Sandra‘s Closet

Grab hold. These are the handbags to get excited about. The F/W 2022 trends have spoken, and there will be a lot of practical types of handbags for the season. My favorite is the return of the hobo bag!

LoL, Sandra

00’s nostalgia has brought the hobo bag back, and designers add some great details to modernize it.

This S/S 2022 trend is here to stay, only in a more delicate way. Tender, heart-shaped bags appeared at Chanel, Simone Rocha, and Jil Sander, on time for Valentine’s Day 2023.

Oversized cozy fluffy bags are all the rage. It is your choice if you go real or fake fur.

When one purse is not enough, Bottega Veneta’s Intrecciato rope bag or Proenza Schouler’s layered double bags are called for.

Studs and beads were scattered across clutches, slouchy shoulder bags and pouches.

Those slim bags feel so modern. They’re ideal for storing small items—for those who prefer to leave their whole kit and kaboodle at home.

With geometric designs and all-over prints, these bags crave to see and be seen.

Those classic bags have their momentum again. Store your personals in boxy style this season.

Photos: Courtesy of the Brands

During Paris Fashion Week, the fashion industry has been mourning the loss of French-Japanese designer Kenzo Takada, who died yesterday at the age of 81 from complications from COVID-19 in a hospital in Neuilly-sur-Seine, near Paris.

«It is with immense sadness that KENZO has learned of the passing of our founder,» the fashion house said in a statement. «For half a century, Mr Takada has been an emblematic personality in the fashion industry — always infusing creativity and color into the world.»

KENZO S/S 2021 with designer Felipe Oliveira Beptista in the middle

It was only days ago that the Kenzo fashion house unveiled its bee-themed collection for S/S 2021. «His amazing energy, kindness and talent and smile were contagious,» said KENZO’s artistic director, Felipe Oliveira Beptista, who released the new range to us fashion editors. «His kindred spirit will live forever.»

The Kenzo F/W 1982 collection was a huge inspiration for the Kenzo x H&M collaboration.

Kenzo Takada brought Japanese fashion to the world, he planned to stay in Paris for six months but stayed 56 years. Born in 1939, he grew up with six siblings near the Japanese city of Himeji where his parents owned a hotel. His love for fashion developed at an early age, particularly through reading his sisters’ magazines. He studied at Tokyo’s Bunka College of Fashion, which had then just opened its doors to male students. After that he had a brief stint working in Japan before relocating to France in 1965.

The mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, tweeted that the city was «morning one of its sons,» saying the designer had given space to color and light in fashion.

KENZO collections from the ’80s and early ’90s

When I think of KENZO, I think of happy fashion with his colorful graphic and floral prints, jungle-infused designs and free-spirited aesthetic that channeled global travel. He was hugely popular, both for his high fashion and luxury day-to-day streetwear.

KENZO street style hype in 2012

The designer sold his brand to LVMH back in 1993 and stepped away from the brand 6 years later to pursue a career in art. «Kenzo Takada has, from the 1970s, infused into fashion a tone of poetic lightness and sweet freedom which inspired many designers after him,» said LVMH chief, Bernard Arnault.

«My work was always about freedom and harmony,» Kenzo Takada once said. «I’d like to be remembered as a designer who crossed boundaries.» Rest in Peace – you will surely be remembered like this!

LoL, Sandra

Sporting KENZO in 2016, click here for the outfit post.

Photos: © KENZO and © Sandra Bauknecht

There is something about Mary that we all love! She is not only extremely charming but also one of the most talented designers of our time. Besides her amazing eponymous line, she has collaborated with the likes of Longchamp, Topshop and Repetto. This season, Mary Katrantzou has created a capsule collection in collaboration with Moncler, mixing the Italian house’s signature style with her iconic feminine cuts and bold graphic prints.

The exclusive collection MONCLER M will be available in Moncler boutiques worldwide from August 2013. As those pieces will surely be flying off the shelves, I recommend the following: 
PRE-ORDER THE MONCLER M COLLECTION HERE and be the first to wear it.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Moncler

Good news for S/S 2012, everything’s coming up roses (and orchids, and daffodils, and daisies). Head to toe floral prints are one of the season’s biggest trends and were seen all over the runways.

My all-time favourite Mary Katrantzou who is known for her bold prints and vivid colors, showed this trend in perfection, flowers and print – the perfect combination of her strengths. Her runway was divided by a field of carnations. Please click here for the previous post.

Take a peek at the most fun garden party of the season! Floral prints, extreme edition!

The colours range from fabulous bright colours reminiscent of a tropical vacation to soft neutrals and stunning pastels. Lilac and light green are among summer’s favourites.

As if the floral prints weren’t enough, the designers went and attached 3-D flowers and embellishments to the fabrics. A season’s must! Best collection: Louis Vuitton!

I’m betting it won’t be long before a style icon like Alexa Chung is spotted in this cool Chloé or Prada outfit!

If you didn’t think you could wear a head to toe look printed with multi-coloured florals and still look cool, Erdem just proved you totally wrong.

From the necklace, to the shoes, to the bags, to the earrings, this S/S 2012 trend is a complete floral explosion!
Stay tuned for more to complement this look…

LoL, Sandra

This 50s inspired dress from Prada’s F/W 2010 collection is a key item for next season combining different trends perfectly. The emphasis on the bust is an ode to the womanhood, the length and the petticoat-style give it the perfect feminine allure. It is a very fashionable piece that will make heads turn. There is a reason that it has appeared in the Prada F/W 2010 campaign, in many editorials and on worldwide magazines covers.
Combine it with kitten heels, a top handle bag and a pair of sharp cat-eyes sunglasses for full-on glamour.

As for me, one of my must-haves this season!

LoL, Sandra

Today Jonathan Saunders will be launching his fourth collaboration with Topshop. The pieces are not as colourful as expected but  feature classic silhouettes with dazzling denim aspects that are definitely great buys for less money. Whilst he seems to develop a new clean form of geometric shapes and graphic, almost architectural patterns, print is still major to his designs. The designer collaborations will be available at the following Topshop stores: Oxford Circus, Liverpool and Manchester Arndale, as well as Selfridges in London, and online: www.topshop.com.

LoL, Sandra

Graphic patterns are a big trend for next summer, but the real news is digital manipulated prints.

A genius in creating those swirling effects is the Glaswegian designer Jonathan Saunders who since his graduation in 2002 from London`s Central Saint Martin`s college has been climbing up the ladder of success. Especially his resort 2010 collection (see above) that is available right now has a lot of those notice-me silk screening prints.

Black and White is always a great combination and was seen a lot on the runways. For winter houndstooth was a must-have. For the upcoming summer 2010, stripes, op-art and graphic prints, some of them with an influence of ethnic ornaments, appeared on the runways.The top by Gareth Pugh is on sale at www.brownsfashion.com and a great buy for the next season.

If you are not so into patterns, you can also achieve the look with an accessory like a black belt on a white dress or combine the two colours by wearing a light top and a dark skirt or vice versa.