Love is in the air at Hermès as one of the French House’s most iconic scarf prints «Brides de Gala» has just received a little «affaire de coeur». Designed by the brand’s famous artist Hugo Grygkar, this limited edition is printed with the signature equestrian motif combined with blue and orange hearts. The best is yet to come as the special packaging for Valentine’s Day is an exclusive heart-shaped orange box.
I am truly in love with this…
LoL, Sandra
Photos: © Hermès
Last April, I wrote a post about the amazing project that LOUIS XIII did in collaboration with HERMÈS, SAINT-LOUIS, and PUIFORCAT.
Four French luxury houses joined forces to create something very special.
Personally speaking, I still find it very impressive that each decanter of LOUIS XIII takes four generations of cellar masters over 100 years to craft. It is a unique blend of up to 1,200 eaux-de-vie, the youngest of which is at least 40 years old.
A veritable journey through time, it has been present at every milestone in the history of luxury travel. In tribute to this odyssey, the four French luxury houses joined forces to create three unique masterpieces. To crown their rarity, the LOUIS XIII cognac they house is a tailor-made coupe enriched with a selection of one of the oldest Grande Champagne eaux-de-vie, set aside over the decades by the Cellar Masters.
Touring the world.
Inspired by the iconic LOUIS XIII journeys, these objets-d’art have toured the globe, exhibiting their history and savoir-faire at Hermès boutiques, prestige museums and select venues in cultural capitals: Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong, New York, Singapore, Paris and London… For one year, LOUIS XIII shared its ode to adventure with the world.
To close this exciting tour, each decanter has been auctioned by Sotheby’s. In New York, the Americas edition topped the record for sale of a LOUIS XIII decanter; in Hong Kong in October, the Asia decanter surpassed that total; and at the final sale in London on November 16, the Europe decanter fetched US$ 235,000, bringing the full total to US$ 558,000.
“LOUIS XIII and The Film Foundation are both committed to preserving a cultural legacy, honoring the past while ensuring that films survive into the future. The work of the foundation has helped to restore over 700 films, from the 1880s onward, encompassing well over 100 years of this extraordinary art form. We are grateful for our partnership with LOUIS XIII, and its generous and continuous support for the foundation’s mission,” said Martin Scorsese.
The proceeds will benefit The Film Foundation, created by Martin Scorsese in 1990 to restore and preserve cinematic heritage. A great project with a lot of success – bravo!
LoL, Sandra
Photos: Courtesy of LOUIS XIII
This winter, camel coats come never alone… Embrace the season’s must-have hue in head-to-toe looks that exude effortless ease. Sophisticated, stylish, just beautiful.
Get the look: Madame 101801 coat by Max Mara, raw-edge wool-blend skirt by Tomas Maier
, Pussy-bow silk-georgette blouse by Balenciaga,
Rockstud fur-felt trilby hat
by Valentino, BB suede over-the-knee boots by Saint Laurent and Cahier large leather tote by Prada.
LoL, Sandra
Hermès F/W 2016
Cover: © Harper’s Bazaar, Stills: Courtesy of the Brands; Runway via Vogue.com
“Nature is so beautiful that adding to it serves no purpose.” – Robert Dallet (1923 – 2006)
Every year, Hermès picks a theme for the respective year, which is highlighted through their collections and store windows. In 2016, the French Maison is honoring its love for nature with «Nature at Full Gallop».
Last week, I was invited to an intimate dinner by the House at the Museum Rietberg in Zurich to celebrate this beautiful inspiration. The location was amazing, decorated like a jungle. The dinner was served on the «Carnets d’Equateur» porcelain which I showed you in a previous post and that pictures wild creatures such as the jaguar, lion, tiger, elephant and toucan alongside the rare, the manama, capuchin and wooly monkeys.
The design was created by late animal artist Robert Dallet and is a voyage to the core of creation. I find it extremely beautiful.
My look that night: Margot bonded stretch-crepe dress by Roksanda, So Black Kelly bag and silk scarf, both by Hermès, Songe pumps in cracked leather by Dior, Horsebit blue topaz diamond white gold ring by Gucci Fine Jewellery, Tonda 1950 Set Clarity watch by Parmigiani Fleurier and crystal-embellished clip-on earrings by Miu Miu.
My avid reader might recognize the dress as I wore it already 4 years ago (for the previous post, click here please). It got relaunched this season because of the hype Melania Trump caused wearing it in white for her speech to the Republican National Convention in Cleveland in July.
Absolutely trending this F/W 2016 season: wrapping a silk scarf around the handle.
Taking photos in the Hermès selfie box. Have fun with more pictures below!
LoL, Sandra
Photos: Courtesy of Hermès, © Sandra Bauknecht
Absolutely trending this F/W 2016 season is wrapping a silk scarf around the handle as seen on the Louis Vuitton runway or to tie a ribbon around it as Alessandro Michele did at Gucci.
I decorated my So Black Kelly bag recently with a 90 x 90cm silk scarf by Hermès. Stay tuned, the complete look will be coming up tomorrow.
Before starting to wrap it around the handle, it is important to fold the base very precisely:
The easier way is to use a Twilly, another a silk design by Hermès that is specifically used for that purpose (although it’s also used for other things like your wrist). It is thin and an easy way to customize your bag.
The ribbon effect: Sylvie mini buckle leather shoulder bag by Gucci.
Have fun decorating your bag!
LoL, Sandra
Louis Vuitton F/W 2017
Courtesy of the Brands, via Luxury 24/7 and © Sandra Bauknecht
Jaguars, macaws, panthers and impalas frolic through lush natural settings under the watchful eye of late naturalist and painter Robert Dallet. He created this iconic design in 1988 presenting his vision on a grand scale of equatorial flora and fauna. Now brings HERMES with its new porcelain collection new life into the full range of the artist’s work, from spontaneous sketches to hyperrealist gouache paintings, all can be found on this beautiful china. I am so in love.
Dessert Plate Lions 21cm
Tall Cup Birds 42cl
Change Tray 21 x 17 cm
Very Large Vase 35cm
Soup Spoon 14 cm
Soup Plate 22.5 cm
Small Bowl 40 cl
Wallpaper EQUATEUR col. M03
This amazing design is also available as wallpaper in different color options, click here for more details. And stay tuned, a post will be coming up shortly where you can see the china “in action“…
LoL, Sandra
Photos: © Hermès
Here they are: the most important trends for the F/W 2016 season. Scroll through my forecast to see which styles will be on everyone’s shopping list next season. From statement furs to velvet everything, from extra long sleeves to oversized down jackets, the choice is yours – enjoy!
LoL, Sandra
What happens if four French luxury houses join forces? They surely design something very special that exudes rare craftsmanship and unbroken tradition. Offering a bespoke tribute to one of the world’s most storied Grande Champagne cognac’s mythical journeys through the ages, LOUIS XIII has collaborated with HERMÈS, SAINT-LOUIS, and PUIFORCAT.
Each of them contributing their own expertise and centuries-old savoir-faire, they have created together a series of three one-of-a-kind masterpieces, L’ODYSSÉE D’UN ROI (JOURNEY OF A KING), that is paying ode to the travel heritage of the famous cognac house.
THE ULTIMATE JOURNEY
LOUIS XIII has been present at every milestone in the history of luxury travel — from the legendary bar-car of the Orient-Express to the first-class lounge of the S.S. Normandie ocean liner to the sleek cabin of the supersonic Concorde jet. To pay tribute to this heritage of adventure and discovery, L’ODYSSÉE D’UN ROI is inspired by the first shipments of LOUIS XIII in the late 1870s and the iconic journeys that followed to the farthest corners of the globe.
THE AUCTION
The three trunks will be offered in a special 1-lot sale in different auctions at Sotheby’s, one in NYC on September 10, 2016, one in Hong Kong on October 1, 2016 and one in London on November 16, 2016. Each masterpiece is unique, its design and contents are inspired by the continent for which it is destined.
All proceeds will be benefiting «The Film Foundation», a non-profit organization founded by Martin Scorsese and other leading filmmakers in 1990 to preserve and restore classic films, ensuring their survival for future generations. In this same spirit of preservation, the house has pledged to replant 115,000 oak trees in France in partnership with ONF (French National Forest Office).
Ludovic du Plessis and Martin Scorsese
“LOUIS XIII – L’ODYSSÉE D’UN ROI is truly the result of a work of art and genius, a veritable tribute to craftsmanship and time. Much like the time, finesse and care it takes to create LOUIS XIII, so it is with the process of preserving classic cinema. We therefore decided that the proceeds of LOUIS XIII – L’ODYSSÉE D’UN ROI will be donated to THE FILM FOUNDATION, a group dedicated to film preservation and the exhibition of restored and classic cinema, a cultural legacy that one generation leaves to another.”
Ludovic du Plessis, LOUIS XIII Global Executive Director
Let’s have a closer look at those masterpieces that were created by more than 5o individual artisans that devoted over 1000 hours per piece to produce the three bespoke creations.
THE TAILOR-MADE OFFERING INCLUDES:
• A beautiful book that chronicles LOUIS XIII’s mythical journeys that begin on a 16th-century battlefield in rural France but will touch every corner of the globe.
• A bespoke trunk hand-stitched by HERMÈS using the finest leathers and evoking a bygone era of luxury travel.
This bespoke trunk was hand-stitched by HERMÈS using the finest leathers. Modelled on a classic steamer trunk — the kind that would have been taken on an ocean liner or a long journey by train — it evokes a bygone era of luxury travel. In fact, the handles are exact replicas of those used for HERMÈS from the 1920s and30s. Of course the design of the interior was created for a very precise function, which is to luxuriously house a unique magnum decanter of LOUIS XIII. This unique object is a suitably grand conveyance for this unforgettable journey across space and time.
• A white gold pipette forged by the Art Deco silversmith PUIFORCAT for the ritual of service.
This white gold pipette was forged by hand by the Art Deco silversmith PUIFORCAT for the ritual of service. The method is centuries-old: the craftsman spins a plate of silver on a mandril, which is a tapered piece of wood that turns horizontally. He uses a simple tool called a “spoon” to give shape to the object. Several passes are often needed for a piece to take on the desired contours. These steps are punctuated by “annealing,” a controlled heating process used to soften the metal. Etching is another whole step: the piece is wedged on a leather pillow full of sand. With thin notches made on the surface of the metal, the craftsman can draw a coat of arms or some other decorative pattern with exquisite precision, honed through decades of practice.
• A sublime crystal decanter and four elegant serving glasses — mouth-blown, cut and wheel- engraved by hand at the royal cristallerie SAINT-LOUIS. Each decanter is etched with a 19th-century map of the continent where it is bound.
Three sublime crystal decanters and 12 elegant matching serving glasses were blown, cut and engraved entirely by hand at the royal cristallerie SAINT-LOUIS. The ancient, painstaking technique of copper-wheel engraving has given these crystal works their regal profile. Each magnum-size decanter was additionally etched with a 19th-century map of the continent where it is bound. For this project, SAINT-LOUIS capitalized on the savoir-faire of more than 10 craftsmen — including four glassblowers, one engraver, and a specially trained artisan to apply the palladium trim to each crystal object. The crystal was heated to over 1,400°c degrees and then mouth-blown at around 1,200 °c. Each glass required 110 man-hours of work while the magnificent decanter itself took no less than 270 hours to accomplish.
• A blend of LOUIS XIII Cognac enriched with a selection of the house’s oldest treasures from Grande Champagne, that each cellar master pass on to each other, from generation to generation. A very special spirit revealing flavours that are at once singular and complementary. A cognac to savour and admire.
Of all of the legendary travels of Louis XIII, its most important journey is the one taken through time. That voyage begins in the rolling hills and chalky soil of Grande Champagne, the strictly demarcated and most prestigious cru of Cognac. Here the region’s delicate grapes — predominantly the Ugni Blanc variety — are harvested and turned into a low alcohol wine, which is then twice distilled in an onion-domed copper pot still, yielding an eau-de-vie of uncommon freshness and power. Only the tiniest sliver of this base spirit will be set aside to become, four generations later, a part of LOUIS XIII.
That ageing process takes time, but also a tremendous amount of savoir-faire, an almost mimetic genius possessed by each generation of LOUIS XIII’s cellar masters. The chais, or cellars, in which they work are dark, incredibly quiet places, the barrels in which the cognac rests covered in thick blankets of spider webs. As the alcohol evaporates over time, the spirit deepens and darkens, releasing a sweet and rich smell that fills the moist air.
The keeper of the legend, Baptiste Loiseau, the current cellar master, joined the house in 2007.
“In one century I won’t be here, so I have to be sure, deep inside, that what I select really corresponds to the universe of LOUIS XIII. It’s a big responsibility, if in tasting this blend, I don’t have the sensation or emotion given by the previous cellar master, then something is missing.”
Baptiste Loiseau
With each passing year, the cellar master dips a pipette into the barrel and tastes something different. At 20 years, there is almonds, figs and fresh-baked brioche. At 40, candied plums. At 70, honeysuckle and saffron. All the while, he is blending different eaux-de-vie, searching for perfection through a process called marriage.
By 100 years, hundreds of eaux-de-vie have been married together, resulting in a complex, ineffable flavour. On the nose, it is elegant and floral: dried rose and jasmine — the fragrances of Grande Champagne. These are followed by denser notes like dates, dried fig and walnut. On the palate, the first drop of LOUIS XIII unleashes a ballet of flavours; the walnut and fig aromas soften with those of honey as headier notes — of wax, tobacco and undergrowth — roll in like a wave. The tasting is distinguished by a haunting, lasting finish. The century-long journey of LOUIS XIII has come to its triumphant end.
L’ODYSSÉE D’UN ROI is a shining testament both to the heritage that created LOUIS XIII and the nature that continues to inspire it. The protection of cultural treasures — whether the art of filmmaking or the art of cognac — requires time, finesse and care. It is a beautiful project, bravo LOUIS XIII!
And if you interested, check LOUIS XIII’s other recent project in collaboration with John Malkovich: «100 Years: The Movie You will Never See» by clicking here.
LoL, Sandra
Photos: Courtesy of Louis XIII
Dive into blue! Just in time for spring, many designers looked to the water and sky for inspiration. Especially royal blue with its refined elegance translates easy into the new season. I am in love with jumpsuits that are absolutely trending at the moment. Head to toe in this sophisticated shade is truly an eye-catcher.
Get the look: Carrie cape-effect silk-chiffon and stretch-crepe jumpsuit by Haney, Vivi embellished lizard-effect leather shoulder bag by Sophia Webster, Wild Thing fringed suede sandals by Aquazzura and pompom-embellished woven straw sunhat by Yosuzi.
Below you can find some more inspirations of the S/S 2016 runways …
… enjoy the rest of your week! Kisses from NYC!
LoL, Sandra
Lanvin S/S 2016
Hermès S/S 2016
Stella McCartney S/S 2016
Akris S/S 2016
Photos: Courtesy of the Brands
As a part of the Collection Les Classiques, Hermès launches new interpretations of the two classic scents, one for women and one for men, which were both reworked by in-house perfumer Jean-Claude Ellena.
Collection Les Classiques by Hermès
Jean-Claude Ellena
ROSE AMAZONE for Women
1974: once upon a time there was Amazone. Symbolic of a free, modern femininity, Amazone, which is still produced, takes its inspiration from the mythical horsewomen who, according to legend, ruled over the shores of the Black Sea. A novel composed by Maurice Maurin at the time and orchestrated around blackcurrant buds, the fragrance is a green floral harmony in which daffodils, narcissi, galbanum, red fruits and vetiver take turns to shine.
Now there comes a new, modern version of this legendary fragrance, reimagined by Jean-Claude Ellena, named Rose Amazone which is much more contemporary. A sparkling, tangy and tender perfume, brightened by citrus fruits, currants and raspberries. There are also floral notes of rose, laid on a background of sweet amber, vanilla and woods. A perfume full of colours for cheerful fragrancing.
Available as 100 ml Eau de Toilette for CHF 166.00 (In Switzerland from end of October 2015).
EQUIPAGE GERANIUM for Men
1970: once upon a time there was Equipage. A masculine, aromatic woody fragrance created by Guy Robert, is reborn this fall with the same original message, but with a new, contemporary freshness.
This manly and aromatic fragrance contains spicy accords. With its emphasized geranium note, it plays with the addition of an invigorating note hovering between rose and mint. Sandalwood brings an elegant and sensual side to the composition.
Available as 100 ml Eau de Toilette for CHF 131.00 (In Switzerland from end of November 2015).
Jean-Claude Ellena at work…
… choosing from the most precious ingredients.
Two great new additions to the Hermès fragrance family!
LoL, Sandra
Photos: Courtesy of Hermès
