Sandra‘s Closet

“The freshness of an early morning. The sparkle of a grand soiree. I live in the rhythm of this magical, luminous Paris. I love those special moments which have inspired me to create these two perfumes – a fragrance journey into the heart of the City of Lights. ” – Francis Kurkdjian

Accompanying the launch of his two new fragrances dedicated to Paris, Petit Matin and Grand Soir, which will both be available in September 2016, the famous perfumer shared his favorite spots in the French capital with us. (If you are in Zurich, you can find his creations at the newly opened counter at Jelmoli or at Perfumery Osswald. To shop his creations online, click here please.)

Your favourite city?
PARIS, because it is Paris. It is my hometown.

Your favourite hotel?
HOTEL LA PROVIDENCE in the 10th arrondissement. A charming small boutique hotel with a great restaurant, good food and a lovely bar.
90, Rue René Boulanger, 75010 Paris, Phone: +33 1 46 34 34 04

Your favourite restaurant?
LA DAME DE PIC by Anne Sophie Pic, who is one of the best chefs in the world and France’s first woman to win three Michelin stars.
20, Rue du Louvre, 75001 Paris, Phone: +33 1 42 60 40 40

Your favourite nightclub?
SILENCIO because I love the decor.
142, Rue Montmarte,  75002 Paris, Phone: +33 1 40 13 12 33

Your favourite sightseeing spot?
The rooftop of the restaurant GEORGES which has the best view over the city.
6th floor, Palais Beaubourg, Place Georges Pompidou, 75000 Paris, Phone: +33 1 44 78 47 99
The view from the PLACE DU TROCADERO with the Eiffel Tower in the back is spectacular, especially at night as well as the PONT ALEXANDRE III (pictured), the beautiful deck arch bridge that spans the Seine. It is so Parisian.

Your favourite park?
I adore the PALAIS ROYAL GARDEN, not a real parc, more a garden between my office and my home. Very French but not too touristy like the Tuileries that are just across.
6 Rue de Montpensier, 75001 Paris, Phone:+33 1 47 03 92 16

Your favourite shop?
ATELIER REYNARD. It is more a secret spot, an atelier. It is the place where I get all my leather goods. The owner is so talented.
3 Place du Palais Bourbon, 75007 Paris, Phone: +33 1 45 51 77 87

Your must-have accessory?
My SCENTED CARD WALLET that is hand made and that can be exclusively found in my Paris store.
Maison Francis Kurkdjian, 5, rue d’Alger, 75001 Paris , Phone: +33 1 42 60 07 07

Your favorite museum?
MUSEUM NISSIM DE CAMONDO. It was owned by a banker, Count de Camondo. I love the spirit of it. It had been a private mansion that was turned into a museum. It houses a spectacular collection of French decorative art from the second half of the 18th century.
63 Rue de Monceau, 75008 Paris, Phone: +33 1 53 89 06 50

Your favourite piece of art?
I like the work of SOPHIE DELAUNAY that you can explore at the Musée d’Art Moderne. Her art is colorful, avantgarde and deconstructed.
11 Avenue du Président Wilson, 75116 Paris, Phone: +33 1 53 67 40 00
ELIAS CRESPIN (pictured) – very contemporary, he does mobiles floating in the air with very centric movements full of electronics. It is to die for.
Galerie Denise René Espace Marais, 22 rue Charlot, 75003 Paris

The best book to read while being on vacation there?
Poetry by GUILLAUME APOLLINAIRE. I love his universe. His poem LE PONT MIRABEAU is my favourite. It is about the Seine.

The smell of Paris?
The SUBWAY. When you walk through the streets, you can smell the ventilation. For me, this is very French!

Thank you, Francis, for sharing your insider scoop on Paris with us!
My dear readers, if you like to know more about Francis, I have some great news. An amazing interview will be coming up shortly. So stay tuned please!

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of the locations, © David Lynch, © Sylvain Leurent and © Sandra Bauknecht

«Loubilaque is for the bold woman who wants to bring attention to her lips. When she wears Loubilaque, she feels its power through other’s reaction to her.”
– Christian Louboutin

After nail polishes, lipsticks and lip pencils, Christian Louboutin is expanding its beauty range with the launch of a new lipgloss, inspired by the shoe designer’s love of all things lacquer.

Loubilaque will be available in 8 shades (Rouge Louboutin, Bengali, Bikini, Colibretta, Casanovella, Altressa, Altareva, Akenana) in selected stores and on www.christianlouboutin.com in July.
Price: 80.00 €.

YOU CAN SHOP CHRISTIAN LOUBOUTIN BEAUTY ONLINE HERE.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Christian Louboutin

Recently, I flew to New York to attend the opening celebrations of HUBLOT‘s new Fifth Avenue flagship store. As you can imagine everything was superlative and I cannot wait to show you all the details. Here you see me on my way to the ribbon cutting ceremony.

My look: Sarai signature essentials dress by Hervé Leger, cutout leather platform pumps by Saint Laurent, boy bag with chains by Chanel and Croco Tail sunglasses by Fendi.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht

Since 1992 when it had been first inaugurated, World Oceans Day has been unofficially celebrated every June 8th until its official recognition by the United Nations in 2009. It is an annual observation to honour the world’s oceans, celebrate the products they provide such as seafood as well as marine life itself for aquariums, pets, and a time to appreciate its own intrinsic value.

To cherish the sea world, LA MER has launched BLUE HEART in 2014 with the commitment to support the protection of ocean habitats for generations to come and to raise awareness of the importance of healthy oceans worldwide.

To commemorate World Oceans Day and LA MER’s BLUE HEART foundation, a 100ml jar of Crème de la Mer with a limited-edition design will be available from now for CHF 490.00.

Always a magic moment for me: When you spot the sea of your holiday destination from the plane and you know you are going to jump in the crystal clear water within a few hours.

The brand also invites you to become an editor-at-sea and to share your story with the hashtag  #LaMerBlueHeart. Have fun!

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of La Mer and © Sandra Bauknecht

From chokers to colorful hair pins, members of the Swarovski Collective, and 2015 winners of the inaugural Swarovski Collective prize, designers Peter Pilotto and his partner Christopher de Vos turn their hands to the art of jewelry. Signatures first seen on their F/W 2016 catwalk (namely, striking color in geometric arrangements) now make up a kaleidoscopic collection of crystal jewelry in collaboration with Atelier Swarovski.

Arbol Bracelet

Inspired by the architecture of nature, the collection features a range of necklaces, bracelets, earrings, rings and a hairpin, incorporating sparkling Swarovski crystal in vivacious colors with a rhodium finish.

Arbol Large Cuff

Great news is that Peter Pilotto’s F/W 2016 ‘Arbol’ collection for Atelier Swarovski is available exclusively for pre-order on MODAOPERANDI.COM from now before it will arrive in selected Swarovski stores and online from September 2016.

LoL, Sandra

Peter Pilotto F/W 2016

Photos: Courtesy of Atelier Swarovski and Peter Pilotto

Today is the start of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of fasting and prayer. Eid al-Fitr, the “festival of breaking of the fast” is an important religious holiday celebrated by Muslims worldwide that marks the end of this important religious period in the beginning of July. A reason also for M∙A∙C to celebrate with the launch of Smoky Metallic Times Nine, a limited-edition Eyes x 9 Palette created exclusively in honour of Eid, that features a wave of colour-coordinated, smoky metallic hues offering countless combinations. For the ultimate in versatility, the palette offers textures from matte to satin to frost for creating looks for both day and night. What’s more, eyes x 9 is packaged in pocket-sized compacts for easy portability. Now, that’s a gorgeous sight to behold. Statement eyes have never been easier.

Smoky Metallic Times Nine
Filament platinum silver (lustre)
Simple Sensation pinky mid-tone nude (matte)
Give Me Fire taupe pinky neutral (lustre)
By the Silver Moon frosty neutralized green (veluxe pearl)
Just Twigged light greyish taupe (satin)
Petrol mid-tone charcoal (satin)
Richy-Rich goldish dirty bronze (lustre)
Black Factor deep muted brown-black (matte)
Carbon intense black (matte)
60.00 CHF

Brushes
228 Mini Shader – 34.00 CHF
224 Tapered Blending – 48.00 CHF

In Switzerland only available at the MAC counter at Globus Geneva from July 2016.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of MAC Cosmetics

Gucci leads the way in fashion’s current retro mood and I have never outgrown my love for pink, ruffles and a little sparkle.

My look: Pussy-bow silk and wool-blend crepe jacket and matching pleated skirt, feline earrings with crystals and Horsebit-detailed suede knee boots, all by Gucci, white blouse with ruffles by Prada, Sicily medium appliquéd embellished textured-leather tote by Dolce & Gabbana, diamond ring by Vainard Fine Jewellery and Tonda 1950 Set Clarity watch by Parmigiani Fleurier.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht

DRUNK WITH LOVE AND ELEGANCE
Three letters were all it took to mark an entire existence. They form the nickname of Arthur Capel, that dark, handsome gentleman with a penchant for mustaches and tailor-made tweed, who was more than just the love of Coco’s life. He was the first to truly believe in the remarkable talent of the young Gabrielle. “‘Since you are so attached to them,’ Capel said to me, ‘I’m going to get the clothes you have always worn remade elegantly by an English tailor,’” she loved to tell. With the funds that he invested in the opening of her first Parisian boutique —and that she reimbursed in full, a sign of her legendary independence— Gabrielle revolutionized women’s style and rendered it more accessible, borrowing what she deemed essential from men’s apparel. This period was the wellspring for all the founding elements of Rue Cambon.

Arthur «Boy» Capel and Gabrielle Chanel

But Boy is not just the one who believes in her. He is a woman’s murmur to her lover. He is the promise of a life of adventure. He is the widely read intellectual with a passion for politics and spiritualism; the one who would introduce Gabrielle Chanel to Western esotericism, the world of symbols, and Eastern culture, among countless other subjects. He is the polo player with an aloof elegance. He is the burst of laughter in the morning. He is the accent of desire. He is the one who makes her feel most like her true self. And because he continually influenced Gabrielle and the House of CHANEL, BOY CHANEL makes a natural addition to the Collection LES EXCLUSIFS DE CHANEL. An olfactory tribute to an all-consuming passion and the endless play on masculine-feminine.

Coco Chanel’s love, her boy Arthur Capel

FROM ICONIC MASCULINE TO INTRIGUING FEMININE
The dazzling love of Gabrielle Chanel for twelve years, Boy Capel became the stuff of legends by dying too young. And this short-lived passion, this enchanting parenthesis, is what interested House of CHANEL Perfumer, Olivier Polge. Rather than focusing on the historical portrait, he set his sights on how Boy influenced Gabrielle. As he perused the CHANEL photo archives, one thing became clear: Arthur Capel’s irresistible elegance. The way he combed his hair back, the care he took with his shirt collars, the way he sported his riding clothes and even his bedwear with panache. And then there was the muscular body he flaunted on holiday in Saint Jean de Luz, this virile strength that seemed to overwhelm Coco’s frail silhouette. A male mythology that inspired Olivier Polge and sparked his interest in the fougère accord. Traditionally blending lavender with geranium, coumarin and moss, this classic structure in perfumery conjures up images of a clean shave and unequivocal virility. Polge used it as his point of departure for further explorations.

BOY CHANEL – the new addition to the Collection LES EXCLUSIFS DE CHANEL

KALEIDOSCOPE OF ROSE GERANIUM
Like Gabrielle Chanel who borrowed from men’s wear without giving up any of her femininity, Perfumer Olivier Polge was motivated by this mix of genders, imagining the mark of a man on the skin of a woman. That unique fragrance of love when the other person’s scent permeates your skin and the fusion prevails over the original scent. Of the fougère structure, the nose was particularly interested in rose geranium. An androgynous flower with equally minty and rosy facets. A variety often tarnished by the monotony of balcony flower boxes and yet one that can prove to be absolutely splendid when properly cultivated. In Pégomas, near Grasse, where CHANEL already sources its jasmine grandiflorum and May rose, Olivier Polge chose to renew with this ennobled ingredient. He found it to be of an irresistible simplicity. All that remained was to give it a new breath, an impetus and a feminine touch.

LEGACY OF REFINEMENT
From the very first second, you detect the lively energy of lemon and grapefruit zest, and the scent of lavender as if freshly rubbed in the palm of your hand. An aromatic and distinguished burst that heralds the heart of rose geranium to follow. This flower with vapors of lemongrass, mint and rose, often reminiscent of lychee, is accompanied by rose and an orange blossom that is as soft as it is surprising. And as if it had mellowed in contact with slightly salty, sun-warmed skin, the geranium gradually melts into sandalwood, almondy heliotropin and coumarin, with a hint of vanilla and cottony musk accords. The entire fougère structure is there. And simultaneously reinvented. Knowing whether the olfactory composition was designed for a man or woman no longer holds importance. Its refinement on the skin is all that matters.

GEOMETRY OF PURE LINES
True to the architecture of LES EXCLUSIFS DE CHANEL bottles, BOY CHANEL is housed in a streamlined glass block with a monogrammed, magnetized cap that consistently realigns with the label.  BOY CHANEL will be available in two sizes 2016 (200ml, 75ml) as of June.
BOY CHANEL Eau de Parfum Vaporisateur 75 ml CHF 220.-
BOY CHANEL Eau de Parfum Vaporisateur 200 ml CHF 400.-

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Chanel

For more than 15 years, the name Lola Paltinger has been standing for an unmistakeable creative signature which combines Alpine tradition with pleasurable eccentricity. At the heart of her company is her bespoke dirndl atelier in Munich’s city centre. Lola is like my humble self a former ESMOD student. Later she trained with Vivienne Westwood and has been running her enterprise with her mother Brigitte since 1999. Her timelessly beautiful couture dirndls delight every woman’s heart in search of an outfit for the Munich Beer Festival, a wedding or another, very personal crowning event. All the models are produced and finished off in the ateliers in Germany.

Designer Lola Paltinger on the streets of Munich in one of her designs.

Lola Paltinger Couture

Let your dream of a timelessly glamorous couture dirndl come true in Lola Paltinger’s atelier! Only materials of her own creation are used for the unique dirndls and Bavarian style ensembles: luxurious, sometimes hand-painted materials, combined with magnificent embroidery, buttons and charivaris. All the models are produced in the ateliers in Germany, on request even within 24 hours.

Here are some of my favorite couture models:

Couture 1015
Piqué dirndl in soft blue with printed Alpine motifs, decorative borders, floral bouquet, embroidered cotton blouse and glitter apron: € 2,800

Couture 1016
“MARIE” red-check dirndl with hand-embroidered, ornate rhinestone border, lace and ruffle trims, taffeta underskirt, lace blouse and hand-embroidered, bordered velvet apron: € 3,200

Couture 1019
Jacquard dirndl in denim blue with hand-embroidery at the front, decorative borders and taffeta underskirt, high-necked lace blouse and glitter apron: € 3,100

Couture 2020
Dirndl ensemble consisting of bodice and skirt “MARIE” bodice with hand-embroidered insets: € 1,550, Flared skirt with decorative border: € 1,200
Combined with: High-necked lace blouse: € 550, Patch apron with decorative borders: € 550

Couture 2021
Jacquard dirndl with lace borders, floral brooch and patch apron: € 3,000

Couture 2025
“MARIE” jacquard dirndl with hand-embroidered insets: € 3,100
Combined with: “PEGGY” blouse in pink, Patch apron

Lola Paltinger with one of her famous clients Kim Kardashian.

Happy Heidi

This limited-edition less expensive collection of prêt-à-porter dirndls, which appears annually right in time for the Munich Beer Festival, is bright and cheerful, and highly fashionable. The enchanting combinations with apron and charivari or embroidery are made from specially created materials and are rich in elaborate and lovingly placed details. They come in several attractive colours and are complemented by blouses which are available separately.

Happy Heidi 5137
HAPPY HEIDI printed linen dirndl with brooch, taffeta underskirt and taffeta apron: € 699
Combined with: Cotton blouse: € 139

Happy Heidi 5139
HAPPY HEIDI “UNGARN”  jacquard dirndl in bordeaux with brooch, taffeta underskirt and taffeta apron: € 699
Combined with: Cotton blouse: € 139

Happy Heidi 6145
HAPPY HEIDI cotton dirndl with embroidered inset and organza apron: € 699
Combined with: “SALZBURG” lace blouse: € 159

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Lola Paltinger

Florals are a springtime given. Get yourself in a garden state of mind with lush, colorful botanical prints that work for fashion parties, business meetings and many other occasions. I love the bohemian vibe of this look – potent blooms at their best, available at FAHIONVESTIS.

My look: Floral dress and white shrug, both by Philosophy by Lorenzo Serafini, leather appliqué cowboy boots by Roberto Cavalli, embellished bag by Chanel, necklace by Chloé,  «Tribale» earrings by Dior and Tonda 1950 Set Clarity watch by Parmigiani Fleurier.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht