Auction alert: Passion for Fashion

Beaded black chiffon flapper dress, circa 1926

I have a passion for vintage fashion, so the Passion for Fashion sale at Kerry Taylor Auctions is always a highlight of the year. This one takes place on Tuesday 7th December 2021 from 1pm. There are 265 lots of quality apparel from around the world, dating from the mid-1800s through to the 21st century.

Many of the lots are museum quality, for both craftsmanship and provenance. There’s such exquisite workmanship in the beading, braiding, sequins and embroidery in many of the pieces. There are hundreds of man hours in there! The are a few of the dresses that I think would make spectacular wedding dresses and despite the fact that they’re ‘couture’, they’d probably be less pricey than one from a bridal shop today.

Buyer’s premium is 25% (ex. VAT). If bidding live via Invaluable, the buyer’s premium is as follows: £0 – 49,999: 28% / £50,000+: 23%

Ivory chiffon couture dinner dress, attributed to Gabrielle Chanel

Lot 54: An ivory chiffon couture dinner dress, attributed to Gabrielle Chanel, circa 1925
With simple V-neck, with double layered chiffon sash-like waistband with ties to one side, the tiered skirt with asymmetric point to one side, the whole finished with picot edging, the back with floating panel with centre-split, bust 102cm, 40in.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art holds a similar chiffon Chanel dress with floating back panel and waist sash with side ties. Their dress is labelled in the slip which is missing from this example, see accession Number: 1995.468.1a–c
Estimate: £1,500 – £2,500

Beaded black chiffon flapper dress, circa 1926

Lot 61: A beaded black chiffon flapper dress, circa 1926

With stylised floral motif to waistband, embellished with cut beads in shades of silver, spangled with sequins, bust approx 86-92cm, 34-36in, waist 92cm, 36in; together with a later-made associated slip; together with two lengths of devoré velvet and floral chiffon, probably 1920s-30s (4)
Estimate: £200 – £300

Paul Poiret purple sequinned evening dress, 1928

Lot 64: A fine and rare Paul Poiret purple sequinned evening dress, 1928
Large woven satin Paul Poiret à Paris label with Iribe rose, the purple chiffon ground applied with a shimmer of sequins to the bodice, the V-neck edged in seed pearls and silver bugle beads, revealing pink satin petticoat, the pink cotton overlaid with purple and silver lace, the dropped waistline defined by demi-lunes filled with brilliants, silver ovoid, seed pearl beads and glass bugles, the skirt formed from gladiator-like similarly-worked sequinned floating panels interspersed with chiffon godets to produce an irregular handkerchief hem, the integral black chiffon underskirt with sequinned gold to purple dégradé sequinned bands which are visible through the chiffon over-skirt, bust 97cm, 38in; with matching chiffon stole (3)

Exhibited at the Melbourne Art Festival ‘L’Époque d’Élégance’, 1991. The Sandy Schreier Collection
Estimate: £6,000 – £10,000

Mainbocher couture ivory satin court presentation gown, early 1930s

Lot 68: A Mainbocher couture ivory satin court presentation gown, early 1930s
Labelled, with handwritten bolduc: ‘232 Kiefe 33 69-388’, the belt to front waist with decorative oversized metal buckle inset with cut brilliants, integral silk petticoat with knife-pleated hem; together with a pair of ivory leather opera-length gloves and Ostrich feather fan (4)

Provenance: Margaret ‘Peggy’ Winifred Fass. Peggy was presented at court twice: first as a debutante in the late 1920s, and then c.1931 as a married woman – ‘Mrs Logan’, when she wore this gown for the occasion. Her father was Sir Ernest Fass, who at the time of his daughter’s wedding was financial advisor to the Sudanese government. He was knighted for his services to the British government and had a very distinguished career, which culminated in his appointment as Public Trustee.
Estimate: £400 – £600

Audrey Hepburn's Givenchy couture white point d'esprit ball gown worn in the opera scene of 'Love in the Afternoon', 1956

Lot 79: Audrey Hepburn’s Givenchy couture white point d’esprit ball gown worn in the opera scene of ‘Love in the Afternoon‘, 1956
Paris labelled but not numbered, the boned, fitted bodice lined in rayon, the bodice and skirt completely overlaid with double-layer of white tulle, the upper bodice edged with scalloped lace embroidered in silver thread with vermicular trails and florets centred with turquoise, silver tinsel strip florets with clear and turquoise rhinestone brilliants overall, full skirt, three integral tulle petticoats, the two upper layers of organza underskirts, bust approx.76cm, 30in, waist 52cm, 20 1/2in; together with a photograph of Audrey with the dress; together with a letter of authenticity from the Audrey Hepburn Children’s Fund, signed by Sean Ferrer, 12.01.2009 (3)

Provenance: Formerly in the collection of Tanja Star-Busmann.
Tanja and Audrey were friends from childhood. Whenever commissioning gowns from Hubert de Givenchy, Audrey always requested he made extra-large seam returns so that she could pass the dresses on to others. Having been brought up with the privations and shortages of WWII, she held a ‘waste not, want not’ attitude that she retained throughout her life.

Audrey gifted this dress when Tanja gave birth to her daughter in 1958. It arrived in a large cardboard box with a note attached from Audrey, stating that she thought it might remind Tanja what it was like to have a waistline again. In 1961 Tanja lent the gown to her then nanny who wore it and adapted it, removing most of the lace trim, removing the bow from the front and making three smaller bows on the back to help conceal the panel that had been inserted to make it larger. These later alterations have been painstakingly reversed and the dress is now returned to its original size and shape.

It is extremely rare to find a screen-worn Audrey Hepburn garment – doubly so when the piece is also haute couture, designed by her close friend Hubert de Givenchy.
Audrey wears this gown in the Opera Scene of ‘Love in the Afternoon’. She plays the role of ingenue Ariane who captures the heart of a libertine American playboy played by Gary Cooper (who at the time was old enough to be Audrey’s father). Renowned French cinema veteran Maurice Chevalier plays the role of Ariane’s protective father, whose profession is a private detective, specialising in adulterous affairs. The film was directed by Billy Wilder and released in 1957. It is a light-hearted romance with an unlikely plot – and Audrey, with clipped English vowels, seemingly an unlikely daughter to French Maurice Chevalier. However, Audrey’s performance, her beauty and Givenchy’s fashions light up every scene in which she appears.
Estimate: £30,000 – £50,000

Felisa Irigoyen couture embellished cocktail dress, 1968-69

Lot 89: A Felisa Irigoyen couture embellished cocktail dress, 1968-69
Unlabelled, the ivory wool crêpe shift entirely covered with coiling bands of pearlised, domed discs, centred by rhinestones, and infilled with silver sequins, seed and faceted beads, leaf and floret shaped pearlised paillettes, lined in ivory silk, bust 86cm, 34in

Felisa Irigoyen worked as an embroideress for Cristobal Balenciaga in his Eisa couture ateliers in Spain. She was responsible for all the major embroidery including bridal gowns for Queen Fabiola of Belgium and Carmen Martinez Bordiú (the daughter of General Franco). After Balenciaga retired in 1968 she joined forces with Jose-Luis Molina Zumel, a famous Spanish fur designer, whose wife had been a major Balenciaga client under the company name ‘Felicia-Jose Luis’. They produced Balenciaga-inspired designs or near-identical Balenciaga copies, catering for a mainly Spanish clientèle, who had felt bereft at the loss of ‘the Master’.
Estimate: £800 – £1,200

Rare pair of Biba two-tone suede wedge-heeled shoes, 1970s

Lot 125: A rare pair of Biba two-tone suede wedge-heeled shoes, 1970s
Faintly stamped to interior, together with a pair of Biba blue cotton-twill knee-high boots and three pairs of shoes with ankle straps, 1970s, stamped to interiors, various sizes (qty)
Estimate: £200 – £300

Rei Kawakubo/ Comme des Garçons 2D collection ensemble, Autumn-Winter 2012-13

Lot 241: A Rei Kawakubo/ Comme des Garçons 2D collection ensemble, Autumn-Winter 2012-13
labelled and size S, the red felted wool ‘cloud’ top with matching angular shorts, size M (2)

The Sandy Schreier Collection
Estimate: £500 – £800

Auction alert: Designer fashion: Men’s

Dolce & Gabbana blue distressed denim jacket - size 44

This week, we’re bringing your attention to the Designer Fashion: Men’s auction at Chiswick Auctions, London happening on Tuesday 7 September from 10:30am.

If you’re into haute couture but can’t afford the prices, second-hand could be the way to indulge your passion. We regularly pop into high street charity shops, but rarely – if ever – come across designer labels. Buying at specialist auctions like this one is a guaranteed opportunity.

We’ve picked out 10 of the 278 lots that will be coming under the auctioneer’s hammer; menswear items that Justin (and I to a certain extent) would happily don. There are a few outfits that I could see Elton John wearing… I’ve chosen not to highlight any of those ones… however, if that’s your kettle of fish…

Be aware, at this auction, a Buyer’s Premium of 25% on the hammer price + VAT on that commission is charged on the first £500K and 12% + VAT on the balance thereafter. There’ll be a further 1% online bidding surcharge for lot(s) purchased on Chiswick Live (the auctions own live bidding platform).

Customers bidding through the-saleroom.com are liable for a 4.95% surcharge on the hammer price, plus VAT. Customers bidding through Invaluable.com or Liveauctioneers.com are liable for a 5% surcharge on the hammer price, plus VAT.

Prada red Canapa canvas travel bag

Lot 5: Prada red Canapa canvas travel bag
Est: £200 – £300
Prada Red Canapa Canvas Travel Bag, beige canvas, red leather trim and handles, silver tone hardware
48 w x 32 h x 20 d cm
Includes keys, padlock, clochette and luggage tag

Dolce & Gabbana blue distressed denim jacket - size 44

Lot 54: Dolce & Gabbana blue distressed denim jacket – size 44
Estimate: £60 – £80
Dolce & Gabbana Blue Distressed Denim Jacket, red tartan wool lined, labelled size 44
47cm chest, 61cm long

Alexander McQueen indigo blue straight leg jean - size 44

Lot 75: Alexander McQueen indigo blue straight leg jean – size 44
Estimate: £70 – £100
Alexander McQueen Indigo Blue Straight Leg Jean, blue embroidered logo, labelled size 44, c.2006
39cm waist, 118cm long

Louis Vuitton khaki cup tote weekender bag

Lot 103: Louis Vuitton khaki cup tote weekender bag
Estimate: £100 – £200
Louis Vuitton Khaki Cup Tote Weekender Bag, rubberised vinyl, yellow canvas logo trim and handles. 60 w x 44 h x 25.5 d cm

Fendi Brown faux patchwork throw

Lot 135: Fendi Brown faux patchwork throw
Estimate: £70 – £100
Fendi Brown Faux Patchwork Throw, faux leather and shearling.135cm wide, 170cm long

Three Dolce & Gabbana belts - sizes 80, 85 & 90

Lot 138: Three Dolce & Gabbana belts – sizes 80, 85 & 90
Estimate: £80 – £120
Three Dolce & Gabbana Belts, white suede with silver tone hardware, labelled size 90, metallic grey logo with silver tone hardware, labelled size 85 and brown python with silver tone hardware, labelled size 80 (3)

Prada beige bucket hat - size S

Lot 162: Prada beige bucket hat – size S
Estimate: £70 – £90
Prada Beige Bucket Hat, embroidered brand logo, labelled size small. 58cm circumference

Thierry Mugler black zip sports jacket - size M

Lot 218: Thierry Mugler black zip sports jacket – size M
Estimate: £60 – £80
Thierry Mugler Black Zip Sports Jacket, silver tone hardware, labelled size medium
60cm chest, 57cm long

Hermés orange Oran H logo baseball cap

Lot 263: Hermés orange Oran H logo baseball cap
Estimate: £200 – £300
Hermés Orange Oran H Logo Baseball Cap, leather, embroidered ‘H’ logo, labelled size 58

Three Hermès blue silk print ties

Lot 274: Three Hermès blue silk print ties
Estimate: £80 – £120
Three Hermès Blue Silk Print Ties, spot and check print (3)

Designer Desire: Graziela Preiser

Mosaic of Graziela Preiser designs

I’ve often talked about wishing that designers that make bright, fun, fashionable clothes for kids would do it for grown ups too. Well, Graziela Preiser does just that!

I first happened across her name last week when I was looking into ceramic designers that worked for Thomas and Rosenthal. She produced the Brigitte Extra Modell children’s range under the former’s brand name in the 1970s.

With the surge in popularity in vintage design, her London-based Art Director daughter, Nina Nägel encouraged her to reissue her back catalogue and in 2008, mother & daughter launched byGraziela.

Portrait of Graziela Preisercredit

Additional images:

byGraziela