Auction news and archive

Sotheby’s to auction off Jane Birkin’s original Hermès Birkin bag

Auction house Sotheby’s is putting Jane Birkin’s original Hermès Birkin bag up for sale as part of its first ‘Fashion Icons’ lot. The bag, typically known to be “The Original Birkin”, is a black leather prototype featuring design elements “that set it apart from every Birkin that followed”, Sotheby’s said, including a stamp with the initials...

Fashion

Garments of Princess Diana to be auctioned

Los Angeles (dpa) - A bright red ski suit, an elegant evening gown, a pink hat: numerous gowns and other memorabilia belonging to Princess Diana (1961-1997) are to be auctioned in Beverly Hills, California, at the end of June. Highlights of the auction include a cream-coloured evening gown by designer Catherine Walker from 1986 (estimated price...

Fashion

Over 2,000 pieces from the late fashion icon Iris Apfel to be auctioned

Over 2,000 pieces from the late fashion icon Iris Apfel will be auctioned off next month by Doyle Auctioneers & Appraisers, including apparel, accessories, and eclectic home décor. All items, divided into 600 lots, stem from her famous residence in Palm Beach, Florida, and her home in New York. The live auction, named after her maximalism...

Featured

Culture

Martin Margiela at auction: A rare window into fashion's avant-garde past

In a landmark auction set for January 27th, Paris will witness the largest single sale of Martin Margiela designs from his early career, offering fashion collectors and museums an unprecedented glimpse into the designer's revolutionary aesthetic. Kerry Taylor Auctions and Maurice Auction will present over 270 lots from the private collection of...

Retail|Opinion

The fashion collector: A buyer like any other?

With the rise of the secondhand market (six billion euro turnover in France in the ready-to-wear segment alone), a marked taste for the antique, the rare, and the unique has developed. In other words, vintage fashion has captured a wide audience that seems more drawn to the allure of collecting than to the dictates of trends. A growing number of...

Fashion

Mysterious 18th century diamond necklace set for auction

London - A mysterious 18th century necklace made from around 500 diamonds, some of which are believed to have been taken from a piece that contributed to Marie Antoinette's demise, will go on sale in November, Sotheby's said on Monday. The piece, from a private Asian collection, will go under the hammer in Geneva on November 11, with online...

Member

Business

Christie's opens regional headquarters in Hong Kong, banking on rebound in art sales

Hong Kong - British auction house Christie's opened a new regional headquarters in Hong Kong on Friday, banking on a rebound in sales in Asia-Pacific despite a struggling global art market. After Phillips and Sotheby's, Christie's - owned by French billionaire François Pinault's holding company Artémis - is the third major auction house to set...

Fashion

Mulberry founder Roger Saul to auction off personal archive

Mulberry’s founder Roger Saul is actioning off pieces from his personal archive at London-based auction house Dreweatts next month. The auction will take place on August 7 and features pieces from Saul’s personal Mulberry archive, collected over 50 years, including handbags, fashion, shoes, luggage and accessories, as well as home interiors,...

Featured

Fashion

Princess Diana auction shows influence of monarchy on popular culture

In a dazzling celebration of royal style, a curated collection of Princess Diana's most memorable ensembles has been captivating audiences in Asia and Europe before heading to auction today. This sartorial journey, which began with a pop-up at Hong Kong's K11 MUSEA in April, followed by an exhibition at Ireland's Museum of Style Icons in June,...

Fashion

Vivienne Westwood’s personal wardrobe to be auctioned

The personal wardrobe of the late British designer Dame Vivienne Westwood is to be auctioned at Christie’s this summer. The landmark sale will raise funds for the causes Dame Vivienne championed throughout her life, with proceeds directed towards supporting The Vivienne Foundation, Amnesty International, Médecins Sans Frontières, and Greenpeace....

Culture|In Pictures

Downton Abbey, Peaky Blinders and more: 60 film costumes to go up for auction

Cosprop and Kerry Taylor Auctions have announced that they are preparing to host an auction of iconic film and television costumes running from February 22 to March 10, during which time a live auction will also take place on March 5 where pieces will also be available to bid on. All of the 60 items – some costumes, some film memorabilia –...

People

Arnold Schwarzenegger held over luxury watch at Munich airport

Hollywood action hero Arnold Schwarzenegger was held at Munich airport on Wednesday for failing to declare an expensive watch, a customs spokesman told AFP. The Austrian-born actor and former governor of California, 76, was detained in the customs area on Wednesday afternoon after arriving from the United States, spokesman Thomas Meister said....