Sandra‘s Closet

Another festive décor not to miss in London is to be found at THE LANESBOROUGH, that takes on a touch of couture with the unveiling of a Ralph & Russo inspired Christmas Tree installation, as imagined by creative genius, Tony Marklew.

Inspired by the heritage of the British luxury house and the intricate detailing portrayed in Ralph & Russo’s most recent F/W 2019 couture collection, the artistic installation brings to life the magic of couture, enchanting onlookers with a canopy of chandelier-like crystals and ornate leaf embellishment, adorned with silk petal flowers in bold hues of raspberry and ruby red.

Tamara Ralph

Established in London in 2010 by duo Tamara Ralph and Michael Russo, Ralph & Russo is an international luxury brand revered for producing designs that are contemporary, timelessly elegant and sought after worldwide. In 2014, Ralph & Russo became the first British guest member in almost a century to be invited by the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture to show their first runway collection as part of the S/S 2014 couture season.

Ralph & Russo Couture F/W 2019

Ralph & Russo is loved all over the world for its bold and unapologetically glamorous silhouettes, and famously dressed Meghan Markle in her engagement portraits. Its first ready-to-wear collection launched exclusively with Net-à-Porter, and each piece is made using the same exquisite craftsmanship, modern artistry and detail as its couture pieces.

Bringing the glamour and personal touch of a truly couture Christmas to every hotel guest this festive season, of which the resident cat, Lilibet, is of no exception. To honour the hotel’s most loved resident and her first Christmas at THE LANESBOROUGH, Ralph & Russo have hand-crafted a bespoke collar bearing the crown sigil.

Lilibet arrived in June 2019 and is the latest addition in what is becoming something of a trademark among the sister Oetker Collection properties. Lilbet is a Siberian Forest Cat which means she has very fluffy fur. Siberians are fun-loving, energetic felines and hypoallergenic.
Lilibet joins Burmese cat Fa-Raon from Le Bristol Paris and Kléopatre from Brenners Park-Hotel & Spa in Baden-Baden.

The hotels have a small team of cat-loving employees, known as the Cat Committee who have kindly volunteered to look after the house cats.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © The Lanesborough Hotel and © Ralph & Russo

Yesterday, another big name in the world of fashion left us. Esteemed fashion photographer Peter Lindbergh died at the age of 74, as announced in a post on his official Instagram account Wednesday with the above picture.

«It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Peter Lindbergh on September 3rd 2019, at the age of 74,» the post on his Instagram read. «He is survived by his wife Petra, his first wife Astrid, his four sons Benjamin, Jérémy, Simon, Joseph and seven grandchildren. He leaves a big void.»

Born in Poland in 1944, Lindbergh grew up in Duisburg, Germany, where he made his first steps as a photographer before moving to Paris in 1978 to pursue his career. I was lucky to work with Peter Lindbergh at an early stage in my career. Being a young editor at German MARIE CLAIRE magazine, he shot a lot for us under the creative helmet of our fashion director Florentine Pabst. Thanks to her, I was able to meet and observe the work of such amazing talented people, like him or Karl Lagerfeld.

This cover shoot for British VOGUE in January 1990 was one the reasons why I wanted to become a fashion editor. I was 14 at that time and was dreaming to pursue this career that thankfully became true. Thank you, Peter!

Renowned for his cinematic, elegant style, his iconic January 1990 cover shoot for British Vogue, featuring Naomi Campbell, Linda Evangelista, Tatjana Patitz, Christy Turlington and Cindy Crawford, Lindbergh is considered to have launched the phenomenon of the supermodel. The creative photographer was also known for his firm stance against re-touching, something that is hard to imagine in today’s world of filters and photoshop.

Peter Lindbergh, IWC Schaffhausen campaign, 2011

Other high-profile works of his include the three Pirelli calendars, in 1996, 2002 and 2017, the advertising campaigns for IWC Schaffhausen and the portraits of actresses such as Lupita Nyong’o, Helen Mirren and Uma Thurman.

British Vogue’s September 2019 issue shares «Forces for Change» covers by Peter Lindbergh.

Before working on Meghan, Duchess of Sussex’s guest-edited edition of British Vogue, he photographed her for the cover of Vanity Fair in 2017. Earlier this year, he shot musician Rosalía for the cover of Vogue España, as well as model Gigi Hadid for Vogue Arabia.

In the introduction to his 2018 photography book «Shadows on the Wall,» he wrote, «It should be a duty for every photographer working today to use his creativity and influence to free women and everyone from the terror of youth and perfection.» Amen to that!

Rest in peace, Peter! You will be missed…

LoL, Sandra

Peter Lindbergh, Vogue 1991

Peter Lindbergh, Vogue, August 1988

Iconic: Anna Winter’s first VOGUE cover photographed by Peter Lindbergh, November, 1988

One of my favorite photos: Nadja Auermann photographed by Peter Lindbergh for German MARIE CLAIRE, June 1996

Devon Aoki photographed by Peter Lindbergh for German MARIE CLAIRE, April 2001

Meghan Markte photographed by Peter Lindbergh for Vanity Fair, October 2017

Photos: Peter Lindbergh / Courtesy of Peter Lindbergh, Paris / Gagosian Gallery
Via VOGUE, © Sandra Bauknecht

Yesterday Meghan Markle, now to be known as the Duchess of Sussex, enjoyed her big day as she married Prince Harry in a lovely ceremony at St. George’s Chapel in Windsor. Fashionistas all over the world had been waiting eagerly for her wedding dress to be revealed. And it was surprisingly Givenchy. Clare Waight Keller, who designed the dress, became the first female artistic director of the French Maison last year after a long time at the helm of Chloé.

Per the official statement from the Palace:

«Ms. Markle and Ms. Waight Keller worked closely together on the design. The dress epitomises a timeless minimal elegance referencing the codes of the iconic House of Givenchy and showcasing the expert craftsmanship of its world-renowned Parisian couture atelier founded in 1952.
True to the heritage of the house, the pure lines of the dress are achieved using six meticulously placed seams. The focus of the dress is the graphic open bateau neckline that gracefully frames the shoulders and emphasises the slender sculpted waist. The lines of the dress extend towards the back where the train flows in soft round folds cushioned by an underskirt in triple silk organza. The slim three-quarter sleeves add a note of refined modernity.»

The gown was surprisingly simple, but elegantly classic, with a bateau neckline, long sleeves, a drop waist and a stunning monarch-length veil which some may found quite unusual considering Meghan’s strong feminist views.

However, the five-meters long silk tulle veil had a special, symbolic meaning behind it that relates to Prince Harry’s appointment as Commonwealth Youth Ambassador and featured a unique flora from every Commonwealth country with a trim of hand-embroidered flowers.

Moreover the bride opted for a filigree tiara with a center stone for her wedding day which originally belonged to Queen Mary. It is a classic, antique piece that has long been a part of the royal collection.

For all future brides, click on the highlighted text to get her look:
Crystal and faux-pearl embellished gown by Givenchy, Rosita crystal headband by Jennifer Behr, Marie embroidered tulle veil by Needle & Thread, and
Portrait of a Lady crystal-embellished grosgrain slingback pumps by Aquazurra.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Getty Images, Courtesy of Givenchy