At last our summer 2021 auction catalogue is now available to view online. This all-day fashion extravaganza begins with more accessible and sometimes highly wearable vintage fashion and accessories. These date from the 1820s (lot 2, an ecru slubbed silk spencer), through lavish silk and velvet Victorian fashions, stylish garments from the attic of an artistic family - 1914-1920, as well as rails of printed and beaded chiffons, bias-cut lamé gowns, floating powder-pink ostrich feather capelets and more - all from the glamorous decades of the 1920s and 30s right through to Issey Miyake of the 1980s.
Our afternoon session opens with around 60 lots of antique textiles from around the world, including a fine embroidered cover (Colcha), Spanish or Portuguese, late 16th-early 17th century (lot 268), and the final chapter of the late Dr. Joan Coleman shawl collection, which features an array of French, Norwich, Paisley and Kashmir examples.
Our much-anticipated ‘Passion for Fashion’ section makes up the final chapter of the sale, featuring the crème de la crème of haute couture by all the greats including Paul Poiret, Yves Saint Laurent, Cristobal Balenciaga, Christian Dior, Hubert de Givenchy, Pierre Balmain and Valentino Garavani.
We are again honoured to include treasures from the renowned Sandy Schreier collection: her unerring taste and excellent eye are reflected in this selection – including ‘L’Imperatrice’ – a magnificent example of Chanel haute couture by Karl Lagerfeld - a crinolined navy silk gown, Spring-Summer 1984, complete with faux blister pearl and gilt chain martingale - arguably one of Lagerfeld's most iconic and important creations ever for the House of Chanel (lot 334).
Cutting-edge fashion pieces include futuristic designs by Pierre Cardin and early pieces by John Galliano. One of the more fascinating collections is a group of rare and early original McQueen runway pieces, often quite crudely put together and probably sewn by Lee Alexander McQueen himself. Many are prototypes or one-offs and were gifted by Lee to a friend/colleague at the time. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to obtain pieces from ‘Banshee’, ‘Highland Rape', ‘The Hunger’ and ‘Dante’.
For Royal fans, we have a precious collection of tiny accessories once worn by Queen Victoria’s children, lovingly kept by their nanny, Mrs. Thurston, and passed down through her family (lot 347, estimate £2,000-3,000), as well as gowns worn by Sarah Ferguson of the 1980s. A highlight of the sale was worn by a different type of British royalty: the bikini worn by the late, great, Dame Barbara Windsor in the infamous comedic scene from the 1969 film ‘Carry On Camping’. A national treasure and bona fide cockney Queen, Barbara sadly died of Alzheimer's in December 2020 at the grand age of 83. She used to joke that the infamous bikini would ‘follow her to the end’- and as it turns out, she was right! The proceeds of this lot quite fittingly are being donated by the vendor to the Alzheimer’s Society.
Despite the ongoing challenges caused by lockdown restrictions, we have worked (and will continue to work) steadily behind the scenes to bring you the finest fashion in the world. We hope you enjoy browsing the catalogue just as much as we have enjoyed preparing it for you. The team at KTA look forward to assisting you with condition reports and bids - either in person by appointment, or virtually online and - who knows - we may even see some of you in the flesh! We have missed you.
Lot 289 - A group of damaged shawls, 1820s-40s
Sold for £286
Buyer's premium: 25% (exclusive of VAT)
Lot 290 - Two square shawls, probably Paisley, 1825-35
Sold for £390
Buyer's premium: 25% (exclusive of VAT)
Lot 291 - A sprigged scarlet wool shawl, probably Paisley, 1830s
Sold for £325
Buyer's premium: 25% (exclusive of VAT)
Lot 292 - Two wool long shawls, Paisley or Edinburgh, 1835-40
Sold for £195
Buyer's premium: 25% (exclusive of VAT)
Lot 293 - A fine woven Kirking shawl, Paisley, 1835-40
Sold for £195
Buyer's premium: 25% (exclusive of VAT)
Lot 294 - A group of shawls, mainly French, 1835-45
Sold for £221
Buyer's premium: 25% (exclusive of VAT)
Lot 296 - A woven wool square shawl, probably French, 1835-1840
Sold for £520
Buyer's premium: 25% (exclusive of VAT)
Lot 298 - Two woven square shawls, probably French, 1830s-40s
Sold for £260
Buyer's premium: 25% (exclusive of VAT)
Lot 299 - A fine Kirking shawl, Paisley, circa 1840
Sold for £150
Buyer's premium: 25% (exclusive of VAT)
Lot 300 - A good woven square shawl, Paisley, circa 1845
Sold for £221
Buyer's premium: 25% (exclusive of VAT)
Lot 301 - Four ivory and red ground square shawls, Paisley or French, 1830- 1845
Sold for £195
Buyer's premium: 25% (exclusive of VAT)
Lot 303 - A good woven wool long shawl, French, circa 1850
Sold for £234
Buyer's premium: 25% (exclusive of VAT)
Lot 304 - A good Towler & Campin woven leno silk gauze long shawl, circa 1851
Sold for £715
Buyer's premium: 25% (exclusive of VAT)
Lot 305 - Two Towler & Campin block printed silk leno gauze summer shawls, Norwich, 1851
Sold for £520
Buyer's premium: 25% (exclusive of VAT)
Lot 306 - A group of printed wool 'paisley' shawls
Sold for £234
Buyer's premium: 25% (exclusive of VAT)
Lot 308 - Two printed satin long shawls, Norwich, circa 1860
Sold for £143
Buyer's premium: 25% (exclusive of VAT)
Lot 312 - A good printed satin long shawl, circa 1860
Sold for £130
Buyer's premium: 25% (exclusive of VAT)
Lot 316 - A good embroidered velvet kaftan, Tétouan, Moroccan, North African, circa 1900
Sold for £2,860
Buyer's premium: 25% (exclusive of VAT)
Lot 317 - An embroidered phoenix panel, Chinese, circa 1900
Sold for £260
Buyer's premium: 25% (exclusive of VAT)
Lot 318 - A good Cantonese-embroidered black silk shawl, 1920s
Sold for £390
Buyer's premium: 25% (exclusive of VAT)
Lot 319 - An embroidered informal robe, chang-fu, Chinese, circa 1920
Sold for £442
Buyer's premium: 25% (exclusive of VAT)
Lot 320 - A crimson silk damask informal robe, chang-fu, Chinese, late 19th century
Sold for £3,120
Buyer's premium: 25% (exclusive of VAT)
Lot 321 - An embroidered dark blue satin robe, Chinese for the European market, early 20th century
Sold for £1,105
Buyer's premium: 25% (exclusive of VAT)
Lot 322 - An embroidered Xaipei of lavender damask silk, Chinese, late 19th-early 20th century
Sold for £1,235
Buyer's premium: 25% (exclusive of VAT)
Lot 323 - A purple damask silk informal winter robe, chang-fu, Chinese, late 19th-20th century
Sold for £2,730
Buyer's premium: 25% (exclusive of VAT)
Lot 324 - An embroidered orange silk informal robe, chang-fu, Chinese, circa 1900
Sold for £3,380
Buyer's premium: 25% (exclusive of VAT)
Lot 325 - A brocaded silk summer dragon robe, jifu, Chinese, circa 1900
Sold for £1,430
Buyer's premium: 25% (exclusive of VAT)
Lot 326 - A group of Chinese robes, circa 1900
Sold for £1,560
Buyer's premium: 25% (exclusive of VAT)
Lot 327 - A rare 'Compakit' novelty camera-shaped minaudiere, early 1960s
Sold for £1,170
Buyer's premium: 25% (exclusive of VAT)
Lot 328 - A Judith Leiber 'Harper's Bazaar' minaudiere, mid 1990s
Sold for £420
Buyer's premium: 25% (exclusive of VAT)
Lot 329 - A Louis Vuitton 'Saint Cloud' monogrammed leather bag, probably 1990s
Sold for £416
Buyer's premium: 25% (exclusive of VAT)
Lot 330 - A Chanel quilted leather jumbo flap bag, 1994-96
Sold for £2,470
Buyer's premium: 25% (exclusive of VAT)
Lot 331 - A Chanel couture tweed two-piece ensemble, early 1960s
Sold for £715
Buyer's premium: 25% (exclusive of VAT)
Lot 332 - A Chanel couture black silk and mohair ensemble, circa 1963-65
Sold for £975
Buyer's premium: 25% (exclusive of VAT)
Lot 333 - A Chanel couture black tweed ensemble, Autumn-Winter 1964
Sold for £2,210
Buyer's premium: 25% (exclusive of VAT)
Lot 334 - Chanel couture by Karl Lagerfeld 'L'Imperatrice' crinolined coatdress, Spring-Summer 1984
Sold for £36,400
Buyer's premium: 25% (exclusive of VAT)
Lot 335 - A Chanel hot-pink wool and printed silk ensemble, circa 1993
Sold for £975
Buyer's premium: 25% (exclusive of VAT)
Lot 336 - A Chanel cardigan-shaped brooch, probably Autumn-Winter 2002
Sold for £416
Buyer's premium: 25% (exclusive of VAT)
Lot 337 - A rare Sabyasachi Mukherjee 'Bengal Tiger' mask, 2016
Sold for £390
Buyer's premium: 25% (exclusive of VAT)
Lot 340 - A rare pair of spats autographed by Al (Scarface) Capone, 1920s
Sold for £715
Buyer's premium: 25% (exclusive of VAT)
Lot 342 - A Lindka Cierach bespoke silk damask dress, worn by Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, 1986
Sold for £650
Buyer's premium: 25% (exclusive of VAT)
Lot 345 - A fine pair of Queen Victoria's silk stockings, late 19th century
Sold for £494
Buyer's premium: 25% (exclusive of VAT)
Lot 346 - A pair of Queen Victoria's silk stockings, late 19th century
Sold for £650
Buyer's premium: 25% (exclusive of VAT)
Lot 348 - A crewel embroidered fustian work bag, English, early 18th century
Sold for £624
Buyer's premium: 25% (exclusive of VAT)
Lot 349 - A crewel embroidered fustian work bag, English, dated 1702
Sold for £2,470
Buyer's premium: 25% (exclusive of VAT)
Lot 350 - A pair of embroidered love token garters, French, 1780-1800
Sold for £390
Buyer's premium: 25% (exclusive of VAT)
Lot 351 - A pair of unused striped silk garters woven with amorous motto, Spanish, 18th century
Sold for £845
Buyer's premium: 25% (exclusive of VAT)
Lot 352 - Two brocaded green silk ladies' shoes, 1720-30
Sold for £1,560
Buyer's premium: 25% (exclusive of VAT)
Lot 354 - Two pairs of black mesh gloves, circa 1860
Sold for £1,820
Buyer's premium: 25% (exclusive of VAT)
Lot 355 - An embroidered and quilted tea gown, Japanese for the European market, circa 1900
Sold for £1,300
Buyer's premium: 25% (exclusive of VAT)
Lot 357 - A Boué Sœurs lingerie dress, 1918-19
Sold for £3,120
Buyer's premium: 25% (exclusive of VAT)
Lot 358 - A rare Boué Sœurs camisole-shaped corset cover, 1924
Sold for £715
Buyer's premium: 25% (exclusive of VAT)
Lot 359 - A rare Atelier Poiret original fashion sketch, circa 1922
Sold for £468
Buyer's premium: 25% (exclusive of VAT)
Lot 360 - An embroidered silk kimono, Japanese for the European market, 1920s-30s
Sold for £1,105
Buyer's premium: 25% (exclusive of VAT)
Lot 361 - An embroidered chinoiserie lamé jacket, French, 1920s
Sold for £1,430
Buyer's premium: 25% (exclusive of VAT)
Lot 363 - A rare Paul Poiret couture embroidered Orientalist opera coat, circa 1925
Sold for £5,460
Buyer's premium: 25% (exclusive of VAT)
Lot 364 - A rare Paul Poiret peasant-style embroidered day dress, 1925
Sold for £3,900
Buyer's premium: 25% (exclusive of VAT)
Lot 365 - A Jenny couture emerald chiffon evening ensemble, circa 1930
Sold for £3,380
Buyer's premium: 25% (exclusive of VAT)
Lot 366 - A rare Jeanne Lanvin fringed felt skull cap, 1930s
Sold for £312
Buyer's premium: 25% (exclusive of VAT)
Lot 367 - A Jeanne Lanvin couture pale pink satin evening gown 'Barbarie', Autumn-Winter 1934-35
Sold for £2,600
Buyer's premium: 25% (exclusive of VAT)
Lot 368 - A Nicole de Paris Inc 'Firework' dress, American, 1945
Sold for £2,600
Buyer's premium: 25% (exclusive of VAT)
Lot 369 - A rare Schiaparelli couture black Linton tweed coat, Autumn-Winter 1936-37
Sold for £2,080
Buyer's premium: 25% (exclusive of VAT)
Lot 370 - A Schiaparelli couture velvet evening gown, late 1940s
Sold for £1,690
Buyer's premium: 25% (exclusive of VAT)
Lot 371 - A Lucien Lelong black couture chiffon evening gown, mid 1940s
Sold for £1,690
Buyer's premium: 25% (exclusive of VAT)
Lot 372 - A fine Adrian printed crêpe dress, 1947
Sold for £2,860
Buyer's premium: 25% (exclusive of VAT)
Lot 373 - A Madame Grès couture pleated dove-grey jersey evening gown, late 1940s-early 1950s
Sold for £1,690
Buyer's premium: 25% (exclusive of VAT)
Lot 374 - A fine Madame Grès couture black silk jersey cocktail dress with draped hood, circa 1942
Sold for £1,950
Buyer's premium: 25% (exclusive of VAT)
Lot 376 - A fine Dior feather and velvet hat, 1950s
Sold for £520
Buyer's premium: 25% (exclusive of VAT)
Lot 378 - A Christian Dior couture coat or overdress, probably Autumn-Winter 1951-52
Sold for £1,950
Buyer's premium: 25% (exclusive of VAT)
Lot 380 - A Christian Dior aubergine-purple faille dress, mid 1950s
Sold for £715
Buyer's premium: 25% (exclusive of VAT)
Lot 381 - A Christian Dior couture underpinning for a ball gown, Spring-Summer 1959
Sold for £780
Buyer's premium: 25% (exclusive of VAT)
Lot 382 - A rare Yves Saint Laurent 'Mondrian' helmet, 1965
Sold for £4,160
Buyer's premium: 25% (exclusive of VAT)
Lot 383 - A Nina Ricci couture black satin evening gown, early 1950s
Sold for £598
Buyer's premium: 25% (exclusive of VAT)
