Sandra‘s Closet

The reason for my trip to Milan this week was the opening of “O’Clock – time design, design time” with Officine Panerai as the main partner. The exhibition is curated by Silvana Annicchiarico and Jan van Rossem, with a special exhibition design by Patricia Urquiola that analyses the relationship between the concept of time and design, on display at Milan Triennale from 11th October 2011 to 8th January 2012.

The works on show describe the way in which  some 80 international designers and artists have interpreted or represented one of the fundamental themes of our culture, that of time.

Patricia Urquiola has also created for Officine Panerai the installation “I mondi di Officine Panerai” (The worlds of Officine Panerai), presented here for the first time, in which eight watch models recount, as protagonists, the design of Panerai. The installation, positioned at the end of the exhibition, is open from 11th to 23rd October and consists of eight models in as many display cases, in which the watches are presented in a setting that skilfully blends humour and poetry and create the effect of a time tunnel which appears to possess a soul, that of time.

If the link between the concept of time and a brand of high-end timepieces is obvious and immediate, the same can be said of the connection between Panerai and the world of design. The Radiomir and Luminor, created in the 1930s and 1940s for the Italian Navy frogmen commandos, have become icons of fine watch-making since their launch in the 1990s.

Damien Hirst, Beautiful Sunflower Panerai Painting

On the occasion of the exhibition the famous British artist Damien Hirst is premiering two works, made using the spin painting technique and using dials from Panerai watches and household gloss on canvas: Beautiful Sunflower Panerai Painting and Beautiful Fractional Sunflower Panerai Painting.

“I love Panerai”, declared the British artist. “The watches are timeless and I made this spin painting using black Panerai watch faces without hands in the pattern of the seeds in the head of a sunflower – I hope the painting makes you think, we are here for a good time, not a long time.”

Damien Hirst, Beautiful Fractional Sunflower Panerai Painting
© 2011 Damien Hirst and Science Ltd. All rights reserved DACS, 
Photos: by Prudence Cuming Associates

By the way, Damien Hirst has included Panerai watches on several occasions in the past in his works: a Panerai watch is painted on a table next to medicines and a skull in “Skull with Watch” from 2005 and is physically present in the installations “The Tranquility of Solitude (for George Dyer)” (2006), and “Killing Time” (2008).

Gomitolo Clock
Carlo e Benedetta Tamborini
Diamantini & Domeniconi, 2008
courtesy Diamantini & Domeniconi

A cotton-knit cover; almost as if to suggest a subtle link between the technique of measuring time and the art of weaving.

One of my favourite art works is the following, created with different pieces of furniture:

The bug – Time Machine
Patricia Urquiola
site-specific, 2011

Time has always been an obsession for humanity in that it is the least controllable and modifiable element. The strongest limit to be overcome and on which technology and progress can intervene least of all. Dealing with our being limited, with a deadline, which we can try to extend, but not avoid. Dealing with eternity and the impossibility of experiencing it. The curiosity of being able to foresee or read the future, the primary search of every civilization, which perpetuates itself in continuous unlikely and unfound attempts, based on foundations comparable to beliefs. Power linked to a supposed control of time, by means of forecasts, surveys, readings, premonitions, the study of cycles, the creation of systems, genetic analysis, preventative tests, séances, oracles, reading of cards, bones, animal guts, the hand, the stars. To be able to make money on the stock market, to know society’s moods, the opinions of the decision-makers, to create consensus, prevent, anticipate, control. The final solution? Invent a time machine just like the train, the car, the airplane and the spaceship were invented.
Further and further away, faster and faster, in less time, but always and only in the present and space.
The bug is a worm, an insect, something unforeseen, an error, an act of nature or something artificial, like a metaphor for the impossibilty of total control of time.

Patricia Urquiola

Patricia Urquiola in front of her time machine

Patricia Urquiola with me

Poster Plants
Oscar Diaz
2011
courtesy Oscar Diaz

A piece of white paper with a paper tree with branches and a vase filled with green paint. The special material used to make the poster causes the green paint to be absorbed at regular intervals by the branches, so that the plant can „grow“ in the space of a few months.

Domino
Albin Karlsson
2005
courtesy Albin Karlsson

Dominoes arranged into the symbol of infinity fall one after the other in a chain reaction, to then rise again as if controlled by an invisible hand, ad infinitum.

Clock
Christiaan Postma
2008 
courtesy Christiaan Postma

At 3:00 on the clock’s right side, the word THREE will appear, fading out as time passes; then, at about 3:30, the word FOUR will slowly begin to emerge.

Eternity
Alicia Eggert, Mike Fleming
2010
courtesy Alicia Eggert & Mike Fleming

30 clocks and 36 black hands for the hours and the minutes move so as to form the word Eternity every 12 hours and only for a few secons on a white acrylic panel.

Givenchy
Riccardo Tisci
2011
courtesy of Sandra Bauknecht

This one was a little joke…got you? But sometimes clothes are pieces of art.
My look for the exhibition opening: Black and white dress and ruffled jacket with zipper detail by Givenchy, suede pumps by Yves Saint Laurent, stay-ups “Bonny Dots” by Wolford and cocktail ring by Dior Haute Joaillerie.

“Life can only be understood backwards; but must be lived forwards” – Sören Kierkegaard

LoL, Sandra

Suryia Hill to the right with me, Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht

Last Friday, I went to the opening of Marco Perego’s first solo exhibition in Switzerland entitled “Secrets” curated by Isabelle Bscher at Galerie Gmurzynska. The exhibition features works from 2011 including 
3 sculptures, 40 drawings and 10 paintings and will be open until October 25, 2011.

The artist Marco Perego with me last Friday at the opening

Perego, born 1979 in Verona, Italy, is a very good-looking former soccer star who is now based in Los Angeles. He has presented solo shows worldwide, including a solo exhibition at the Museo Archeolgico Nazionale in Florence in 2008. In the same year, he unveiled one of his most controversial pieces, “The only good rockstar is a dead rock star”, a sculpture of a dead Amy Winehouse lying in a pool of blood, long before the soulful R’n’B songstress met an untimely end past July. In 2008 his painted works formed the background of Dolce & Gabbana’s advertising campaign. His animated film “Burn to Shine” will premiere next year at Sundance Film Festival.

Dolce & Gabbana’s S/S 2008 ad campaign with Marco Perego’s paintings in the back

Marco Perego with Isabelle Bscher*

Perego’s Portrait of Isabelle Bscher, Mixed media on paper, 2011

In 2007 Marco describes himself in an interview with the New York Observer like this: “I just believe in my dreams, the sun in the face, wind in the back, the rest take care from the destiny to dance with the stars.” He spent a year with Shamans in Argentina, after which he started his series „Secrets“. Perego who has taken inspiration from Freuds dream analysis, told Bscher: „These are drawings of the unconsious, of the inner demon within.“

The artist is known for his controversial paintings, often a fantasy that perverts images that we take for granted as innocent. For example, when the Evil Queen drops all pretensions of prude as well as her knickers in front of the Seven Dwarves.

Vladimir Restoin-Roitfeld with me

Vladimir Restoin-Roitfeld, Carine Roitfeld’s son, art dealer and curator himself, counts the artist amongst his closest friends. So no wonder, he came with an entourage of famous and close friends to the opening, among them Fiat scion Lapo Elkann and Starvos Niarchos.

From left to right: Mathias Rastorfer, Andrea Kracht, Marco Perego and Lapo Elkann*

Famous friends: Niclas Pol, Vladimir Restoin-Roitfeld, Starvos Niarchos, Andy Valmorbida with Marco Perego.*

About his life in the city and his friends he said once to the New York Observer: “It’s the same, because I never forget where I’m from. I am the same kid. I love to sit down and be like a voyeur. I love to watch people, and feel like a pirate. My friends are the best pirates in the world. I promise.”

Marco Perego, La terre et la lune, 2011, Gypsum, 158 x 140 x 140cm

I especially love the sculpture “La terre et la lune“.
You can count me definitely among Perego’s fans.

LoL, Sandra

My outfit last Friday: 
Baseball jacket, striped pants and top by Balmain, patent shoes by Stella McCartney and bag by Gucci.

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht, Photos with* are courtesy of Galerie Gmurzynska

Last week in Milan, there was quite a party stress going on.
Across from the Gucci party on Via Montenapoleone, Louis Vuitton celebrated the re-opening of their shop on the famous street, followed by a dinner and later a party with cocktails and music to toast the exhibition “The Art of Fashion” curated by Katie Grand which is on show at La Triennale di Milano until October 9th, 2011.

The interior of the Louis Vuitton Via Montenapoleone store.

Gorgeous decoration.

Party people

Lots of celebrities were there.

Beautiful Isabeli Fontana (right) in a sequined dress from the Louis Vuitton Pre-fall 2011 collection.

Anna dello Russo in a head-to-toe look from the Louis Vuitton F/W 2011 runway

Enjoy those photos from the exhibition:

Photos: Courtesy of Louis Vuitton, © Sandra Bauknecht

LoL, Sandra

Fondazione Prada announces the opening of Ca’ Corner della Regina presenting the project of OMA/Rem Koolhaas for its permanent venue in Milan and a selection of works from the collection, kicking off a project that will promote cultural exhibitions, research and study of contemporary artistic languages and more.

The show, which opens on 1 June to coincide with the Biennale 2011 in Venice, will feature works from the Fondazione’s collection, including Jeff Koons, Damien Hirst, Anish Kapoor, Louise Bourgeois, Blinky Palermo, Bruce Nauman, Pino Pascali, Donald Judd, Francesco Vezzoli and many more.

Since its beginnings in 1993, the Fondazione Prada has left deep traces behind and today aspires to make more leading into the future. 
The exhibition “Fondazione Prada – Ca’ Corner della Regina” is curated by Germano Celant and definitely worth a visit.

LoL, Sandra

Exhibition details: Fondazione Prada – Ca’ Corner della Regina

Open days: Wednesday, June 1; Thursday, June 2; Friday, June 3, 2011


Public opening: Saturday, June 4 to Sunday October 2, 2011

KUNSTHALLE ZÜRICH IM MUSEUM BÄRENGASSE
BRUCE CONNER
2. APRIL – 29. MAI 2011

Bruce Conner (1933 – 2008) was an American artist renowned for his work in assemblage, film, drawing, sculpture, painting, collage, and photography, among other disciplines.

Conner first attracted widespread attention with his moody, nylon-shrouded assemblages, complex amalgams of found objects such as women’s stockings, bicycle wheels, broken dolls, fur, fringe, costume jewelry, and candles, often combined with collaged or painted surfaces.

Bruce Conner and Dennis Hopper at the exhibition “The Dennis Hopper one man Show”

James Willis Gallery, San Francisco, 1973
© The Conner Family Trust, San Francisco, VBK, Wien, 2010

He also began making short movies in the late 1950s. Conner’s first and possibly most famous film was entitled A MOVIE (1958). He is said to be the pioneer for today’s MTV’s music clips.

Museum Bärengasse, Bärengasse 20-22,
 CH 8001 Zürich

Bruce Conner for Supervisior campaign poster, 1967. © The Conner Family Trust, San Francisco

One lady blended in perfectly.
I’ m wondering if Dolce & Gabbana seeked inspiration from Conner’s works Untitled (1976) and Untitled (1973) for their leo cardigan…

Two chameleons: Dorothea Mühlemann with me in front of an oeuvre by Bruce Conner.

Yesterday, I went to a ladies art luncheon to the the exhibition above. It was truly remarkable to see all those beautiful handbags the guests were carrying. You might have figured this out already, but I am a handbag addict and obviously I am not alone.

Hermès and Chanel models were spotted most, followed by Fendi’s Peekaboos. Enjoy the photos I took and stay tuned for tomorrow’s post that has a lot do with a woman’s obsession for handbags.

LoL, Sandra

Hermès

Hermès

Hermès

Chanel

Chanel

Chanel

Chanel

Fendi

Gucci

Chloé

Balenciaga

Miu Miu

Louis Vuitton

A sparkling gift from a good friend…

…and a vibrant catch from St. Tropez.
Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht

Starting from today, Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty, is on view until July 31, 2011 at the Metropolitan Museum’s second-floor Cantor Galleries.

So if you just can’t get enough after having seen Kate Middleton’s bridal dress, that was made by Sarah Burton for the house of McQueen, you might consider a trip to NYC. The designer’s costume institute retrospective features approximately 100 ensembles and 70 accessories from the late designer’s prolific 19-year carreer with some outstanding pieces from the Givenchy Archive in Paris, custom-made items from the closet of Isabella Blow and even his graduate collection at Central St.Martins among others.

To celebrate the opening of the exhibition, the Museum’s Costume Institute Benefit took place Monday night with high-profile guests in high-profile fashion. The Met gala has anyway become over the years the fashion community’s biggest red carpet night. It was no wonder to spot some McQueen tributes to the mix.

My favourite two looks by Alexander McQueen were Gisèle Bündchen who looked so radiant in her red gown next to her husband Tom Brady…

… and Anna Dello Russo, known for her eclectic style, showed up in a pant suit from the S/S 2011 collection, divine!

As for me, the ultimate highlights were the „Stella Girls“ with Stella McCartney herself making an appearance in a black and white tuxedo gown of her own design. It was a modern, probably experimental but uncoventional look. The British designer is also a Co-Chair for the fundraising event.

The Stella McCartney parade was led by Madonna in a silky blue gown with a beautiful embroidered train. With her 50’s hair and make-up, she looked very Hollywood. Wow!

Very pregnant Kate Hudson glowed in her champagne-coloured Stella gown and long tousled hair.

This is my favourite. Gwyneth Paltrow chose to go with long sleeves which was a popular trend at the gala. So simple and absolutely stunning. The actress is good friends with the British designer.

Rihanna in a one-shoulder black lace gown, an iconic Stella look!

Adding some colour drama, Eva Mendes enhanced her complexion by wearing a cobalt blue plissé dress by Stella McCartney. So beautiful!

What a night!

LoL, Sandra

“Think of the prep world as a grosgrain ribbon encircling the globe!”
Lisa Birnbach

As if Tommy Hilfiger wasn’t preppy enough; he is taking the show on the road this spring with Prep World, a unique limited edition capsule collection of 60 pieces for both genders.

Helping him with the ambassadorial mission is Lisa Birnbach, author of “The Official Preppy Handbook“, the recent “True Prep: It’s a Whole New Old World“, and just for tommy.com, “The Prep World Gobal Guide”, which will include local lifestyle recommendations.

The line, that will be in stores and available on tommy.com starting April 28, include everything you need to become a true prep, from the signature blazer to the Oxford dress, accessorized with such accoutrements as boat shoes, duck boots, Ping-Pong paddles and badminton rackets.

Inspired by Nantucket in the summer, Hilfiger will bring his brand’s DNA around the world with a global “Prep World” tour.

Starting in the French capital , the first showcase Americana style cottage has been placed this weekend in front of the Centre Pompidou. Parisians can explore the “Preppy Look“, something that reflects the American identity. Other cities will follow to experience the airy beach cottage, among them Stockholm, London and Tokyo.

And by the way, Hilfiger calls it a drop-in store in his very preppy way. So don’t be so vulgar to name it a pop-up… Some pop, but true preps, they drop!

This weekend, I went to see the exhibition of Jani Leinonen, one of my favourite artists, at Galerie Gmurzynska. The Finnish 33 year-old rising star presented nothing less than the kidnapping and execution of Ronald McDonald at Paradeplatz in Zurich.
„The Hamburger company’s advertising figure is a symbol of capitalism and also a clown. That’s what makes it interesting to me as an artist“, says Leinonen.

Jani was good for groundbreaking headlines in the beginning of this year when he and his friends calling themselves the „Food Liberation Army – FLA“ stole a Ronald McDonald statue from a McDonald’s restaurant in Helsinki.

In an Al Quaeda-style video, they staged the beheading of the famous symbol and tried to force the American chain to answer some questions about how it produces its products.  The fast food company refused any dialogue. The videos of the kidnapping were viewed more than 700,000 times on You Tube.

Leinonen, who definitely knows how to play the game, is nevertheless a true professional when it comes to markting himself. He even has bigger plans to set up a park full of Ronalds but McDonald’s refused to sell him the statues.

The charming guy from Helsinki took the idea of a funeral even further. Tombstones with iconic Louis Vuitton logo prints or the packaging of YSL Paris were placed in the beginning of the exhibition. I have to admit that I had never thought about how my tombstone should look like, assuming it will hopefully take a long time until it is needed, but I am absolutely tempted to have some logo print going on there.

Jani Leinonen with hotelier Andrea Kracht and his wife Gigi, who exhibited his enormous cereal box installations last year at her famous Art in the Park event in the beautiful garden of the Baur au Lac.

Leinonen has three main objectives for his future: First, he wants to create a piece of art that will be stolen one day from a museum. Second, an artwork of his should be so good that it will get copied in Shanghai. And last but not least, he wants to become so famous that Damien Hirst’s mother knows him.

Pretty cool! And probably not so unlikely… I am better keeping the inscription he wrote for me. It might be worth a fortune one day.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht

The IWC booth at the 21st SIHH was designed in the style of the 1950s and `60s right down to the last detail, transporting the visitors to the Italian-style joie de vivre of Portofino, to the sweet dolce fa niente… as the hours go by.
The hostesses were dressed in beautiful petticoats with make-up and hair finishing off the perfect vintage look. A scooter parked in front of the “Via Scafusia”, an ice-cream vendor, a cinema for press presentations were just among those amazing ideas to create the wonderful surrounding.
Have fun seeing all the celebs who came to the fair. Hollywood made in Switzerland, two thumbs up!

LoL, Sandra

Georges Kern, CEO of IWC, in his amazing office at the booth.

On display his well-deserved award...

...and the beautiful photo book by Peter Lindbergh.

Tim Jeffries had a good laugh with Ronan Keating...

...before inspecting all the beautiful new Portofino watches.

Tim Jeffries with me.

Vitali Klitschko had a brief conversation with Ion Tiriac about sports.

Boris Becker with me.

Lilly Becker with me.

French former soccer player Zinédine Zidane with Georges Kern.

Luis Figo greeted Joachim Loew, soccer trainer and one of the best dressed men.

Director of the 007 James Bond movie Quantum of Solace Marc Forster with me.

That is me taking the photo below...

...of Kevin Spacey and Georges Kern enjoying the photos.

Later on, Cate Blanchett looked at the amazing book.

That might have been one of her favourite pages.

Photographer Peter Lindbergh with Cate Blanchett.

LOST actor Matthew Fox surprised with his beard.

And here she came: Gorgeous Elle Macpherson.

On the scooter with colleague Matthew Fox.

Loved her look with the red shoes and the little toe rings.

Elle greeted cheerfully Peter Lindbergh.

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht, © Getty Images for IWC

This week I went to the 21st SIHH (Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie) in Geneva. This private trade fair is a landmark event for the fine watch sector, and at this year’s show, 19 watch brands presented their new products, including Baume & Mercier, Cartier and Montblanc among others. IWC Schaffhausen definitely topped everything, celebrating the launch of their latest generation of its Portofino family.

Portofino that stands for the dolce vita of the 1960s had inspired the name of the IWC watch collection that took the world by storm in 1984 when its first model hit the market. It was the result of a happy union between the pocket watch and wristwatch.

So let me introduce you to those new members of rare beauty and simple elegance.

The Portofino Automatic (Reference 3565), the unassuming star from Schaffhausen, will be available this year with a reworked design in a contemporary 40-millimetre case. Its classical shape is reminiscent of the IWC models from the 1960s without overdoing the retro vibe.

The watch can be customised with a strap or Milanese bracelet that is made of tightly woven wire mesh and that was highly popular during this era.
For further information, please click here.

The Portofino Chronograph (Reference 3910) is the elegant way to stop time. Inspired by the classical, functional design that characterised the Italian sports cars of the 1960s, it is a very understated watch making no exhibition of its sporting ambitions. The displays and stopwatch controls are elegantly integrated.
Apart from the classical alligator leather straps, it is also available with a cool but snug-fitting Milanese mesh bracelet.
For further information, please click here.

One watch – two times: The Portofino Dual Time (Reference 3610) is the perfect companion for the sophisticated world traveller with its understated 24-hour display in the upper half of the dial that keeps him reliably informed about the time back home. The unique elegant alligator straps are handmade by Italian top-quality shoemaker Santoni. Each strap is one of its own.
For further information, please click here.

The Portofino Hand-Wound Eight Days (Reference 5101) is the family’s new flagship with its newly developed IWC-manufactured 59210-calibre movement and power reserve display that will run for full eight days. This watch comes also with a one-of-a-kind leather strap made by Santoni.
For further information, please click here.

Renowned photographer Peter Lindbergh captured the mood of the IWC Portofino 2011 watch family with amazing photos shot last summer in the picturesque Italian harbour town and featuring a crowd of A-list celebrities like Boris Becker, Cate Blanchett, Elle Macpherson, Hiroyuki Sanada, Jean Reno, Kevin Spacey, Marc Forster, Ronan Keating, Tim Jefferies, Zinédine Zidane, just to name a few.
Georges Kern, the brand’s CEO, brought Hollywood to Switzerland as most of them were party attendees and even visited the booth. Stay tuned for some gorgeous photos that I took. In the meantime enjoy this feast for the eyes: “Days in Portofino“ with famous Peter Lindbergh.

LoL, Sandra