March
The Male Sale | Online | London
Starts: 13th Mar, 2025 12:00
Ends: 27th Mar, 2025 12:00
Ends: 27th Mar, 2025 12:00
The Male Sale is back with aplomb, presenting a carefully curated collection of fashionable wares to suit discerning gentlemen of all eras and persuasions. Our pioneering auction begins with some luxurious Hedi Slimane designs from his tenures at both Saint Laurent and Dior, as well as lavish ensembles by Thom Browne and the house of Balmain. We are excited to showcase some rare and important Carol Christian Poell designs (lots 42-63). Since the mid-’90s Poell has been revered for his unique approach to unusual materials and production techniques – particularly regarding leather. In this sale we have a spectacular selection of some of his most notable creations including several garment-dyed kangaroo and horse leather jackets with signature dripping hems, titanium prosthetic inserts, and scar-stitch seams. And if this isn’t enough we will have more of his most sought-after designs in the forthcoming women’s general sale – catalogue coming soon!
The 1980s are covered by favourites such as Gaultier and Westwood; including an excellent rare Jean Paul Gaultier beaded pinstripe jacket, from the ‘La Concierge Est Dans L'Escalier/The Modern Retros’ collection (lot 89), and timeless pieces from Vivienne Westwood’s 'Mini Crini' collection, Spring-Summer 1986 (lots 86 & 87). We also explore the eccentric 1970s with some bold looks, such as an unusual Mr Fish men's blue and green plush ensemble, circa 1970 (lot 106) and a rare Biba men's faux-fur coat and hat, circa 1973 (lot 105), which perfectly demonstrate a dynamic decade that pushed limits for men’s fashion.
The sale continues with a showdown of Western wear from the mid to late 20th century - rounding up designers such as Viola Grae, Frontex, H bar C, and Nathan Turk with their playful approach to embroidery. Classic Western iconography can be seen in Turk’s embroidered wool shirts that include depictions of cacti, cowboy boots, and a bucking bronco (lot 112), while an example by Grae is chain-stitched with floral embroidery and spangled with rhinestone stars (lot 113). Few brands can claim to have has as big an impact on menswear as Levi Strauss, so we are thrilled to offer some grails for the true collector, dating as early as the 1930s, which lay the groundwork for the more extravagant ‘rhinestone cowboy’ trend that would unfold in following decades.
We conclude our journey through the history of menswear with antique fashions from the 19th and early 20th centuries, which include the 2nd Earl of Dudley's Ede Son & Ravenscroft mantle and hat for The Most Honourable Order of the Bath, early 20th century (lot 122), as well as an elegant gentleman's ink-blue riding coat, circa 1833 (lot 125) complete with a smart red and white striped silk waistcoat and kid leather gloves, there truly is something for everyone.
Vintage Fashion, Antique Costume & Textiles | London
Lot: 150 to 400 - 25th Mar, 2025 9:30
Lot: 401 to 691 - 25th Mar, 2025 14:00
Lot: 401 to 691 - 25th Mar, 2025 14:00
Only three months into the year and we’re back with our fifth auction of 2025! This incredibly varied auction features over 540 lots of fabulous vintage fashion. As always, we are kicking off the sale in style with a fantastic selection of Chanel including classic ready-to-wear pieces by Karl Lagerfeld and Philippe Guibourge, as well as haute couture offerings. Great British designers are well represented with names such as Vivienne Westwood, John Galliano, Alexander McQueen as well as a selection of rare designs by John Flett.
Lots 184 to 203 of the auction feature a selection of statement gowns by the designer Michael Halpern, mainly dating from 2020 to 2023. Fantastically sculptural and lavishly embellished, these dresses are wonderful examples of the ‘unabashed glamour’ and demi couture technique Halpern’s designs are known for. Another contemporary cult designer represented in this auction is Carol Christian Poell. The reclusive avant-garde Austrian has never adhered to typical fashion seasons and operates on a limited release basis. Lots 204-218 feature a collection of rare and important leather jackets, boots, and suits that all embody Poell’s penchant for construction and unusual materials. These extremely collectable pieces are all fine examples of Poell’s alternative design sensibility. This auction features a wide selection of Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche pieces from the 1970s 1980s. Many of the fabulous pieces from Yves Saint Laurent in this auction are well documented and can be seen photographed on the catwalk. Other iconic designers of the era featured include Alaïa, Gianni Versace, Thierry Mugler, Zandra Rhodes, and Ossie Clark.
We are thrilled to be offering a selection of garments from the personal collection of Dame Mary Quant, who passed away in 2023. Quant had a ground-breaking career and is often credited as being the inventor of the mini skirt. Her designs are known for being emblematic of British ‘Mod’ style and she was the focus of a retrospective exhibition at the Victoria & Albert Museum in 2019-20. Lots 544 to 579 feature fantastic examples of Mary Quant’s most iconic designs of the 1960s and 1970s, such as mini-dresses, hot pants, pinafores and coats, most of which were worn by Quant herself. As well as designs from her eponymous brand we also have a selection from Quant’s wardrobe by a variety of different designers from Chanel to Comme des Garçons!
Towards the end of the auction, we have a lovely selection of 19th-century dresses and accessories, including unusual and interesting corsets and other examples of historical undergarments. We also have some fabulous silk gowns: two particularly stunning examples are lot 672, a green figured silk brocade evening gown, circa 1845, and lot 666, a sapphire-blue taffeta gown, late 1860s - early 1870s. If you missed your chance in February to participate in our historical Empire of Fashion auction, fret not: we have a further selection of pieces from the renowned Baretto Lancaster collection of Napoleonic & Regency Dress on offer in this auction, including a lovely roller-printed day dress, a fabulous pink spencer, and a lavishly embroidered gentleman’s coat.
For more information on how to bid, please click here. Live bidding is now possible via our website on sale day. In order to bid online, please ensure you have created an account with us and that your account is enabled for live bidding - new clients will need to email us a form of photo ID, proof of address and paid invoices from other auction houses where appropriate. Once you have created an account and have been approved to bid, please click the purple 'Pre-register for live bidding' button which will appear on the online catalogue. You then need to accept the terms and conditions to proceed. On the day of the sale, a button marked 'Bid live' will appear on the website and clicking this will allow you to access the live bidding platform. Please note that there is an additional 1.5% charge plus VAT for any lots won via our online bidding platform. Please also note that online bidding is automatically capped at £6,000 in total - if you envisage that you will exceed this amount, please contact us directly so we can remove the bidding cap - we may ask for further information from you before doing this.
Clients who prefer to bid via Invaluable still have this option and can access the catalogue here. Please note the charge for bidding online via the Invaluable platform is 3% plus VAT. Please note Invaluable's new dynamic pricing system which may affect your live bidding charges on your invoice after the auction, for more information please click here. We strongly advise that you register to bid in advance of the auction and not the day of, as we cannot guarantee approval once the auction has begun.
Clients who prefer to bid via Drouot still have this option and can access the catalogue here. Please note the charge for bidding online via the Invaluable and Drouot platforms are 3% plus VAT. We strongly advise that you register to bid in advance of the auction and not the day of, as we cannot guarantee approval once the auction has begun.
February
The Colin McDowell Fashion Library | Part 1 - Magazines, Invitations, & Ephemera | Online | London
Starts: 18th Feb, 2025 13:00
Ends: 25th Feb, 2025 15:15
Catalogue: Download PDF catalogue
Ends: 25th Feb, 2025 15:15
Catalogue: Download PDF catalogue
THE COLIN MCDOWELL FASHION LIBRARY (PART 1 - MAGAZINES, INVITATIONS & EPHEMERA)
Colin McDowell is acknowledged as one of the world's leading fashion journalists and commentators. With a career spanning over 30 years, he is perhaps best known for his reporting for The Sunday Times Style Magazine. On top of his many literary accolades, he has also curated several museum exhibitions, set up and run the annual design award 'Fashion Fringe' and in 2008 was awarded an OBE. We are delighted to be offering part 1 of his extensive library which includes British and American Vogue and Harper's Bazaar magazines dating from the 1920s onwards, along with rare show invitations and ephemera from historic fashion collections.
During his tenure at the Sunday Times his sometimes-outspoken views led to him being awarded the dubious title of ‘Journalist Most Banned From Shows’. One particularly caustic review of both Alexander McQueen’s SS 2001 eponymous collection and Givenchy collection induced the enraged designer to fax a letter to him, dated October 8, 1999 (part of lot 106):
‘’Everyone is entitled to their own opinion of a designer’s work, but it has been evident for several seasons that you maintain a consistent negative bias about my collections for my own label as well as those I create for Givenchy … I do my work with all my heart, integrity and tact. That said, I am obliged to inform you that you will no longer be invited to attend my fashion shows and those I stage for Givenchy’.
McDowell is renowned not only for his journalism but as a fashion historian and author. He has written and published 18 books related to fashion history – two of our favourites being – ‘John Galliano: Romantic, Realist and Revolutionary’, 1997 (which describes the designer’s early career, published when Galliano had just joined Christian Dior) and ‘McDowell’s Directory of 20th Century Fashion’ (1984) which includes many fashion houses famous in their day but now almost forgotten. His understanding of these early Parisian Houses was surely in part gleaned from researching these early editions of Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar whose pages are filled with beautiful illustrations and descriptions of the trends each season for the leading couturiers. They also chart social history in Europe and the US at times of rapidly evolving changes - not only in fashion terms (adverts included the latest motor vehicles, bi-planes, hints on managing servants,) but also reflect women’s attitudes, lives and aspirations of the passing decades and as such are an invaluable and often amusing resource.
Perhaps one of the most fascinating parts of the collection are the numerous invitations, greetings cards, letters and look books collected over the years. Stephen Jones sent greetings cards in the form of cardboard party hats. Invitations from Chanel, Dior, Martin Margiela and John Galliano, to name just a few, are both beautiful and interesting, reflecting as they did the collections they were promoting.
Now retired, Colin McDowell desires that others will turn the pages of these beautiful magazines he has preserved and treasured – for academic research, as a design resource – or purely for enjoyment, just as he did.
Empire of Fashion: The Barreto Lancaster Collection of Napoleonic & Regency Dress | London
Date: 11th Feb, 2025 14:00
Catalogue: Download PDF catalogue
Catalogue: Download PDF catalogue
This is arguably the finest private collection of Napoleonic and Regency period dress in the world. It stands out not only for the range of clothes (1790s to 1820s) but also for the individual beauty of the garments and the remarkably good overall condition. Cristina Barreto and Martin Lancaster have painstakingly put together this collection over the last two decades, their interest sparked by the discovery of fashion plates from ‘Costume Parisien’ and later the same day finding garments of the same period in a flea market.
‘Our collection started because we wanted to fully understand the clothes that people wore in the Napoleonic and Regency period. Each dress tells a story about the owner, the activity and the time of day it was used. The collection grew larger as we tried to incorporate items that represented the development of cut and methods of construction during the period from 1795 to 1820’,
This is the first auction dedicated to the clothing of this era, ranging from adapted transitional post French revolutionary dress of the 1790s to the French first empire (1805-1815) and the period in England when Prince George ruled as Regent (1811-1820). The majority of these exceptional garments have been exhibited across Europe and the USA in the past,
Cristina Barreto and Martin Lancaster, whilst sad to see their collection dispersed, state: ‘Our passion for the clothing and fashions of this fascinating period of history is undiminished, but we hope that the new caretakers of these historic artefacts, be they people with a passion, collectors or institutions, will take care of them and love them as much as we did’.
For more information on how to bid, please click here. Live bidding is now possible via our website on sale day. In order to bid online, please ensure you have created an account with us and that your account is enabled for live bidding - new clients will need to email us a form of photo ID, proof of address and paid invoices from other auction houses where appropriate. Once you have created an account and have been approved to bid, please click the purple 'Pre-register for live bidding' button which will appear on the online catalogue. You then need to accept the terms and conditions to proceed. On the day of the sale, a button marked 'Bid live' will appear on the website and clicking this will allow you to access the live bidding platform. Please note that there is an additional 1.5% charge plus VAT for any lots won via our online bidding platform. Please also note that online bidding is automatically capped at £6,000 in total - if you envisage that you will exceed this amount, please contact us directly so we can remove the bidding cap - we may ask for further information from you before doing this.
Clients who prefer to bid via Invaluable still have this option and can access the catalogue here. Please note the charge for bidding online via the Invaluable platform is 3% plus VAT. Clients who prefer to bid via Drouot still have this option and can access the catalogue here. Please note the charge for bidding online via the Invaluable and Drouot platforms are 3% plus VAT. We strongly advise that you register to bid in advance of the auction and not the day of, as we cannot guarantee approval once the auction has begun.
January
