Above, lot 425: Emerald satin evening skirt suit by Thierry Mugler, Fall-Winter 1995-96. (Estimate 600€-1.000€)
"I have dedicated my life to the most beautiful animal on earth: the human being.
I know beauty can save the world."
From the moment he began designing, Manfred “Thierry” Mugler, had a proclivity for the otherworldly. Championed as one of the most influential designers of the 20th and 21st centuries, he was primarily known for his precision tailoring, laser cut silhouettes, and unique experimentation with proportion. Constantly striving to create an atmosphere that emulated how he saw the world, his collections often saw references to fantasy or nature, creating the illusion of fashion as a magnificent opera. His work, however, was also architectural, in a greater reference to his interior design education at the Strasbourg School of Decorative Arts that followed his adolescence spent as a ballet dancer with the prestigious, Rhine Opera.
In his early twenties, Mugler formally shifted his focus to fashion. A decade later, his catwalk shows becoming the most heavily attended during Paris Fashion Week, due to the diverse line-up of models coupled with their theatrical elements.
Included within our upcoming auction with Maurice Paris, are an assortment of Thierry Mugler gowns from some of the couturier’s most celebrated collections.
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“I made clothes because I was looking for something that did not exist.
I had to try and create my own world”
Lot 430: Pleated cocktail dress in gold lame by Thierry Mugler, fall-winter 1979-80. (Estimate 2.000€-3.000€)
In one of his earliest works, Mugler’s Autumn Winter 1979-80 collection, Spirale Futuriste was an ode to futurism and science fiction. The designer articulated his vision in gold and silver lame, working in seemingly architectural draping and pleating techniques — creating large collars and capes to contrast the structural elements of the shoulder-padded dresses.
Included within our ‘Kerry Taylor Chez Maurice a Paris ’auction on the 6th of July, is a gold pleated lame cocktail dress from the collection.
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Lot 429: Rare "sirène" dress by Thierry Mugler, "Les Atlantes" collection, Spring-Summer 1989. (Estimate 10.000€-15.000€)
For his historic Spring Summer 1989 collection, Les Atlantes, Mugler drew his inspiration from sirens and creatures of the deep sea. Mugler’s perspective, which clearly rendered his models as water nymphs, also mirrored his fascination transformation — stemming from his life-long obsession with Franz Kafka’s, Metamorphosis. Metamorphosis was, in fact, a noted curatorial theme throughout the blockbuster, ‘Thierry Mugler: Couturissime’ exhibition which, since 2016, has travelled throughout Montreal, Paris, and New York City. This could be most clearly demonstrated by the clear plexiglass bustiers designed to emulate the reflective properties of water, or the metallic-silk gowns that were fashioned with open fish-gills, simultaneously created an exaggerated waistline.
Included within our ‘Kerry Taylor Chez Maurice a Paris ’auction on the 6th of July, is the ‘Siren’ gown in deep-purple metallic silk. Similar examples have been exhibited at the Museum at FIT as well as within Thierry Mugler: Couturissime.
Lot 427: Black velvet cocktail dress by Thierry Mugler, Fall-Winter 1995-96. (Estimate 600€-1.000€)
To celebrate the 20th anniversary of his brand, Mugler presented his renowned Autumn Winter 1995 collection, Le Cirque to an audience of over 6,000 people at the Cirque d’Hiver in Paris. The show, which included 300 looks, was walked by Mugler’s foremost muses including; Dianne Brill, Nadja Auermann, and Iman. Redolent of the richness and glamour that became associated
with the couturier’s name, were his prominent use of luxurious velvets and patent leather that seemed to glisten under the cobalt blue lighting. While the collection included many of his most recognized theatrical looks, it also managed to encapsulate the timeless essence of Mugler’s approach to silhouette and the female form — including elegant cocktail dresses and tailored pencil skirts with nipped waistlines.
Included within our ‘Kerry Taylor Chez Maurice a Paris ’auction on the 6th of July, is a body-hugging black velvet cocktail dress, similarly seen on supermodel, Eva Herzigova as she walked the legendary show at Cirque d’Hiver.
