Sandra‘s Closet

Last night, BALLY celebrated their new F/W 2014 collection in collaboration with L’OFFICIEL SWITZERLAND at the Zurich store on Bahnhofstrasse.

Exclusively for BALLY, I chose as editor-in-chief my must-haves for the next season that were highlighted in the store with cute little tags. Moreover guests were entertained by a specially curated trunk show during the event. Enjoy some impressions below and stay tuned for my outfit post coming up soon.

To shop the chic F/W 2014 collection online, click here please.

LoL, Sandra

My favorite BALLY heels: the BESNA PUMPS

My favorite BALLY bag: the SOMMET TOTE

Last night with Erhard Schwendimann, BALLY’s Managing Director Retail

Photos: © David Biedert Photography

Recently I was invited by Chloé to Paris for the launch of the house’s new fragrance with the beautiful name Love Story. It is inspired by Parisian romance and the love padlocks on the bridge of the Pont des Arts; the campaign itself and the bottle design make this reference. I have to admit that it was a very special trip as I took a wonderful reminder with me home.

We were asked during the presentation if we remember how it felt being newly in love and how the small things in life were amazing, how it was even exciting to drink an espresso next to each other in a café. Sometimes we forget these little special moments in our busy schedules. But reminding yourself helps a lot…

After I arrived in Paris, I went straight to the Park Hyatt Paris – Vendôme to interview the French actress and model Clémence Poésy, who already was the face of Chloé Eau de Parfum in 2008. She is modern, graceful, free-spirited and has this certain “Je ne sais quoi” allure that most French women seem to have naturally. “I am very proud to represent Chloé fragrance again,” she told me. “It was so evident for me to come back to a brand that I feel so connected to.”

Her favorite fashion labels are Chloé, ACNE and her designer friend Erdem. The blonde 31-year old only wears make-up when she has to and loves the British seaside. She seems very down to earth when she states: “Beauty comes from what you feed yourself with, how you care about people.”

After the interview, I got to see the different places where the new commercial was shot under the lens of Mélanie Laurent. Clémence Poésy stars in a love story where two people meet and indulge in the most beautiful moments.

First stop was the beautiful Pont des Arts, that has become famous for all the padlocks attached to its railing. Couples come here to “seal their love” with this romantic gesture. Afterwards they throw the key into the Seine river below. In June 2014, part of the parapet on the bridge collapsed under the weight of all of the love locks that had been attached to it.

Then we went on a boat tour on the Seine where I could explore the packaging and the bottle the first time.

After the cruise we were picked up by these lovely gentlemen for a ride in a vintage Citroën.

They brought us to the flower market where Anne Flipo, the “nose” behind the new scent Love Story waited to tell us a little more about the creation. It was very important for her to walk directly with the Chloé team to understand what they wanted to have. “Sexy and clean” was the mission. Sounds pretty contradictions but once you smell this beautiful scent you understand what it means.

Top notes: Neroli
Heart notes: Jasmin Stephanotis and Orange Blossom
Base notes: Musk and Cedarwood

A floral love story – fresh and sexy.

Anne Flipo with me

My beloved vintage Chloé sunglasses

At the rooftop party

The launch event culminated in the evening in a wonderful party over the rooftops of Paris where we enjoyed stunning views over Notre Dame, champagne and some fun dance moves. Clare Waight Keller, Creative Director of Chloé, celebrated along with Clémence Poésy, Mélanie Laurent and Anne Flipo this new declaration to femininity. Amazing women who all brought their vision to tell a beautiful story of love in a bottle.

Clare Waight Keller, Mélanie Laurent and Clémence Poésy at the party

Love Story Chloé will be available from today, September, 15 2014.
Love Story Chloé Eau de Parfum 30ml (CHF 97.00), 50ml (CHF 128.00) und 75ml (CHF 151.00),
Shower Gel 200ml (CHF 52.00) and Body Lotion 200ml (CHF 57.00).

Read more about this trip also in the upcoming October 2014 issue of L’Officiel Switzerland.

LoL, Sandra

Clare Waight Keller with me

Live performance of Christine and The Queens

Male models at the fragrance bar

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht

Be part of Fashion Week and watch the Burberry Prorsum S/S 2015 fashion show live on Sandra’s Closet on Monday at 1pm London time. Here is your front row invite, enjoy!

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Burberry Prorsum

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Last Wednesday, a secret event took place in the city of Zurich to launch Samsung‘s newest mobile phone GALAXY ALPHA, emphasizing the brand’s foray into the fashion crowd.

Ready-to-wear has laid its focus from the runway also to the world of high technology as many renowned fashion houses scramble to stamp their coveted logos on mobile handsets and other personal devices. Samsung for example collaborated in one-off projects with the likes of Giorgio Armani, Alexander Wang, Nicholas Kirckwood and Moschino. Therefore, I was very curious to arrive at the secret event …

Inside an unspectacular backyard at Kanonengasse, I was guided by a bouncer to the basement. There a room, reminiscent of an underground club in New York, awaited me.

When I entered, I was handed my very own new Samsung GALAXY ALPHA phone as a gift. It had a prepaid card so that I could use it immediately to read the text messages the guests were sent during the event.

Only 80 people were invited and I spotted among the illustrious crowd Swiss supermodel Nadine Strittmatter who had flown in from Paris where she is living.

Other highlights were the melting ice bar and different performances.

Ezgi Cinar, the brainchild of the secret event with me.

Menswear designer Julian Zigerli, one of Samsung’s ambassadors, had created 80 personalized mobile phone covers to choose from. As you see in the collage above, I went for the little mouse…

… and my friend Mel Guenthardt (photo below) for the cute owl.

The GALAXY ALPHA phone is available in Switzerland from the beginning of September 2014 in the colors Charcoal Black, Dazzling White, Frosted Gold, Sleek Silver and Scuba Blue for CHF 749.00.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Andrea Monica Hug, © Ezgi Cinar, © Melanie Guenthardt and © Sandra Bauknecht

Friday one week ago, I went to the iconic Rive Gauche Summer Party at the Baur au Lac hotel in Zurich. The theme of the beautiful event was “ARIGATAU LAC – A NIGHT OF ASIAN DELIGHT“. With many enchanting performances, yummy food and lots of champagne, it still keeps its crisp flavour of freshness as the first social event after the summer break when everybody in the city enjoys the “to see and to be seen” part a lot! The dress code was “Asian Cocktail, Tokyo-Chic, Dress to Impress the West.” I didn’t want to wear a traditional cheongsam (Mandarin gown) as I was sure most of the guest would show up in something similar so I went for this origami-inspired gown spiced with some Chinese ideographs on my bag.

My look: Draped jersey dress by Givenchy, Jane sandals with chunky silver-tone studding by Saint Laurent, “Take Away” bag by Chanel, diamond bracelet by Vainard Fine Jewellery, Limelight Gala watch by Piaget, necklace and earrings by Dior.

For the photos of last year’s Rive Gauche Summer Party, please click HERE.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © David Biedert Photography and © Sandra Bauknecht

On Saturday evening, I attended the Zoofäscht 2014 one of the highlights of Zurich’s social calendar. The black tie event takes place every second year and collects money to support the Zurich Zoo. This time, CHF 850.000 were collected for the new Yak-enclosure.

My look: Striped tiered feather jacket by Givenchy, cutout crepe gown by Alexander McQueen, Jane leather sandals by Saint Laurent, satin clutch by Prada, Limelight Gala watch and rose diamond ring, both by Piaget, earrings by Chanel and diamond bracelet by Vainard Fine Jewellery.

LoL, Sandra

With my dearest friend Dusa Bibus at the Zoofäscht 2014

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht

Yesterday, I flew to London for a very special and intimate dinner hosted by Net-à-Porter to celebrate one of my favorite designers Mary Katrantzou at the Blakes hotel. It is always a pleasure as Alison Loehnis, President of Net-à-Porter, brings together the most amazing women from all over the world.

Here you see me with my friend Anouschka whom I also had met at a previous event of Net-à-Porter. Some of you might recognize her from this post a few years ago when we went to an evening at the V&A museum with legendary French shoe designer Christian Louboutin. Funnily enough, we realized that we both went to the same school in Germany… what a small world. We stayed in touch and it is always great fun seeing each other.

Trio infernale reunited: Lupe and Anouschka with me.

My beloved Mary Katrantzou with me.

Meeting new friends last night: Olivia Buckingham from Hong Kong…

… and my stylish soul sister Sarah Somberg from San Francisco.

What a great gift: A one-of-a-kind art work by Mary Katrantzou.

It was an amazing night and I fell asleep like a little baby in my beautiful suite at the Blakes. A place I can totally recommend if you are looking for a small luxury boutique hotel. Stay tuned for the details of my outfit coming up soon…

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht

Recently, I was invited to Paris with Dior to discover their newest innovation: Dior Addict It-Lash Mascara. It was an amazing event as I was not only able to explore the new products, but also to experience the effect myself. Moreover, Dior did a professional photo shoot with me in their Boutique Ephémère Beauté Dior at 368 rue Saint Honoré in Paris.

The new mascara is truly special because it transforms your eyes with a single sweep, as if by magic. It pumps up extreme volume with the help of a thick brush, made from soft and supple elastomer, and gives your lashes a gleaming coat of deep black, or vibrant color due to its combination of waxes and a transparent gel base. For complete simplicity of use, you can rinse it off with just water or of course make-up remover. To put if briefly, it is the ideal mascara for those who want it all, right now.

Great news is that the new mascara comes in four different It-shades.
It-Purple – a dazzling, deep purple for a sophisticated allure. 
It-Blue – a saturated blue for electric eyes.
It-Pink – a pop pink for come-hither eyes.
It-Black – a breathtakingly deep black.

And here comes the most fun part of the new launch. The new mascaras are accompanied by four eyeliners Dior Addict It-Line Easy Liner in the same colors to mix and match. If you have ever felt insecure applying an eyeliner, this will be your chance to change this attitude. Applied in the blink of an eye thanks to its precision tip, its smooth fluid texture dries instantly. During the shoot in Paris, I got a great tip from the make-up artist: Make a dot where you want to end your line. You will see how easy drawing the line becomes because of  this little preparation.

For my photo shoot, we chose the Dior Addict It-Line Easy Liner in It-Blue and combined it with the Dior Addict It-Lash Mascara in It-Black. You can even layer the eyeliners… it is really fun playing around with the colors. Stay tuned as I will show you some fun combinations during the next weeks.

The new products are in stores now. Once you check them out, don’t forget to look also for the new Diorshow Mono Pop Eye Shadows that come in four shades. Adjust the intensity of your made-to-measure look and enjoy endless creativity!

We created a pretty big buzz when we started to shoot outside of the store…

If you like my look, please click here for more information.

Dior made this cartoon of me. I have to admit it is fun but I am not so sure if I really like it:-) …!
While you are reading this, I am on my way to Paris again with Dior for a very exclusive event. Stay tuned for more… I can only say J’ADORE DIOR!

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Dior and © Sandra Bauknecht

One week ago in Marrakesh, my friend Mel’s big birthday celebration took place on Saturday evening accompanied by the renewal of her wedding vows with her husband Dan. It was a very romantic evening and she look stunning in her Zuhair Murad dress. It truly felt like One Thousand and One Nights and I am so grateful for all these different highlights that we experienced, among them a live performance by Paul Potts, the British tenor, who had won the first series of Britain’s Got Talent in 2007. With all my heart, thank you, Mel and Dan, for your friendship and this magical trip!

My look: Leather-trimmed jersey gown with cutouts by Givenchy, set of 5 gold-tone cuffs by Alexander McQueen, earrings by Chanel, ring by Etro, animal print clutch, tribal sandals and necklace, both by Louis Vuitton, small Amulette necklace by Cartier.

LoL, Sandra

Paul Potts with me

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht

Today, Zurich’s famous food festival starts again: the 3rd edition of IL TAVOLO kicks off with the opening night at Gate Gourmet, the leading independent provider of airline catering. I feel very honored to be in the second consecutive year the ambassador of the PARK HYATT ZURICH, which is one of the host hotels besides BAUR AU LAC, EDEN AU LAC, STORCHEN, THE DOLDER GRAND and WIDDER HOTEL.

At the photo shoot for the campaign this spring

The kitchen battle is on: At the recent Il Tavolo kick-off event at Blaue Ente with Andermatt-Investor Samih Sawiris this spring.

Here you see me at last year’s opening party at Bärengasse cooking alongside Park Hyatt’s famous chef Frank Widmer, author of the cook book “The Cook and the Cowboy“. I cannot wait for our revival tonight…

Il Tavolo is taking place from 25 to 30 June 2014. Tickets are available at Jelmoli + 41 44 220 46 00 or under www.ticketino.ch.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Il Tavolo, © Ilja Tschanen for Blick and © Sandra Bauknecht