About Us

Kerry Taylor
Kerry Taylor joined Sotheby’s in 1979, at age twenty and went on to become one of the youngest auctioneers in their history. After creating and managing the Collector’s Department at Sotheby’s Chester, she moved to Sotheby’s New Bond Street in 1986 where she re-established the Costume and Textile sales. Kerry later became Director in charge of all Collector’s areas, special theme sales and celebrity sales.

In her career, Kerry has worked on historic, landmark auctions such as the wardrobes of Duke & Duchess of Windsor at Sotheby’s New York in 1997, the stunning wardrobe of Princess Lilian of Belgium, and major pieces of costume and textiles, including the wedding suit of King James II c.1670 and the Chaffyn-Grove spangled linen jacket c.1630, both of which now form part of the Victoria & Albert Museum collection.

In November 2003, Kerry left Sotheby’s to set up her own independent auction house specialising in the costume and textiles that she has always loved. Kerry also works as Textile Consultant to Sotheby’s, advising their international network of offices and regularly assists museums with valuations and applications for funding.

Since Kerry Taylor Auctions was established, it has handled the collections of the Honorable Daphne Guinness, supermodel Jerry Hall, and the Leslie Caron collection of Haute Couture. The Daphne Guinness auction included the sale of a Christian Dior knitted hat for £3,600, which is believed to be a world record price for a woolly hat! Kerry has continued to auction major pieces of costume and textiles, including the robe designed by Matisse for Diaghilev's Ballets Russes and a Catherine Walker gown worn by Diana, Princess of Wales in 1988.
Kerry has contributed to many television programmes, such as Richard and Judy and Style on Trial, and is frequently consulted by the press for her expert knowledge of vintage fashion.

Kate Mitchell, Assistant
Kate has been working with Kerry Taylor since December 2007. Having first studied Fashion Promotion at university, she then went on to gain a Masters degree in History and Culture of Fashion, from London College of Fashion. Her Masters thesis was a comparative study of home dressmaking in postwar and contemporary British society.

 

We are always very grateful to the various voluntary interns who work with us throughout the year. Anyone interested in helping please contact us with CV and references.