Nobody Wants This

It’s Sunday, it’s grey outside and you might consider an afternoon with Netflix … and I don’t mean chill but literally watch. I have just finished NOBODY WANTS THIS starring Adam Brody and Kristen Bell, that I can absolutely recommend.

With Kristen Bell at Pizzeria Mozza in Los Angeles.

An agnostic sex podcaster (Joanne played by Kristen Bell) and a newly single rabbi (Noah played by Adam Brody) fall in love. It is a romantic comedy series by Erin Foster, who loosely based the plot on her own marriage. The main question of the show is if their relationship can survive their wildly different lives and meddling families. It is a rom-com without a magical meet cute. It’s about what happens when two grown-ups meet and are challenged and attracted by each other and try to work out all the obstacles.

And while everyone has fallen in love with Joanne and Noah’s love story, many have also become slightly obsessed with Joanne’s style, too. It is not an Emily In Paris style – it is actually the opposite, it is an incredibly relatable wardrobe that has gone down a storm. Styled by costume designer Negar Ali Kline, Joanne nails the high-low mix of affordable brands and designer pieces. Over the course of the season, you can see her in knitted Polo Ralph Lauren, and dressed up in Alex Perry, trending in Christopher Esber, and accessorizing in Khaite, but you can also see pieces of Abercrombie & FitchReformation, By Far and Maje crop up again and again.

At one point in Nobody Wants This, Joanne describes a shared steamy moment as «the single greatest kiss of my entire existence.» I know this feeling and I miss it!

Great news is that Erin Foster’s romantic comedy series starring Adam Brody and Kristen Bell will be coming back for Season 2. I cannot wait … Happy Sunday!

LoL, Sandra

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

Bridgerton Afternoon Tea at The Lanesborough

On good authority from Lady Whistledown, a social event not to be missed is coming to the ton this season…

Dust off your Regency best, as I present a new afternoon tea experience inspired by Bridgerton. The latest in the innovative series of seasonal afternoon teas, the limited-edition menu pays homage to the Regency era; a time of great revelling and high style, of elegant parties, balls, and grand dinners, with a contemporary twist.

Setting the scene, the Bridgerton Afternoon Tea takes place in The Lanesborough’s richly decorated Regency dining room in Knightsbridge, naturally illuminated during the day by a domed glass roof.

Carefully crafted by our Head Pastry Chef, Pierre Morvan-Benezet, the menu pays tribute to the key families in Bridgerton Season 3 and is comprised of a selection of finger sandwiches and pastry tartlets, delectable scones, cream and jam, and four signature sweet treats.

Bridgerton will return for an ultra-lavish and highly anticipated season 3 this year, which follows the long-awaited friends-to-lovers romance between Penelope Featherington and Colin Bridgerton. This season celebrates the blossoming of the ton’s resident wallflower and will be split into two 4-episode parts, with Part 1 premiering on May 16, 2024, followed by Part 2 on June 13, 2024 on Netflix.

Served exclusively at The Lanesborough in London from 16th May 2024. Make haste, and secure your booking – it would be quite the scandal to miss it…

LoL, Sandra

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

CHANEL and Barbie

The House of CHANEL has collaborated on one of the summer’s most-anticipated film, Barbie, produced by and starring Oscar nominee Margot Robbie, a House ambassador, as the global icon. Directed and writen by Oscar nominee Greta Gerwig, the film reveals that to live in Barbie Land is to be a perfect being in a perfect place… unless you have a full-on existential crisis. Or you’re a Ken.

Throughout the history of cinema, CHANEL has been a preferred collaborator. In our latest partnership, the House proudly worked alongside Barbie creatives to realize several costumes for Margot Robbie’s character as well as a ski suit for Ken’s character, embodied by Ryan Gosling.


In a June 2023 interview, the actress/producer says that, in Barbie, «You’ll notice a lot of CHANEL, Barbies like CHANEL! I’ve got some great CHANEL outfits in the film that I got to wear. The mentality with Barbie is that she has all the accessories—there’s always a hat or bow and earrings and jewelry. The jewelry is big in the way it would be on a doll: big necklaces and earrings. Hats are never for protection from the sun, they’re just another accessory, along with bags and shoes and all of it! It was really fun.»

Five silhouetes imagined by Virginie Viard will be seen on screen, along with quilted bags, including a heart-shaped one, and accessories (shield-eyewear from the COCO NEIGE collection, holographic cuffs and costume jewelry, hats from Maison Michel) made available by the House. Oscar-winning costume designer and friend of the House, Jacqueline Durran, was given a selection of outfits in various shades of pink from the Ready-to-Wear, COCO BEACH and COCO NEIGE collections imagined by Virginie Viard. The five featured silhouetes – three suits, a ski suit, and a dress – were chosen to highlight the Barbie character as she moves through her journey in the film.

The feature film is in cinemas now.

LoL, Sandra

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

Welcome to Barbie’s Malibu Dream Home

Barbie’s Malibu Dream Home is real and you can rent it on Airbnb! Located by El Pescador State Beach in Western Malibu, a beach community known for wealthy residents and high-end homes, and with less than a month go until the release on July 21 of Greta Gerwig’s BARBIE movie, starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling, the team at Airbnb has taken over a Malibu mansion and revamped it as the Barbie Dreamhouse of your, well, dreams, or let’s say Ken’s dreams.

The story line is that while Barbie is away, she has handed over the keys to her Malibu Dream House this summer and Ken’s room could be yours for the night. To bring some much-needed Kenergy to the newly renovated and iconic Malibu DreamHouse, the place is decked out with some of Ken’s cowboy stuff as well, icluding horses,  guitars, games and more. And of course, rollerblades, because Ken literally goes nowhere without them.

Now, you can live it up Ken-style for a neon night in picture-plastic-perfect Barbie Land in this sunny surfer’s sanctuary. Placed perfectly above the beach with panoramic views, this life-size toy pink mansion is a dream come true! Welcome to the Kendom!

Booking opens at Airbnb at 10 a.m. PT on Monday, July 17 for two, one-night stays for up to two guests on July 21 and July 22, 2023.

– During your stay, you will have the opportunity to live in technicolor.
– Taking a spin through Ken’s awesome wardrobe to find your best beach fit. Look out Barbie, Ken has got quite the closet too!
– Channeling your inner cowboy and learning a line dance or two on Ken’s outdoor disco dance floor or performing a sunset serenade on his guitar.
– Challenging your fellow guests to a «beach off» with plenty of sunbathing and chillaxing by the infinity pool.
– Taking home a piece of Kendom with your very own set of yellow-and-pink Impala skates and surfboard.

Once you arrive and check-in, a concierge will ensure a comfortable stay for you and your guest — including showing you around and setting out and arranging meals. These one-night stays are not a contest. Guests are responsible for their own travel to and from Malibu. This home is privately owned and operated.

In celebration of BARBIE hitting theaters on July 21, and to honor girls’ empowerment, Airbnb will make a one-time donation to Save the Children. Save the Children provides learning resources and support to children, families, and communities in 100+ countries to build girls’ confidence and help them excel in school – ensuring everyone has equal opportunity to achieve success.

However, a little side note, Ken’s six-pack is not included, you will have to bring it yourself! Or you just hit Ken’s gym!

LoL, Sandra

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

Emily in Paris Season 3

No need to fight it! Emily in Paris is here to stay and even if you don’t like it, it is quite entertaining, especially in terms of outfits.

On December 21, 2022, Emily returns for a third season with her world in chaos. Aren’t we all curious what’s happening for Lily Collins‘ fashionable character in the City of Love?! Emily Cooper (Collins) navigates her marketing job, complicated love life and friendships in Paris while always looking ultra stylish. The looks are not always new season and come also from thrift shops which adds to the eccentric style Emily is known for.

Lily Collins and Stéphane Rolland on set.

This season, couture designer Stéphane Rolland‘ s collections are presented in a Haute Couture retrospective. In the first episode, Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu and Kate Walsh are sublimed by Stéphane Rolland designs.

Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu (right) and Kate Walsh (below) wear a Tuxedo disc-dress in black caviar-crepe and satin embroidered with crystals.

In the season’s premiere lots of rainbow colored outfits are featured. Here is a sneak peak:

In this scene, Emily Cooper is wearing a multicolor diamond pattern sweater by Essential Antwerp, metallic mini skirt by Dundas, metallic green tall boots by Maison Skorpios, and hot pink Monogram trunk shoulder bag by Louis Vuitton.

Later in the episode, Emily Cooper is wearing a neon checked blazer by Mira Mikati and a letter ‘E’ pendant necklace by Vanrycke.

Enjoy the show and get inspired!

LoL, Sandra

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

ZFF 2022 Opening Night

Every fall, the Zurich Film Festival takes place and provides a platform for the most promising filmmakers from around the globe. It aims to promote exchange between emerging directors, successful film workers, the film industry and the general public by showing the year’s greatest discoveries and most anticipated films.

Wearing a black Monique Lhuillier gown and Christian Louboutin shoes and bag.

I attended the opening night of the 18th Zurich Film Festival that kicked off at Zurich Convention Center with the European premiere of the inspirational Netflix production THE SWIMMERS. The film was presented personally by director Sally El Hosaini and actor Matthias Schweighöfer. The President of the Swiss Confederation Ignazio Cassis, who had just returned from NYC, emphasized the unifying effect of cinema on people and set the mood for the 11 festival days with his speech.

The cast of THE SWIMMERS as well as the real Yusra Martini on stage at the opening night.

I can absolutely recommend watching this amazing movie that tells the true story of sisters Yusra and Sarah Mardini, both talented swimmers, who were forced to flee the civil war sweeping their native Syria in 2015. They make the dangerous crossing to Europe in a refugee boat. When the engine fails on the open sea, they use ropes to pull the boat behind them for hours, saving numerous lives. Once in Germany, they met a swimming teacher (played by Matthias Schweighöfer) who trained them for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio.

«It is not just an inspirational film that reinforces our belief in the good of people,» explained Artistic Director Christian Jungen in his speech, «With war once again raging in Europe, it is also an extremely important film of our time, because it throws a spotlight on the plight of refugees. Cinema is the medium of empathy that allows us to view the world through the eyes of others.»

The Zurich Film Festival runs until October 2, showing 146 films, including a record 38 world and European premieres with star guests like Eddie Redmayne, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Sir Ben Kingsley, Liam Neeson, Diane Kruger, Til Schweiger, Daniel Brühl and Iris Berben in attendance.

Christian Jungen, Elke Mayer, Matthias Schweighöfer, Ignazio Cassis, Yusra Mardini, Sally El Hosaini, Nathalie Issa, Corine Mauch, Sven Spannekrebs at the Opening Night.

If you didn’t get a chance to watch it, THE SWIMMERS will be available on Netflix from November 23, 2022. Please watch the movie, it will change the way you look at the refugee situation tremendously.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of ZFF, © Sandra Bauknecht / David Biedert Photography
DISCLOSURE: We may earn commission from links on this page, but I only recommend products I love. Promise. 

Ticket to Paradise

The Ocean’s Eleven alums, Julia Roberts and George Clooney, are reunited and are embarking on a new cinematic adventure together. In a 2000s-style rom-com called «Ticket to Paradise», the two of Hollywood sweethearts are playing a divorced couple at odds. The movie is directed by Oliver Parker, who is known for previously writing and directing «Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again».

The film follows Wren Butler, a recent University of Chicago graduate who accompanies her best friend Lily to a post-graduation jaunt to Bali. Lily’s abrupt decision to marry a Balinese local triggers her parents, played by Julia Roberts and George Clooney, to try and stop her from repeating the same mistake they think they made 25 years ago. And to do that, the couple must work together and hatch a plan to disrupt the wedding and probably get it canceled, except, things don’t go as they planned. «Ticket to Paradise» is not one story, but several stories overlapping each other. Wren stays in Bali for the engagement/wedding festivities and, in the process, finds her also own love with a local doctor. To watch the trailer, click here please.

I will be attending the Swiss premiere on Tuesday evening and received a wonderful surprise kit. Follow my Instastories to hear all about it. I am really excited about this movie. The cast is great and the plot sounds so much fun. The film will show in Swiss cinemas starting from September 15, 2022.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht, © Universal
This post is sponsored.  @universalpicturesCH #TicketToParadise #UniversalPicturesCH

Prada and Miu Miu for Elvis

Miuccia Prada has collaborated with award-winning, visionary filmmaker Baz Luhrmann and Oscar-winning costume designer Catherine Martin to create several looks for the main characters in their highly anticipated film, Elvis, designing custom outfits and revisiting garments from the archives of Prada and Miu Miu. This collaboration renews the long-standing relationship between Miuccia Prada, Baz Luhrmann and Catherine Martin, which had already resulted in the creation of exclusive items for The Great Gatsby in 2013, and even earlier in Leonardo DiCaprio’s clothing in the 1996 film Romeo + Juliet – an artistic exchange that perfectly reflects Prada’s multidisciplinary attitude through a creativity that is nourished by a constant dialogue with the universes of art, cinema, and architecture. Elvis will première at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival on May 24th and will be screened in cinemas around the world starting 22nd June and in North America on June 24th.

The film stars Austin Butler as Elvis, Oscar winner Tom Hanks as his enigmatic manager, Colonel Tom Parker, and Olivia DeJonge as Priscilla, and retraces the life and music of Elvis Presley, celebrating his iconic style as well as that of an entire era. The film delves into the complex dynamic between Elvis and his manager over 20 years, from Presley’s rise to fame to his unprecedented stardom, against the backdrop of the evolving cultural landscape and loss of innocence in America. Central to that journey is one of the significant and influential people in Elvis’s life, Priscilla Presley.

«Central to the Elvis narrative is Elvis and Priscilla’s legendary love story. Priscilla Presley’s beauty and iconic style has indelibly marked contemporary culture. Accordingly, it was important for Baz and I that we remain true to this legacy by not merely imitating Ms. Presley’s actual clothes, but that we find a modern way of connecting audiences to her distinctive, history-making style. It was wonderful for both Baz and I to collaborate creatively with Miuccia once again. Immersing ourselves in the Prada and Miu Miu archives with superlatively skilled ateliers, we made the journey to translate the Presleys’ historical clothes into the costumes that would be in the film,» said Catherine Martin.

Starting from the study of Elvis’s and Priscilla’s clothes sources, Prada and Miu Miu found affinities and similarities in their immense archives, giving shape to new creations. The result strongly recalls the years represented in the film, but it is also an expression of the DNAs of the two brands and their histories.

Miu Miu has frequently explored and reinterpreted the Zeitgeist of several decades of the 20th century, according to its own codes. This is the reason why several of its most famous collections easily inspire an evocative endeavor around the style of Priscilla Presley, which was also the result of a personal approach to the fashion of her time. The garments were created from such inspiring pieces as the brocade pantsuit embellished with beads and fringes worn by Priscilla at the opening concert of the evening in Las Vegas.

Prada has also often turned to those years and that cultural landscape – animated by a revolutionary spirit and by a desire for freedom – to offer an original aesthetic interpretation. Through that same notion, several of Priscilla’s authentic outfits were reinvented for the film, such as the tweed dress worn over a mohair sweater with a brown suede jacket worn to the NBC Elvis special.

Along with Elvis’s custom look by Prada – a distinctive plum wine kid mohair suit –, these costumes distill the essence of the characters in the film, silhouettes and recognizable forms that are at once instantly reminiscent of the past while appearing contemporary, underlining their eternal timelessness.

I am really excited to see this movie!

LoL, Sandra

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

Meet One of My Favorite Authors: Joël Dicker

During the launch party of PIAGET‘s new POLO S watches in New York City, I had the pleasure to meet one of my favorite authors, award-winning Joël Dicker, as we have been both ambassadors for the brand.

Born in Geneva on June 16, 1985 to a bookseller and a French teacher; he is of both French and Russian descent and has literature in his blood thanks to his parents. Dicker spent his childhood in the French-speaking part of Switzerland. At the age of 19, he decided to move to Paris to take acting classes. A year later, he returned to his hometown to study law at the University of Geneva, obtaining a degree in 2010.

His early beginnings as a writer were not the easiest. However, they show that passion and persistence can overcome all odds. With his first work, the short novel «The Tiger», he participated in a youth literary contest in 2005. In this competition he was disqualified because the main judge presented doubts about his authorship. However, this didn’t stop Dicker and today, he sees it as a milestone in his career.

In 2009, Dicker completed his first novel called «The Final Days of our Fathers», based on the UK Secret Intelligence Service. After not raising interest in any publisher, in 2010 he decided to enroll her in the Prix ​​des Ecrivains Genevois for unpublished works. The writer was the winner of this important award, to finally achieve its publication a year later with Éditions de Fallois.

His style to structure and write a book is different and therefore addictive. Throughout his work, fates and different worlds will cross, and some stories will be parallel all along to meet at the end, as the reader finally will discover the outcome.

Dicker has a very special way to come up with an intoxicating plot mixing shady past and shifting present while spicing it up with suspense and crime. The outcome? Thrilling, delightfully twisted, continually shocking, literary and intelligent novels that all kept me eagerly turning the pages.

My first Dicker book was «The Truth About the Harry Quebert Affair» (2012), the story of an American novelist with writer’s block who begins to investigate a murder of which his former university professor is accused. You could say that this thriller took the world by storm. In summer 2013, the title displaced Dan Brown’s Inferno from the top of bestseller lists all over Europe. It has been translated into more than 40 languages ​​and has sold more than 4.000.000 copies worldwide. In addition, the he won the Prix Goncourt des lycéens, the Prix de la Vocation and the Prix du roman from the French Academy. It has also subsequently been made into a 10-part television mini-series with Patrick Dempsey in the leading role.

Dicker’s third novel, «The Baltimore Boys», was released in 2015, followed by his fourth novel, «The Disappearance of Stephanie Mailer» in 2018, which is another one of my favorites by Dicker, a captivating thriller with a killer twist.

In bed with «The Disappearance of Stephanie Mailer».

After releasing his fifth novel «The Enigma of Room 622» in 2020, his fans were waiting impatiently for his new book … It’s now done! «L’Affaire Alaska Sanders» has been hitting the shelves… and I cannot wait to read it!

YOU CAN SHOP HIS BOOKS ONLINE HERE IN SEVERAL LANGUAGES.

LoL, Sandra


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

The Ultimate Cinema Experience

It’s weekend, time to go to the cinema. In my recent posts linked to the new House of Gucci movie, I shot inside the Pathé cinema in Spreitenbach (click here for the post), which offers you the ultimate theater experience before, during and after your screening.

«Feel like a star!» – that is the motto when you book the VIP concept, unique in Switzerland, at Pathé Spreitenbach for only CHF 49.00 per person. The VIP experience begins with an automatic check-in kiosk. Through the golden elevator you access the VIP Area on the first floor, including a private bar and 3 exclusive rooms, VIP Lounge, VIP Bed and IMAX VIP. You can enjoy tasting soft drinks and unlimited snacks for free. The bar also includes a wide selection of wines and champagne.

From check-in to the end credits, it’s all about exclusivity, privacy, comfort, luxury, and of course, the best of technology with the IMAX VIP room and the Dolby Atmos sound that equips the VIP Lounge and VIP Bed.

VIP LOUNGE ROOM
26 double sofas and 9 individual sofas (how cool is this when you would like to go to the cinema by yourself) in soft velvet to the touch and in trendy colors are available in the VIP Lounge. Each place is equipped with an induction smartphone charger. The first row even offers extra comfort for those who want to stretch their legs. A cabinet for storing your bag, a shelf equipped with elegant tasting glasses and a shelf for storing your snacks and drinks complete the equipment.

VIP BED
In the VIP BED, 11 double beds await you for an unforgettable cinema experience. These exclusively designed beds offer an incredible view of the screen, while ensuring the privacy of the spectators. Each has 2 orthopedic mattresses. The headboard is electrically and individually adjustable. An induction charger for smartphones, as well as two lockers for storing your personal effects complete the equipment of each bed.

IMAX VIP
With unrivaled image quality (DMR-Digital Media Remastering), pure, vibrant and immersive sound, and oversized rooms, the IMAX experience is arguably the best cinema experience possible. Want to take this experience to the next level? Discover IMAX VIP: 16 cocoon seats with adjustable electric backrests and footrests, an induction charger for smartphones, an adjustable tablet, and a locker to store your personal belongings.

KIDS CINEMA
You will love accompanying your children to the cinema, exclusively at Pathé Spreitenbach! The cinema was created by children for children: colorful Fatboy bean bags, a slide and even a ball pool! The brightness, the sound as well as the choice of films also meet the needs of small moviegoers. You can also privatize the Kids Cinema for a fun birthday party for your little one.

Enjoy your weekend!

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Pathé and © David Biedert Photography
DISCLOSURE: We may earn commission from links on this page, but I only recommend products I love. Promise.