The Male Sale, Including the Personal Wardrobe of Lee Alexander McQueen

The Male Sale, Including the Personal Wardrobe of Lee Alexander McQueen | London

Date: 10th Mar, 2026 14:00

Lots: 198

Kerry Taylor Auctions is proud to present The Male Sale, headlined by an extraordinary offering: twenty‑one garments from the personal wardrobe of Lee Alexander McQueen,

New Venue:
KTA at the Printworks
230 Long Ln
London SE1 4QA

Alexander McQueen’s impact on fashion and culture is profound, and the opportunity to offer pieces from his personal wardrobe is both exceptional and deeply significant. McQueen began his career as a tailor’s apprentice on London’s Savile Row, and the sharply cut silhouettes he mastered there remained central to the collections of his namesake label. It is especially meaningful, then, to offer a selection so richly comprised of suits and blazers; garments that reflect both his roots and his lifelong dedication to precision tailoring.

Renowned for his meticulous nature, McQueen chose what he wore with great discernment. Alongside pieces from his own house, his wardrobe included designs by some of the most celebrated names in fashion, among them Gucci by Tom Ford, Maison Martin Margiela, Prada, Hermès under Véronique Nichanian, Ralph Lauren, Helmut Lang, and Carol Christian Poell.

McQueen was photographed wearing several of these ensembles. Most notably, his white double‑breasted Gucci/Tom Ford suit from the Spring–Summer 2003 collection appears in multiple iconic images. He famously donned it to accept the “International Award” at the 2003 CFDA Awards in New York; an event dubbed “The Fashion Oscars” by Vogue. He later wore the suit during his Autumn–Winter 2004–05 “Pantheon as Lecum” show, both on the runway and backstage. In one memorable photograph, McQueen stands beside Kate Moss smoking a cigarette; the McQueen estate has confirmed that the small burn marks on the cuff were indeed caused by the British supermodel.

Fashion has always mirrored the culture it inhabits, but it is rare for it to reveal such intimate stories about a figure as celebrated yet enigmatic as Lee Alexander McQueen. This auction represents a once‑in‑a‑lifetime opportunity to acquire a piece of contemporary cultural history and to honour the legacy of one of Britain’s most visionary designers.

Beyond the McQueen collection, The Male Sale features an exceptional range of rare and important menswear dating from 2020-1770.

We have on offer the largest collection of Carol Christian Poell ever presented at auction (63 lots). Poell is one of the most enigmatic and influential figures in avant‑garde menswear. His work is defined by radical material experimentation, uncompromising craftsmanship, and an almost total rejection of the conventional fashion system. He is known for pioneering techniques such as object‑dyeing and object-tanning, bonded seams, and highly experimental treatments of leather and textiles, approaches often described as surgical or anatomical in precision. Operating from near‑complete secrecy in his Milan studio, Poell releases work only on his own terms, cultivating a cult global following drawn to his rigorous philosophy, artisanal production, and deeply conceptual approach to clothing; making such a grand offering an incredibly rare opportunity.

Other important and radical designers include Vivienne Westwood and Malcom McLaren, whose rare early pieces from the SEX and Seditionaries boutiques in the 1970s mark a counterpoint to more modern designs from the 2010s and their revolutionary Witches and Notaslgia of Mud collections from the early 1980s

Harking from a similar era, we have three remarkable early works by Christopher Nemeth. Nemeth, one of the founding members of the influential House of Beauty and Culture in London’s Hackney, was incessantly experimental, and his designs blurred the line between couture and the DIY Club Kid aesthetic that was the height of fashion at the time. Few pieces sum this up more concisely than his c.1983 jacket formed of old Post Office letter sacks - an extraordinary marriage of artisanal craftsmanship and ready-made materials. Reflecting on the influence of Nemeth’s work, Kim Jones stated: “People with a highly developed sense of fashion love his work. Kate Moss loves Nemeth, Naomi Campbell was a Nemeth girl”.

And ever-popular in our menswear sales, the inimitable Jean Paul Gaultier is well represented from his most provocative era of the1980s-early 1990s. Included are two full ensembles from his Autumn-Winter 1994 ‘Grand Voyage’ showcase, which incorporate a dizzying array of cultural influences and layering to form a silhouette that is chic, comfortable to wear, and unmistakably Gaultier. Other notable pieces include an unashamedly sexy c.1991 see-through cage jacket, and an early ‘Pegasus’ weave blazer from 1984.

As ever, there are so many fashion grails in the sale that you have to see the catalogue in full to get a proper understanding of the breadth and quality of pieces on offer. This auction and viewing exhibition will be taking place in our new venue: ‘KTA at The Printworks’, which is just over the road from our HQ on Long Lane.

For more information on how to bid, please click here. Live bidding is 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. 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 Drouot platform is 1.5% 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.

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