Sandra‘s Closet

Members Only: The Bristol Society Fitness Club Opens Its Private World

For all my Parisian readers among you, I have some great news for you. This month, a new chapter begins at Le Bristol Paris. For the first time in its history, the legendary palace hotel on Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré opens the doors of its once entirely private fitness sanctuary to a select circle of external members.

Conceived as far more than a gym, the Bristol Society Fitness Club is an intimate universe where physical discipline meets aesthetic refinement. Spread across 117 square meters of light-filled space, the club blends precision, balance, and mindful well-being into an experience that feels both exclusive and deeply personal.

The main studio, lined with warm oak parquet and softly shimmering walls, features state-of-the-art cardio and strength equipment. Large windows frame the elegant rhythm of the Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré, turning every workout into a quietly cinematic moment.

A second, fully privatizable studio is dedicated to yoga, reformer Pilates, and stretching. Designed for tailored sessions, it offers cutting-edge equipment and absolute tranquility, a true refuge for body and mind.

Between invigorating training and restorative calm, members move seamlessly from focused effort to the soothing warmth of the hammam. Two exclusive memberships shape this rarefied world:
• The Prestige Membership – €8,000 per year
• The Signature Membership – €20,000 per year

At the Bristol Society Fitness Club, luxury is never loud. It is felt in discretion, in the freedom to retreat inward, and in an atmosphere where every detail is curated with quiet elegance, allowing the body to be strengthened and the mind gently restored.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Le Bristol
DISCLOSURE: We may earn commission from links on this page, but I only recommend products I love. Promise.

My Kind of Slumber Party – Celebrating the Launch of Olympia The Label

There are evenings that stay with you, not only because they are beautiful, but because they bring together creativity, passion, and a wonderful sense of community. The recent launch event of Olympia The Label in the heart of Zurich was exactly that kind of night.

Hosted inside the iconic Mandarin Oriental Savoy, the setting was elegant yet inviting, creating the perfect backdrop for the debut of a Swiss premium pyjama and lifestyle brand that already feels destined for great things.

The dress code for the evening? Pyjamas, which, if you ask me, made it officially my kind of slumber party. Naturally, I fully embraced the theme and arrived in my own set, leaning into the playful sophistication of the night. To complete the look, I carried a Moschino pillow-shaped bag the perfect accessory for a pyjama-inspired outfit and a true statement piece that captured the spirit of the evening.

And the fashion moment didn’t end there. Heading straight to dinner afterward still dressed in my pyjamas definitely turned heads. It sparked conversations, drew a few admiring smiles, and proved that great style doesn’t have to follow traditional rules.

What immediately caught my attention were the designs themselves. Crafted with delicate scalloped edges, the pieces combine timeless elegance with a charming femininity. These thoughtful details elevate classic sleepwear into something truly special, luxurious yet comfortable, refined yet effortlessly wearable.

Shana Conod

The evening was made even more memorable by the inspiring people behind the brand. Visionary designer Shana Conod has clearly poured her heart into this project, which was named after her little daughter, and it shows in every detail. Supported by Switzerland’s renowned PR manager Laura Zanni, the launch felt seamless, joyful, and full of pride.

Laura Zanni

Guests were also treated to beautiful blowouts by Nathanael Alexander, perfectly complementing the equally stunning pyjamas, a reminder that when attention to detail meets creativity, magic happens.

Nathanael Alexander

Yet beyond the aesthetics, what made the night truly special was the spirit of support. Watching a dream come to life reminds us how important it is to uplift one another, especially in creative industries. Celebrating the success of others doesn’t dim our own light, it allows the entire community to shine brighter.

Olympia The Label may just be getting started, but the brand already radiates confidence, grace, and ambition. If this launch is any indication of what’s to come, the future looks incredibly promising.

With Jaz Brunner and Shana Conod.

Here’s to strong women, beautiful design, unforgettable evenings,  and, of course, more slumber parties in style.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht and Courtesy of Olympia The Label
DISCLOSURE: We may earn commission from links on this page, but I only recommend products I love. Promise.

Continuing this beautiful intersection of design and everyday rituals, there’s yet another collaboration that truly caught my eye: Christofle × Saint Laurent, this time at the table.

I’ve always loved the idea that style doesn’t stop at fashion or interiors, but extends into the smallest daily gestures. Cutlery is something we use without thinking, yet in this collaboration it becomes intentional, bold, and unmistakably chic. Christofle’s craftsmanship meets Saint Laurent’s sharp, modern edge, turning something functional into a true design statement.

It’s elegant, slightly rebellious, and effortlessly cool, proof that even the act of eating can feel curated. A reminder that luxury isn’t always about excess, but about elevating the ordinary into something special. Style, after all, is in the details.

Available to order for € 5000 for a set of 24 pieces (6 knives, 6 forks, 6 large spoons, 6 coffee spoons in 30mm silver-plated nickel silver, 100% stainless steel steel) online here.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Saint Laurent
DISCLOSURE: We may earn commission from links on this page, but I only recommend products I love. Promise.

It’s truly board game season … Balenciaga created a limited-edition Monopoly game with fashion-themed tokens (like scissors, mannequins) and properties, as an exclusive gift for VIP clients, part of a luxury trend where brands sell culture and nostalgia through unique experiences, not standard retail products, focusing on brand exclusivity and high-value storytelling.

The goal is to generate buzz, reinforce brand exclusivity, and offer a unique, desirable experience rather than a mass-market product.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Balenciaga
DISCLOSURE: We may earn commission from links on this page, but I only recommend products I love. Promise.

After the playful take from Miu Miu, there’s another game collaboration that truly stands out—this time in a much quieter, more architectural way: Bottega Veneta × Jenga.

As a genuine game lover, I’m fascinated by how Bottega Veneta turns Jenga into an almost sculptural design object. The familiar tension and balance remain, but everything feels calmer, more intentional, and undeniably refined. It’s less about winning fast and more about the experience, the weight, the focus, the shared moment.

That said, this elevated take on play definitely comes at a price. At € 5,200, it’s a number that genuinely made me pause (and yes, I find it pretty wild). Still, it perfectly shows how far luxury can push even the simplest game, transforming it into a statement piece where design, craftsmanship, and play collide.

Available online for pre-order here.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Bottega Veneta
DISCLOSURE: We may earn commission from links on this page, but I only recommend products I love. Promise

As a lifelong card-game enthusiast, honestly, a game lover in every sense, I get genuinely excited when play meets creativity. That’s why the UNO × Miu Miu collaboration instantly won me over.

UNO has always been about color, speed, and a little chaos at the table. Seeing it reimagined through Miu Miu’s fashion lens turns a classic game night into a style statement. It’s playful, nostalgic, and unapologetically chic, proof that fun doesn’t have to check its style at the door. This limited-edition UNO® X Miu Miu set includes a deck of cards with special graphic art, a soft leather case with a contrasting logo, and special packaging. This iconic piece is designed for collectors.

For someone who loves shuffling cards and flipping through fashion, this feels like the best of both worlds. Game on, now in fashion mode.  Available at MIU MIU stores for CHF 470.00.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Miu Miu
DISCLOSURE: We may earn commission from links on this page, but I only recommend products I love. Promise

Happy New Year 2026 to you all! I started the new year in St. Moritz, surrounded by my close friends, winter glamour, music, laughter, and exactly the kind of energy a new beginning deserves. We celebrated up on top of the mountain at White Marmot with good vibes, strong looks, and the feeling of truly stepping forward.

The year behind me was not an easy one, but this night reminded me of something essential: life moves, energy matters, and joy is something worth choosing again and again. We danced, celebrated, laughed, fully present, fully alive.

At the same time, the tragedy in Crans-Montana was a sobering reminder of how fragile life is, how quickly everything can change. My thoughts are with everyone affected. I wish strength, light, and healing to all who are grieving.

And maybe that’s exactly why moments like these matter so much.
Why we celebrate.
Why we gather.
Why we start again with intention, joy, and courage.

Grateful for my friends!

For this new year, I wish you energy, laughter, love, and the confidence to embrace everything good that comes your way. Let’s move forward, bold, grateful, and fully awake to life. 2026 – consider this my energy era.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht
DISCLOSURE: We may earn commission from links on this page, but I only recommend products I love. Promise!

Last week, we gathered to say goodbye to my father, in the same forest, beside the same tree, where we stood only two months ago to say goodbye to my mother. The same place, the same quiet air, the same sacred ground that holds both of them now. And although it breaks my heart, it also fills me with peace. They are together again where they always belonged.

We came dressed in black with a touch of green, his favorite color, as he wished, and in the way he always loved me to express my emotions through what I wear: a hat with a Gamsbart, traditional touches he would have smiled at, and the CHANEL bag he gave me as a young girl, the very first one, carried close to my heart today.

And as if the sky wanted to honor him too, the day was bright and cold, a true Kaiserwetter: icy air, but sunlight pouring through the trees, warming us from above. It felt as though he were sending us one last golden greeting.

There was so much love around us. So many memories. My childhood friends came, a gesture that touched me deeply and helped carry me through this day. And all around, I felt kindness, warmth, and support from every side.

At one moment, I leaned toward the tree, the same tree where we stood for my mother, and kissed its bark. And in that brief second, it felt as if I was holding her again. As if the tree had become a bridge between worlds, carrying both of them in its roots and branches. A quiet embrace that wrapped itself around my heart.

My father was the most loyal, honest, and authentic man I have ever known. A true good soul, gentle, humorous, sociable, always ready to help, always seeing the best in others. He loved nature, he loved traveling, he loved wandering through the world with curiosity in his eyes. And he loved deeply especially my mother. Their bond was one of the great loves of a lifetime.

He gave love, and he received love. He lived with kindness, and he left with kindness. And now, after 83 years in this world, he has returned home back into a greater light, back to the woman he loved with all his heart.

It moves me to think that their journeys began and ended in such harmony: Two months apart. One final path leading them back to each other. A circle completed with grace. It was a day of farewell but also a day of gratitude. Gratitude for the memories, for the laughter, for the stories, for the quiet moments, for the love that will stay with us forever.

And as the sunlight shone through the trees, I felt something else too:
A gentle reassurance.
A whisper from above.

We are together again.
We are at peace.
We are watching over you.

Papa, I love you.
Thank you for everything you were, everything you gave, everything you taught me.
You will stay in my heart, always.

And now you are with Mama again.
That thought brings me comfort, and maybe even a little bit of joy.

Rest in peace, Papa.
You are home.

With love, Sandra

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht
DISCLOSURE: We may earn commission from links on this page, but I only recommend products I love. Promised.

Rest in Peace Papa 🖤
December 6, 1942 – October 23, 2025

«My father’s love is the quiet light that will forever guide me home.»

Today is my mother’s birthday and though she is no longer with us, I believe she isn’t celebrating alone. My father has joined her on the way to celebrate together, just as they always did in life.

My father was the most loyal, honest, and authentic person I have ever known. A truly good soul, kind to everyone, never speaking an unkind word about anyone. He loved nature, he loved taking the train, he loved to travel and he loved horses and riding. He was sociable, funny, and always there for others. For me, he was simply the best dad anyone could ever wish for.

We shared wonderful journeys together, just the two of us, and later also with my daughter. We relived so many stories and memories on those trips.
Among the photos I’ll show today is one from Rome, our last trip together. The Eternal City will forever be tied to him in my heart. During that trip, I gave him a very special gift, a papal audience at the Vatican, an experience that filled him with joy.

Then there was Iceland, where we traveled all around the island with Anouk, and the US including Chicago, where he came to visit us while we lived there.

And there’s another very special photo from 1985, when I was ten years old. He took me with him on a business trip to Moscow and St. Petersburg because he knew how much I loved ballet. One evening, he took me to the Bolshoi Theatre, in the presence of Mikhail Gorbachev, to watch a ballet performance. That’s who he was, thoughtful, generous, and always finding joy in making others happy.

He passed away through a tragic accident. After breaking his thigh and undergoing surgery, his dementia made him forget that he had been operated on. When he tried to get up, he fell and suffered a severe head injury. The swelling and bleeding became too much for his body.
I was with him through his final days in palliative care, day and night. It was heartbreaking, but also a beautiful farewell, peaceful, full of love, just like when my mother passed away.

They were each other’s great love. I have never seen a couple with such a deep, genuine bond. So it does not surprise me that, only two months after my mother’s passing, my father followed her.

To both of you, I wish you joy and peace up there. Celebrate, laugh, and keep watching over us.
I am forever grateful and proud to have had such wonderful parents.

Dad, I love you. Always.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht

A tribute to joy & optimism
Veuve Clicquot and Simon Porte Jacquemus, French designer and founder of the eponymous brand, are pleased to unveil a poetic and joyful reinterpretation of La Grande Dame 2018, the Maison’s prestige cuvée, as a limited edition. Exuding sunlit optimism while honouring the beauty of artisanal tradition, a standout design is signed by Simon Porte Jacquemus as an artistic expression with a crafted touch.

The collaboration unites two creative universes illuminated by the joy that is deeply rooted in their respective identities. The emblematic Veuve Clicquot yellow, first introduced in 1877, radiates the colour of the sun, while Simon Porte Jacquemus remains eternally inspired by his solar Southern French roots.

Present throughout this collaboration, the iconic yellow of Veuve Clicquot plays a role both visually and symbolically. Here, Simon’s favourite colour illuminates the drape, like a ray of sun that rises from linen. Yellow, a symbol of joy, also blends with silver and natural tones, adding both warmth and modernity.

At the heart of the collaboration is a shared homage to women. The story of Madame Clicquot, an exceptional woman who boldly took the reins of the House in 1805 when women had few rights – and was named ‘la grande dame de la Champagne’ after her death -captivated Simon, whose mother is his forever muse and who conveys the strength and sensuality of women through his designs.

This limited edition is instantly recognisable for its handwritten logo and signature by Simon on an irregularly edged yellow label embossed with sun rays. The bottle is draped with white linen evoking the timeless elegance of family heirlooms that have been carefully washed, sun-dried, and starched with Marseille soap. This white linen is also a reference to an old Italian method used to keep bottles cool: a cloth is soaked in water and then wrapped around the flask to maintain its chill during hot summer days. The fluid calligraphy in yellow embroidery suggests a surreal, almost living presence, as though gently written by hand.

«La Grande Dame 2018 is the outcome of simple materials, meaningful gestures, and strong women’s stories, yet it is ultimately a celebration of – and for – optimistic and memorable moments,» adds Simon. «From the bright and joyful spirit to the excellence in savoir-faire, I admire and share the same values as Veuve Clicquot.»

Bridging the codes of couture and champagne, the gift box is sheathed in a «toile du Marais» fabric with sun rays and a ribbon alternating the Veuve Clicquot logo and Simon’s signature. It reflects Simon’s innate love of objects and his belief in the poetry of everyday life.

Masterpiece «Le Rafraichissoir», a fresh take on champagne service
A custom rafraîchissoir (cooler) extends his eye for sculpture into functional design. Simon revisits the At Home Champagne Ritual by breathing new life into the rafraîchissoir, an object rooted in the refined culture of the 18th century, which has left an indelible mark on the history of Maison Veuve Clicquot. True to his aesthetic, he infuses it, and more generally the idea of the traditional champagne service, with imaginative yet subtle details.

Inspired by Medici vases, the design composed of a champagne bucket and a glass cooler (which can be used together or separately), also incorporates personal references such as the rounded square handles and a fish trompe l’oeil that nods to Simon’s Mediterranean roots. Upholding the savoir-faire of metalsmithing, he collaborated on the design with Camille Orfèvre, recipient of the prestigious ‘Meilleur Ouvrier de France’ award, which recognizes exceptional craftsmanship. With an atelier in the Marais, the master artisan remains one of the last orfèvres (metalsmiths) in Paris and possesses an EPV (Company of Living Heritage) label. The silverware pieces are crafted from silver‑plated metal, meticulously worked for over 40 hours, spread across several non‑compressible weeks, using the traditional techniques of haute orfèvrerie. Each stage is performed by hand, and the creation of each piece involves up to seven distinct crafts: repousser, polisher, engraver, enameller, silver‑plater, cabinet‑maker, and silversmith. This reflects the precision and richness of the French silversmithing tradition.

A limited edition that is manufactured only on request, customizable and limited to 50 pieces. Le Rafraîchissoir also includes a glass set and a flight of exceptional vintages of La Grande Dame: 2018, 2012 in Magnum and 1990, Simon’s birth year, in Jeroboam. This selection of vintages and bottle formats offers a unique journey into how time and bottle size impact the aromatic evolution of wine.

«Beyond fashion, I have all these obsessions around design and contemporary art,» says Simon. «For Veuve Clicquot, I envisioned how people would feel the warmth, craft, and emotion in the appearance of this fine La Grande Dame 2018 vintage.»

La Grande Dame 2018, a deep and precise vintage
La Grande Dame 2018, 25th vintage of the cuvée launched in 1972, is the expression of a centuries-old craftsmanship and an unprecedented year, offering a maturity of grapes close to perfection.

For more than two centuries, Veuve Clicquot has cultivated ‘L’Art du Pinot Noir’ according to Madame Clicquot’s vision. Madame Clicquot used to describe this delicate grape variety as «the only one capable of producing wines of unmatched finesse and freshness.»

Under the expertise of the Cellar Master, La Grande Dame 2018 embodies a perfect mastery of aging in the service of the Art of Pinot Noir. It is a wine with a solaire soul. Its color is bright and luminous. Its deep and precise style is characterized by subtle finesse and freshness, expressed through its salinity.

La Grande Dame 2018 offers the sensation of an ideal balance, with perfect harmony and intensity for this vintage.

Julia and Emma Roberts at the launch party during New York Fashion Week (Photo: via Vogue)

A joyful celebration
To reveal this unprecedented collaboration, Veuve Clicquot and Simon Porte Jacquemus have conceived an unveiling during the opening of New York Fashion Week.

An advertising campaign, imagining a poetic and joyful journey between Reims, the historic city of Veuve Clicquot, and the South of France, home of Simon Porte Jacquemus, has been directed by Jonas Lindstroem with photos by Jack Davison.

Following the US launch on September 9th, the collaboration will then roll out in UK, Italy and France in September / October 2025.

Recommended selling price for la Grande Dame 2018 by Simon Porte Jacquemus: €220.
Le Rafraîchissoir: Price upon request.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Veuve Clicquot
DISCLOSURE: We may earn commission from links on this page, but I only recommend products I love. Promise.
DRINK RESPONSIBLY!