Sandra‘s Closet

Estée Lauder unveiled Modern Muse, the new fragrance inspired by the intriguing duality of today’s woman, with a spectacular muse-themed party held at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum during New York Fashion Week.

The glamorous event was attended by fashion, art, design, media, and film industry luminaries and their muses and I felt very honored to have been invited.

The highlight of the evening was a performance by The Dolls: Mia Moretti and Margot, who curated an unforgettable musical experience, in celebration of all modern muses, with live vocals by Margot and the debut of their new single “Southern Swing (Ft. The Original Pinettes).”

Enjoy my photos from this amazing night and see all the celebs which were there!

The face of the campaign:

Gorgeous Arizona Muse (Click here to read the interview I did with her).

Designer Olivier Theyskens and his muse Anouck Lepère.

Estée Lauder’s spokeswomen: Hilary Rhoda and Joan Smalls.

Carolyn Murphy

Tom Pecheux, Creative Makeup Director for Estée Lauder, with Carine Roitfeld and the Olsen Twins.

Actress Drew Barrymore

Linda Evangelista

Joan Smalls with me

Talking to Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen whom I just saw again in London for an event with net-à-porter. The post will be coming up shortly. So please stay tuned!

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht

Being a huge fan of Tom Ford‘s Jasmin Rouge scent, I couldn’t have been more excited about the new matching color collection. There almost nothing as sexy as red lips and nails. Cherry or crimson, mix and match, the latest launch for the season is a fun one with names such as Rouge Fatale and Vampire Kiss for your lips while you can paint nails in Trophy Wife (my favorite as seen on my nails below, the perfect red with a hint of pink shimmer) and Shameless. Love it.

Prices are CHF 62.00 for the lipstick and CHF 42.00 for the nail polish.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Tom Ford and @ Sandra Bauknecht

While I am preparing all my upcoming Christmas posts, I have received today the first press mailing regarding Valentine’s Day. How crazy is this? This hard case CANDY clutch with a bold, sexy print on a glossy mirrored surface by JIMMY CHOO is so gorgeous, I had to show it to you immediately. It is part of a collection for which red is translated in a spectrum of rich deep ruby, attention grabbing neon flame to dusty rose pink hues.

Get yourselves on the wait list now, ladies!

LoL, Sandra

Photo: Courtesy of Jimmy Choo

Finally, Evian®‘s newest designer collaboration has hit the stores and you can enjoy your usual water bottle in style. For the seventh time, the brand has teamed up with a designer and for 2014 it’s not other than ELIE SAAB.

Being inspired by common theme of purity, the bottle is decorated with a signature ELIE SAAB lace pattern, that recalls the feminine and elegant designs featured so prominently in the brand’s collections. The ELIE SAAB for Evian® bottle will be available in three sizes: 150cl, 75cl and 33cl, worldwide in selected restaurants and stockists, as of November 2013.
In Switzerland for CHF 3.90 (75cl) at Globus and Manor among others.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Evian® and Elie Saab

Celebrating a great revival, the ’90s trend of leather backpacks continues this season and MCM designs some of the most desirable ones, available in different sizes to accommodate your personal lifestyle.

Large enough to fit your every essential, I love the the large models featuring the label’s signature logo print embellished with large pyramid studs. Great for traveling, those must-haves include a padded laptop or tablet compartment and multiple pockets. But also the smaller versions exude grandeur and flair sure to make a style statement that demands pure attention.

For previous posts in which I am wearing some of my favorite models, click on the links below:
One Day in Berlin with MCM
My Look: Hiking in Iceland
Luisaviaroma Style Lab – Grunge Flair

Tomorrow I will host a special event with MCM in Zurich, so please stay tuned for more.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of MCM and © Sandra Bauknecht

Recently I was featured in Schweizer Illustrierte (N°44-2013) doing pilates with my little girl. Being a working mum, I love to incorporate my workout into the my daughter’s schedule from time to time. Karolina Schmid, who has been my pilates teacher in Zurich for many years, offers an amazing training concept, so-called Mom and Me Personal Training (of course Dads are welcome, too).

You work in a group of four parents and four children. Instead of  bringing your kid to class and desperately killing time waiting for the it to finish, you enjoy some bonding moments with your little one while getting the perfect physically demanding workout. In Karolina’s very private and luxurious environment, I like to schedule my session with a top specially qualified trainer together with three other be-friended mums and their girls.

The class is a mixure of yoga and pilates that takes both parent and child onto the mat and into the air. It combines athletic -acrobatics, pilates flying and uses each other’s weight to get a core and postural workout. Because it includes partner shiatsu and trust excercises it nurtures the bond between parent and child.

Age groups are either 5-8 years or 9-13 years. It costs CHF 60.00 per parent and child team with a maximum of 4  teams per personal training session. Sessions are 60 min.

Great news for my Swiss readers: This upcoming Saturday, November 8, 2013, there is an Open Day at Studio Karolina Schmid. The class starts at 5pm.

If you like to become a teacher for this type of training, you will find more information under www.PilateSwiss.ch.

The clothes that I am wearing on the photos are all by Casall. The jewelry by Piaget.

Studio Karolina Schmid . Pilates & Yoga 
PMA certified Pilates Teacher
Seefeldstrasse 225 . 8008 Zürich . T +41 44 380 79 59 . M +41 78 891 03 17
www.karolinaschmid.ch

Strike a pose!

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Schweizer Illustrierte and © Sandra Bauknecht

Yesterday, Essie‘s Winter 2013 Collection was in the mail and couldn’t wait to share it with you! The cold season is coming – and with it, a lavish lineup of the season’s nicest necessities in six smashing shades. Pastels and saturated deeps, enjoy the new must-have hues including from left to right:

Parka Perfect: Shimmering cashmere mint grey
Warm & Toasty Turtleneck: Lavender angora
Toggle To The Top: Sparkling garnet red
Mind Your Mittens: Black teal
Sable Collar: Pearlescent cocoa plum
Shearling Darling: Ebony red

In stores now for CHF 20.00 each.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Essie and © Sandra Bauknecht

Finally it is official: Nicolas Ghesquière has found a new home. It has been already 12 months that he left the house of Balenciaga after 15 years. Today LOUIS VUITTON has named him Artistic Director. The 42-year-old designer is replacing Marc Jacobs.

In early October, I had felt it already in my bones when I posted that Ghesquière will eventually take over (click here for the previous post), even though LOUIS VUITTON denied all rumors.

I am wishing Nicolas all the best and I am curious to see his first collection (F/W 2014) in March next year.

LoL, Sandra

Aren’t we all driven by something? For the opening night of the Zurich Film Festival, I was driven by this Saint Laurent S/S 2013 runway look. I love the sweeping asymmetric hem of this stretch-crepe gown that is balanced by padded shoulders and a voluminous pussy-bow tie.

My look: Sequin-embellished stretch-crepe gown, wide-brimmed rabbit and cotton-blend felt fedora, pointed leather Mary-Jane pumps, all by Saint Laurent, ‘My Own Code’ clutch by Valentino, Limelight Gala watch and diamond rose ring by Piaget.

By the way, I can only recommend the movie RUSH, that was shown at the opening night of the Zurich Film Festival. Directed by Academy Award winning Ron Howard, the film is set in the epic 1976 racing season and narrating the legendary rivalry between Niki Lauda (Daniel Brühl) and James Hunt (Chris Hemsworth).

The movie offers a lot emotional scenes and ladies, believe me, you will die watching Chris Hemsworth. He is so good-looking and captivating with those divine eyes.

Massimiliano Giornetti, Creative Director of Salvatore Ferragamo, designed the costumes worn by Daniel Brühl and Alexandra Maria Lara, who is playing on-screen the champion’s wife, Marlene. Gucci‘s Creative Director Frida Giannini has dipped into the archives to dress the opponents Chris Hemsworth and Olivia Wilde. Another good reason to watch the movie…

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht, © Zuza Speckert and courtesy of Ferragamo and Gucci.

My dear colleague Thorleif Griess-Nega, Editor for German InStyle MEN, had a fun idea and launched his own sparkling wine brand recently. The intention to create Chímpanskí was to design a drink for people who have enough of show-off drinks from France but don’t want to compromise in terms of quality and style. Find out more and enjoy the interview he gave me.

Thorleif Griess-Nega

Since when exists Chímpanskí?

I founded Chímpanskí in 2013 after more than one year of research for the right wine cellar. This sparkling wine now comes from Lower Austria and is a mixture of Grüner-Veltliner and Welschriesling. It also took quite a long time to finish the label for the bottle since I had a very definite idea of it’s visual appearance in my mind. After all I´m very happy about the result!

Why did you do it?

The idea was to create a sparkling wine with an image that people can identify with who take themselves not too serious. I worked in German Nightlife business for a long time before, owned and worked for clubs in Hamburg, Bonn and Munich. And I always loved to travel a lot, met colleagues at their bars and clubs all over the world. Throughout all these years I saw a lot. But one thing always seemed to stay the same: Countless people who were buying expensive sparkling wines from France. Somehow I never got used to it but recognized more and more how much that showing-off bothered me.

Isn’t a bit of showing-off quite appropriate for nightlife?

It is but has to come from your inside not from the cost for your drink. I don’t like that thought and people behaving like that! Why should one drink expensive stuff just to separate from others who don’t? When I am out partying I don’t measure my fun at the price of a drink. A drink must stand for simplicity, fun, character. Beside the history and quality of a product I believe in the idea behind as its true value. So I decided to create a drink of good quality and a cool image!

Where comes the name Chímpanskí from?

My friends and me used to call ourselves: „chimpanzees“. I think it was because these animals are so sympathic, funny and free (at least they are intended to be)!  Thats why I invented the label Chímpanskí and the slogan: „Support your inner monkey“. I think nightlife shall be all fun, relaxation and letting yourself go!

You say „at least they are intended to be“. What do you mean by that?

I hate reading about how much humanity and economy harm chimpanzees and their haunt. Many of these animals are treated badly for so-called human interests. So I started a little cooporation with the „Pro Wildlife Foundation“ and first linked the Chímpanskí website to theirs to share some publicity and awareness. Beside that I have my own sponsoring via PWF for chimpanzees.

Drink for less, we love! To order, please click here.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Chímpanskí