when I am in Madrid. It is a very charming place right in front of the congress.
Plaza de las Cortes, 10, 28014 Madrid, Phone: +34 914 20 37 67

Your favourite restaurant?
There is a beautiful restaurant in BARCELONA near my studio that has become like my office where I meet my friends, LA PART DELS ANGELS. The name stands for this little quantity in the wine that evaporates in the barrel, it is the angel’s share. For me, it is such a beautfiul name as I am always working with invisible emotions.
Passeig Bertrand, 27, 08980 Sant Feliu de Llobregat, Barcelona, Phone: +34 936 66 66 44

Your favourite sightseeing spot?
I love the little city of SITGES, little town nearby Barcelona, right in front of the sea. It is the perfect place to spend the afternoon, very picturesque.

Your favourite museum?
The MUSEO DEL PRADO in MADRID because they have something fantastic collection, they have art works from Velázquez, Goya and Hieronymus Bosch, which belong for me to the most important artists of all times.
Paseo del Prado, s/n, 28014 Madrid

Your favourite piece of art?
LAS MENINAS, a 1656 painting in the Museo del Prado in MADRID, by Diego Velázquez, the leading artist of the Spanish Golden Age. It is the first time in history that somebody had the capacity to paint space, just the emptiness. It is a remarkable piece of art.

Your favourite shop?
L’ILLA DIAGONAL – it is a small commercial center where you can find a little bit of everything.
Avinguda Diagonal, 557, 08029 Barcelona, Phone:+34 934 44 00 00

Your must-have accessory?
When you come to Spain, the best you can bring is an OPEN MIND and to be completely free of prejudices. We are very welcoming, we love to share. It is a great place for conversation.

The best soundtrack for this destination?
FLAMENCO, it is important for my country, a very emotional way to express especially in the South of Spain.

The best book to read while being on vacation there?
DON QUIJOTE by Miguel Cervantes Saavedra. Last year was the Cervantes year as we celebrated 400 years since he died in 1616. It is a key book for Spain, a concept of our history, Cervantes is equivalent to Shakespeare.

Thank you, Jaume Plensa, for sharing your insider scoop on Spain with us!

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of the Locations, © Sandra Bauknecht

Industry speculations aren’t always so wrong as we can see now. Yesterday, Givenchy announced Clare Waight Keller, former creative director at Chloé, as the house’s new artistic director. Rumors have been out for months that she will be the first woman leading the French Maison. Waight Keller will oversee women’s and men’s ready-to-wear and accessories, as well as haute couture with the appointment becoming effective May 2, 2017. Her first collection for S/S 2018 will be shown in Paris in October.

Clare Waight Keller with me

The British-born replaces Riccardo Tisci, who left the LVMH-owned brand in January, reportedly for Versace, though that appointment has not been made official. With 12 years at the house, Tisci, who is Italian, enjoyed the longest tenure after founder Hubert de Givenchy himself.

“HUBERT DE GIVENCHY’S CONFIDENT STYLE HAS ALWAYS BEEN AN INSPIRATION AND I AM VERY GRATEFUL FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE A PART OF THIS LEGENDARY HOUSE’S HISTORY.

I LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING WITH THE TEAMS AND WRITING A NEW CHAPTER IN THIS BEAUTIFUL STORY. “ CLARE WAIGHT KELLER

Natacha Ramsay-Levi

But who is following Wright Keller at Chloé? For the world of fashion a popular name, for others probably not: Natacha Ramsay-Levi who has been working along with Nicolas Ghesquière at Balenciaga whom she followed 2013 to Louis Vuitton. The French-born was in a relationship with fashion «enfant terrible» and «Purple»-founder Olivier Zahm, with whom she has a son.

New year, new designer moves… let’s keep the fashion world busy!

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Givenchy, Chloé

Think pink, the S/S 2017 catwalks defiantly dictated fuchsia hues. The look? Nothing for sweet sugar princesses, pink has grown up and looks super cool on cape/dress hybrids, tight at the neck to elegant effect, as seen at Valentino or at Balenciaga where it was paired with purple spandex shoe-pants. I like those dresses together with Miu Miu‘s runway heels. Do you dare?
To shop click on the links below.

From left to right:
Split-side silk-georgette midi dress by Balenciaga
Cape-effect silk-cady midi dress by Valentino
Metallic leather-trimmed satin platform sandals by Miu Miu

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of the Brands

Last September, TOM FORD got into the see-now-buy-now game for his F/W 2016 collection. This season, he skipped the show and had the fashion world speculating about when he would launch his S/S 2017 line. Earlier this month, the pieces quietly debuted online where they could be bought immediately.

I am totally in love with TOM FORD’s fuchsia velvet blazer and the black Natalia leather shoulder bag. How gorgeous would those two pieces look in combination with the new Shade & Illuminate Lips in Saboteur. (All pieces in collage above).

Let me tell you a little more about the new S/S 2017 Seasonal Color Make-up Collection. TOM FORD’s distinctive beauty point of view resonates from his ideal of balancing light and shadow to create symmetry. This summer, a range of new products is revealed that illuminate, sculpt, and contour to help transform the look of the face.

SHADE & ILLUMINATE LIPS
This palette applies the concept of contouring to your lips – a trick that makes them appear fuller and more defined. This new lip duo contains a bright and a darker shade, available in six variations.
Impulse – Possession – Automatic – Tantalize – Nikita – Saboteur
CHF 74.00

SHADE & ILLUMINATE CHEEKS
This is a new combination of blush and highlighter with a creamy texture that is available in two color combinations.
Scintillate – warm beige and orange
Sublimate – cool pink and berry
CHF 90.00

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Tom Ford

Last summer, Maria Grazia Chiuri was officially named Creative Director at Dior, making history as the first-ever female head designer in the prestigious fashion house’s 70-year history. To celebrate that milestone, the designer debuted her first collection for the brand with some to die for statement-making tees.

The ultimate must-have for all fashionistas among the midst of tulle, lace and an array of romantic gowns, is a white graphic t-shirt emblazoned with the words, “We Should All Be Feminists” that walked the runway tucked into a floor-length sheer tulle skirt.

TO SHOP THE DIOR MUST-HAVE TEES, CLICK HERE PLEASE.
Hurry up as they will sell out in the next hours for sure!

Rihanna wearing Dior’s feminist tee

Great news is that Dior announced that a portion of sales from its “We Should All Be Feminists” tees will benefit The Clara Lionel Foundation that was founded by the fashion house’s ambassadress Rihanna back in 2012 for whom «in the fight against injustice, inequality, and poverty, access to​ education and health​ is our most powerful weapon».

And if you happen to be at Dior, grab a pair of those ladylike kitten heels that are featuring an arched-heel slingback with J’Adior-printed ribbon trim. So cute!

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Dior and via Harper’s Bazaar UK

Two weeks ago, I flew to Paris to attend the exclusive launch event of Ruinart’s new artist for 2017: Jaume Plensa, the renowned Spanish artist who is known for his monumental sculptures in steel, glass, marble, polyester resin, concrete and bronze.

He is recognized for his silhouettes of human bodies seated or kneeling who seem to scrutinize the horizon in a meditative manner, like the contemporary thinkers. His sculptures, which play with the relationship between words, signs and the human body, have today become his signature. They are recognisable amongst all the works of art throughout the world and have turned Jaume Plensa into one of the most important players of the contemporary artistic scene.

Plensa’s amazing art work for Ruinart

Each year, Ruinart invites an artist to create a special artwork for the oldest Champagne house of the world. With Plensa, Ruinart has chosen an artist who has been able to express language, but more importantly the alphabets, the cultures of the world, their spiritualities, their transmissions and the visionary and erudite spirit of dom Thierry Ruinart, a key personality in the history of Ruinart at the confluence of philosophy and the art, merging the heritage with the future.

The event took place at the École Nationale des Beaux-Arts in Paris where Plensa also gives lectures. First we had the possibility to explore historic documents while enjoying my favourite champagne, Ruinart‘s Blanc de Blancs. Later, we were asked to move into the next room where the stunning installation by Jaume Plensa was revealed in his presence that will later tour the world.

The sculpture takes up the shape of characters that he has already created, but there is never any repetition in his work. Every piece is unique. Every letter, assembled by hand, creates a second skin for the form, which is always reborn in a different manner. In the base of the sculpture he has engraved two dates: 1729 and 2016. They are like a secret code, an encrypted message, linking the history between the foundation of Maison Ruinart and the creation of the work of art.

With artist Jaume Plensa at the event in Paris

The next morning, I had the chance to interview Jaume Plensa who is a very witty, charming and interesting gentleman. I loved his answers, the most significant quotes are in bold. Enjoy!

What are the basics of creating for you? With what do you start?

That is a very interesting question as this is something I am asking myself every day in the studio. I guess the main subject in my work is that I try to create something that people could touch and be touched by. I work a lot in public spaces. Mainly my work is based to identify yourself in the myth of others. We have to break borders and the walls we have been permanently creating throughout history. When I am working with alphabets or portraits of people from different cultures, it is interesting to recognize that we are all so similar. It is just the little things that differ.

You use a lot of letters in your work. Do you have a favorite letter or alphabet?

You cannot compare one alphabet with another. When you see Hebrew for example which is very rigid and you compare it with Chinese, that seems to be fireworks. Hindi is so beautiful always with a line on top which makes it so rich to look at.

How long was the process to create for Ruinart and did you have immediately something in mind when you were approached?

In general the way I work is that an idea is born with the shape, the material and the specific scale. Obviously depending if it is for a show, a gallery or for a public space, my attitude can be changing.

It took me around 6 months to create the piece that had been revealed last night. I never understood art as a direction. My obsession was to grow up as a person, art was just the consequence of my life. I have never been interested in being in artist, but I enjoy it very much to express my emotions with visual art. The main material is life.

When I listen to you, I don’t get the impression that you will ever loose inspiration. Do you ever feel pressure to not being inspired?

Not at all. Creation is a way to breathe. I love when I am flying and the flight attendant is saying «If the pressure is low, please pull the oxygen mask, press it firmly on your mouth and breathe normally.» There are many moments when life asks us to breathe normally, I think it is something we must honor, it takes a little while but the most beautiful experience is when you understand that you are breathing normally.

Do you ever get frustrated when you are creating because something is not working out the way you have planned it?

Of course. My assistants are happy when I am not there. I have a lot of temperament. Creation is a dialogue with you and yourself. You could be your best friend, but also your worst enemy. That is one of the most beautiful experiences in creation when you must understand yourself, when you must accept yourself and this gives always a lot of frictions.

The best about Jaume Plensa?

I have the privilege to be an artist, so I have the capacity and ability to observe the world. That is an amazing situation.

Only 20 bottles of the special edition signed by Jaume Plensa will be available worldwide for €3500 worldwide.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Ruinart, © Sandra Bauknecht

Those first warm and sunny days that announce spring is around the corner are my favorites. After this beautiful weekend, I feel so energized and ready to rock this week! I hope that you do, too!

My look: Leopard print coat by Dolce & Gabbana, stretch silk-georgette bodysuit, black leather shorts and leather wristlet bag, all by Chloé, suede over-the-knee boots
by Prada, Love gold-tone necklace by Lanvin and sunglasses by Tom Ford. Clip on cuff earrings by Dior, Tortue Privee Collection watch in 18 karat yellow gold by Cartier and Mitza ring by Dior Haute Joaillerie.

Happy Monday!

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht

Stimulate your senses with a collection where high-performance color meets the art of fitness.

LIPSTICK – CHF 28.00
Bi-ceptual nude beige (lustre)
Relentlessly Red bright pinkish coral matte (retro matte)
Muscu-linity soft brown (lustre)
Testosterone mid-tone rose (lustre)

 CRYSTAL GLAZE GLOSS – CHF 36.00
Oh My Lunge! sheer cool baby pink
Nice Cheeks soft peach
Sixxx Pack bubble gum pink
Love Your Body coral pink
Ripped red cherry
Flex Appeal deep violet

M·A·C STUDIO QUIKTRIK STICK  – CHF 46.00
Soft Side / A Latte Sheen coral/gold
Whiff Of Pink / Softly Does It pink/silver
Here You Go / All Aflush berry / rose with copper sparkleCHROMAGRAPHIC PENCILS – CHF 24.00
Primary Yellow bright, clean yellow
Genuine Orange bright orange
Process Magenta matte magenta
Rich Purple dense purple
Marine Ultra bright naval blue
Landscape Green lush, bright green

IN EXTREME DIMENSION LASH – CHF 31.00
In Extreme Dimension 3D Black Lash black
Squat It, Sugar rich cool brown
Well-Toned rich plum purple
Gym Dandy rich denim blue
Hold For 10 bright cobalt blue
Spin & Twist forest green
Sweaty Betty bluish-green
No Pain, No Gain green with slight blue undertone
Cool Down bright violet purple
Feel My Pulse blackened blue-red
Heart Rate’s Rising rich red
Abs Of Steel fuchsia pink
Warm Up orange with reddish undertone
Energized bright yellow
Hottie With A Body bright lime green
Sky Is The Limit pastel bright sky blue
Muscle Tee pure white

PREP+PRIME FIX+/SIZED TO GO – CHF 14.00
Coconut Rose Lavender

This vibrant and colorful limited edition is available now at all M∙A∙C locations, M∙A∙C Stores and online.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of M∙A∙C Cosmetics

Patches and badges pinned or sewn onto clothes, mainly denim jackets, or jeans are still a massive trend. What I like most about it is the possibility to create your one-of a kind piece. If you are too lazy for this, have a look at those pieces:

Get the look (all in the collage above): Patch-appliqué camouflage-print hooded jacket, Paradise embellished cotton-canvas shoulder bag and Mercer embellished appliquéd canvas slip-on sneakers, all by Marc Jacobs, Gestures Coach appliquéd cotton-canvas jacket by Opening Ceremony, appliquéd mid-rise skinny jeans by Karl Lagerfeld and appliquéd satin and mesh backpack by Miu Miu.

Or become your own fashion designer, order a set of patches and transform a piece of your own into something unique:

Happy Days set of three embroidered cotton patches and Vacation Forever set of three embroidered cotton patches, both by 3XI, Funk & Flash set of four embroidered cotton patches and Acid Trip set of four embroidered cotton patches, both by M.I.H. Jeans.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of the Brands

One week ago, I was invited by CLINIQUE to explore the launch of their new Fresh Pressed™ products at JOE & THE JUICE in Zurich’s Sihlcity. A match made in heaven as both brands prioritize the importance of freshness in their products.

For the next three months, their will be a specially created “Fresh Pressed Daily Booster” juice with a high amount of Vitamin C, that is orange like the packaging, available at the Danish juice and coffee bar.

Recipe for 1 Portion of Clinique Fresh Pressed Juice with Vitamin C
4 medium-sized organic carrots
2 medium-sized organic apples
30g ginger
juice of half of an organic lemon
Mix all ingredients in a juicer and enjoy immediately!

What is CLINIQUE Fresh Pressed™ exactly?
There are two skin care products suitable for all skin types- a daily booster and a cleanser that deliver the full power of pure, fresh Vitamin C at the highest concentration to brighten, even and retexturize skin.

CLINIQUE Fresh Pressed™ Daily Booster with Pure Vitamin C 10%
CHF 99.00 for 34ml (four portions)
Just like your morning fresh-pressed juice or vitamin helps you stay healthy on the inside, this super-potent booster was designed as a daily supplement to visibly rejuvenate skin from the outside – and a simple, seamless way to reinvigorate your de-aging routine without changing a thing. Simply mix 2 drops with your moisturizer AM & PM.

CLINIQUE Fresh Pressed™ Renewing Powder Cleanser with Pure Vitamin
CHF 37.00 for 28 portions (14g)

This water-activated powder cleanser with fresh Vitamin C delivers visible benefits. Instantly the skin is awakened, purified, with a refined texture and brighter look. This non-drying, non-stripping formula is gentle enough for use each morning, and preps skin for treatment with Clinique Fresh Pressed™ Daily Booster with Pure Vitamin C 10%.

Is the vitamin C in CLINIQUE’s Fresh Pressed™ actually “fresh”?
Fresh means powerful. Pure Vitamin C naturally degrades when exposed to oxygen, so it’s most powerful when fresh. Therefore CLINIQUE has chosen the stay-fresh packaging that isolates the pure Vitamin C until activation, maintaining its freshness and full power for maximum results.

A private introduction to the new line by Karin Marschall, CLINIQUE Education Manager.

Who is CLINIQUE Fresh Pressed™ recommended for?
Absolutely anyone! Although it’s a de-aging product, it also makes your skin look brighter after the first use – and honestly who wouldn’t like this?

If I drink juices that are high in vitamin-C, isn’t that enough for my skin?
Just drinking juices with Vitamin C really isn’t enough because neither your body nor your skin can produce Vitamin C so you should use skin care products that have Vitamin C in it too.

From when and where can I buy CLINIQUE Fresh Pressed™ products?
The products are available now. Either online at clinique.com or in-store at a Clinique counter.

With Shari Jafari, the new CLINIQUE Brand Manager Switzerland, at the event last week.

At CLINIQUE, a new wind is blowing. The beauty brand is very innovative, extremely focused on social media and full of energy, with or without a Vitamin C boost. BRAVO!

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Andrea Monica Hug for Clinique