Sandra‘s Closet

Welcome to Fort Worth in Texas, that is the sixteenth most populous city in the United States of America and a cultural gateway into the American West. The city was established in 1849 and today still embraces its Western heritage and traditional architecture and design. A must see are the Fort Worth Stockyards.

My look: Twill cargo shorts by Alexander McQueen, olive green top by Prada, cuff by Stella McCartney, Pandora bag by Givenchy and Monogram ballet flats by Louis Vuitton.
The stetson is a souvenir from Mesquite.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht

One year after the arrival of Prada Candy Eau de Parfum a highly exclusive Deluxe Edition is unveiled along with a Collector Edition.

Impossible to ignore, Prada Candy’s visual world is bold, unconventional and fresh, yet quality materials make it sophisticated and timeless.
Prada Candy’s novel olfactory balance combines exceptionally high-quality ingredients in excessive proportions: magnified by white musks, noble benzoin joins with a modern caramel accord to give the fragrance a truly unique signature.

Prada Candy Deluxe Edition transposes these codes on a scale that is truly opulent. The exaggerated proportions of the flacon are both extreme and elegant, a statement of luxury and lavish indulgence rarely seen in modern perfumery. Inside the statement is carried through in the parfum itself. The parfum, the fullest expression of the perfumer’s art: the ingredients are magnified to their maximum concentration bringing an intense new richness and warmth.

Prada Candy Deluxe Edition Parfum will be distributed  at highly select points of sale, for a limited time only. Available in 900ml for CHF 3000.-.

The Prada Candy Collector Edition comes with a very special treat: A genuine signature saffiano leather bracelet in hot pink hugs the top of the bottle. Embossed in golden letters “Give Me Candy”, it will be a stylish addition to your wardrobe.

Prada Candy Collector Edition Eau de Parfum is available in 80ml for CHF 141.-.
Available in September 2012.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Prada Fragrances

Energy is the essence of life. Every day you decide how you’re going to use it by knowing what you want and what it takes to reach that goal, and by maintaining focus. – Oprah Winfrey

This look is inspired by the More Than a Feeling with Swarovski contest, an outfit that bursts with floral energy finished off with Prada’s super-hot summer accessories.

Floral-print devoré stretch-jersey top and matching ruched silk skirt, both by Nina Ricci, cadillac clutch, sandals with flame detail and jewel detail, earrings, bracelet, hair pin and statement necklace, all by Prada.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht

On my last evening in Maui, I went for a lovely dinner at Spago restaurant, located in my hotel Four Seasons Maui at Wailea, which was definitely the perfect way to end my trip to the beautiful island. I still have so much to show you but I am already off to new adventures.
Texas, here I come!

My look, of course with more Hawaiian prints:
Floral blouse (30% off on sale), navy blue stretch pants (50% off on sale), red Antigona envelope clutch, all by Givenchy, green leather pumps by Prada and bowtie pasta and cameo clip earrings by Dolce & Gabbana.

LoL, Sandra

Next stop on my road trip: Yosemite National Park.

I drove all the way from Salt Lake City, Utah through the state of Nevada to California to visit the Yosemite National Park which is absolutely breathtaking. The abundance of wildlife and scenic views made my stay unforgettable.
A delightful and special spot of land that I would like to share with you:

I started my tour at Glacier Point where I had to catch my breath at one of the most exhilarating overlooks that I have seen in my life. The big granite monument in the photo is Half Dome, one of Yosemite’s most famous features.

My outdoorsy look: Pink jacket and floral print blouse, both by Coje (a brand that I absolutely adore, check out their cute website by clicking here), drawstring twill pants by Paul & Joe, Tokyo glitter and metallic sneakers by Jimmy Choo, pink scarf by Splendid, nylon backpack by Prada and sunglasses by Marc Jacobs.

This massive, granite monument is El Capitan. Climbers from all over the globe come to scale it.

Tunnel View: Just outside of Yosemite Valley, you can enjoy this spectacular view.

Another natural spectacle is the Bridalveil Fall. The Ahwahneechee called this place Pohono, “Spirit of the Puffing Wind.” The wind swirls about the cliff, often lifting the falling water and blowing it from side-to-side in a delicate free-fall. Even though, it looks small, it actually has the height of a 62-story building.

I hiked a very fun trail all the way up to the Vernal Falls.

The Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias is a must-see. You can marvel at one of the world’s largest trees, the Grizzly Giant and enjoy the beauty of those creatures of which some date back well over 1500 years.

The cones of the giant sequoias are extremely small and are the landmark for park rangers all over the world.

Wild iris

Coming to the park, I was pretty worried to encounter an American black bear because about 300 to 500 of them live in the park. I learnt that you stay safe if you remove food from your car and always keep it within arms reach as they might be more frightened of you than you are of them. I know that this is hard to believe…

I didn’t see a black bear but lots of very cute squirrels.

The Steller’s jay bird has a bright-blue colour.

During my visit at the Yosemite National Park, I stayed at the Tenaya Lodge that I can only recommend. Great food and beautiful new rooms (mine was a spa suite with a whirlpool tub in the bathroom, awesome!).

Stay tuned for more…

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht

Next stop: Salt Lake City, Utah.
The state’s capital is first and foremost known as home of the Mormon’s headquarter. The influence of the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) can be felt everywhere. The city was founded in 1847 by Brigham Young and his Mormon followers, who extensively irrigated and cultivated the arid valley. It is such a clean and neat place that has a lot of beautiful old buildings. I was there Sunday and it was all closed due to the religious tradition.

Mormons self-identify as Christian, though some of their beliefs differ from mainstream Christianity. Between 1852 and 1890 many Mormons openly practiced plural marriage, a form of religious polygamy, which is not allowed anymore. Today, it is practiced only by fundamentalist groups that have broken with the LDS Church.

My look to explore the city: Lace top and denim skirt by Stella McCartney, small Marcie hobo bag in Skylight blue by Chloé, Audrey wayfarer sunglasses by Céline and embellished thong sandals by Prada.
On my nails: Fly (turquoise) with one layer of Save me (hologram silver glitter), both from the Nicki Menaj by OPI collection.

Let me take you on a tour through the city and enjoy some photos of my outfit.

LoL, Sandra

View from the top: The skyline of Salt Lake City in front of the mountains.

Salt Lake City is very close to the Great Salt Lake which you can see in the back.

Utah State Capitol

In the back: Temple Square in Downtown Salt Lake City.

The Salt Lake Temple is one of the most iconic images of the LDS Church.

Assembly Hall

Mormon Tabernacle, home of the famous Mormon Tabernacle Choir, that is a Grammy and Emmy Award winning, 360-member, all-volunteer choir.

Shopping Mall: City Creek Center

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht

As promised earlier, here is a detailed post about my look that I wore at Mount Rushmore National Memorial.

Cut out panel dress (on sale) and openwork parka, both from Givenchy’s Resort 2012 collection, lime green leather pumps by Prada, brown Pandora bag by Givenchy, brass eagle and cross earrings (on sale) by Emilio Pucci, wide cuff by Stella McCartney and cat eye glitter acetate and metal sunglasses by Miu Miu.
The cowboy hat is a souvenir from Wyoming.

Hope that you like it! Off to new adventures…

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht

Prada Parallel Universes started out of the drive to experiment with, and to match, new communications media and Prada’s semiotics. To explore new ways for their social media strategy, the Italian fashion house worked together with Armenian-born illustrator Vahram Muratyan to create some mesmerizing gifs. A tiny car racing along a pair of Dixie sunglasses, a man teeing off on the bridge of a pair of Teddy sunnies, studded Rocket shoes becoming the roofs of twinkling skyscrapers.

According to Prada’s microsite, Muratyan’s images create “a virtual road paved with Prada S/S 2012 men’s and women’s accessories, which highlights through rapid and intuitive movements two parallel universes that meet under the auspices of Prada style.”

Now those creations will be immortalized with a T-shirt capsule collection that will hit Prada stores worldwide Mid July. I like and you?

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Prada

A virtual labyrinth of fantasy and reality is the set for Prada’s F/W 2012 campaign, photographed in New York by Steven Meisel. Models are arranged in careful poses in the futuristic enclosure, the precise angle of an arm and an elegant neck echoing the geometry of the scene. Shifting camera angles and an endless depth of field create a playful illusion of perspective and proportion, recalling the setting for a videogame.

Blocks of coordinated colour created by clothing, dip-dyed hair and furniture produce a chromatic architecture for our fashion avatars. Structure and play is reflected in clothes and accessories, where plexi and sequin embellishments are constructed to look like embroidery and flirtatious daisy appliqués are arranged into formal repeating motifs. Manmade linear furnishings in orange, purple and monochrome accentuate the gem-coloured prints of suiting and accessories.

So beautiful!

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Prada

Here is my look for the Art Basel party with Montblanc:

Floral-lace coat, printed cotton A-line skirt, leather peep toe boots, all by Miu Miu, black top by Ralph Lauren Black Label, cadillac clutch bag by Prada, cherry earrings by Dolce & Gabbana, Diorette ring by Dior Haute Joaillerie and Lady Excalibur watch by Roger Dubuis.

Hope that you like it!

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht