Sandra‘s Closet

June 9th marks the official opening date for Zurich’s new pop-up restaurant «WOODLAND». Only open until June 25th, guests can enjoy some real culinary treasures. Located in Zurich West, the gastro entrepreneur Nenad Mlinarevic and the watch manufacturer IWC Schaffhausen are creating a place for unique enjoyment where guests can embark on a very special journey. At the beginning of the project is the new IWC TOP GUN pilot’s watch collection with its striking three colors. These can be experienced comprehensively on Zurich’s Löwenbräu site – from the interior to the cuisine to the sound: a unique experience appealing to all senses awaits you in the temporary restaurant.

Science and emotion come together with IWC’s new TOP GUN collection in partnership with Pantone Color Institute.

Our evening started at 6m with a cocktail reception at the Woodland Bar.

At 7pm we enjoyed the seated diner at the Ceratanium Dinner Space.

From 8.15pm we changed location and had dessert, drinks and listened to the sounds of the DJ in the Mojave Desert Lounge.

LÖWENBRÄU AREA
Limmatstrasse 254, 8005 Zurich
dining@woodland-zuerich.ch

4-course menu including aperitif CHF 120.-
A vegetarian option is available. Two seatings. 6pm and 8pm.

For reservations, click here please.

LoL, Sandra

With Nenad Mlinarevic

Always having the best time with Jacqueline Krause-Blouin

Tanja Bulatovic with Nenad

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht / David Biedert Photography /IWC, Rian Davidson 
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@iwcwatches_ch @nenadmlinarevic #IWCWoodland #IWCPopUpDining #IWCxNenad

Before heading to the Dua Lipa show in Zurich as guest of YSL Beauty, I was invited to an intimate cocktail reception by the French Maison on the rooftop of the Kameha Grand Hotel. The dress code said black and gold. Every corner of the terrace offered another fun experience, from photo booth to make-up application, from specially created drinks to a fun claw machine. DJ Rebekah Abdeen warmed up the crowd for the upcoming concert taking place at Hallenstadion.

There is no doubt that Dua Lipa has become a worldwide phenomenon with a million of fans and several collaborations. She is one of the most streamed and celebrated artists in recent memory. Free, powerful and elegant! Three words that suit the British artist well, who had been chosen by Yves Saint Laurent to be the face of the brand’s bestselling fragrance Libre. A scent that evolves around masculine lavender and the feminine sensual, burning notes of orange blossom. It also comes with a good dose of florals and musks.

The concert in Zurich marks a big milestone in Dua’s career as it was her 50th concert.

 Thank you YSL Beauty for having me! Enjoy all my impressions below…

LoL, Sandra

Thank you Dijana Vasiljevic from the L’Oréal Luxe team for the lovely invitation.

DJ Libre 🙂

My plus one was my friend Cat.

With lovely Erica Coimbra from the L’Oréal Luxe team.

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht #IamLibre
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Gucci opened the doors to its fully renovated store in Zürich, Switzerland this month at a new location. The boutique spans over 746 square meters across two floors and a terrace and showcases a full array of Gucci’s products including men’s and women’s ready-to-wear, handbags, luggage, small leather goods, shoes, jewelry and watches, silks, eyewear as well as Décor and Lifestyle collections.

With a look that invites customers to feel welcome and relaxed, the interior design is discreet. It is a new concept, first presented in Zurich. Contemporary luxury is suggested not only by the employment of beautiful and idiosyncratic materials, but also through a determinedly spare use of space. In keeping with the elegant and contemporary eclecticism that characterises Gucci’s collections, the store sees the combination of traditional and modern, industrial, and romantic. This reflects in the refined marble staircase contoured by Bronzed aged brass railing and Salvia Green satin panels.

On the terrace of the new Gucci store in Zurich, dressed head to toe in the Italian brand.

The terrace on the first floor pays tribute to the original architectural features of the store. The existing historical window frames are complemented by dark green metal aviaries, inviting customers to take a seat and enjoy the outdoors, surrounded by the greenery. The concept effortlessly complements the product-offer from the House.

The mood within the store is one of discretion, where understated drama is created by the surprising and unexpected combination of materials. Juxtaposition of this sort, where opposites forge a new connection, is repeated ubiquitously: technical, mechanical display contrast with the softness of the rich fabrics that adorn the rooms; round tables offset rectangular ones; Salvia Green and ivory satin panelling elegantly complement the optical marble flooring. Throughout the store, one finds sumptuous chairs and sofas while vintage oriental rugs are layered over each other for a textured effect. The result is a space that entices, surprises and feels personal to Gucci.

Gucci Zurich
Location: Bahnhofstrasse 39, 8001, Zurich, Switzerland
Opening Hours: Monday – Friday, 10:00 – 19:00, Saturday, 10:00 – 18:00

Mark your calendar! The Gucci Cruise 2023 show will take place on May 16, 2022 at 8.00 pm CEST at Castel del Monte in Puglia, Italy. You can watch it live here. It will be full moon and the invitation revealed a cosmological theme, so stay tuned for #GucciCosmogonie. On behalf of each guest, the House has adopted a star and registered it under their name. How cool is this?

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Gucci
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This year, Jani Leinonen, a world-renowned artist, is responsible for the impressive floral Easter egg in the Steinhalle of the Dolder Grand. The installation «Seed in Their Pocket» can be enjoyed alongside it, whereby Leinonen implemented themes of current social issues for both the installation and the Easter egg design. The Finn has a long-standing relationship with the traditional Zurich hotel, which made this art coup possible.

Jani and the finished floral egg installation.

He is one of the most sought-after artists in the world and his works always captures the pulse of the times. The Finnish artist has recently completed a particularly special project for the Dolder Grand – he created the design for the annual 2.5-meter-high Easter egg, which can be enjoyed at the main entrance.

Decorated with over 12,000 carnations by the in-house florist team of four ladies over several days of craftsmanship, it bears the incomparable signature of the artist.

«When the Dolder Grand approached me with this Easter project, I was amazed by the fact that it was made of real flowers. These colourful and beautiful organisms are of great cultural importance,» says Leinonen.

Inside the Dolder Grand on display: «Chapel of Remorse» by Jani Leinonen.

120 famous works of art, including Dalí, Murakami and Tinguely, enhance the ambiance of the Dolder Grand. The Finnish artist’s works have been exhibited at the hotel since 2009, and there are currently six pieces on display. Getting the 44-year-old artist to design the Easter egg this year was a major coup, not least because Jani’s unmistakable style and his unique ability to create pieces that reflect societal issues in a provocative way have made him famous across the globe.

«I’m not particularly religious, but I live in a Christian culture and grew up with stories from the Bible,» says Leinonen.

For him, the story of Easter is one of the most fascinating. For Jani, Jesus’ last words on the cross are the most important aspect: Forgive them, for they know not what they do.

«These words are as relevant today as they ever were, as he says these words to the soldiers who are blindly following orders from their superiors.»

He therefore decided to bring across this message on the Easter egg with just a single word: FORGIVE.

The «Seeds in Their Pockets» installation is also on display alongside the egg. It comprises dried flowers the artist collected in war zones, each with a tag bearing the name of the country in which Leinonen found it. On the day Russia invaded the Ukraine, the Finn read a newspaper article and wrote a poem. It is the story of a Ukrainian woman who meets a Russian soldier and tells him to put sunflower seeds in his pocket so that flowers grow at the place where he dies. «For me, this is a really strong image of war. I discovered that flowers grow on many of the battlefields in these war-torn countries, and it’s mostly the national flowers of the countries.»

With lovely Christina (NewInZurich) and Laura (PR/TICULAR) at the lunch.

I had the pleasure to explore Jani’s works and the making of the installation life at the Dolder Grand this week, followed by a lovely luncheon on the terrace in the presence of the artist.

The egg installation will be on display until Wednesday, April 20, 2022.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Dolder Grand and © Sandra Bauknecht
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A quick stop in Zurich before heading off to Boston to go to my hair dresser CHARLES AELLEN COMPANY who had just moved location. The new interior is even more breathtaking than its previous one. From a Parisian apartment style interior, it has now more an urban cool New York vibe with always the best floral decoration. I love the atmosphere, the location in the city center and the great music.

Charles Aellen Company
Sihlstrasse 37
CH – 8001 Zurich

+41 44 201 78 10

I only go to the hair dresser twice a year to get my ends cut and to do a deep nourishing SHU UEMURA or ORIBE treatment. Luckily, I don’t have grey hair yet and leave my hair color all natural.

My dream team: Charles to the left, Nathanael to the right.

However, I can recommend Charles and his team for every treatment or cut you can imagine. They are very advanced, always looking for the newest releases or hair trends. They have been working with celebrities worldwide and been constantly booked for photo shoots or during fashion weeks.

Now available at CHARLES AELLEN is the the famous K18 Biomimetic Hairscience Leave-in Molecular Repair Hair Mask. K18Peptide™ is the patented molecular breakthrough clinically proven to reverse hair damage from: bleach + color, chemical services, and heat in just 4 minutes.

This mask doesn’t just make hair feel healthier, it actually reverses the damage with some pretty powerful bond-repairing science. How does it work? The K18 bioactive peptide is recognized as a natural building block by hair – the perfect, very welcome puzzle piece to reconnect broken keratin chains in the inner-most layers of hair, post heat and chemical services. When you use it, skip the conditioner, put this in towel-dried hair for four minutes, and watch miracles happen.

With my new hair cut I am off to Boston, hopefully leaving all this crazy snow behind…

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht
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HUBLOT sets out to reconquer the Matterhorn – the world-famous emblem of Switzerland. The manufacture has unveiled a new Big Bang «All Black» model. Swiss downhill and slalom champions Corinne Suter and Tanguy Nef represent its two proud faces.

The Matterhorn is the iconic emblem of Switzerland, and brilliantly captures the contrasting faces of its identity. The mountain’s faceted pyramidal form makes it instantly recognisable among the thousands of other Alpine peaks. It is one of the toughest climbs in the world, yet has become synonymous with Alpine family leisure pursuits. Immaculate white slopes gild the hulking mass of rock, born in the first convulsions of the Big Bang and standing defiant against the ravages of time. To celebrate it, HUBLOT created a limited edition loaded with ceramic, a truly extraordinary mineral material.

Underpinned by HUBLOT‘s «invisible visibility» philosophy, only a Big Bang «All Black» could apply to the unfathomable personality of the Matterhorn. To pay tribute to this complexity, HUBLOT presents two versions of the Big Bang All Black Zermatt. The men’s and women’s models are different yet complementary. They represent the two sides of a single identity, a single horological vision, like two faces of the same mountain.

The 44 mm men’s version is available in 100 individually numbered pieces. The microblasted black ceramic case houses the manually wound HUB4100 chronograph, which is visible through the sapphire case back. The Matterhorn’s identity is captured on the dial side: the small seconds hand at 9 o’clock sits atop a relief rendering in immaculate white. The perfect symbol of passing time and absolute, unchanging eternity, soaring above the Matterhorn without ever altering it. A bold, striking contrast that draws the eye to the centre of the anthracite grey sunray dial.

Faithful to the All Black aesthetic, the timepiece is dressed exclusively in black and grey tones: Anthracite applied indices, two broad hands imprinted with black luminescent material, black resin lugs and a black rubber strap with grey calf inserts and deployant buckle.

The 41 mm women’s version symbolises the opposite face, with the Matterhorn emblazoned at 3 o’clock. Available in just 50 individually numbered pieces, it is distinctive for its bezel set with 36 black diamonds. These also beautifully embody the All Black’s characteristic duality, harnessing the customary snow-white sparkle of the diamond and translating it into the deepest black for this ultra-contrasted version. The model features a manually wound chronograph calibre with a 42-hour power reserve and a date window at 4:30.

Wouldn’t it be such a cute Christmas gift idea to get the watch together for each other?! Or for a proposal in the Swiss Alps… a modern way to say yes to each other.

Personally speaking, I love the watch. It is so versatile, it looks great with sporty looks and adds an edge to any sparkling outfit.

Stay tuned for many outfit posts coming up featuring this new black beauty.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Hublot and © David Biedert Photography
DISCLOSURE: This post is sponsored.
@hublot #HublotCheerfulGreetings #HublotPerfectGift 

While being in Boston right now, I would like to show you the first look from last weekend’s photo shoot at the beautiful Dolder Grand hotel in Zurich. This has become one of my favorite looks for the holiday season. Coated in eye-catching gold, thanks to this unexpected texture the outfit has a modern vibe. It is very comfortable to wear and the padded rubber boots will keep your feet warm during the wet season.

My look: Metallic coated cable-knit wool sweater, pleated metallic coated wool-blend mini skirt, cotton-poplin shirt, and Atelier Shoes 03 Rose Edition 3D rubber knee boots, all by Valentino, The Hacker medium hobo bag by Balenciaga.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © David Biedert Photography
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Do you enjoy skiing in the most luxurious and sought-after resorts in Switzerland? The dilemma of whether to go to Gstaad, or St. Moritz comes down to personal preference. I used to spend my winters in St. Moritz for many years but today I prefer Gstaad.

The beautiful Gstaad Palace is my home away from home and those photos were taken inside the La Fromagerie restaurant that offers delicious cheese treats and other Swiss specialities. The Alpine resort’s blend of glamour, lifestyle, sport and pristine nature outshines everything. However you are far more certain of getting snow in December in St Moritz than Gstaad. Both have a high profile social scene. St. Moritz, touted as the ski resort «on top of the world,» and Gstaad advertises with «come up and slow down». The choice is yours and the look would work for both.

My look: Argyle-pattern rollneck jumper and matching argyle jacquard midi skirt, both by Balmain, St. Moritz Voyage appliquéd embroidered canvas clutch by Olympia Le Tan, Alminette red suede pumps by Christian Louboutin, and classic large Impatiens earrings by Oscar de la Renta.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © David Biedert Photography
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Everyone loves department stores at Christmas and we finally have such a high-end shopping heaven in Zurich. The new GLOBUS at Schweizergasse 11, in the city center is unrivalled in Switzerland with luxury fashion houses, such as Balenciaga, Louis Vuitton, Dior, Celine, Loewe, Valentino and many more having their own boutiques on the ground floor. The so-called «House of Gifts» looks more magical than ever before and the selection is great.

I found for example this very hard to get limited edition bag from the Balenciaga Hacker Project and my amazing YSL advent calendar. There is even valet parking offered to their VIP customers. Christmas shopping at its best.

My look: Check tweed padded jacket in multicolor by Gucci, lace-trimmed velvet and floral-print wool-twill blouse, velvet shorts, gold-tone, enamel and faux pearl clip earrings, and Kika patent leather slingback pumps with velvet self-tie wrap, all by Saint Laurent, Hacker tote «This is not a Gucci bag» by Balenciaga (limited edition of 600).

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © David Biedert Photography
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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
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