Sandra‘s Closet

«When Lily got in front of the camera she transformed! Wearing the collection unlocked her own personal attitude and she took on a new energy and power. That’s exactly how you should feel when wearing Versace!» – Donatella Versace

The Versace F/W 2022 campaign sees Lily James with the new Greca Goddess bag; the actress interpreting a Versace goddess in images from well-renowned photographers Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott.

As in her films, where she has played roles from headstrong princesses to sex-symbols, Lily James’s impulsive and daring attitude is the epitome of Versace confidence. Lily is seen as equal parts mythological deity and contemporary rebel as she wears new season latex ready-to-wear in a campaign that clashes classical culture with empowered seduction.

Versace Men’s proposal of a modern opulence is visually clear, with the ornate flourishes of the classical surrounding contrasted with the collection’s contemporary content.

The Greca Goddess line of bags is introduced for F/W 2022. Very Versace contrasts within the campaign imagery fully reflect the new bag and its juxtaposition of rich craft and elegance with a totally contemporary and new energy. The new bag harnesses Versace’s culture of myth and luxury, finished with the brand’s Greca insignia.

I absolutely love Versace’s new collection for F/W 2022 and cannot wait to get my hands on it! The footwear is so divine…

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Versace – CHIEF CREATIVE OFFICER: Donatella Versace | CAMPAIGN CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Ferdinando Verderi PHOTOGRAPHERS: Mert Alas & Marcus Piggott | STARRING: Lily James, Sofiane Belaasri, Yilan Hua, Avanti Nagrath, Reece Nelson, Parker Van Noord, Lulu Wood, | CASTING DIRECTOR: Piergiorgio Del Moro | STYLIST: Jacob K | HAIR STYLIST: Karim Belghiran | MAKEUP ARTIST: Porsche Poon
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Inspired by the language of evening dressing, a vocabulary of scintillation – sequin embroidery, crystal strass, the lusters of satin and velvet – for its campaign, the Miu Miu Nuit collection by Miuccia Prada is captured after dark. The images serve as both portraits of individual women – the actors Ever Anderson, Ciara Bravo and KiKi Layne – and as document of the vista of the collective Miu Miu world.

Ciara Bravo for MIU MIU

Photographed by Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott, those campaign stars are poised in enclaves that speak of the night: a deserted bar, a draped antechamber, the illuminated entrance to a member’s club. Images seem loaded with the memory of celebrations just ended, or the promise of those about to commence – the clothes themselves reminders of parties too, embroidered and embellished, joyous and optimistic.

Ever Anderson for MIU MIU

Each star shines brightly – a new generation of female talent celebrated for their abilities to transform. Ever Anderson has gardened critical acclaim for her turn as the young Natasha Romanov in Marvel’s ‘Black Widow’: her latest role is the titular female lead of Disney’s ‘Peter Pan and Wendy’. Ciara Bravo debuted on the small screen but quickly transitioned to cinema: she delivered a revelatory performance in the Russo Brothers’ ‘Cherry’, and acclaim for her role in ‘Small Engine Repair’. KiKi Layne has been lauded since her screen debut as the female lead in Barry Jenkin’s 2018 Golden Globe-nominated feature If Beale Street Could Talk. Layne also starred in HBO’s ‘Native Son’, in 2019. Most recently, she starred in ‘The Old Guard’ for Netflix opposite Charlize Theron and featured in ‘Coming To America 2’ alongside Eddie Murphy.

KiKi Layne for MIU MIU

Here, these women both adopt other personas and, paradoxically, personify themselves – dressed in finery, caught in fleeting moments. They shift between realities, embody characters, make believe – to make us believe.

I am so obsessed with the denim pants… should I get them?

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Miu Miu

Hello from New York Fashion Week that has officially kicked off last night with the highly acclaimed amfAR Gala. The black tie event honors individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the fight against HIV/AIDS. It starts with a cocktail reception, followed by a seated dinner (don’t come for the food, it was horrendous), a live auction of luxury items, musical performances, and a special tribute to amFAR’s honorees.

Wearing Balmain at the amFAR 2019 Gala in NYC.

My favorite encounter of the night: Milla Jovovich, such a sweetheart!

This year, the foundation for AIDS and HIV research was honoring actress Milla Jovovich, auctioneer Simon de Pury and photographers Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott.

Heidi Klum with me

Since 1998, the amfAR Gala New York has become one of the city’s most successful and high-profile AIDS benefit events and consistently attracts some of the biggest names in entertainment, fashion, art, and AIDS advocacy. With that said, last night was no different: Kim Kardashian, Kourtney Kardashian, as well as supermodels Heidi Klum, Lily Aldridge, Alessandra Ambrosio and Karolina Kurkova, were present among others.

Heidi came with two girls from her casting show «Germany’s Next Topmodel»: Cäcilia (18) and Vanessa (21). The first episode aired today but did we already see the winner here?

The Chainsmokers live on stage.

The amfAR Gala culminated with a performance by The Chainsmokers. Talk about a star-studded event! Below you can enjoy more impressions of the night…

LoL, Sandra

The gorgeous event location at Cipriani Wall Street.

With my beloved Tiffany Dowd of Luxe Tiffany.

My favorite auction piece: a photograph of Kate Moss shot by Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott went for $100.000 thanks to Karen Elson’s and Simon de Pury’s great performance.

With Kevin Frost, CEO amFAR

Photos: © amFAR (in collages) – all others: © Sandra Bauknecht

“In the new campaigns, I wanted to express the power and freedom of Versace today. The women’s images are about strength and sensuality, with women in total control.
The men’s campaign stands for a man’s right to be whoever he wants to be.”

Donatella Versace

It is this time of the season when all the new ad campaigns are popping up. I have to admit that I love observing who shot which campaign and how each brand likes to present itself. Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott are definitely some of the most successful photographers when it come sot campaign shooting. For Versace, the duo showed, under the creative direction of Donatella Versace, supermodels Anna Ewers and Stella Tennant in a world of femininity and strength, dramatic and provocative.

The men’s campaign is about the individuality and self-expression of the Versace man. The images are shot on an entirely plain set, as the Versace man needs nowhere to hide. The models Filip Hrivnak and Daniel van der Deen wear pieces from the F/W 2014 collection inspired by the biker and the Wild West.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Versace

The new Miu Miu F/W 2012 campaign, shot by Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott, is a gallery of portraits with a seductive, provocative attitude. Actress Chloë Sevigny, who previously starred in the S/S 1996 campaign, impersonates a well-defined character, who vaguely yet perceptibly hints at psychedelic hedonism scenarios. A thread of subtle irony runs through all the images.

Naive, or maybe just apparently so, basically impenetrable, Chloë Sevigny raises the viewers’ curiosity, and plays with them. Clothing, with its sharp, masculine lines and the psychedelic repetition of prints, becomes the leading character in a kaleidoscopic visual collage, where masculine and feminine blur in a dandy-like fantasy conveying a refreshing eccentricity.

The setting is a series of stylised interiors: thick carpeting, a modernist chair and a butter-coloured hue set the context for a twist on the 1970s without defining it in any graphic detail. The emphasis placed on the character’s personality – engaging in an ambiguous exchange of glances with the observers, with whom she seems to share some kind of intimacy – is highlighted by repetitions in the frames and props enhancing the direct yet nonchalent poses.

LoL, Sandra

Photo: Courtesy of Miu Miu

Givenchy’s Creative Director Riccardo Tisci asked models Stella Tennant, Joan Smalls, Stef van der Laan, Daniela Braga, Simone Nobili, Jarrod Scott, and Rodrigo Braga to come up with their best dance moves for the latest GIVENCHY RAVE ad campaign. Shot by Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott and styled by Carine Roitfeld. The clothes are divine, definitely on my shopping list this winter.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Givenchy