Sandra‘s Closet

Born in Colombia and raised between Miami and London, EDGARDO OSORIO combines his eye for drop-dead glamour, his passion for modern design and his hand for luxury craftsmanship into desirable footwear. After attending the London College of Fashion and Central Saint Martins, he made his first strides in the footwear world within some of the most prestigious luxury brands such as Salvatore Ferragamo, Sigerson Morrison, René Caovilla, and Roberto Cavalli. In 2011, after working in the industry for 10 years, and at just 25 years old, Edgardo launched his luxury footwear brand AQUAZZURA. Striking the perfect balance between modern design and impeccable craftsmanship, Edgardo creates stylish yet wearable footwear for the modern woman. Today, he shares his insider scoop on the city he is living in with us!

Your favourite city?
FLORENCE – My home. My headquarters are situated in the historical Palazzo Corsini along with the Florentine flagship store (see photo above). Along the Arno River, in the heart of Florence and near the best shoemakers and craftspeople in the world.
Aquazzura Store, Lungarno Corsini, 42, 50123 Florence, Phone: +39 055 291242

Your favourite hotel?
J.K. PLACE FIRENZE – This small boutique hotel is the most stylish address to stay in Florence.
Piazza di Santa Maria Novella, 7, 50123 Firenze, Phone: +39 055 2645181

Your favourite restaurant?
BUCA MARIO – Traditional Florentine cuisine in the heart of the historic city centre, housed in a sixteenth-century buca. In Florence, buche were typical cellars situated beneath imposing historic palazzos often owned by aristocratic families. They were used to store salted meats, ham and salamis, and, above all, to house precious wine. Enormous oak vats lined the thick walls, which maintained an ideal temperature. As you make your way down the old entrance stairs of Buca Mario, it is impossible not to step into the past.
Piazza degli Ottaviani, 16r, 50123 Firenze, Phone: +39 055 214179

Your favourite bar or nightclub?
LA TERRAZZO LOUNGE BAR on the rooftop of HOTEL CONTINENTALE – From the rooftop bar you get a magical view of the cathedral and other historic buildings located in Florence.
Vicolo dell’Oro, 6R, 50123 Firenze, Phone: +39 055 27262

Your favourite sightseeing spot?
The VASARI CORRIDOR, a hidden corridor used by the Medici family to get between the Pitti Palace and the Palazzo Vecchio. It is one of the most unique places in Florence, with a one of a kind collection of self-portraits from the 16th century.
Uffizi Gallery, Piazzale degli Uffizi, 6, 50122 Firenze

Your favourite park?
BARDINI GARDENS – It has three sections: a great baroque flight of steps, fringed with irises. It ascends to a belvedere and with expansive views of Florence, an English garden with its Channel of the Dragon and a farming area with almost-medieval hillside terraces planted with olive trees.
Costa S. Giorgio, 2, 50125 Firenze, Phone: +39 055 2006 6206

Your favourite shop?
OFFICINA PROFUMA FARMACEUTICA DI SANTA MARIA NOVELLA – It is one of the oldest pharmacies in the world.
Via della Scala, 16, 50123 Firenze, Phone: +39 055 216276

Your must-have accessory?
A BORSALINO PANAMA HAT – stylish and iconic.

The best soundtrack for this destination?
Old italian songs by RAFFAELLA CARRA to put you in a great mood!

The best book to read while being on vacation there?
«SAVING ITALY» by Robert M. Edsel – An unforgettable story of epic thievery and political intrigue, a testament to heroism on behalf of art, culture, and history.

Thank you, Edgardo, for sharing your insider scoop on Florence with us!

TO SHOP AQUAZZURA, CLICK HERE PLEASE.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of the different locations, © Edgardo Osorio/Aquazurra and © Sandra Bauknecht

My favorite season is spring and I truly adore those first sunny days when you can feel the warm weather is on its way, slowly but surely. Here you see me in Zurich at the lake, enjoying some free time in between my travels.

My look: Floral print with tiger sweatshirt, skinny denim pant with embroidery and feline earrings with crystals, all by Gucci, cotton collar by Carven, Sac Du Jour leather tote and Janis pumps with studs, both by Saint Laurent, «Tank Américaine in yellow gold and diamonds» by Cartier and «Diorette» ring by Dior Haute Joaillerie and sunglasses «Oeil de Chat» by Chanel.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht

“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

Can a lip balm make you smile? EOS thinks so and invented a lip balm (EOS Smooth Spheres Organic Lip Balms ) that is 95% organic, 100% natural, and paraben and petrolatum free. Delightfully flavored and packed with antioxidant-rich vitamin E, soothing shea butter, and jojoba oil, these lip products have caused a hype among beauty lovers. But not everyone was pleased with its nourishing results.

Last year, EOS was in the news as there was a class action lawsuit in the US filed for severe allergic reaction to the iconic lip balm. Now, this has been settled and the brand is said to have updated its packaging to address the adverse reactions some customers have had.

Personally speaking, I have those little «ping pong balls» in an array of colors plastered around my house, in my car and my hand bags. I have never had an allergic reaction to them. But as I tend to have very dry skin, those lip balms alone would not be enough and I still need more nourishing products at night.

View from Haute restaurant.

Recently, I was invited to their press event at Haute restaurant in Zurich. Overlooking the Swiss city, I was able to indulge in the world of EOS and learnt some interesting facts:

– It is the beauty brand with the highest social media engagement.
– The pomegranate flavor sells best in Europe whereas the strawberry one is the bestseller worldwide.

– The ones that come with the swirl packaging (EOS Visibly Soft™ ) have a more nourishing effect as they have an extra dose of cocoa butter and shea butter, which is great for winter.
– The only one with an SPF is the yellow lemon drop (see photo below).

EOS lip balms are available for CHF 6.90 at Manor in Switzerland!
Happy Sunday!

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © David Biedert Photography

The ugly shoe phenomenon has been around for a while but this season it is getting truly serious, even Crocs have hit the catwalk. Reactions were mixed when the models appeared in those resin-moulded clogs on the runway at Christopher Kane, who told Vogue about this partnership the following: “I always work with unexpected items and combinations, transforming the everyday into desirable luxury. I wanted to bring my own stamp and DNA to Crocs’ classic clog shoe and achieve something really special. The marble print feels very earthy and I often think of Crocs in a very grounded way, worn with either an evening dress or with jeans, and adding the rock crystals brings a bit of luxury to this everyday style. Crocs are arguably the most comfortable shoe, I love that they are slightly awkward and might be perceived by some as ‘ugly’. They have a very naïve and childlike shape which I especially like when they look extra clunky on the foot.”

Embellished printed crocs by Christopher Kane

Also Alexander McQueen is jumping on the orthotic shoe trend along with no other than Balmain, who would have ever thought that?! What do you think of that trend? Yay or nay?

Floral-print leather sandals by Alexander McQueen

1 Canvas, leather and rubber sandals by Prada
2 Glittered leather platform sandals by Miu Miu
3 Faux leather platform sandals by Stella McCartney
4 Strappy suede sandals by Balenciaga
5 Laser-cut textured-leather slides by Simone Rocha
6 Phoebe printed leather slides by Sophia Webster
7 Laser-cut metallic leather sandals by Marni
8 Lace-up metallic-trimmed leather slides by Balmain

Blame it on the Birkenstock, but the must-have of the season is bringing ugly shoes out into the light of day. Complete with orthopedic-style soles, pool slide straps and ultra-utilitarian fastenings like Velcro, they may not be for everyone, at least they are comfy and make your orthopedist happy!

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of the Brands

Pink is trending this summer and I love it combined with burgundy. It is an unusual color combination that I wore to the dinner I recently had with Frédéric Malle (for the previous post about it, click here please).

My look: Fox fur cape by Givenchy, wool and silk dress by Valentino, embellished satin pumps by Miu Miu, cat eye metal mirrored sunglasses by Fendi, flower resin necklace by Gucci, velvet Boy Bag in burgundy by Chanel.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht

On Tuesday night in Milan, Hublot presented its new Classic Fusion Italia Independent collection at the famous shop of Italian luxury tailor Rubinacci. You might ask yourself now: what do you get when you mix the watchmaking expertise of Hublot, the limitless creativity of Italia Independent through its founder Lapo Elkann, and the treasures of the famous Italian tailor Rubinacci? The Art of Fusion! And we all know that when it comes to fashion, the Italians are ahead of the game!

Since 2014, two collections have been born from the partnership between Hublot, Italia Independent and Lapo Elkann. Although both of the previous collections were based on the legendary Big Bang Unico model, this time the magic of this wildly creative team was unleashed on the Classic Fusion model. Its name seems to have predestined it for this new special edition: there has never been such a fine example of the fusion of the ‘classic’ and innovation.

“As a creator, I have always put customisation and bespoke designs, which for me represent real luxury, at the heart of my different projects. It is with this in mind that I conceive and design unique objects, which meet my tastes and requirements, but also satisfy my clients. I like the fact that they become truly mine and that they are distinctive, and this is the case for the Classic Fusion Italia Independent collection.” Lapo Elkann, Founder and Artistic Director of Italia Independent.

Lapo Elkann with Luca Rubinacci

This was a task that was made-to-measure (no pun intended) for Lapo Elkann who is frequently named “the most elegant man in the world” and who has made bespoke designs and customisation his signature. He brought Ferrari’s ‘Tailor Made’ programme to life, and he is continuing and expanding upon the concept with Garage Italia Customs; cars, boats, planes and helicopters, with a unique level of customisation, personalisation and innovative creativity for the whole mobility industry. Lapo also applies this same expertise to the creations that he designs for Hublot and Italia Independent.

Hublot CEO Ricardo Guadalupe, Lapo Elkann, Luca Rubinacci and Mariano Rubinacci.

The “sartoria Rubinacci” was not chosen at random: since 1932, three generations of Rubinacci have been at the reins of this institution of good taste and masculine refinement: Gennaro, the founding grandfather, Mariano, the father who now manages the house from Naples and, of course Luca, master of the store in Milan, and one of the most photographed men on the planet thanks to his unique style. Between them they have dressed everybody from the Duke of Kent to singer Bryan Ferry, not to mention of course the Agnelli family, of which Lapo Elkann is the worthy successor.

Lapo and Luca choosing the fabrics.

The House of Rubinacci holds the most beautiful collection of fabrics in its archives. It was here, in the more than 60,000 square metres of precious houndstooth, tweeds and other cloths that Hublot and Lapo Elkann found a collection of tartans—squared coloured wool weaves from the seventies—that they brought back to life by including them in the Classic Fusion as a chronograph. The dial and straps have therefore been made using these precious fabrics to offer this range of 45 mm timekeepers an end result that is the epitome of elegance. “La vera sprezzatura!”

I chose these fabrics thinking about the costumes that we make for Lapo Elkann. I began with the extravagant colours of a vivid tartan with a sporty tone, then a more traditional houndstooth—in the style of an Italian gentleman—that I wanted in black and white, the colours of his favourite team Juventus F.C. I didn’t think that it was possible to put wool on the straps and dial of a watch. But, Hublot managed it and the result is better than I could have hoped for. We have achieved a balanced watch, with a pattern effect that is neither too bold nor too light.“ Luca Rubinacci

A collection full of Italian style and spirit!

LoL, Sandra

The Phly Boyz were entertaining the guests at the event in Milan.

Rubinacci – the epitome of style.

Photos: Courtesy of Hublot

I love the piano, it’s my favorite instrument. This season the piano keyboard has inspired many designers. Listening to a piano concert or even better playing yourself in this look is the ultimate fashion goal.

Get the look: Ruffled silk-georgette top by Elie Saab, pleated jacquard-knit skirt by Proenza Schouler, Dolce Box piano tote and embellished leather pumps, both by Dolce & Gabbana.

If you are thinking about getting a piano, have a look at my favorite one which is said to be the best one in the world: the MODEL D by STEINWAY & SONS. For over 160 years, the company has been dedicated to the art of piano making, setting the uncompromising standard for sound, touch, beauty, and investment value.

Do you want to be my play date?

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of the Brands, © Sandra Bauknecht

Boom, it is already Mid February, I find it quite scary how time flies but on the other side I cannot wait for spring to arrive. I am definitely not a winter person. Once the sun is out, I always feel like wearing something floral.

My look: Double-breasted wool-blend felt coat, pussy-bow glittered floral-print crepe dress and star-appliquéd leather ankle boots, all by Saint Laurent, Joyce embellished leather shoulder bag by Loewe, earrings and necklace with velvet ribbon, both by Dolce & Gabbana, «Diorette» ring by Dior Haute Joaillerie.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht

Jimmy Choo‘s printed ‘Candy‘ clutch bags demonstrate the brand’s playful approach to cult classics. The interior is perfectly proportioned to house just your essentials. Conceal the silver chain strap inside to carry it as a clutch. The slogan will be statement enough!

Bags in collage: Candy Box Clutch «I Want Choo» in pink, Candy Box Clutch «Choos Me» in blue and Candy Box Clutch «Only Choo» in lilac.

My favorite is this one: Candy Box Clutch «You Are What You Wear» in yellow.

It’s no news that your wardrobe says a lot about you, so choos(e) wisely…
Happy Shopping!

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Jimmy Choo, © Sandra Bauknecht