Sandra‘s Closet

Just when you finished off your wardrobe for this winter and have started thinking about next summer, I am challenging you once more with something very beautiful for next year’s fall.
Who said following fashion was an easy task?!

This Tuesday was a very snowy day in Paris but the guests who enjoyed the atmosphere in the Chanel Haute Couture salons were transported to another era, time and place. Karl Lagerfeld was inspired for his pre-fall 2011 collection by Byzantium, one of Coco Chanel’s major inspirations when she was the first to launch a line of costume jewelry in the 1920s.

The Paris–Byzance Métiers d’art show broadcasted Chanel’s specialist craftsmen that the French house has gathered under its umbrella: Desrues the costume jeweler, Lemarié the feather specialist, Lesage the embroiderer, Massaro the shoe-maker, Michel the milliner, Goossens the goldsmith and Guillet the floral accessory specialist.

In a decor reminding of an Ottomanesque chill-out room with 400 metres of squined fabric covering the walls, Lagerfeld revisited the bold colors and antique golds. Byzance and its splendor embellished every look from belts adorned with square glass beads to gold running through burn-out tweed and embroidered silks.

The make-up was kept in the same color family with one star product: The cream palette is combining five different golds and is said to be limited to only 1500 pieces.

This collection is for the modern Theodora empresses who might be Chanel’s clientele of today. Celebrating Chanel’s strong heritage is surely a smart move and one key to remaining a powerhouse in the decades to come, especially with the opening of a second Chanel boutique in Istanbul.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Chanel

The newest addition to Lorenzo Villoresi’s so-called “Fantasy Fragrances” is Iperborea.
Fresh blossoming petals, sprouting in the snow – if you adore like me Teint de Neige or in general powdery, sensual fragrances you will love this new creation.

A sparkling green top note of fresh flowers, with citrus notes and light fruity hints, which opens into a radiant heart of blossoming petals; lily of the valley, magnolia, mimosa and cyclamen. Touches of musk and aromatic woods emerge from a soft and intense background of white spring flowers, with precious extracts of orange blossom and jasmine.

Only writing about it, makes me smell it. Yummy! For store locations, please click here.
In Zurich, Perfumery Osswald carries it.

LoL, Sandra

No wonder there is traditionally a queue around the block from her shops at Christmas. The name Jo Malone sends most women into a reverie of pristine cream boxes with black edging and grosgrain ribbons filled with original fresh scents.

The products are wonderful gifts. Even the tissue paper is misted with fragrance so that the Jo Malone experience starts already when lifting the lit.

As a child, Jo Malone would make her own perfumes with flowers from the garden and grated Camay soap. Her mother was a beautician and her father an artist.
She worked as a florist and gave facials in her kitchen at night. Soon she became one of London’s most sought-after skin care therapist. It was when she met her husband Gary at the age of 19, that their business, featuring handmade scents and products, took off. She gave her Nutmeg and Ginger Bath Oil as a thank you to her clients and the orders began to flood in.

Jo Malone opened her first store at 154 Walton Street in London in 1994. By 1999, she launched her flagship store in London’s Sloane Street. That same year her company was purchased by Estée Lauder with Jo Malone still at its UK helm as chairwoman and creative director. Then in 2006, she sold it to them in its entirety.

For deeper, richer dimension to your home, it’s decorating with scent that makes the difference. Shouldn’t the fragrance ambience of your home be as inviting as the fragrance on your skin?

For her, perfume and stories go hand in hand, each cologne has been inspired by a real moment. Think of fragrances as your little black dress. You can create your bespoke scent by mixing, matching and layering with other Jo Malone colognes for endless effects. Accessorize it extravagantly or pair it down, just follow your mood and make each day another statement.
This is the philosophy behind Jo Malone’s Fragrance Combining. In case you are worried that a cologne doesn’t last enough, you will be astonished how long the fragrances stay on. Especially in combination with the Jo Malone body products.

You can choose from all sorts of fragrance families such as floral, spicy or woody. For more details, please enjoy the collages below:

As I am a big fan of oriental, opulent fragrances, I am truly happy about Jo Malone’s new addition: The 4 new Colognes Intenses. Ingredients like rose water, amber, patchouli, vanilla, musk and oud give in combination a wonderful deepness to your bespoke scent. They were supposed to be limited but seem to stay in the collection due to their high demand.

To the left, you can see a photo of my very own bathroom and its little Jo Malone display.
For a store locator, please click here. For my Zurich based readers, I have good news. There is a Jo Malone corner now at Jelmoli.

LoL, Sandra

If you want to make an easy fashion statement, I suggest that you dress all in white.
No matter if it is off-white, pure white, a greyish white or with a pale pink undertone, the non-colour from head to toe looks impressive. The innocent shade itself brings elegance, sophistication and a certain nonchalance to your outfit.
Being an ultra chic alternative to all black, white for summer is always a must, having this crisp natural freshness to it. Above you will find the most beautiful runway looks for S/S 2011.

Bags, shoes and accessories in white are warm weather essentials and infuse every look with new season lightness.

If you don’t want to wait, white can also be a sensational winter choice. Match your clothes with similarly hued accessories to channel the directional runway styling.
Discover your inner snow bunny for the ultra A-list appeal.

All items are available now, just click on the designer name to start shopping:
3.1 Phillip Lim, silk flower and pleat-embellished dress, $875
3.1 Phillip Lim, belted cotton cardigan, $225
3.1 Phillip Lim, boxy coat, $895, on sale $626,50
Nicholas Kirkwood for Rodarte, platform patchwork sandals, $1645
Vera Wang, pearl medallion necklace, $795
Montse Esteve, rose ring, $2050
Chloé, Marcie large shoulder bag, $1320

To make sure that you have the perfect glowing eyes and skin, I recommend a killer new product line: White Caviar Illuminating Système by La Prairie.
The innovative three-part system works to reveal a brighter, clearer complexion, free of future age spots and pigmentation patches. A must for women of all ages who are looking to fight aging and skin discoloration.

La Prairie’s latest addition includes three products and truly works its magic:
White Caviar Illuminating Cream, 50ml, CHF 558.-
White Caviar Illuminating Serum, 30ml, CHF 558.-
White Caviar Illuminating Eye Serum, 15ml, CHF 310.-

I am using the eye serum at the moment. It is a great way to boost and re-energise tired looking skin, especially now during the cold season. As I am a very visual person, I also adore the beautiful packaging, white pearlescent jars with La Prairie’s signature silver caviar beads around the cap.
One drop of bitterness comes with this feast for your skin: The price! La Prairie is one of the most expensive collections on the market at present, well-known for using high-quality ingredients like the famous caviar extracts which might justify the exorbitant costs. To Swiss quality!

LoL, Sandra

Anna Dello Russo, Fashion Director at Large and Creative Consultant at Vogue Japan and a global fashion icon, revels in glamour and lives high fashion at its best. During fashion week, I always admire her wild style. Now, she is paving a new path for fashion editors worldwide with the launch of her own perfume Beyond. The scent will be available from December 3rd exclusively at yoox.com, and contains two of my favourite ingredients, vanilla and almond. The bottle is very Anna: A golden high heel shoe, reminiscent of the Cinderella fairytale.

With Anna leading the way, it seems like fashion editors can become the new superstars.
I actually like that… very much!

LoL, Sandra

Photo Credit: Giampaolo Sgura, Art Direction: Marco Braga

Photo Credit: Juergen Teller, Art Direction: Marco Braga and Giuliano Federico for Modecracy, Fashion Credit: Moschino

To celebrate Dior’s love for grey, the French fashion house has launched a new limited edition trio of nail polishes: Dior Vernis Gris City.
The three grey-hued shades are inspired by the greatest metropolises of fashion and luxury: Paris, London and New York.
With this fall’s most recent enamel collection, Dior changed the shape of their brushes. As I told you before, it took me some time getting used to at first, but now I actually love the more precise control this new shape affords.

707 – Gris Montaigne

807 – Bond Street

797 – NY 57th

Below you see three mood boards that I put together for you to capture the city’s style and to inspire you for some great outfits.

Gris Montaigne is an elegant tone celebrating the iconic code of the Dior house in Paris where Christian Dior’s favourite colour dominates the decoration of the boutique on Avenue Montaigne.

Bond Street is a grey muted with blue, inspired by the emblematic English fog.

NY 57th is the address of Dior’s New York boutique. The metallic grey enamel stands for the colour of asphalt and is an homage to the dusky light of the Manhattan skyline.

This exclusive trio is available in a limited edition now in the new Christian Dior boutique in London on Bond Street, designed by Peter Marino, as well as in the Dior house on Avenue Montaigne in Paris. Starting December 9th, 2010, it will then be sold in the New York store.

So it might take some major work to get your hands on them.

LoL, Sandra

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

Lancôme’s S/S 2011 make-up collection “Ultra Lavande” is extremely pretty. Aaron de Mey, the house’s artistic director, got inspired by the 70s with lots of disco shimmer and soft colours in lavender, purple and silver. The butterfly decoration along with the beautiful sparkles make this collection so desirable.
Julia Restoin-Roitfeld, daughter of French Vogue’s Carine Roitfeld, is the face of the camapign. In stores in the beginning of next year. Please find below my favourite products.

LoL, Sandra

Le Vernis Disco Silver

Le Vernis Ultra Lavande

Ombre magnetique in Ultra Lavande

Ombre magnetique in Disco Silver

Ombre magnetique in Disco Gold

Star product: La Rose Butterfly Blush

Today, I would like to introduce you to Yves Saint Laurent’s Rouge Pur Couture new lipstick line that includes 16 + 2 beautiful shades with a rich and luminous satin texture, divided into three families – reds, fuchsias and oranges.

What makes them so special, is the +2 addition: N°12 Blanc Manifesto (a white shimmering shade) and N°18 Noir Laque (a deep dark cola brown) that are used for blending and customising with other lipsticks to create your own, unique tone. This is such an awesome idea because it gives you the possibilty to change the lipsticks you already have at home into the perfect or just a new shade.

LoL, Sandra

YSL Rouge Pur Couture in 12 Blanc Manifesto and 18 Noir Laque

Ladies, get ready. A few months ago, I gave you already a glimpse, now it is official! The new must-have nail polish shade from the St. Tropez Chanel Cruise 2011 show, so-called “Riva“, will be in Chanel stores only! on December 1st.
This time, we can enjoy a 70’s inspired beautiful pastel baby blue shade. Even if you have not planned a trip to the caribbean islands, it will also look good in the snowy mountains of St. Moritz.

LoL, Sandra