Sandra‘s Closet

In Shanghai, I stayed at the newly opened Mandarin Oriental Pudong Shanghai, a temple of luxury. Located on the banks of the Huangpu River, the hotel offers amazing views of the famous Bund. The moment you step through the door, you feel the peaceful environment and are taken by the impressive art collection. 4000 original artworks are on display throughout the public spaces and guestrooms.

In the entry hall, a gigantic mosaic by leading Chinese artist Miao Tong welcomes the distinguished guests.

On my arrival, I was warmly welcomed by the lovely team. I stayed in one of the amazing 44 suites that combine Oriental style with contemporary furniture perfectly. The gorgeous interior design can also be found in the other 318 guestrooms.

All accommodations feature a large executive desk, an espresso machine, a traditional teapot with Jing teas and a minibar.

My spacious marble bathroom was to die for. Laying in the circular bathtub, I watched TV while gazing out across the city’s iconic skyline. The amenities are by sought-after London based perfumer Ormonde Jayne that I adore.

I was also invited to view Shanghai’s largest and most expensive Presidential Suite. Spanning 788 square metres, it features two private sky gardens, separate areas for dining, entertaining, meeting and resting. In addition, the large bathroom includes a two-metre Jacuzzi and steam room, plus a private gym and spa treatment room. Famous Chinese actor Jackie Chan was one of the first guests staying in this suite.

The hotel offers many different essential dining options for business and leisure. Celebrity chefs spoil their guests in six superb restaurants and bars, all equipped with outdoor seating facilities.

The Riviera Lounge is a great place to enjoy your afternoon tea.

At Zest restaurant, breakfast is served.

Shanghai chef Tony Lu serves authentic Jiang Nan cuisine at the Yong Yi Ting restaurant.

Yong Yi Ting also offers a Chef’s Table with a show kitchen for special degustation meals and cooking demonstrations. Famous German chef Alfons Schuhbeck had just been here to learn more about this traditional Chinese cuisine.

The hotel is also a great choice for events with a versatile range of rooms including a ballroom that can seat up to 500 guests. I was very impressed by the showroom for special celebrations where all sorts of chairs, china, tableware and party themes are thoughtfully displayed.

The Mandarin Cake Shop

I spent one entire afternoon at the spa and gym of the hotel. It is the perfect place to rejuvenate your body and mind, a becalming oasis of Zen. The butterfly is the muse for the interior design, a symbol of beauty and change in Chinese culture.

The 13 treatment suites are named “butterfly” in different world languages, including Mariposa (Spanish), Papillon (French), Kupu-Kupu (Indonesian), and Euthalia (Greek).

A spectular 25-metre indoor pool along with a vitality and children’s pool is open 24 hours along with a gym featuring a large range of Technogym equipment.

I can absolutely recommend the Mandarin Oriental Pudong Shanghai. The team did everything to make my stay unforgettable and as convenient as possible. A jewel of Shanghai!

LoL, Sandra

Photos used for the collages: Courtesy of Mandarin Oriental.
All other photos: © Sandra Bauknecht

Yesterday, I spent a fun afternoon at the Park Hyatt Zurich filming the short film for this year’s Il Tavolo Food Festival which will take place from June 27 -30, 2013. For more information and to get tickets, please click here.

The movie directed by Gerry Hofstetter will be presented at the opening night that will be held at the Bärengasse restaurant. I am feeling very honoured to be part of this fun event as one of the amateur chefs which might surprise some of my friends. Cooking has never belonged to my biggest passions, but I love to decorate the plates and the table. Nevertheless, you have to challenge yourself sometimes.

Frank Widmer, Executive Chef at the Park Hyatt in Zurich, took me under his wing and with his help, I managed to prepare some very yummy food yesterday. And as you can see, I had a blast and even learned how to sauté the calamari.

Enjoy those behind the scenes photos! They will surely whet your appetite…
If you like my look, click here for the previous post when we shot the ad.

LoL, Sandra

A happy team: Frank Widmer framed by Lucy Tallo (PR/TICULAR) and my humble self. 
Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht

I love what I do and that makes me happy. If you find the thing you really enjoy doing, work will not be work anymore, it will become pleasure. Sandra’s Closet is my passion, my addiction and my daily dose of fulfillment. I hope that you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy posting it.

Here you see me on my way to one of my favourite sushi places in Zurich: GINGER. I included some photos of my beloved dishes below.

My look: Trompe l’oeil dress with oversized sweater top and leather skirt by Closed, blue long sleeve top by H&M, H Hobo Grande soft off-white nubuck leather bag by Hogan, silk scarf and cross necklace, both by Gabriele Frantzen, bangles by Sal y Limon, Kate ankle boots by De Siena, Tank Americaine watch by Cartier and Mat Opaque 80 tights in black by Wolford.

LoL, Sandra

Beef filet with ponzu sauce

Salmon carpaccio with egg

Salmon aburi

Kingfish carpaccio

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht

This spring, you could enjoy a special Jimmy Choo themed afternoon tea at The Landmark Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Hong Kong. This fashion afternoon tea featured tempting items such as edible miniature high heels and sandwiches made to resemble the design of the CAYLA clutch.

Cayla studded snake clutch by Jimmy Choo

Who could resist those mouth-watering savoury bites such as Foie Gras High Heels on Crispy Brioche Bread or sweet temptations like Milk Chocolate High Heels filled with Lemon and Chocolate Biscuits. For more information, please call MO Bar at +852 2132 0077.

In case that you won’t make it to Hong Kong, check out the Prêt-à-PorTea at the Berkeley Hotel in London.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of The Landmark Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong and Jimmy Choo

“Dior is this agile genius of our times whose magical name contains Dieu (God) and or (gold).”
– Jean Cocteau

When I was with Marionnaud in London for the Rodial Beautiful Awards (post coming up in the beginning of next week), I had the chance to take a glimpse at the So Dior exhibition at Harrods, showcasing artists reinterpreting some of Dior’s most famous codes.

The Brompton Road store windows are transformed into Dior’s iconic colours of grey and white, featuring the complete product palette of the French Maison.

Inside the department store, on the fourth floor, I entered “the ultimate Dior experience”, from the house’s Lady Dior handbag to its instantly recognisable scent, J’Adore.

To celebrate the exhibition, Harrods has launched a set of limited edition Dior cupcakes. If you are unable to make it to the store, then fear not, as you can purchase them online HERE.

The Harrods Dior takeover will run until April 14, 2013.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht and Courtesy of Dior

My dear readers, I am wishing you fabulous Easter weekend! I am so much looking forward to mine. After all those amazing travels, I need some rest and time to write about all my recent adventures before hitting off to new ones soon.

So how do my perfect Easter treats look like?
To get started, I love drinking coffee. At the moment, I wake up my mornings with Nespresso‘s new Grand Cru LINZIO LUNGO. A smooth and well-rounded blend with rich notes that will gradually awaken your senses. It tastes so perfect in combination with a croissant or a piece of chocolate. Yes, I love chocolate for breakfast. Personally speaking, it tastes never better than in the morning with a fresh cup of coffee. And having time to read the newspaper is heaven…

Nespresso Grand Cru LINIZO LUNGO CHF 5.20 (10 capsules)
Available in Nespresso stores and online.

Perfect and cute chocolate for Easter: LAPINS de PAQUES by Maison Cailler.
Available in two versions online for CHF 24.00 (16 pieces).

And for all fashionistas among you who wouldn’t touch a croissant or prefer doing sports instead of reading the newspaper in the morning, I have some very fun and fashionable treats:

Croissant gold-plated clutch by Charlotte Olympia

Carrying the newspaper might be more chic than reading it…

C’est La Vie embroidered printed crepe de chine clutch by Charlotte Olympia

And as there is no chocolate bag around, you might go for this version below:

Pink Scent perfume bottle perspex clutch by Charlotte Olympia

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of the brands

This morning, I attended the Omega press conference in the presence of Nicole Kidman that I will show you very soon. It was freezing cold today in Vienna so that I didn’t feel like being outside for too long. In the afternoon, I took a “Fiaker”, a horse carriage, to the city’s iconic Sacher hotel to treat myself to the probably most famous chocolate cake in the world: Original Sacher-Torte.

Its story began in 1832, when it was created by a 16 year old apprentice in his second year, Franz Sacher, for Wenzel Clemens Prince Metternich, the chancellor of Austria. The head chef was ill and not able to fulfill the important order so that the teenaged Franz Sacher had to invent something on the spot. That was the day when the victorious career of the renowned Austrian dessert composition began…

The basis is a chocolate cake, thinly coated by hand with best-quality apricot jam. The chocolate icing on top of it is the crowning glory. You can order it online here.

My look: Python-print down jacket by Roberto Cavalli, red knit dress with chiffon ruffles and black scarf with gold threads, both by Gucci, boots by Balmain and my beloved leather tote by Saint Laurent.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht

The Brown’s hotel belongs to my favourites in London and their English Tea Room is famous. My preferred choice is their ‘TEA-TOX’, a healthy version of their award-winning Traditional Afternoon Tea. Served on tea-stands, you can indulge in healthy treats without feeling too naughty. For more information, please click here. And with such good conscience, you can hop over to Bruton Street where some of my beloved stores are located such as Stella McCartney and Matthew Williamson to look for the new season’s must-haves.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht and Courtesy of Brown’s Hotel

Recently, I visited the Chopard headquarters in Meyrin, that is very close to Geneva. The Swiss brand that is known for its luxury watches and high end jewelry was bought in 1963 by Karl Scheufele, owner of a manufacturing company of the same kind in Pforzheim, Germany. At this time, Chopard had four employees. The Scheufele family brought their knowledge and talents to Chopard and brought the company to what it is today. An established still family-owned business – with around 2.000 selling points around the world – that produces 75.000 jewelry pieces per year, and that makes the mechanical movements and all the gold used for the creations in-house. Today, Caroline Scheufele, a gemologist in charge for the precious stones buying and the exceptional creations, along with her brother Karl-Friedrich Scheufele run the business.

Me in front of the headquarters, wearing a dress and scarf by Gucci, coat by Etro, boots by Balenciaga and bag by Céline.

After a brief introduction, the lovely team showed me around the different manufacturing stations. The photos below are taken in  the room where the beautiful Imperiale collection is made. It is very impressive to see how much work, love for detail and craftsmanship go into one piece of jewelry. And of course, the best part was, when I was able to try the stunning valuables on. My nail polish and dress matched the rose gold and the cushion-cut amethyst of the Imperiale ring (REF : 829221-5039) perfectly.

The Imperiale collection is inspired by ancient embroidered patterns and decorative elements of the East. This pattern recalls the refined craftsmanship and elegant designs of empires past, and lends an exotic twist to the jewelry pieces.

On the way to my favourite part of the visit, I spotted the famous Palme d’Or designed and hand crafted every year in the workshops of Chopard. (Do you remember when I went with Chopard to the Cannes Film Festival last year, if not, please click here).

Chopard’s diamonds have dominated the Cannes red carpet since many years. The high jewlery collections, designed by co-president and artistic director, Caroline Scheufele, are truly breathtaking. Some of my favourites are the Precious Temptations and the Harrods Disney Princesses collections.

At the artisan atelier, I spotted also some made-to-order pieces like this absolutely amazing dog necklace. The goldsmith had several sketches of a dog’s physiognomy and produced a wax model before making the final piece. It is absolutely captivating to watch the passionate craftsmen at work.

The culmination of my imperial day with Chopard was a lunch at the famous Bayview restaurant at the Président Wilson hotel in Geneva. (Remember when I was there with La Mer. If not, please click here.) Such a treat prepared by one of the most famous chef in the world, Michel Roth (MOF and Bocuse d’Or – 1991) who served a feast for the eyes and culinary delight. The dessert in the shape of a ring was so cute. Thank you, Chopard, for that wonderful experience!

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht

Today, the doorbell rang and the postman delivered some beautiful literally sweet surprises. The Park Hyatt Zurich sent me such a gorgeous cake in the shape of a bag that complemented the new limited edition nail polish shades by Estée Lauder PURE COLOR HEAVY PETALS perfectly.

The new limited edition spring collection of lacquers looks delicious thanks to its inspiration from the famous macaron dessert. The shades are from left to right: Narcissist, Lilac Leather, Coral Cult, Dilettante France, and Absinthe.

To a tasty weekend!

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Estée Lauder and © Sandra Bauknecht