Sandra‘s Closet

“Comme des Carrés”
Hermès meets Comme des Garçons
February 6th – March 31st 2013

Bali Barret, the artistic director in charge of the Hermès women’s universe, has invited Rei Kawakubo, creator of the Comme des Garçons house, to lend her personal vision to the Hermès scarf. This unexpected encounter has produced two collections, each released in limited edition: one, called ‘Black and White’, will be available exclusively in the Comme des Garçons shops in Paris, New York and Tokyo. The other, named ‘Colour’, will be reserved for the Dover Street Market in London and Tokyo.

Couvertures et tenues de jour N&B

“Rei Kawakubo has stamped her vision on the Hermès scarf. With rigour, precision, energy and salience”, remarks Bali Barret. This work is in keeping with the Comme des Garçons reflections on the relationship between creation and already existing objects. Here, the encounter with the Hermès scarf consists of an application, or a graphic superimposition onto the house designs, thus creating new and unique objects.

Harnais de cour

“I have always deeply respected the tradition and craftsmanship of Hermès. In our project together, rather than wanting to wear the scarves, I was looking forward to the change that would happen when I added something to the beautiful ‘paintings’ of Hermès scarf designs. I think through the addition of abstract images, we have transformed the scarf and created something new”, comments Rei Kawakubo.

Thalassa

“Black and White” collection: Available only in Comme des Garçons shops (Aoyama-Tokyo, New York, Paris). Part of the most radical vein of Comme des Garçons aesthetic work, this line is made up of five scarves printed only in black and white, where the absence of colour allows the pattern to drift towards the abstract.

Giant patchwork Hermès scarf (180x180cm)

“Colour” collection: Reserved for the Dover Street Market stores (London, Tokyo). Made up of six creations, this mischievous, colourful and adaptable collection has a hybrid character, in which the surprising assemblies (rectangle, giant patchwork, gingham and stripes) rewrite the traditional narratives of the scarf.

The ‘Comme des Carrés’ collection will be available:
From 6th February 2013 in the Comme des Garçons shop, Paris
From 7th February 2013 in the Comme des Garçons shop, New York
From 8th February 2013 in the Comme des Garçons shop in Aoyama-Tokyo, and the Dover Street Market Ginza shop.
From 12th February in the Dover Street Market shop, London

Quadriga

The collection will also be for sale online at www.doverstreetmarket.com from 6th February 2013 for the “Colour” collection and from 1st April 2013 for the “Black and White” collection.

I just love all of them!

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Hermès

As promised, here is my outfit that I wore to the annabelle Prix de Beauté last week in Zurich. I couldn’t wait to take out some of my new Miu Miu S/S 2013 runway pieces:

Flared dress with puckered trim and wide belt by Yves Saint Laurent (F/W 2012), pearl necklace by Miu Miu, pumps in pale pink cracked leather and caramel and raspberry handmade Shibori dip-dyed fur stole, both from the Miu Miu S/S 2013 runway and Kelly So Black bag by Hermès.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht

Dear Santa, I have been a very good girl, so please bring me the BERLINE MINI BAG by Hermès, it is totally my object of desire! And probably yours now, too!

BERLINE BAG by Hermès

Introduced for F/W 2012, the original Berline Bag is available in the size 28 (28x21x9 cm). While it takes on a new colour for S/S 2013, vermillon red, its features, inspired from the Kelly bag and the automobile universe, pay tribute to the house’s unique saddler-stuffer know-how.

Berline Bag Veau Swift – CHF 6600.-

BERLINE MINI BAG by Hermès

For the S/S 2013 season, it will be available for the first time as a miniature version in the size 21 (21x17x6 cm). This little sister of the Berline bag showcases Hermès’ saddler-padding know-how with its cushioned leather sections. Although its strap is thinner and longer for relaxed crossbody wear, its clasp and snap hooks take a strong stand in retaining their original size. Available in six colours, with matching strap.

Berline Mini Bags in Swift Calfskin – CHF 5650.-

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Hermès

As promised, I will show you during the next days more photos of the outfits that I wore for the shoot with Swiss News magazine.

My first look: Camel hair blazer, silk blouse, wool-crepe wide-leg pants, all three by Gucci, tapestry ankle boots by Dolce & Gabbana and Kelly So Black by Hermès.

I am completely in love with the colour combination of red and beige. And aren’t those wide-leg pants just absolutely fabulous?!

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Carina Scheuringer and © Sandra Bauknecht

Today is the 2nd of December, time to open the second door of our Advent calendar and to reveal the secret why I went to Greece with Hermès. It is something for perfume aficionados and beauty lovers:

Jour d’Hermès, the French house’s new women’s fragrance, will hit the shelves on February 15, 2013. Great news is that it is available exclusively now in all Hermès boutiques. Such a fantastic, very selective gift for Christmas. The scent is like the dawn, luminous, sensual, floral and very feminine. In the beginning of next year, I will tell you all about the trip to Delphi and give some more information on the new scent.

LoL, Sandra

Still: Courtesy of Hermès

On Sunday, I flew to Athens, Greece. I was invited by Hermès to a secret location for the launch of an amazing new product. After a three hours ride by car, I arrived in Delphi, which was in Greek mythology the site of the famous Delphic oracle. Enough said, unfortunately I am not allowed to tell you more until February 2013. And believe me, this is hard for me, too.

In the meantime enjoy my look that I wore on the arrival day:
Oversized Rottweiler print tank top and wool gauze Rottweiler scarf, both by Givenchy (Please click here for the previous post when I told you all about this fashion hype), black long cardigan by Gucci, stretch cashmere-blend leggings by Donna Karan and brushed-leather biker boots by Miu Miu.

Stay tuned for more to come up soon…

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht

Three new oriental fragrances that might reveal the Scheherazade in you hit the shelves this fall. Not only fans of the One Thousand and One Nights will love the precious essences of amber, vanilla, patchouli and rose.

Enjoy those scents that will at once transport you to warmer climes and enchanting Eastern places in thought.

Armani Privé – Haute Couture Fragrances
ROSE D’ARABIE “L’Or du Désert”

Giorgio Armani presents a limited edition of its Rose d’Arabie fragrance of the Armani/Privé line of couture perfumes in “La Collection des Mille et Une Nuits”. The sensual fragrance features amber and patchouli as well as saffron and Damask rose extracts. Elusive gold flecks mingle with the fragrance, dancing and twirling like desert winds so that its name L’Or du Désert is very suitable. The beautiful gold dust will leave a subtle shimmer on the perfumed skin.
EDP 100 ml – CHF 330.- Limited Edition available end of October 2012.

PERFUME CALLIGRAPHY by Aramis

Aramis goes Arabic with its newly launched unisex scent Perfume Calligraphy, that is geared towards the Middle Eastern market. Full of eastern promise and inspired by the beauty of the written word, the fragrance and its bottle, both reflect a perfect pairing of ancient crafts and high quality ingredients such as oud and rose. Additional notes include cardamom, lemon, cinnamon, myrrh, saffron, patchouli, amber and musk.
EDT 100ml – CHF 168.- in stores now.

L’AMBRE DES MERVEILLES by Hermès

“Lucent, translucent, luminous, generous, solid, indestructible, if the legend is true, if beads of yellow amber are the tears of the gods, they are tears of joy.”

The newest Hermès fragrance L’Ambre des Merveilles is full of magic and mystery. This extremely beautiful scent includes notes of amber, labdanum, vanilla and patchouli. The idea behind his latest interpretation L’Ambre, as in-house nose Jean-Claude Ellena explains, was “to make the woman more sensual and mysterious. For this new chapter, I wanted to relate one of the mysteries of amber, hovering between a delicious treat and sensuality, where vanilla meets the warmth of labdanum, and the moist quality of patchouli.” After a spritz or two, it is obvious that this fragrance does just that in perfection.
EDP 50ml (CHF 128.-) and 100ml (CHF 182.-) in stores now.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Giorgio Armani, Aramis and Hermès

This was my look I wore to a dinner with friends. I love two-tone dresses as they are easy to combine and so classic. You will enjoy them for many seasons to come. For winter, try this sophisticated piece in a different colour combination.

Sophie two-tone crepe dress (available this season in signal-orange and navy blue), brass palm tree brooch , all by Stella McCartney, green python leather jacket (from a previous season) by Gucci, Clematis leather clutch by Christopher Kane, cherry earrings by Dolce & Gabbana, Twilly by Hermès and coral shape heels by Chanel.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht

Personally speaking, the season’s best florals are from Céline‘s Cruise 2012 collection. I am completely in love with them. For a previous post with another print on leather, click here.

My look: Floral jacket and matching bustier top by Céline, long sleeve T-shirt by Splendid, pretty cropped low-rise skinny jeans by Dolce & Gabbana, Tribute chain-detailed suede sandals by Yves Saint Laurent and Birkin bag by Hermès.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht

In celebration of the spirit of craftsmanship, the Hermès Festival des Métiers (Festival of Crafts) made its first stop in Zurich – Switzerland. The French house’s first world-travelling exhibit invites you to meet with the artisans responsible for creating some of the world’s most luxurious leather goods, silk scarves, china and more.

Ever wondered what goes into the making of an Hermès product? Or why the Kelly bag is such a coveted item? Discover the Hermès universe your own way and enjoy the passion that the craftsmen put into every item. As one of them told me, their effort and long hours spent making those pieces is all worth it, once a customer wears and treasures their handiwork.

Open to the public, this free admission event is located at EWZ-Unterwerk Selnau (Selnaustr. 25, Zurich) starting today through June 10th, 2012 from 11 am- 6pm every day. It is a great experience for kids as well.

For all of you that are living abroad, here are some photos that I took yesterday at the pre-opening. Enjoy the craftsmanship!

Hermès has very high requirements for leather and the artisans will take time to find the best one to use. The difference lies also in how the bags are made by hand. It will take approximately 30 hours to create one single piece with only 3 produced per week. This explains the long waiting list for their iconic Birkin or Kelly bags.

It is pretty impressive to watch the craftsman assemble the really tine pieces of the movement for a mechanical watch.

The artwork for the famous silk scarves is designed by an artist, but the Hermès artisans will need to engrave the silkscreens by hand before starting the printing process.

At the printing station, you can see how each silkscreen, one for each colour, are precisely aligned and printed onto silk. Every single aspect of a silk scarf is done by Hermès: They rear their own silkworms, produce their own twills and mix their own dyes. After the printing, the scarves are left to dry, then the colours are locked in during a steam bath. After that, the silk scarves are washed to make them smooth and coated with a protective finish. Finally, they will be hand-rolled and hand-hemmed along the edges by craftsmen.

Every carré (the French name for it) has its own name, as for example the famous Brides de gala that was sketched in 1957 by Hugo Grygkar and which is still used these days.

Perfection and quality is essential to Hermès, the same applies to the tie making process. A craftswoman explains how the twills are rolled, folded and subsequently stitched into ties, using the same silk as for the scarves.

There are not many artisans in the world who can perform this process. Those silk scarves are only made by special order. It is a thicker kind of twill that comes with a velour-like coat. The craftswoman takes away parts of it with a sharp pointed tool. Just to do those red flowers takes her six weeks. She needs to be extra careful in order not to destroy the precious fabric.

The artisan uses real gold to paint the beautiful embellishments of the crystal glasses. The brown colour of the gold will change in the oven. To achieve the shiny effect, each glass has to be buffed by hand.

The fabulous china and porcelain products are also carefully hand-painted by artisans. After watching the process, you feel guilty for every piece you dropped in the past.

Also of interest is the house’s glove-making. When I asked the glover what is the best material for a glove, he said velour leather is his favourite to work with.

Hermès first started with horse-riding accessories and saddles. The equestrian heritage has been celebrated ever since. A saddle by Hermès is like a piece of art, especially when you look at those special editions with wings or leopard print that the saddler showed me yesterday.

I hope that you will enjoy this eye-opening exhibit as much as I did!

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht