Sandra‘s Closet

Giorgio Armani x Alanui: A Journey Through Craft and Contemporary Luxury

The collaboration between Giorgio Armani and Alanui emerges as a refined dialogue between two distinctive visions of Italian luxury. Rooted in heritage yet guided by a contemporary sensibility, the project explores a new expression of effortless elegance. By bringing together Alanui’s artisanal mastery and free-spirited identity with the timeless, sophisticated aesthetic of Giorgio Armani, the collaboration results in a collection that feels both authentic and singular.

At its core, the collection translates the idea of travel into a wearable narrative. Each piece reflects an uncompromising attention to detail and a continuous pursuit of exceptional materials and craftsmanship, values deeply embedded in the DNA of both houses. The garments evoke movement, exploration, and cultural exchange while maintaining the understated refinement that defines the Armani universe.

With Nicolò Oddi

Founded in 2016 by Carlotta Oddi and her brother Nicolò Oddi, Alanui is an Italian luxury knitwear brand centered around the idea of the cardigan as a symbol of travel and identity. The name «Alanui,» meaning «great path» in Hawaiian, reflects the brand’s philosophy of journey and discovery. Known for its exceptional yarns, intricate craftsmanship, and distinctive patterns, Alanui blends Italian artisanal excellence with global cultural influences.

Within the capsule collaboration with Giorgio Armani, the cardigan once again takes center stage. These key pieces embody the meeting point between Alanui’s bold, handcrafted character and Armani’s refined minimalism. Presented during the Giorgio Armani Men’s F/W 2026/27 runway show, the cardigans introduced a new dimension to the collection, one where tradition and innovation coexist seamlessly.

Ultimately, the Alanui x Giorgio Armani collaboration celebrates a shared dedication to quality, craftsmanship, and enduring style. It is a project that honors the heritage of Italian fashion while embracing a modern perspective, offering garments designed not only to be worn, but to accompany the wearer on their own personal journey.

TO SHOP THE GIORGIO ARMANI x ALANUI COLLABORATION, CLICK HERE PLEASE.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Giorgio Armani x Alanui
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For S/S 2027, ZEGNA will present its fashion show in Los Angeles, stepping outside the traditional Milan Fashion Week calendar for a singular, time specific moment. The show will take place on June 5, alongside the arrival of VILLA ZEGNA, the brand’s invitation-only temporary private club, opening right after the show and remaining in Los Angeles for a few days. Made in full alignment with Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana , this choice underscores ZEGNA’s commitment to extending Italian savoir-faire into a global cultural stage, while preserving its strong and enduring bond with Milan.

The S/S 2027 show will be central to a carefully orchestrated sequence of experiences in Los Angeles, bringing together top clients, friends of the brand and international press. VILLA ZEGNA offers a curated environment where guests can experience the brand beyond the runway. Following previous editions in Shanghai, New York, Dubai, Miami and Milan, VILLA ZEGNA arrives in Los Angeles as part of an ongoing cultural journey, shaped each time by its context while remaining rooted in intimacy and human connection.

Los Angeles is chosen not as a fashion capital, but as a cultural one: a city where creativity has long been shaped through cinema, storytelling, and image-making. From Hollywood’s cinematic legacy to its enduring influence on global visual language, Los Angeles represents a place where narratives are crafted, a global destination for long journeys, where distance, time, and landscape invite a slower form of discovery.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht and Courtesy of Zegna
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The low-top LV Tilted Sneaker makes a subtle statement, taking cues from classic skate gear. Introduced during the Louis Vuitton Men’s S/S 2026 Pre-collection preview and later worn in the Men’s S/S 2026 Collection show, it has garnered attention for its bold yet discreet silhouette: widened and balanced so that its right and left soles are dimensionally equal, making a pair initially interchangeable.

The LV Tilted is named for the leaning logo that adorns its padded tongue, a nod to the inclines and slopes of skateboarding. A wide, flat rubber outsole is molded with Monogram Flower details and the Louis Vuitton Damier pattern in high relief, underlining a topstitched upper evocative of 1990s designs, including a bracket-shaped leather panel that highlights its simplicity of form.

Each sneaker features Louis Vuitton codes such as the VVN leather enchape between toe and laces and a newly developed LV logo on the sole. Extra supple and lightweight materials ensure flexibility and dexterity, positioning the LV Tilted as part of a Louis Vuitton legacy, combining practical sport and limitless design.

Obsessed with the denim version from the S/S 2026 runway collection …

… and this embellished model in brown suede leather. Amazing!

Breathable mesh and leather lining sees optimal comfort in an array of fabric and treatment options such as worn-in denim, colorful calf suede, woven Damier or plaid canvas, gem-embellished goat leather, embroidered denim, printed calf, and Monogram stencil-rubbed canvas, with many more colorways and textures to be revealed.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Louis Vuitton
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Attention, Upper East Siders! British shoemaking craftsmanship meets New York luxury and that can only mean one thing: shoes will shine, steps will be more stylish, and a walk through Manhattan is about to become legendary.

John Lobb, the world-renowned master of bespoke shoes, has opened an exclusive shoe-shine station at The Mark Hotel on the Upper East Side. And because a little movement is good for both soles and souls, The Mark has teamed up with illustrator RF. Alvarez, known for his playful drawings, to create a specially illustrated map that now showcases a carefully curated route from The Mark to the John Lobb boutique on Madison Avenue. The route passes famous landmarks as well as hidden gems not everyone knows about.

Let’s get started!

👞 THE MARK HOTEL (25 E. 77th St)
This is where New York’s most stylish walk begins. Take a moment to breathe in the scent of French luxury and freshly polished leather shoes.

🏛 JAMES B. DUKE MANSION (1 E. 78th St)
A castle in the middle of Manhattan. This mansion once belonged to tobacco magnate James Duke and evokes the grandeur of a European residence.

🎩 STUYVESANT & MAMIE FISH HOUSE (25 E. 78th St)
Once the epicenter of New York’s wildest high-society parties. Mamie Fish knew how to celebrate, surely a fan of gleaming shoes.

🖼 THE FRICK COLLECTION (1 E. 70th St)
One of the city’s most impressive art collections, housed in the former residence of industrialist Henry Clay Frick.

🏛 FORMER WHITNEY MUSEUM (945 Madison Ave)
Once a hub for modern art, now home to the Met Breuer collection. A place that proves true elegance is timeless, just like a well-crafted shoe.

🐐 CENTRAL PARK’S GOAT WALL (1 E. 65th St)
A wall named after goats. Once a grazing area for the animals, today a curious insider tip set amid greenery.

👞 JOHN LOBB BOUTIQUE (700 Madison Ave)
The destination of the route and the address for exceptional shoemaking, where the highest level of craftsmanship and tradition meets modern elegance.

The illustrated map is available free of charge at The Mark Hotel or at the John Lobb Boutique.

JOHN LOBB @ THE MARK HOTEL
📍 Mezzanine Level 🕗 Mon–Fri, 8am–4pm

JOHN LOBB BOUTIQUE
📍 700 Madison Avenue, New York

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of The Mark Hotel
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End of an Era at Hermès: Véronique Nichanian Steps Down – What Comes Next?

In a major moment for luxury fashion, Véronique Nichanian (71), the longtime creative force behind Hermès menswear, has officially stepped down, closing one of the most enduring chapters in modern fashion history.

A Legendary Tenure: 37 Years at Hermès

Véronique Nichanian’s career at Hermès is nothing short of extraordinary. Joining the French luxury house in 1988, she built and defined Hermès’s menswear identity from the ground up after being recruited from Cerruti by Jean-Louis Dumas.

Over her 37-year tenure, she became known for a design philosophy rooted in understated elegance, impeccable craftsmanship, and timeless sophistication, hallmarks of the Hermès aesthetic. Rather than chasing trends, Nichanian favored subtle refinement: beautifully constructed garments that married functionality with quiet luxury.

Her longevity also made her one of the longest-serving creative directors in fashion, a rare figure of continuity in an industry often defined by rapid change and designer turnover. With a 37-year tenure, Nichanian even surpasses Karl Lagerfeld’s legendary 36-year run at Chanel, making her one of the longest-serving creative directors in modern luxury fashion history.

Nichanian’s final collection for Hermès was presented during the January 2026 runway season, marking the end of an era both for her and for the brand’s menswear division.

Passing the Torch: Grace Wales Bonner Takes Over

Hermès has chosen British designer Grace Wales Bonner as Nichanian’s successor in the menswear creative director role. The announcement marks a bold, yet thoughtful, new chapter for the storied French maison.

At 35 years old, Wales Bonner brings fresh energy and a unique artistic perspective to one of fashion’s most iconic houses. She founded her eponymous label, Wales Bonner, in 2014 and has been celebrated for her work that bridges fashion, culture, and intellectual inquiry — earning awards and global recognition along the way.

Her appointment to Hermès also carries symbolic weight: she becomes one of the few Black women to lead design at a major luxury fashion house, a milestone in an industry still grappling with representation and diversity.

Wales Bonner’s first collection for Hermès is slated to debut in January 2027, giving her an entire year to shape her vision for the brand’s menswear future.

Will It Be a Fresh Wind or a Seamless Transition?

The shift at Hermès is significant not just because of Nichanian’s tenure, but because it highlights Hermès’s careful balance between heritage and evolution.

Nichanian’s legacy is rooted in quiet power, precision tailoring, and a measured, less overtly trend-driven approach. Her work embodied Hermès’s dedication to craftsmanship and enduring style rather than seasonal spectacle.

Grace Wales Bonner’s design ethos, by contrast, leans into cultural narratives, global references, and artistic collaboration, which many expect to inject a fresh creative energy into the house. Her work often explores identity, music, art, and African diaspora influences, which might introduce new dimensions to Hermès menswear without disrupting the brand’s core values.

Fashion industry commentators see this move as potentially expansive rather than disruptive: a way for Hermès to evolve its menswear identity thoughtfully while retaining its signature DNA of refinement and quality.

Looking Ahead

As Hermès prepares for this new creative era, all eyes will be on Wales Bonner’s first runway collection in January 2027. Will it stay true to classic Hermès restraint? Will it redefine the brand’s codes for a new generation? Only time will tell  but the appointment certainly suggests a dynamic future ahead for one of fashion’s most revered maisons.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht, © Hermès, © Grace Wales Bonner
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In a major shake-up in the fashion world, Jonathan Anderson, the creative force behind JW Anderson, has been named the new artistic director of Dior Homme. The move marks a significant shift both for the designer and for the French luxury house, as Anderson prepares to take the reins of one of menswear’s most prestigious brands.

Anderson, who has long been known for his boundary-pushing, gender-fluid designs, has spent the last decade building his namesake label into a critical darling and commercial success. He has also served as creative director at Loewe since 2013, where he’s been widely credited with revitalizing the Spanish luxury label with his distinctive artistic vision. To see why I had always been a huge fan of his designs for Loewe, click here please.

His appointment at Dior Homme signals a potential new direction for the brand, one that may blend Dior’s classic tailoring with Anderson’s more avant-garde, experimental approach. Dior Homme has traditionally been known for its sleek, structured silhouettes, most recently under the leadership of Kim Jones, whose streetwear influences brought a fresh energy to the house.

Preppy tailoring and relaxed sportswear converge in the Dior Men Fall 2025 lifestyle capsule by Kim Jones.

With Anderson stepping in, the fashion industry is buzzing with anticipation. Will he bring elements of his own label’s playfulness and subversive style to Dior? Or will he chart an entirely new course, merging the heritage of Dior with a more conceptual lens?

Dior hastily issued a one-line press release saying Anderson was working on its spring 2026 men’s collection, which would be presented on June 27 at 2:30 p.m. during Paris Fashion Week. It also distributed a new official portrait of Anderson by photographer David Sims. 

Jonathan Anderson photographed by David Sims

As the fashion world waits for his first collection, all eyes will be on Paris to see how Anderson reshapes the legacy of Dior Homme. Personally speaking, as a big fan of his work, I would have loved seeing him at Dior to do the womenswear but let’s see …

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Courtesy of Dior, @jonathan.anderson
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The 2000s staple is back, this time with a luxury twist. Its resurgence is evidence that the old school playbook for starting trends can still work in 2024 with this historic first-time collaboration between the Brazilian and Italian fashion icons featuring four unique styles combining signature Dolce & Gabbana prints with the unmatched design of Havaianas. Available for both, men and women.

However, those must-have flip flops sold out fast, but they will be back soon. To be notified of restocks, sign up here.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Dolce & Gabbana x Havaianas
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The scent of the sun is a sensation. Soothing and strengthening, it is an extract of energy: a perfume of opportunity and enhancement.

In his first involvement in a fragrance project for Louis Vuitton, Pharrell Williams asked Jacques Cavallier Belletrud to capture the light which is the essence of into a highly crafted men’s fragrance for a global community collectively uplifted by the warmth that radiates from the sun.

LVERS was conceived through a creative dialogue between Pharrell Williams and Jacques Cavallier Belletrud and crafted in the Louis Vuitton creative atelier at Les Fontaines Parfumées in Grasse, France.

For this new collaborative opus, the Master Perfumer kept a cross-generational approach at heart, involving in the creative process Camille Cavallier Belletrud, perfumer at Louis Vuitton and member of the creative studio, who was trained at the Maison under the mentorship of the Master Perfumer for many years, cultivating the DNA of the house.

Founded in the Men’s Creative Director’s philosophy of sunlight as a metaphor for love and a source of life and motivation across human experiences, it echoes the question posed upon his arrival at Louis Vuitton: What will you do when the sun shines on you?

Distilled into Eau de parfum, the original idea has to take new form. «The theme of sunlight that lit up Pharrell’s debut show on Pont Neuf in June 2023 inspired us to convey photosynthesis in scent. It may sound abstract, but if you look at life, photosynthesis is the starting point for everything,» Jacques Cavallier Belletrud says.

LVERS conveys in fragrance the figurative yet familiar scent of the sun illuming the skin, energising the vitality of nature, and giving life to the organisms that surround us. With olfactive alchemy, the Master Perfumer transforms the abstract scent of sunlight into earthly matter. Observing the science of photosynthesis, the Maison’s expert identified the notes that emanate from nature as a result of the vitalising power of light: the luxuriance of leaves caressed by rays; the evaporating nectar of freshly grown grass; the warm earthiness of tree trunks expanding under the forest sun. Within the study, pure and ancient natural substances are unearthed.

Galbanum, the mythical resin of the Ferula plant rarely used in modern-day fragrances, is revitalised and refined from its wild, vegetal state. Like a diamond in the rough, the centuries-old scent is cultivated into delicate green notes, creating the sappy and spicy core of the LVERS bouquet. It is grounded in the bottom note of cedarwood. Extracted from second-hand wood from carpentry, the oil’s deep woody sensibility establishes the indefinable but recognisable olfactic sensation universally associated with the forest. Harmonised with the creaminess of sandalwood, it sets an earthy but elegant tone for the fragrance, energised by the clean crispness of ginger. The composition is raised by the fruity, zesty top notes of bergamot, gently announcing the galbanum in a figurative illustration of the early rays of sunrise. Echoing the therapeutic force of the sun, each of the LVERS ingredients is rooted in age-old cultural practices connected to notions of healing. In Ancient Greece, galbanum was employed as a curative remedy, while in Ancient Egypt, cedarwood oil was used as a means of preservation and to ward off evil spirits. In Eastern medicine, sandalwood is a key component alongside ginger, widely known for its health benefits. Across cultures, bergamot has been considered a tool for both mental and physical renewal. The healing powers traditionally linked to the ingredients infuse LVERS with a holistic air: the idea of fragrance as an elixir of well-being; a spray of sunlight distilled in a bottle.

Fashioned in the cylindrical signature silhouette of Louis Vuitton’s Les Parfums, the LVERS flacon reflects, refracts and imitates the sunlight. A prismatic finish electrifies the glass structure coloured from within by a golden jus, evoking the bright effect of sunlight gilding the skin. Introduced alongside the fragrance, a travel case and a fragrance trunk – which holds three bottles – are crafted in the green Damoflage motif. Central to the creative expression of Pharrell Williams at Louis Vuitton, the graphic splices the Maison’s heritage Damier pattern with camouflage, a signifier in the personal style lexicon of the Men’s Creative Director.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Louis Vuitton
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The Slim d’Hermès Pocket Mysterious Rider watch marries the pristine white gold of its case with the delicate shimmer of its enamelled dial and cover to create an elegant blend of rigorous discipline, understatement and visual balance. Its timeless lines designed by Philippe Delhotal in 2015 lend themselves to every expression of Hermès skills. Its slender curves highlight both bold, whimsical and minimalist motifs. The Slim d’Hermès Pocket Mysterious Rider watch airily reflects the playful imaginary world and the singular nature of Hermès time.

Crafted in a 3-piece limited edition, this pocket watch reinterprets the Mysterious Rider silk scarf motif created by illustrator and designer Viktor Hachmang. A finalist in the Grand Prix du Carré Hermès, the Dutch artist marries colourful, futuristic graphics with refined Japanese art and comic-book pop culture. His bright hues and geometric patterns bring to life the mysterious rider on a gleaming motorbike. In the background is a shop front reminiscent of the legendary and historic 24 Faubourg Saint-Honoré in Paris.

The cover featuring the biker and his roaring motorcycle is crafted in champlevé enamel. This demanding technique involves carving tiny cells in the metal, filling them with coloured glass powders mixed with natural oils, then firing them several times in a kiln at over 800°C to fix the pigments in place. This brilliantly colourful work of fine workmanship frames a refined white enamel dial. To craft the latter, the enamelling artisan applies a multitude of enamel layers that are successively dried and fired before being adorned with hand-painted red numerals and hour-markers. Beating at the heart of the Slim d’Hermès Pocket Mysterious Rider is the Manufacture Hermès H1950 ultra-thin mechanical self-winding movement. A strap and pouch in matt Rouge H alligator leather, crafted in accordance with the Hermès saddlery and leather goods expertise, accentuate the overall crimson nuances of this creation.

I personally speaking have a thing for pocket watches … and this one is divine!

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Hermès
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F1 Arcade has arrived in the USA with Boston being the first spot to experience all the excitement, drama, and glamour of Formula 1 and Washington D.C later in the year. In Europe, you can find the experience in London and Birmingham.

However, if you find yourself hoping over the pond, I recommend visiting the US venue in the Boston Seaport district. F1 Arcade is a thrilling new simulation racing experience, and probably the only place in the world where you can get drunk driving. Not that I recommend this, but here you can bar, dine and race at once.

Featuring full-motion racing simulators, typical American food and a selection of enticing drinks, this is truly unrivaled social gaming. Racing is thirsty work. You can grab a much-needed pit stop at the really cool cocktail bar, that is featuring an impressive list of vintage Champagne cocktails. So, Anouk and I decided not to wait any longer and assemble our pit crew, grab a cocktail, and take the wheel of an F1 simulator for an electrifying experience we’ll never forget.

To book your racing experience, click here please.

F1 ARCADE SEAPORT DISTRICT
87 Pier 4 Blvd Boston MA 02210 United States

Even the restrooms match the theme and feature different light installations of race tracks in every cabin.

Racers, start your engines!

LoL, Sandra

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