Sandra‘s Closet

Today is MARY KATRANTZOU‘s birthday and with this post I want to congratulate my dear friend who also happens to be one of my favorite designers. From her first presentation, I have been collecting her outstanding designs and I am proud of my extensive collection. It’s hard to believe that it’s a decade since her designs made their catwalk debut as part of the annual Central Saint Martins MA graduate show. Her digital trompe-l’oeil prints of oversized jewellery placed on colour-block dresses were an instant hit and her label is one of London’s most loved. Since then, she has constantly evolved. The so-called «Queen of Prints» surprises me each season how she masters print and plays with proportions.

Princess Beatrice of York, Mary Katrantzou, my humble self and Federica Fanari

On top of her talent, Mary is an amazing woman, so warm-hearted – it is always so much fun spending time with her. Therefore, I hopped on the plane in the beginning of October to attend her 10 Year Anniversary Party at MATCHESFASHION‘s newly opened retail space at 5 Carlos Place in London.

To celebrate the occasion, a limited edition collection was exclusively launched on MATCHESFASHION.COM. The capsule features 10 iconic looks from past collections, all reissued for this exclusive collaboration. And needless to say, I have most of the featured pieces in my closet. Here are a few examples:

Left: Caramolengo jewel-print silk dress (click here for the post from September 2011)
Right: Serendipity print crepe and chiffon mini dress (click here for the post from June 2011)

Left: Harp Hazzard printed silk-satin gown (click here for the previous post from May 2012)
Right: Powdy printed silk mini dress (click here for the previous post from December 2012)

Part of the exhibition: my beloved Jewel Tree dress from Mary’s F/W 2011 collection that I wore to her launch event with Longchamp at Collette in January 2012.

So divine: Mary Katrantzou S/S 2019

Also Mary’s S/S 2019 collection is celebrating 10 years of her eponymous label. It explores the urge to collect, catalogue and organise, infused with themes and motifs from Mary’s decade of designing. A collection of collections! Among the highlights is a dress inspired by her perfume-bottle dress from her first London fashion week collection.

Below you can enjoy some of my impressions from this amazing event. Amazing people gathered together from the world of art and fashion to celebrate our beloved Mary.

Favorite editor: Sarah Mower

With my lovely Federica Fanari

With another great designer Mira Mikati

Mary Katrantzou framed by Jasmine Hemsley and Candice Lake

With Mary Katranzou and jewellery designer Eugenie Niarchos (Venyx)

Girls in Mary: Magdalena Gabriel and me

Sandra Choi of Jimmy Choo

With Juliet Angus

The beautiful night ended at Annabel’s which is my favorite club in London… here with my gorgeous Brazilian friend Polyana Santos.

A little thank you note with lots of memories I made for Mary!

«The next decade,» Mary said, «is about taking the brand DNA and allowing men and women to buy into it in different ways, whether it’s homeware, jewellery or accessories.» No matter the medium, I am looking forward to having more Mary in my life!

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of MATCHESFASHION and © Sandra Bauknecht

From spiral staircases to curving chairs, the creative yet practical designs of Bauhaus are one of a kind. This year, the Bauhaus celebrates 100 years since its founding in Germany by Berlin architect Walter Gropius in Weimar in 1919. Until today, the Bauhaus Art School continues to shape art, architecture and design all over the world.

My beloved Mary Katrantzou dedicated her F/W 2018 collection to this fantastic movement – a testimony how art, culture, architecture and fashion are all linked together.

My look: Lazlo jacket and Alta intarsia stretch-knit turtleneck midi dress, both by Mary Katrantzou, Paris suede ankle boots by Saint Laurent, «16» bag by Celine, and caramel and raspberry handmade Shibori dip-dyed fur stole by Miu Miu. and vintage CC heart motif earrings by Chanel.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht and via Bauhaus Art School

«I AM SURE THAT MERMAIDS DO EXIST.» – MILO MANARA

Unveiled for the first time at the SIHH in Geneva, this series of ten enchanting erotic watches truly deserve their own post. Ulysse Nardin and celebrated Italian erotic comic book artist Milo Manara have teamed up to take you on a voyage into the depths of a mythical sea of desire where Ulyssa, a mermaid, and Nadia, a woman, meet, discover and love each other in a timeless, nautical reverie.

Based on Manara’s illustrations of underwater encounters between a hauntingly beautiful woman and a mythical mermaid, the watches are a palindrome, each one a unique, timeless moment that exists independently from the others.

Using micro painting over 150 years of watchmaking knowledge and experience, Ulysse Nardin has transferred Manara’s story onto ten watch faces in a series where mermaids and sharks bask freely in clear waters, in an underwater world freed from the constraints of time.

«The clock lends itself particularly precisely to this theme because in eroticism there is eternity», Milo Manara precised.

A mermaid and a human meet and engage tenderly under the watchful eye of a distant shark. Like the sirens in Homer’s classic tale of Ulysses, Manara’s mermaid enchants the young woman, taking her into a sensual embrace. Each scene is a moment where time disappears, and love propels them as they rock gently in the ocean waves.

«I had to think of a theme that brings all these ten images together and yet leaves each one its autonomy, so that it works on its own without the need for the others», Manara explained from his studio in Valpolicella, Italy. «This is not a linear story but there is a common thread based on two characters; one is a timeless girl and the other, a mermaid».

Born in northern Italy, Manara has been a graphic illustrator for over fifty years. He was classically trained as a painter, studying the works of Rubens, Caravaggio and de Chirico before defining his own style. For this series of watches, Manara chose a universal theme – erotic love – and created characters that exist in their own time frame.

«It is clear that these women represent an ideal. If we look at Greek classicism and the Renaissance, one can see that the morphology of the physical model has changed over the centuries. I see my work as a continuous reinterpretation of the ideal model.»

Manara has created just ten of these illustrations, a series that Ulysse Nardin has reproduced using micro painting. High in the Swiss mountains, artisans at the Ulysse Nardin Headquarters in Le Locle have been working during approximately 50 hours around the clock to miniaturize each of Manara’s drawings on the dials, a surface which is roughly ten times smaller than the original water color paintings. The art of miniature painting shows that perfection is indeed in the details.

There is an explosion of colours in the sensual details. From the deep blue of the sea to the coral reef barrier, to the little waves details on the surface of the water and the color of the mermaid’s lips and jewels, it has all been painted by hand using a brush the width of a single eyelash. Patience is key. To enhance Manara’s erotic scenes, a lacquer has been applied as a topcoat on the acrylic painting, reflecting the light and nobility of Manara’s art work.

Made of polished stainless steel, these Milo Manara special editions will also be manufactured in 5N rose gold. Ten pieces per drawing will be produced in stainless steel and ten pieces in rose gold, making the series limited to a mere 200 pieces in total.

Powered by the UN-320 self-winding manufacture movement and beating at the rhythm of silicium technology – which Ulysse Nardin has mastered for decades – only the hours and minutes are displayed in order to leave a maximum amount of space on the watch faces for the drawings. The hands are discreet, leaving the drawings to star on the face of each watch. These Classico Manara in 40 mm will be set on dark blue alligator straps to align with the color tonality dictated by Manara. As a special gift from Ulysse Nardin, each watch purchase will be accompanied by an original numbered Milo Manara print, signed by the artist himself.

Stainless Steel: $ 26.900
Rose Gold: $ 34.400

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Ulysse Nardin

The second chapter of The Only One story. As though enveloped in a sensual red veil, The Only One 2 builds on the floriental legacy of The Only One line with an intoxicating new scent, suffused with fruity red notes. The Only One’s iconic signature of coffee and violet is reimagined with powdery red roses, the symbol of love and seduction.

Top Notes: Red Berries, Pear and Freesia
Middle Notes: Red Rose Superessence, Violet and Coffee
Base Notes: Tonka Bean and Patchouli

Sparkling like the gems adorning Dolce&Gabbana’s Alta Gioielleria collections, the flacon is reinvented with the hue and lustre of a faceted ruby. The bottle recalls the same iconic color of love and desire as the red ingredients of the fragrance within.

In the colorful campaign shot by the Morelli Brothers in an original trattoria in Trastevere in Rome, British actress Emilia Clarke embodies a modern, empowered woman.

CHF 81.00 (30ml), CHF 115.20 (50ml) and CHF 160.00 (100ml). Available in March 2019.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Dolce & Gabbana
#DGBeauty #DGTheOnlyOne #DGTheOnlyOne2 #DGTheOne
Follow @DGBeauty

PRADA presents a new range of options for the Made to Order Women’s Shoe collection, a project dedicated to giving customers the opportunity to create a unique, custom-made shoe.
Eighteen models of pumps, slingbacks, ballet flats, boots and sandals with or without platforms and with eight different heel heights are available in a wide range of materials and shades.

The range of iconic Prada prints on a patent leather base has been expanded, with the Lipstick, Barocco and Roses as well as the new Dahlia flames and Mermaids flames patterns: Prada’s iconic prints from various seasons are mixed for a totally new and striking result.

The pumps and slingbacks can now be customized with a detachable poplin bow that comes in nine different prints.

After choosing the model, material and colour, customers can select the colour of the sole (black, phard or light blue) and add their initials, charms or numbers. As an alternative, it will be possible to add the same elements – but in leather – on the exclusive satin dust bag.

The customization continues beyond the product: the packaging for the shoes will match the style chosen so either the classic blue box embellished with an elastic band and metal plaque or one of the Prada prints. The shoes will be delivered eight weeks from order.

 During the month of March PRADA is going to offer this service in Switzerland:
Zurich March 1 – 10, 2019
Lugano March 14 – 20, 2019
Geneva March 22 – 28, 2019

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Prada

At the moment, the World Economic Forum (WEF) in the Swiss Alpine town of Davos welcomes its global elite with only 22% female participants attending the event. Female empowerment starts in daily life. If we as women all supported each other like men do, we would be so much more powerful. Today’s look is dedicated to three amazing women that I am very lucky to call my girlfriends and that inspire me on a daily basis.

Nadya Shah – Mimi Mollerus – Annette Zierer

The cape I am wearing is by London-based designer Nadya Shah, a Central St Martins graduate who brings Victorian embellishment into the now with her fabulous collection of statement outerwear. Trophy jackets or ultra stylish capes are her signature pieces that you can find at Moda Operandi for example.

The shopper is by Maison Mollerus in collaboration with the artist Super250. My friend Mimi Mollerus took over the family business, that her father Ernst founded 30 years ago, in 2011. Since then, she further developed the well established bag brand into a modern company.

Thanks to my friend Annette Zierer, who has her own PR company Zierer Communications in Munich, I discovered Giulia and Romeo, a young German shoe label that is vegan and ethical. With the purchase of their faux leather footwear, you automatically support animals in need as the brand donates the complete net proceeds to animal welfare organizations and animal aid projects.

My look: Paisley victorian cape by Nadya Shah, dark blue ultra light cashmere turtleneck with personalized embroidery by Falconeri, high rise super skinny ankle length jeans by Abercrombie & Fitch, Vinerus lemon shopper by Super250 x Maison Mollerus, and high top trainers by Giulia and Romeo.

Make a friend happy. Isn’t a personalized sweater such a cool idea to surprise someone you like?!

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht

As promised here is the first post dedicated to a watch that was presented during SIHH 2019 last week. High jewellery, horology and design cues from nature have united in Audemars Piguet’s Haute Joaillerie collection also in past creations. This year’s unique piece pushes gem-setting craftsmanship to new heights. Named after the river that crosses Le Brassus, home of Audemars Piguet, Sapphire Orbe embodies a glittering river of diamonds and sapphires in graded hues of blue and orange, as night merges into day. Personally speaking, it is divine, I have rarely seen such a glamour in a contemporary design.

The outstanding piece features more than 12,000 stones, each rigorously selected, individually cut and set by hand. The central petal-shaped rings are entirely snow-set with diamonds and graded sapphires in 6 graded shades of blue and orange, each in 20 different diameters ranging from 0.5 mm to 1.5 mm in size. Multifaceted, this piece offers a play of colour and light that changes depending on the perspective from which it is seen. It took approximately 1,050 hours to gem-set this piece.

In the domed centre nestles the 2 cm dark blue sapphire-set globe which, when inverted, reveals the watch’s 18-carat white gold dial paved with graded orange sapphires. This spherical case houses a tiny quartz calibre. The bracelet is made of articulated diamond-set components, for maximum flexibility and comfort.

FUNCTIONS
Hours and minutes
CASE
18-carat white gold case in shape of a sphere, entirely set with dark blue sapphires, surrounded by 18 carat white gold rings, set with diamonds, graded blue and orange sapphires, glareproofed sapphire crystal, water-resistant to 20 m
DIAL
18-carat white gold dial, entirely set with graded orange sapphires, white gold hands
SETTING
2,794 briliant-cut orange sapphires 15.14 carats
3,240 briliant-cut blue sapphires 23.03 carats
6,069 briliant-cut diamonds 27.93 carats
Total 12,103 stones 66.10 carats
BRACELET
Bracelet composed of 18-carat white gold elements, assembled together by hand and set with brilliant-cut diamonds, jewellery type clasp.
MOVEMENT
Quartz Calibre 2710
Total diameter 16.2 mm (7¼ lignes)
Total thickness 1.9 mm
Number of jewels 7
Frequency of the quartz 32.768 Hz

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Audemars Piguet

From sophisticated head pieces to over-the-top jewellery pieces and amazing raffia sun hats, these are the most important accessories trends you need to know about for S/S 2019.

LoL, Sandra

Fairy-tale whimsy, an ode to couture, spring’s plethora of veils speak all languages.

Larger-than-life shades for the ultimate eye protection and maximum style statement.

Headband game is now a thing, signalling a big move in the adornment game.

Bombastic raffia sun hats will elevate your summer looks to a new level, especially when combined with red lips.

Hats are ‘the’ accessory of the season and really stylish if they match your outfit.

With an ethnic or futurist edge, XXL jewellery shapes the season’s silhouettes.

Photos: Courtesy of the Brands

Championed by the likes of Princess Diana in the ’80s, the revival of cycling shorts is still going strong into S/S 2019, with slightly sexier styles like this Mugler or Dundas pair taking the lead. Those second-skin versions are made from mesh or delicate floral lace enhanced with plenty of stretch so you won’t feel restricted. In 2019, cycling shorts look great when peeking out from beneath oversized hoodies or a mini dress, as seen on the runway. Try wearing them under a blazer for your next business meeting to show trendsetting capacity.

Below you can find a great selection of those must-haves. Just click on the highlighted text to be transferred directly to the respective shop.

LoL, Sandra

Mesh cycling shorts by Mugler

Stretch-lace shorts by Dundas

Logo-patch technical cycling shorts by Versace

Life Is Short satin shorts by Maggie Marilyn

Cropped intarsia-trimmed stretch leggings by Palm Angels

Logo cycling shorts by Stella McCartney

Leather cycling shorts by Manokhi

Photos: Courtesy of the Brands / © Getty

In New York, London, Milan, and Paris, it was one the most diverse seasons of shoes yet. From sleek, functional walking sandals in sturdy black leather, to fantastical feather embellished heels for fairytale fantasies. Mules and platforms might help you overcome the sneaker trend as they are also very comfortable. Enjoy this new kind of glamour.

LoL, Sandra

If the Birkenstock was the shoe to wear of S/S 2018, a similarly lug-soled flat sandal will be the one of S/S 2019 – according to the runways at least.

Feathers, feathers everywhere. This season, the feather shoe is the stand-out buy.

The return of platforms to the runway had me truly beaming. Meet me this summer on the dance floor.

Don’t invest too much in sneakers. Pumps are about to get very, very interesting. At Calvin Klein, court shoes took on a scuba spirit, while Balenciaga outfitted its polka dot heels with a bulging triangular back.

With minimal effort required but maximum sophisticated achieved, you will surely be slipping into a barely-there mule this spring.

Photos: Courtesy of the Brands