Sandra‘s Closet

I am in Paris for the Fashion Week at the moment.

This morning, I went to see Stella McCartney’s S/S 2011 show which I have absolutely loved.

The first looks were iconic, confidently masculine tailored in fresh pastels. Further on, Stella tried a new take on denim and gave it a modern feel by playing with proportion and volume. My absolute favourites were the printed long silk dresses with box pleats and slit legs. Understated seduction in perfection.

Another must-have is definitely the sleeveless trench coat. If you like it bold, you will adore the symmetric botanical citrus prints. Everyone can find something in this collection, very versatile with signature looks and a new foray into sexiness.

Enjoy all my impressions, the celebrities, famous stylists, and for sure all the beautiful new looks for next summer. As you see, I had a blast.

LoL, Sandra

 

Today, I would like you to meet a young and beautiful woman with an amazing shoe collection: Lulu Clogs by Luisa Lange.

After a previous foray into the fashion market with several creations of unique jackets, dresses and necklaces, Luisa has started to design something that she truly loves and wears with passion: clogs. Her fascination for them shows in every single detail of her designs, from rivets, glass grinded pearls to zebra prints and feathers, all with the focus on precision handcraft and the highest quality materials. Her creations are true pieces of art, all made and produced in Germany. The prices are approximately between €240.- – €360.-.

As you know, this summer the clogs have celebrated their big revival and are back in vogue.
I put an outfit together to show you how cool those shoes can be in combination. And the best is they are ultra-comfortable. If you are interested, please do not hesitate to contact Lulu Clogs or visit the online shop. Worldwide shipping is available.

I already ordered mine and totally adore them. I took some photos to show you how fabulous also the packaging is. It is a true pleasure to receive a pair of Lulu Clogs.

LoL, Sandra

When I was in London recently, I visited the new headquarters of net-à-porter which are absolutely stunning.

The best part was my exclusive preview of Alexander McQueen’s exquisite F/W 2010 collection.
The late Bristish designer’s final work is a piece of art, to be taken literally and owning such a statement collector’s piece is like owning a piece of fashion history.

 

 

Have a look at my favourites and see how much work and dedication the genius put in his creations. Which one would be your cultural heritage fashionwise?

Look 2

Incrusted harness dress with bulletted duchesse skirt. The printed jacquard was inspired by 3 paintings from Heironymous Bosch entitled “Earthly paradise”, “Garden of Earthly delights”, and “Musical Hell”. The harness has an all over metal sequin embroidery inspired by Byzantine Mosaics.

Retail price £12,420.00

Look 3

Duchesse dress draped with minimal use of seams and darts to form two exaggerated pockets on the side. The embroidery is a metal based embroidery inspired by the 17th century Dutch wood carver, Grinling Gibbons. The embroidery combines bullion, threadwork, metal sequins, metal flowers, metal beading.

Retail price £7,640.00

Look 5

This is the last dress that Lee McQueen draped on the mannequin. The print is inspired by the 15th century artist Stephan Lochner’s 3 church paintings of the Inunciation. Print is on silk duchesse placed following the drape of the dress. The underskirt is made of gold painted goose feathers. This dress has a bustier as part of it’s construction.

Retail price £7,165.00

Look 12

This dress is a combination of the angel wing print translated on Duchesse and chiffon. The print is inspired by the 15th Century Flemish church painter, Hugo van der Goes. The duchesse part of the dress is very sleek with a train creating a stiffness which is softened by the airy chiffon skirt that seems as if revealed. The embroidery is a silver and light gold bullion embroidery backed unto organza.

Retail price £7,165.00

Here are some photos of the beautiful display and me enjoying every detail of those divine creations.

LoL, Sandra

After my Fashion’s Night Out in London, I had another little treat on Thursday. Stella McCartney closed her boutique on Bruton Street in the afternoon to host a small special event for her girlfriends. I was so lucky to be there as well.
The presentation of her fabulous Resort 2011 collection was an eye candy. Gorgeous flower prints reminding me of the works by the Belgian painter and botanist Pierre-Joseph Redouté (1759-1840) who was called the “Raphael of flowers” evoked a longing for spring. Stella made the prints look as fresh as when first painted.

Slightly clashing pinks, clean whites and vibrant blues gave this collection a fresh and vigorous feeling.  The world’s most famous vegetarian designer who has built an empire on fur-and leather-free products knows her business. Without sacrificing sexiness for sustainability, she mixed elements of the sixties and nineties. The lace fabric with a three-d effect was to die for. I marked my choice with the little hearts.

If you are interested, please do not hesitate to contact the London store at .

In case you are not ready for spring yet, have a look at this stunning winter look that is available now. I am in love with the graphic well-tailored cuts.
By the way, Stella told me that there are no umbrellas this season, it is all about hats for her. Awesome, I am so on for this!

Before leaving my best shopping experience ever, Stella signed my Fashion’s Night Out T-shirt.
I will frame it now.

LoL, Sandra

 

Yesterday, I flew to London to celebrate the city’s biggest shopping spectacle: Fashion’s Night Out. Being a fashion addict, I felt like having arrived in heaven. The streets were filled with stylish people for whom fashion still has a thrill, an inspiring mood was in the air. The events were numerous, from Giorgio Armani’s cocktail party, Manolo Blahnik unveiling the World of Manolo pop-up store at Liberty to Sophie Ellis-Bextor’s DJ performance at the Juicy Couture store. Everywhere was something exciting to see or even to win.

The evening served also a good cause. Vogue launched a limited edition T-shirt for the night designed by Sanna Annukka of which all profits go to charity Kids Company.

There was so much to do it had been hard to decide where to start. Superstar appearances were guaranteed at the parties that required an invitation like the ones at Stella McCartney or Matthew Williamson. I was lucky to be there and had the best time ever. The photos I took speak for themselves. Enjoy my very own exciting moments of last night.

LoL, Sandra

While beeing in Los Angeles, I met with the Queen of the Eyebrows, Anastasia Soare, herself.  Being widely referred to as the Beauty Innovator and The Definitive Brow and Eye Expert, the charming lady of Romanian origin developed over the years her own Golden Ratio technique to shape eyebrows and to enhance the overall eye area. Today, she is the CEO of a beauty empire, including two full service beauty salons and exclusive brow, skincare and colour products that are sold at select Nordstrom, Sephora and International locations.

Her success has no end. While I was with Anastasia, Kim Kardashian texted her and David Beckham was scheduled later. Celebrities like Oprah, Madonna, Jennifer Lopez and Sharon Stone, line up to get their eyebrows done by her.
So you can imagine how happy I was when she did mine. She told me that I was tweezing too much and that my shape is the so-called high-arch. After explaining her technique to me and giving me the gorgeous brow kit, I can perfectly do it by myself now. I have been receiving so many compliments since then. The right shape of the eyebrow makes such a big difference to the whole face. It can even make you look so much younger.
Above you will find the most important steps.

I truly recommend her products to you. The brow kit makes the shaping so much easier.

 

In case that you are in the L.A. area, here are some insider tips. Try to book a long time in advance. Her technicians are also doing a great job. You will lay flat during the treatment, it is very relaxing, not painful at all.

If you are dreaming of seeing Anastasia herself, she takes walk-ins from 9-10am. On Tuesday, she is in her Brentwood store (11933 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90025) and from Wednesday to Saturdays, she works in her famous Beverly Hills location on 438 North Bedford Drive. But please call the store first, as she is travelling a lot.
The beauty salons offer full service from eyebrows to hair styling to make-up and waxing. See the price list for the complete services.

Thank you, Anastasia, for giving my brows the perfect arch! I am loving them!

LoL, Sandra

I am a total yogini. I just love every bit of yoga. And while practising, I still like to look and feel good. Nike and Juicy Couture offer a great selection of yoga clothing along with some gorgeous accessories. Juicy Couture has some fun slogan tops that I truly adore and that work all day long.

In case you have not tried yoga yet, be brave and give it a chance. But be careful, it will depend very much on the teacher if you like it or not. So give several studios a chance. Believe me, it is worth it. Yoga can be a great workout and for all sportmaniacs, you can sweat a lot, too.
It will make your muscles nice, tight and long and will give your body a lot of flexibility while integrating the mind and your emotions.

In Los Angeles, I was very lucky to train with Steve Ross, the so-called Yogi to the Stars by Instyle, with his own show “Inhale” on the Oxygen network and retreat leader at Maha Yoga.

Conveying his message perfectly, he gave me a signed copy of his fabulous book “Happy Yoga”.

„Here’s the yogi truth: There’s nothing to worry about. You are whole, complete, perfect, beautiful, loving, and blissful, and you know everything there is to know.“ – Steve Ross

With this in mind, you will look fabulous each day!

In Zurich, I am also very happy to practice yoga on a regular basis with Vasili Vlachos, an amazing teacher of Greek origin that has received his essence of yoga while living and studying several years at the famous Ramamani Iyengar Memorial Yoga Institute (RIMYI) in Pune, India, the home to the living legend Yogacharya B.K.S. Iyengar (Guruji) himself.
Iyengar yoga uses props, such as wooden gadgets, belts, ropes, to achieve perfection in your asanas more easily. It has become my favourite way to practise.
If you are living in Zurich and are interested, please feel free to contact the Iyengar Yoga Center of  Maya & Vasili Vlachos.

Namaste!

LoL, Sandra

Since a few season, we have been seeing slim, slouchy, harem-style gray sweatpants on the catwalks and designers have not yet become tired of them. One of the reasons might be that we love the comfy luxe loungewear look during the day so much that everybody is holding on to it. Combined with a pair of sharp high heels, the former gym attire transforms into a real statement fashion must-have.

Rihanna shows how fierce the sporty look can be in her studded Stella McCartney sweater and sweatpants that she wears with ultra-sexy shoes by Nicholas Kirkwood.

If you are looking for a fab pair of gray sweatpants, above are some of the most exceptional pieces available at the moment.

I am combining the stud-embellished sweater and matching sweatpants by Stella McCartney with a pair of Miu Miu sandals and my Elsie bag by Chloé.

Steal the show in a totally relaxed way. How cool is that?

LoL, Sandra

Get the look of sweet Kristen Bell. Last Sunday at the Teen Choice Awards the blonde 30-year-old actress looked so pretty on the red carpet in her breathtaking organza dress by Stella McCartney. This scintillating bright dress cannot fail to impress with its captivating sheer and embroidered detailing.

Kristen kept her outfit simple and just added a pair of nude heels by Brian Atwood and a cocktail ring. This is elegant sophisticated style par excellence!

Kristen and me last week in Los Angeles

Her newest movie “Burlesque” will be out in November in which she stars along with Cher and Christina Aguilera. Can’t wait for that!

LoL, Sandra

Due to the ongoing leopardmania, there will be a lot of wild cats around this winter, so you probably better make sure to stick out of the crowd. And the best way might be Dolce & Gabbana`s colourful twist on their signature animal print.  What started last season in blue and red, is for this fall all about pink and green.

Give your wardrobe some va va voom and pick your leopard print essentials for this fall. A stylish cardigan or scarf will bring a bit of colour to an all black outfit and an animal-print bag will add an instant hit of glamour to your daily look.

Make a roaring fashion statement in those colourful leos!

LoL, Sandra