Vintage Fashion, Antique Costume & Textiles

Lot: 1 to 300 - 24th Oct, 2023 9:00 GMT+1/BST
Lot: 301 to 563 - 24th Oct, 2023 14:00 GMT+1/BST

Lots: 564

We can predict with fair certainty that our October auction will always be an exciting event, but what we didn’t foresee written in the stars is that this sale would include the show-stopping wardrobe of Britain’s most famous astrologer: Mystic Meg! Glamorous, mysterious, colourful and unique - the collection reflects her personality and individualistic style. Meg was a Leo ruled by the sun and she loved colour, the bolder the better. Passionate purple is Leo’s key lucky shade, and starring in the sale is Lot 300- Mystic Meg’s instantly recognizable purple cloak and smock with dramatic pointed collar, along with her very own crystal ball! (Lot 103). The collection of bespoke clothing is bursting with colours of the night sky to dawn, made in rich velvets and glistening brocades, with printed stars and ‘cat’s eyes’ hidden amongst the designs, expressing her love of astrology and felines. A lifelong lover of animals, Mystic Meg is described as generous and kind by those who were closest to her, so it is fitting that her collection (Lots 96-105) is being sold in aid of animal welfare charity, Blue Cross.

The Rodeo has also ‘come to town’ in another unexpected addition to our 24^th October sale: Lots 268-286 comprise a collection of Western fashions by Rodeo Ben, Fay Ward and legendary tailor Nudie Cohn. Famous for his flamboyant designs and extravagant use of rhinestones, ‘Nudie Suits’ have been worn by country-rock stars including Elvis Presley, Elton John, and a myriad of ‘rhinestone cowboys’ in between!

Also featured in this sale are superb examples of 19^th century fashion, including an unusual sporting corset with pink stars, c.1890 (Lot 445), a charming c.1880 bridal gown with original matching shoes (Lot 473), a rare adolescent girls’ dress, c.1890 (Lot 468), and a dressmaker’s sample miniature version made around the same date (Lot 471). We are honored to include the lace collection of the late Stephen Lunn, which includes a fine Brussels point de Gaze shawl, circa 1860 (Lot 533), amongst others. For those of you who love the more recent fashion of the 1980s, 1990s and beyond, we have rails of superb Vivienne Westwood, John Galliano and Alexander McQueen. Highlights include a Westwood 'Marlene' denim ensemble, 'Always on Camera' collection, Autumn-Winter 1992-93 (Lot 137) and a Sarah Burton for McQueen ‘butterfly wing’ jacquard coat, Autumn-Winter 2018-19 (Lot 95).

A treasure trove of a sale, this auction comprises over 500 Lots of exciting antique, vintage and luxury fashion. We hope you have as much fun browsing the sale as we have had in preparing it for you, and look forward to assisting you with your bids.

Morning session, lots 1-300, begins at 9.00am BST. The afternoon session, lots 301-563, will begin at 2pm BST.

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.

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