December
Passion for Fashion & Ballet
Lot: 243 to 425 - 6th Dec, 2022 14:00
Catalogue: Download PDF catalogue
We have saved the best for last: our final sale of 2022 is ‘all killer no filler’! We begin with a decadent luxury chapter, perfect for the ultimate Christmas gift shopping: handbags from Hermès & Chanel, costume jewellery - and for the person who has everything, a Chanel rugby ball!
Highlights for history lovers include an exceptional silk caraco à la 'Pierrot' jacket, embroidered 'petticoat', circa 1790, and a rare pair of men’s ‘Moschettos’, 1815 – the missing link between 18th-century knee breeches and trousers as we regard them today. Jumping ahead to the 20th century, highlights include outstanding and important haute couture by Balenciaga and Dior (to name just a few), a dazzling Gianni Versace ‘Java Forever' dress from his Autumn-Winter 1989-90 collection and a Thierry Mugler cocktail dress, Autumn-Winter 1986-87, the gold version of which was famously worn by Madonna. We are also lucky enough to have yet more wonderful treasures from the collection of Sandy Schreier.
We are honoured to be entrusted with the estate of the late Pamela Rooke, aka Jordan, The High Priestess of Punk. Many of you will remember our legendary sale of her original Punk collection back in 2015. If you were not lucky enough to be able to afford the £22,000 for one of her original 1970s pieces, custom made by Vivienne Westwood and Malcolm McLaren, perhaps you will be lucky enough to acquire an item from her later-worn Westwood wardrobe, with estimates starting at £200.
From punks to prima ballerinas – Jordan was also a great balletomane, of course!
In our ballet section of the sale, we present the diverse archive of John and Roberta Lazzarini, who were responsible for the creation of the Anna Pavlova Museum in London in 1974. The deeply personal collection includes Pavlova’s stage-worn pointe shoes, her ‘Russian’ day dress and sari, both from the early 20s, as well as a plethora of photographs and ephemera. Pavlova’s travels are charted by bouquet ribbons printed with dates and messages from the theatres worldwide where she performed and date from 1904. One of the other most famous dancers ever to leave Russia was Rudolf Nureyev and the Lazzarinis’ collection includes Nureyev photographs, early posters and a signed ballet shoe. Arguably his most famous partner, Margot Fonteyn, is represented by not one, but two of her tutus.
This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to acquire museum-quality ballet material from the early 1900s to the 1970s.
Morning session, lots 1-242, begins at 9.30am GMT. The afternoon session, lots 243-425, will begin at 2pm GMT.
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 before the sale. 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. 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.
October
Vintage Fashion, Antique Costume & Textiles
Lot: 267 to 501 - 25th Oct, 2022 15:00
Catalogue: Download PDF catalogue
Morning session, lots 1-266, begins at 9.30am GMT. The afternoon session, lots 267-501, will begin at 3pm GMT.
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 before the sale. 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. 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.
Hold onto your hats, folks! Our 25th October auction is a bumper sale with 500 lots of luxury accessories, vintage fashion throughout the decades and antique costume and textiles.
The sale begins with a delectable selection of luxury pieces, including covetable handbags, jewellery and clothing by Chanel. Lot 32, a red bouclé wool suit, is a ready-to-wear version of a couture design from Karl Lagerfeld’s inaugural collection for the house of Chanel - surely a special piece to acquire for any Chanel collector!
Vintage fashion is offered from every decade of the 20th century, including an array of glittering beaded 1920s flapper dresses and 1930s sultry velvets. For antique costume lovers, we have a varied assortment of Victorian beaded fichus, blouses and gowns in Irish crochet and lace.
We are delighted to present the first chapter of the vEnt archive, founded by Simon Heah in 1995. The vintage store on Ledbury Road, Notting Hill, provided an eclectic mix of unique fashion and was a source of inspiration for designers from the late Alber Elbaz to the houses of Gucci & Saint Laurent, with Kate Moss and Madonna passing through its tiny doors, until its closure in 2003.
For contemporary fashionistas with a particular interest in the late 1990s-early 2000s aesthetic, we have a strong selection of sexy designs by the tastemakers of that period, including Jean Paul Gaultier, Roberto Cavalli, Hervé Léger, John Galliano and Alexander McQueen.
The final chapter of our sale will please those with a love of antique lace and an eye for embroidery. Costume and textiles from around the world are featured, including beautifully-worked Chinese robes and tiny baby accessories from the Miao People, Guizhou Province.
We hope you enjoy perusing this catalogue as much as we have enjoyed creating it for you! Please contact us directly for all condition reports and bidding enquiries. We look forward to assisting you.
June
Passion for Fashion
Lot: 231 to 440 - 21st Jun, 2022 14:00
Catalogue: Download PDF catalogue
Morning session, lots 1-230, begins at 10am. The afternoon session, lots 231-440, will begin at 2pm.
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. 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.
We have been busy behind the scenes preparing a jaw-dropping selection of spectacular fashion for you all. We have rare and important vintage couture straight from the pages of the history books, including an exceptional Elsa Schiaparelli daisy-embroidered jacket from Autumn-Winter 1937-38 (lot 267), a Madeleine Vionnet couture fringed crêpe evening gown, April 1938 (lot 269) and a dazzling Yves Saint Laurent couture bejewelled gold sequined dress, Autumn-Winter 1966 (lot 298). We offer more treasures from the renowned Sandy Schreier Collection including a rare and early Alix Barton/Madame Grès couture ivory jersey evening coat-dress (which was featured in Vogue), 1934 (lot 264), and a Christian Dior by Yves Saint Laurent couture 'Trapeze'-line day dress, Spring-Summer 1958 (lot 283).
For Thea Porter fans we have the collection of Margaret 'Bea' Larsson (lots 307-314). Bea was a close friend of Thea Porter and godmother to her niece. And for those who love Bill Gibb, we have the wardrobe of Trinidad and Tobago-born British actress Nina Baden-Semper (lots 323-327), who adored his designs.
We are honoured to include the collections of two notably elegant ladies: Victoria, Lady de Rothschild (lots 122 – 173) and Countess Maya von Schönburg-Glauchau (lots 174-203), who both graced the front rows of the Paris couture shows and featured in the elite British social season for decades. This auction provides tantalising glimpses into the wardrobes of these two beautiful women.
Always dear to our hearts is the work of the late, great Alexander McQueen. Lot 410 is the superb Givenchy haute couture by McQueen wildflower embroidered gown, Autumn-Winter 1999-2000. Lot 407 is the very rare and special Dai Rees for McQueen headpiece for 'La Poupée (The Doll)', Spring-Summer 1997. It was worn on the runway by Stella Tennant and Jade Parfitt. A unique piece of fashion history.
Our auction would not be complete without a selection of artifacts relating to our Royal Family, especially in this Jubilee year. Lot 280, a cotton dress by Horrockses, was produced to commemorate the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II and is printed with repeats of ‘Elizabeth Regina, 1953’. Also featured in this sale are the stockings, shoes and chemise once worn by her great-grandmother, Queen Victoria (lots 214 and 215).
Unbelievably, lightning does appear to strike twice in the saleroom of KTA: also starring in this sale is an Issey Miyake breastplate, Autumn-Winter 1980 - identical to the one just sold in our last ‘Passion for Fashion’ auction (lot 337). So, if you missed out last time, you now have a rare second chance to acquire this piece of art!
March
Vintage & Luxury Fashion, Antique Costume & Textiles
Catalogue: Download PDF catalogue
Morning session, lots 1-259, begins at 10am. There will be a short break before the afternoon session, lots 260-473.
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. 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.
This blockbuster of a sale features 473 lots of vintage and luxury fashion, antique costume and textiles. With estimates starting at just £150 and items spanning over 200 years of fashion, there is truly something for everyone....
The auction begins with approximately 150 lots of covetable luxury fashion and accessories, including jewellery, handbags and clothing by Chanel, timeless luggage by Louis Vuitton and, of course, Hermès. And for the ultimate luxury connoisseurs: we have rails of unworn, mint-condition cashmere creations by Loro Piana - many of the pieces still with retail tags attached.
The world of fashion recently lost one of its greats: Thierry Mugler. Lots 184-197 form a tribute to his work. Mugler’s avant-garde designs for women are his most recognisable but let us not forget that he also dressed men in a blazing rainbow of colour. Starring in this section is the collection of Mr. Christopher Matthews, former lecturer at Saint Martins and VP of Design in Los Angeles. Christopher travelled the world during the 1980s-90s, riding on the back of mopeds to factory appointments in China dressed head-to-toe in Mugler!
For the Biba lovers among us, we have a fabulous selection (lots 262-271), including a rare ‘cat’ printed wool-jersey ensemble - complete with its matching hat! For those who long for the romance and glamour of the 1920s-30s, we have approximately 100 lots featuring fashions from those decades. Many of these lots are from the collection of a life-long enthusiast with a good eye: these garments are made even more desirable by the fact that they are in great condition. It is becoming increasingly rare to find wearable, attractive examples of 1920s-30s fashion in such original condition, but we have managed it!
The final chapter of this sale features an eclectic treasure trove of antique costume and textiles, including a fine Bernard & Cie walking suit, circa 1910, and a gentleman’s embroidered doeskin glove, Welsh, circa 1630. The final item in the auction is an interesting, brocaded satin dragon robe/jifu, Chinese, dating from the Qing dynasty, second half of the 18th century.