Sandra‘s Closet

As part of Gucci’s 90th anniversary celebration this year, the Italian fashion house is taking a stylish spin with another titan of Italian design, Fiat.

Gucci creative director Frida Giannini in collaboration with Fiat’s design office has customized the iconic Fiat 500, or as it’s known in Italian, “cinquecento”.

“When the Fiat 500 first hit the road in the fifties it created a style revolution.” says creative director Frida Gianinni. “Gucci’s history has always been about traveling in style so when this collaboration came up, it struck me as the perfect opportunity to create a new modern travel statement.”

Called 500 by Gucci, the special edition car, which comes in glossy black and white, will be presented from March 3rd to March 13th at the Geneva Motor Show. Be the first to shift into high gear by pre-ordering the 500 by Gucci from April 1st to June 30th exclusively on 500byGucci.com. (Recommended list price in Italy €17.000). Road trip anyone?

Throughout the sporty car, you’ll find distinctive Gucci elements starting with the iconic green and red stripe, which runs along the exterior and also appears inside on the seats, gearshift, carpet, and seatbelt. The interlocking GG makes an appearance on hubcaps, and topping off the design is the cursive Gucci signature, which you’ll find on the hatchback as well as the doorpost.

Complementing that statement is an exclusive 500 by Gucci collection of travel accessories, leather goods, track suits, driving accessories and sunglasses, all of which will be available in select Gucci stores and on gucci.com starting this April.

Hit the road in true Italian style!

LoL, Sandra

Jimmy Choo has collaborated with the Dynamo Camp to create the design for a limited edition pair of shoes.
With the help of the amazing creativity of the children at The Dynamo Camp, the limited edition snake skin peep toe sandal is vibrantly coloured and comes with a leopard printed lining.

The renowned Italian illustrator, Beppe Giacobbe, worked with the children to create and paint their shoe by telling them a story about a very special shoe brand that offer the most beautiful shoes in the world for the stars of stage and screen. The excited kids created 14 different imaginative designs of which one was selected and has been produced for sale as a special limited edition which will be available to purchase at Milan, Rome and online at www.jimmychoo.com.

100% of the profit from the sale of the limited edition shoes directly benefitting the charity. (To learn more about the Dynamo Camp, please click here.)

Shopping for a good cause! Two thumbs up!

LoL, Sandra

Ladies, haven’t you started wondering how your nails shall look like this summer? Chanel will launch another new It-colour, so-called Mimosa, a lemon yellow tone.

The S/S 2011 make-up look “Les Fleurs d’Eté de Chanel” offers also a bright range of summery shades and bronzers.

Here is the list of my Chanel favourites for summer:

EYES
Les 4 Ombres (Quadra Eye Shadow)
Lilium (deep green, light green, grey, beige)

LIPS
Glossimer (Les Lèvres Scintillantes)
Aurore (orange with pink shimmer)
Pink Peony (pink)
Pensée (pink coral with gold shimmer)
Limited editions

FACE
Moisturizing Bronzing Powder (Soleil Tan de Chanel)
Bronze Corail (deep beige with coral highlights)
Bronze Rose (natural beige with rose highlights)
Limited editions

NAILS
Nail Colour (Le Vernis)
Mimosa (lemon yellow)
Beige Pétale (beige rose)
Morning Rose (rose), on the campaign model
Limited editions

And don’t forget to get on the Mimosa waitlists now…

LoL, Sandra

Prada launched a few days ago at the CAFA Art Museum in Beijing, China the new Minimal–Baroque eyewear collection with some beautiful illustrations by Ivo Bisignano, Marcela Gutierrez and Andrea Tarella. The idea takes its inspiration from the S/S 2011 runway show and the capsule collection will be produced as a limited edition, being sold starting February in Prada boutiques, selected department stores and ILORI eyewear shops.

If you don’t manage to get your hands on one of these 500 unique pairs of shades, Prada will be releasing two more models from the Minimal-Baroque collection in April. I am loving them! And you?

LoL, Sandra

Grey is the colour of the time – Tyen

Dior’s Spring 2011 make-up collection created by Tyen that will officially launch on January 14, 2011 has some fun new products and inventions.
In a very Parisian spirit, the new spring look is called Gris Montaigne and it features the iconic greys of the House of Dior paired with fresh, feminine shades of pink.

One of the top products is the nail polish 707 Gris Montaigne (CHF 37) that was part of the Gris City collection last November. For further information, read my previous post by clicking here.
The grey shade incorporates all the tones of Avenue Montaigne N°30 and is an indispensable addition to the newest model of the Lady Dior handbag line: The Lady Dior Grey. Matching your nails identically to your handbag sounds pretty elegant, don’t you think?

The star product of Dior Spring 2011 make-up line is the limited eye-shadow set Dior Cannage that opens up to reveal four flattering shades perfect for the season. Paying tribute to the iconic Dior bag, the palette features such couture-like details as the quilted leather exterior and Dior letter charms. Available in 001 Gris Petit Jour & 002 Gris Soupir, each CHF 95.

001 Gris Petit Jour

002 Gris Soupir

My personal favourite is the new Mascara Diorshow 360° in 090 Noir (CHF 59) that mimics a professional make-up artist’s hand. Inside there is a revolving brush that offers a dual rotation, meaning faster and slower motion depending if you want to use it on your lower or upper lashes.
You have to assemble it but that works very easy, see my demonstration below.
Thumbs up for super volume and length without being caky!

LoL, Sandra

Pearls and Chanel go hand in hand. Coco Chanel’ s belief that „the light-reflecting property of pearls enhanced a woman’s natural beauty by bringing a delicate luminosity to her skin“ inspired Peter Philips, the Global Creative Director of Chanel make-up, to design the S/S 2011 Les Perles de Chanel make-up collection. He used the iridescent reflections of pearls to flatter face and fingertips.

Some products were seen already on the runway, please click here for my previous post.

There is no doubt that the three limited nail polishes will be absolute bestsellers.

511 Pearl Drop – white pearl

513 Black Pearl – pearly grey shimmer with deep blue and green reflections (so hot!)

515 Pêche Nacrée – soft tender peach

The limited edition Ombres Perlées de Chanel eyeshadow palette is also among my must-haves.

It includes beautiful shades that you can play with, perfect for summery smokey eyes: Blanc Perle, Rose Porcelaine, Violine Clair, Gris Vert and Gris Noir Scintillant.

Another gorgeous product is the limited edition Poudre Universelle Shimmering Powder in Rose Merveille – a pale pink with subtle sparkles that will make your skin look fresh and radiant.

The Glossimers are available in two new shades: Nakkar (raspberry) and Aragonite (iridescent white).

The S/S 2011 Les Perles de Chanel make-up collection is available now in the US, other launch dates (depending on where you live) are January 8th and January 28th, 2011.
Please contact your nearest Chanel beauty counter for further information.

LoL, Sandra

The 21st edition of the famous Salon International de la Haute Horlorgerie (SIHH) will be taking place from the 17th to the 21st of January, 2011 in Geneva, Switzerland.
Today, I would like to give you an exclusive preview of some exciting watches that will be presented at the „invitation only“ event.

One of my favourites is Cartier’s Tourbillon and crocodile Geneva Seal white gold watch, calibre 9458 MC. It is a very feminine Grande Complication model, a beautiful union of haute horlogerie and haute joiallerie, limited to 50 individually numbered pieces.
Cartier has inversed the movement to show the mechanism and its skeletonised bridges, which now form part of the decor. Reminiscent of the Le Animalier Collection and the Pasha but significant with variation, a diamond crocodile carefully guards the time. The heartbeats are driven by the oscillations of a unique flying tourbillon: the calibre 9458 MC, adorned with the Geneva Seal.

A very masculine looking and impressive timepiece is the new Calibre de Cartier Astrotourbillon watch, Calibre 9451 MC.
The Astrotourbillon movement, which was introduced last year after five years of development in the Manufacture, now powers the Calibre de Cartier watch, limited to 100 numbered pieces. The 47mm titanium case on black alligator strap make it a disctinctive choice.

Panerai Luminor Composite PAM 386

Panerai Radiomir Composite PAM 339, the bestseller of 2010

As I am a big fan of Panerai watches anyway, it is no wonder that the new Panerai Luminor Composite PAM 386, that will be officially unveiled in Geneva, has caught my eye immediately.

Reminiscent of the Panerai Radiomir Composite Marina Militare PAM 339 which was introduced exactly one year ago and powered by a 8-day manual wind, the new model comes equipped with an automatic P.9000 caliber.

The timepiece has a scratch-resistant 44mm ceramic case and might be limited to 1000 pieces which is still to be confirmed.

Van Cleef & Arpel Five Weeks In a Balloon

Van Cleef & Arpels’ new piece Five Weeks In a Balloon will be surely amongst the star attractions at the upcoming SIHH 2011 – inspired by the world famous fiction author Jules Verne and his Extraordinary Voyages novel of the same name.
The dial of the watch is decorated with chamlevé enamel and inlaid with mother-of-pearl, the case is made of white gold. The scene depicts a balloon rising into the air of Zanzibar. The hours and minutes are displayed by the balloon’s anchor and a flying bird. Why not dream a little dream with this beautiful novel model?

Jaeger-Le-Coultre Grande Reverso Ultra Thin Tribute to 1931 in pink gold

Jaeger-Le-Coultre launched the iconic Reverso model to meet the English polo players’ need for an unbreakable watch in 1931. Another reason for its immediate success was the possibility to personalize it by engraving the initials or family crest. Almost 80 years later, the line will be supplemented with two limited editions, named Grande Reverso Ultra Thin Tribute to 1931.

Being a beautiful bridge between past and present, the watch demonstrates all the Art Deco glamour of the original style interpreted in today’s language. The square-shape case is available in steel or pink gold and measures only 7.2mm in thickness to demonstrate its ultra-thinness. Inside is a just 2.94mm thick manufactory-made mechanical hand-wound movement, calibre 822. It is a very understated piece, only having the name Reverso written on the dial. Timeless elegance!

Jaeger-Le-Coultre Grande Reverso Ultra Thin Tribute to 1931 in steel

Audemars Piguet Millenary Minute Repeater

Audemars Piguet’s newest addition is a feast for your eyes. The Millenary Minute Repeater watch (Reference 26371TI) comes wih a 47mm x 42mm titanium case, an anthracite grey dial, applied pink gold numerals, a minute repeater slide activator (at 7 o’ clock) and a black croc leather strap.
The best of the watch lays inside, the manual wind AP caliber 2910 movement (flat double balance-spring, 165 hour power reserve from 2 barrels, third barrel powering the minute repeater, 21 600 vph (3hz) frequency and 443 parts in total).

Baume & Mercier Jumping Hour watch

The Baume & Mercier Jumping Hour watch will be available in fall 2011 and will be limited to 500 numbered pieces. Here are some details: 42mm steel case, automatic mechanical Dubois Depraz 14400 movement, black alligator strap with a not so common jumping hour complication.

The upcoming timepiece is very similiar to this year’s rose gold Baume & Mercier William Baume Jumping Hour watch (Ref M0A08857) that was limited to 40 pieces (see below).

Baume & Mercier William Baume Jumping Hour watch, fall 2010

Girard Perregaux 1966 Small Seconds

The casual observer can appreciate the classic elegance of the new Girard Perregeaux 1966 Small Seconds. A 40mm white or rose gold case with a white enamel dial and a beautifil alligator strap. The technically inclined may adore its new movement, the Girard Perregeaux automatic Caliber 3300.

I hope that you have enjoyed this preview. I cannot wait to go to Geneva and see all those watches in real life. Which one is your favourite?

LoL, Sandra

The first BALLY LOVE project is a series of outstanding iconic collectables created by Bally in partnership with Swiss-artist Philippe Decrauzat, a striking capsule collection featuring intriguing optical designs. Originally presented to the public during Art Basel in June, Bally will again showcase the collection during Art Basel Miami Beach, starting tomorrow, at a specially designed booth in the VIP Collectors Lounge.

Shop the iconic BALLY LOVE collection exclusively online and in the Miami pop-up store, located at the Moore Building, 191 NE 40th Street, Suite 101, Miami Design District, starting from December 3rd. From Decmber 4th, the collection will be available in selected stores.

Fashion meets art – always a good match!

LoL, Sandra

Just in case you have just warmed up yesterday at your Lanvin for H&M shopping tour, more is to come. Another interesting designer collaboration will hit the stores this Saturday, November 27: Valentino for Gap.

Unfortunately, it will only be available at a few locations in Europe: Gap’s new Milan store, Colette in Paris, in London at Gap’s flagship store on Oxford Street (from 9.30am) and at Dover Street (from 11am).

Due to the limitation, it is a great chance to invest in special-edition Valentino at a high-street price.

Valentino designers Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pier Paolo Piccioli said: „We love mixing different cultures and we have been excited to mix Gap’s timeless essentials with our Roman culture of couture.“

The small capsule collection is all about ruffles meet khaki. A signature Valentino bow is also seen on a cute skirt. I like the idea of utilitarian basics such as cargo pants and parkas reinterpreted with a romantic twist.

LoL, Sandra

Thursday night in New York City, Sofia Coppola, Andie MacDowell, Emma Roberts, Anna Sui, Tory Burch and Alexander Wang, among other guests, came out to celebrate the collaboration of the Lanvin for H&M collection and to enjoy show stopping designs by famed Lanvin artistic director, Alber Elbaz, at The Pierre hotel.
The haute couture creations, which were customized pieces from the Lanvin for H&M collection, made their way down the catwalk with the help of famed models Asia Chow, Pixie Geldof, Dree Hemnigway and Anna dello Russo.

The looks from the haute couture show along with five original sketches from Alber Elbaz went up for auction on www.lanvinforhm.com. All proceeds will be donated to UNICEF. The online auction will end on November 26th at midnight CET.
I especially adore the sketches.

Below you can see some photos from this amazing night (Photos: Courtesy of H&M).

LoL, Sandra

Sofia Coppola and Anna Sui

Elettra Wiedemann and Tory Burch

Emma Roberts

Patrick Demarchelier and Andie MacDowell

Anna dello Russo