Sandra‘s Closet

While you are reading this, I am on my way to the SIHH, Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie, in Geneva. I love this watch fair where this year 16 brands exhibit their new creations in an outstanding and extremely luxury environment. IWC Schaffhausen is one of them and I know that their booth as well as their party will once more make history.

Celebrating the 75th anniversary of the brand’s iconic Portugieser watch line and launching a new collection at this year’s SIHH, I will of course keep you posted with some essential information.

To raise your enthusiasm, I would like to show you some very exclusive photos (some of you might have seen some in the October issue of L’Officiel Switzerland) of the amazing Ladies Lunch “Timeless Portofino” during the 10th Zurich Film Festival Georges Kern, CEO of IWC Watches (co-partner of the ZFF), and my humble self hosted at the Widder Hotel in Zurich to celebrate the new IWC Portofino midsize watches.

IWC CEO Georges Kern framed by Karolina Kurkova to the right and myself to the left

You have seen my new beautiful watch in many outfit posts. Thanks a lot to those who sent me your lovely comments about this new beauty in my closet.

Special guest of the event was Karolina Kurkova, the charming blonde chatted over lunch about her life with my girlfriends and took a souvenir photo with each guest. As an additional gift, there was a handwritten card with a personal dedication of the famous top model. Karolina is truly an amazing woman!

Enjoy all the pictures below and stay tuned for more…

LoL, Sandra

Karolina was checking on the photos (a true pro) to make sure all of them were immaculate.

Karolina framed by Monika Kern to the left and Margarita Forster to the right.

Having fun with David Biedert backstage taking some pics.

Photos: Courtesy of IWC, © David Biedert and © Sandra Bauknecht

«Vegan as a fashion statement» – Stella McCartney has been the pioneer to blend fashion with sustainability by creating shoes and bags without using animal products. The only drop of bitterness? Her designs are high-priced and not easy to afford. Inspired by the idea to offer fashion with added value at a consumer-friendly price point, my lovely friend Swiss model Bianca Gubser partnered up with Nicole Frank to launch The No Animal Brand collection.

Their designs of shoes and bags that are manufactured without using any animal products look great as you can see and are now available in Switzerland at Jelmoli Zurich. Other point of sales in Europe are going to follow soon. Below you see some impressions of the launch event in the beginning of December.

LoL, Sandra

Clifford Lilley, Raquel Marquard and Franco Savastano with me

Thank you David Biedert Photography for the lovely pictures!

I am so excited as I will be leaving this Sunday to Salzburg following Chanel‘s invitation to watch their upcoming Paris-Salzburg 2014/15 Métiers d’art collection that will be presented on December 2nd, 2014 in the Austrian city. To celebrate this occasion, Karl Lagerfeld created a video-clip with the title “Reincarnation” (watch the trailer at the end of this post).

This new short film was the perfect opportunity for Karl Lagerfeld to develop an artistic collaboration with Pharrell Williams, a close friend of the House and personal friend of the designer. In fact, the artist composed and wrote the lyrics to “CC The World“, the original soundtrack for Reincarnation, and he also played one of the lead roles and will be, along with Cara Delevingne, the face of the upcoming campaign of the Paris-Salzburg 2014/15 Métiers d’art collection.

Once again Karl Lagerfeld had imagined an episode from the life of Gabrielle Chanel. Embodied by Geraldine Chaplin, Gabrielle Chanel is holidaying in the suburbs of Salzburg in 1954. At her hotel she meets a young lift-boy played by Pharrell Williams who wears a jacket which would later inspire the iconic CHANEL jacket.

“It was time to show the origins of the CHANEL jacket, inspired by the one worn by the lift attendant in a hotel near Salzburg in the 1950s (…) Reincarnation is the story of a lift attendant’s jacket being reincarnated as a timeless piece of women’s wear,” declares Karl Lagerfeld.

Reincarnation is also the evocation of another era, that of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, which Karl Lagerfeld brings to life for one night in the heart of the 1950s.

Karl Lagerfeld adds: “None of this would have been possible without Pharrell Williams, Cara Delevingne and Geraldine Chaplin. It’s the perfect cast. Pharrell is a genius and Geraldine at her best in the role of Gabrielle Chanel in the year of her comeback.”

Reincarnation will be screened in Salzburg on December 1st, 2014 the night before the Paris-Salzburg 2014/15 Métiers d’art show and I couldn’t be happier to be there to watch it live. Stay tuned for more…

LoL, Sandra

Photos and Trailer: © Chanel

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This week I flew to Bangkok to attend the launch celebration of the fifth Cabinet of Curiosities, the acclaimed yearly pop-up exhibition, that is presented this time by Siwilai, the renowned multi-brand concept store. More will be coming up soon about this event.

Wednesday evening, the exclusive pre-opening dinner took place at Bo.lan, one of the world’s best Thai restaurants, located in Sukhumvit. We enjoyed fine dining at its best, a very spicy Thai cuisine created from age old recipes. After we had finished, the most fun part of the night took place. We were all driven to the after party at Sugar Ray You’ve Just Been Poisoned (to be taken literally) in tuk-tuks. What a fun and very fast ride through the city of Bangkok.

Before I left to the event, those pictures of my outfit were taken on the terrace of my hotel, the Okura Prestige, a luxurious and contemporary five-star hotel.

My look for the night: Nude dress with pleated skirt, cutout suede sandals and scalloped laser-cut leather waist belt, all by Azzedine Alaïa, cloquet nappa leather bag Swarovski crystals and crystal-embellished clip-on earrings, both by Miu Miu, Limelight Gala watch by Piaget, diamond bracelet and ring by Vainard Fine Jewellery.

The two protagonists: Barom Bhicharnchitr (Managing Director of Central Embassy and Siwilai) and Thomas Erber (Founder of Le Cabinet de Curiosités).

Lovely international company at the dinner table at Bo.lan.

A fun tuk-tuk ride with Swiss-Thai designer Laend Phuengkit, who also designed some limited edition pieces for the exhibition.

A truly fun night – stay tuned for more coming up from Bangkok soon!

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht

Last Wednesday, the official opening of the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Days Zurich took place. It was a fun evening filled with lots of fashionable moments and surprises. Many people like to complain that the MBFDZ are not comparable to New York, Paris or Milan and of course they are right, but why should they?

Isn’t it great that we have something like this in Switzerland where you can enjoy runway shows, international designers, drink champagne and enjoy great food (the Park Hyatt Zurich served some amazing dishes) while meeting interesting people and see your friends. I wished all fashion weeks were like that… because in general they are definitely not as convenient as here in Zurich.

The main sponsors of the event, such as Mercedes-Benz, Paul Mitchell, H&M and Etihad Airways, had their own booths in the VIP tent during the Fashion Days Zurich.

An amazing surprise is waiting for you during the next weeks in collaboration with Etihad Airways, L’Officiel Switzerland and Sandra’s Closet. Make sure to stay tuned.

Giving an interview for Glanz & Gloria.

Photo call in front of the Samsung booth where I would reveal the tablet I designed the next day.

Here with the lovely two winners of the contest I posted last week.

Front row with fabulous Theo Grigoriadis (Trois Pommes).

First show of the night: the Berlin-based label Lala Berlin. The desert and nomadism inspired Leyla “Lala” Piedayesh for her S/S 2015 collection. I liked her embellished denim pieces (see picture below).

Swiss designer Julian Zigerli has enjoyed an enormous media attention since being selected a few seasons back by Giorgio Armani to present at the Armani Theater. For S/S 2015, he showed his iconic graphic prints and innovative cuts.

Turkish designer Lug Von Siga presented a fierce S/S 2015 collection at the opening night. Colourful and feminine, many pieces caught my eyes. Definitely a designer to watch!

My absolute favorite show of the night was Bibhu Mohapatra (see the photo below) S/S 2015. His gowns were dreamlike, but also the day offerings were particularly strong this season. Feminine and fitted, eclectic and sophisticated, the NYC-based label is surely on the rise.

I was a little disappointed by Max Mara. The Italian house showed some looks from their F/W 2014 collection and some pieces that are available in the store, which made it feel more like a trunk show than a runway presentation and definitely not like something new. What a pity!

Stay tuned for the outfit post coming up soon as well as my reports about the other nights.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Getty Images, © David Biedert Photography © Andrea Monica Hug (Chic in Zurich), © Pascal Uehli Photography, © Ralf Eyertt, © Charles Aellen and © Sandra Bauknecht

Great news, my dear Swiss readers! This week, the annual Mercedes-Benz Fashion Days Zurich kick off on Wednesday evening with their big opening night and you have the chance to win two tickets. But you have to be fast!

To participate, please send me an e-mail with your postal address and the header “Mercedes-Benz Fashion Days Zurich” to . All entries must be received until today November 10, 2014 at 6pm CET. No purchase or payment of any kind is necessary to enter or win this contest. By entering this contest, entrants accept and agree to be bound by these official rules. The winner has to have a Swiss address.

At work front row during last year’s Mercedes-Benz Fashion Days Zurich

Let me tell you a little more what you can expect during the night at Schiffbau Zurich and also during the next days in general. There will be a lot of highlights taking place at Switzerland´s biggest fashion event from November 12-15, 2014. First of all, Max Mara is the headlining designer of the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Days Zurich which will celebrate their  fifth anniversary this year. The well-known Italian luxury-brand whose signature-look consists of timeless coats and jackets, was founded in 1951 by Mr Achille Maramotti and the label is still a family-run company that seeks to design elegant long-term fashion. With more than 2300 stores in 105 countries, Max Mara has become one of the largest international fashion houses.

A stunning red carpet look during the MBFDZ 2013 by Good & Vitalini St. Moritz

Furthermore, red carpet favourite, Bibhu Mohapatra will showcase his S/S 2015 collection at the Mercedes-Benz Opening Night. After working for more than a decade as design director for J. Mendel, the New York based Indo-American designer founded his own label in 2008. Today the brand is sold in prestigious stores, such as Bergdorf Goodman and dresses influential women like Michelle Obama, Glenn Close and Gwyneth Paltrow.

Below please find the event overview of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Days Zurich below. I attached some photos of last year’s events for you to get an idea of what will be going on. It is your chance to indulge in fashion and experience first class designers, models and shopping first hand. I highlighted the best events for you!

Front row next to Karlie Kloss last year.

PUBLIC EVENTS:

LATE FASHION SHOPPING NIGHT ZURICH
By cool shopping map, annabelle & Mercedes-Benz Fashion Days Zurich
· Aziza Zina, St. Peterhofstatt 8
· Deecee Style, Talacker 21
· H&M, Bahnhofstrasse 92
· BOSS Store Zürich, Bahnhofstrasse 39
· IRO, Strehlgasse 5
· Little Black Dress, Rämistrasse 7 & Josefstrasse 45
· N2, Brotgasse 3
· Onitsuka Tiger, Sihlstrasse 17
· Trois Pommes, Bahnhofstrasse 12
· Van Bery, Torgasse 6
· Vestibule, St. Peterstrasse 20
Tuesday, November 11 (7:00PM – 10.00PM)
Late Fashion Shopping Night Drinks (10:00 PM) @ Onyx Bar, Park Hyatt Zurich, Beethoven-Strasse 21

MEET & SHOP THE DESIGNERS @ TEMPORÄR, FASHIONSLAVE Wednesday, November 12 (4:00PM)

SAMSUNG LIVE ACT Thursday, November 13 (7.45pm) @ VIP TENT
Creating a bespoke Samsung Galaxy Tab S by Sandra Bauknecht (Style Icon, Editor in Chief 
L’Officiel Switzerland and Blogger www.sandrascloset.com).
Great news is that my dear readers will be able to win this Samsung Galaxy Tab S designed by me after the FDZ here on my blog. Stay tuned for the contest coming up next week!

AFTER PARTY @ CLUB BELLEVUE Thursday, November 13 (11:30PM)

Aziza Zina’s finale last year

MODE TRIFFT DESIGN @ HGC SHOWROOM Aziza Zina exhibition at HGC Showroom, Hardturmstrasse 101 Friday, November 14 (4:00PM)

AFTER PARTY @ PLAZA CLUB Friday, November 14 (11:30PM)

With Carmen Cita Jones at last year’s opening night.

SWISS DESIGNERS SALE by Montagsmarkt @ SCHIFFBAU FOYER
Berenik, Kazu, Pelikamo, Laend Phuengkit, RS Hader, Javier Reyes, Stefanie Biggel, Aziza Zina, LBD – Little Black Dress, Van Bery, studiowinkler, Julian Zigerli, Alsamendi, Carmen Cita Jones Jewellery, Griesbach, Kinsfolk, Pamb, Yana Rey, Yoshiki und Viu. Saturday, November 15 (12:00PM – 9:00PM)

With Italian designer duo Frankie Morello

POP-UP SALE @ TROIS POMMES THE STORE Notte Italiana Pop-Up Sale (9.30AM – 6PM)
My tip: A MUST GO!!!

SCHIFFBAU FOYER Pre & after show drinks November 12-15

Karlie Kloss taking pictures of the Cushnie et Ochs collection

Designer duo Cushnie et Ochs with Karlie Kloss and me

BY INVITATION ONLY EVENTS:

H&M STUDIO SS15 @ CLOUDS Exclusive event for invited guests only Wednesday, November 12 (2:00PM – 4:00PM)

DISNEY FASHION OPEN HOUSE @ CLOUDS Exclusive launch of the latest Disney, Marvel and Star Wars products, for invited guests only Friday, November 14 (10:00AM – 4:00PM)

MBFDS TALKS@ VIP TENT presented by Mercedes-Benz & The League of Leading Ladies
Talking the latest fashion trends of 2015, for invited guests only
Normcore with blogger Sandra Bauknecht and trend researcher Joan Billing Friday, November 14 (12:00PM – 2:00PM)

H&M CLOSING PARTY @ ESCHERWYSS CLUB Exclusive party for invited guests only Saturday, November 15 (10:30PM)

Follow me live on instagram @sandrascloset during the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Days Zurich.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: @ Sandra Bauknecht, © Andrea Monica Hug (Chic in Zurich), David Biedert Photography, © Fashiongamble Joy, © Getty Images, Style.com and Courtesy of the MBFDZ

Ladies and Gentlemen, don’t forget that this week on the 6th of November the Alexander Wang x H&M collection will hit the stores. To get you in the shopping mood, I would love to show you all the impressions of the amazing launch event that took place at the Armory on the Hudson, an indoor track and field stadium in New York City Mid October. When H&M celebrates a designer collaboration, it means that VIP’s from the worlds of entertainment, fashion, and Hollywood, follow the invitation with pleasure. This year, I spotted for example Jessica Chastain, Dakota Fanning, Justin Theroux, Mary J Blige, Kate Mara and many more.

H&M approached Wang a year and a half ago, and the designer immediately knew he wanted to take things in a different direction than anything they’d tried in the past. “They’ve done such an incredible job with the previous projects, everything from Versace and the archival Margiela,” he said. “But the approach had to be different for this one, both for me and for H&M.”

Alexander Wang is the first American to partner with the company whose designer collaboration program is in its tenth year. He mixed sports and performance for everyday life by capturing the speed of the city. Using technical details and functional fabrics, Wang created the perfect versatile performance wear wardrobe for both, men and women, a collection to be worn on the street, in the gym, at the club – the way we live our lives today.

After a men’s and women’s full speed runway fashion show, the doors of a pop-up store opened where we could shop the collection first hand (click here to see what I got myself). The evening culminated when Sharaya came on stage as the opening act before the rare performance by Missy Elliott took place. She was so fantastic that even Alexander Wang, who had said earlier during the press conference that he doesn’t do sports, jumped on stage and danced crazily to her vibes. The party continued with music by DJ’s Diplo and Jesse Marco. It was again one of those magic nights with a gazillion of highlights that I will treasure forever.

Let me show you more impressions of that fantastic event:

Me arriving at the event location in a Moschino S/S 2015 look (the outfit post will come up tomorrow).

Dakota Fanning rushing to her seat.

The Armory on the Hudson from the inside.

Actor Justin Theroux…

… was extremely charming. Now, I understand Jennifer Aniston.

A redhead seldom comes alone: Jessica Chastain…

…and Eddie Redmayne.

Glamourous front row: Actors Dakota Fanning, Eddie Redmayne and Kate Mara.

An energetic acrobatic performance before the runway show…

… that captured the speed of the city.

Mary J Blige seemed to like it a lot.

A confetti rain was the perfect backdrop…

… for a happy Alexander Wang running around the catwalk.

Me taking the provided boxing gloves to get ready for the fight…

… in the pop-up store.

I was in the first slot. Therefore it still looks pretty quiet.

Even the supermodels went crazy for the collection, here you see Karlie Kloss.

Swiss girls: Barbara and Karo with me.

Before the runway show, I caught singer Sharaya…

… who was the opening act that night.

The highlight of the event was the performance of…

… Missy Elliott…

… who rocked the stage…

… that even Alexander Wang couldn’t stop dancing.

Party time…

… that the Swiss crowd didn’t need to be told twice. Being the only rooster in the yard, René Zibold, PR and Communication Manager for H&M Switzerland, surrounded by the Swiss girls (check out his travel tips for Paris here) going crazy.

Thanks H&M for taking me on this amazing adventure, to be continued next year…

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht and Courtesy of H&M, Andrew H. Walker/Getty Images for H&M

Last month, another baby was born: we celebrated the launch of L’OFFICIEL VOYAGE SWITZERLAND at the home of R Selection, the luxurious travel agency in Zurich.

The first issue of our new travel dedicated supplement which is published in German and French is still on newsstands nationwide, along with the October issue gracing Charlize Theron. Some of you might remember when I flew to Paris to interview the blonde actress. If you are interested, you have to hurry. There is not so much time left until our next L’OFFICIEL SWITZERLAND issue will arrive.

By the way, if you subscribe to L’OFFICIEL SWITZERLAND, you will get it a day earlier than the newsstands! The travel supplement will come for free with it twice a year.

Enjoy some of the impressions of our launch party below. I have to say that I am a very proud editor in chief and I truly love my job!

LoL, Sandra

Manuela Weber (Cinnamon Circle) with me

Framed by Roman Sägesser (R Selection) to the left and Stefan Hottinger-Behmer (L’Officiel Switzerland) to the right.

Supermodel Patricia Schmid who graced our launch issue came from Paris for the party, here she is with Werner Dirks (La Prairie Switzerland) and my humble self.

Two reasons to celebrate: the lovely Park Hyatt Zurich team, Malte Budde and Laura Amanzi, toast to the launch of L’Officiel Voyage and their own 10 year anniversary.

Photos: Courtesy of L’Officiel Switzerland and © Sandra Bauknecht

Last Thursday, Tiffany & Co. celebrated the launch of the brand’s newest collection TIFFANY T in Zurich at the Museum Bellerive. It marks design director Francesca Amfitheatrof’s first line for the iconic house. “The letter T is sculptural and bold and very closely linked to the architecture of New York City,” she explains. The trained jeweler and silversmith reimagined the letter T as a piece of engineering, which you can see in the mechanisms for these cuffs.

The Museum Bellerive was bathed in pink light. Guests enjoyed yummy food and champagne while exploring the new jewelry pieces.

Here I am wearing two Tiffany T bracelets, one in 18k white gold and one in 18k rose gold, both with round brilliant diamonds.

Sport commentator Marcel Reif framed by Gitta Gräfin Lambsdorff, Managing Director Tiffany & Co. to the right and me to the left.

The collection is in stores now and available in different shapes in silver or gold. Personally speaking, I truly love the design, especially many bracelets worn together look really cool.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Tiffany & Co. and © Sandra Bauknecht

One week ago, when I just got back from Paris Fashion Week, I attended in the evening the official re-opening of the BOSS flagship store on Zurich’s famous Bahnhofstrasse. It was a very fun event that started in the 600 m² shop with a cocktail reception. The new interior looks super cool with its black steel structures, mirrored elements and glossy surfaces – heaven for every shopaholic.

I was really a BOSS(y) girl that night wearing a BOSS head to toe look. The black dress is from the F/W 2014 collection as well as the gorgeous heels and the Romy leather bag. With Jason Wu at the helmet, BOSS can look forward to a rosy future, that is for sure.

After the cocktail reception in the boutique, the approximately 250 invited guests were transferred to the FLUX Laboratory at Schiffsbau where a stunning forest setting awaited the crowd along with delicious food, drinks and great music. A truly fun party!
Enjoy all the photos below!

LoL, Sandra

Yannick Angelloz-Nicoud, Senior Head of Global Public Relations, Events & Celebrity Services

German actor Moritz Bleibtreu with me

Swiss topmodel Ronja Furrer in Boss with Volker Herre, Managing Director, Hugo Boss AG Schweiz

Having fun at the opening party at Flux Laboratory, all dressed in BOSS: Moritz Bleibtreu, Aino Laberenz, Julia Malik, Anna Maria Mühe, Lavinia Wilson, Jasmin Gerat and Claus-Dietrich Lahrs, CEO Hugo Boss AG

Photos: Courtesy of Hugo Boss and © Sandra Bauknecht