We are pleased to announce that this bumper sale features 445 lots of tantalizing textiles and fashion from every decade and period. This sale includes two very different private collections: the first is a fashion archive which forms almost 200 lots of this sale. Carefully and lovingly compiled over several decades, the collection begins in the early 19th century, with every decade thereafter well represented, right through to the 1980s. With a focus on the 19th century, 1930s and 1970s, there are rails upon rails of Victorian and Edwardian fashions, glamorous gowns in lamé and velvet, as well as pieces by Ossie Clark, Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche and British boutique designers. As part of this single owner collection we include boxes overflowing with dazzling but damaged 1920s flapper dresses and 30s bias-cut gowns which are excellent as construction references or for use as trimmings or for repair. Sure to catch the eye of collectors and designers alike, this collection also features over 200 pairs of shoes - to be sold in group lots - which span a century of fashion history.
Lots 284-331 comprise the second exciting private collection: the wardrobe of John Cowell (part 1), featuring over 50 lots of superb menswear from the 1980s-2000s by Jean-Paul Gaultier, Alexander McQueen, Vivienne Westwood, John Galliano and others. These will appeal to museums and modern dandies alike. Mr Cowell is a costume designer and renowned textile artist specializing in hand-painted textiles, special dye effects and customized fabric treatments for both stage and film. During his illustrious career he has worked on films including ‘The Favourite’, ‘Gangs of New York’, ‘The Young Victoria’, ‘Mary Poppins Returns’ and ‘Star Wars – The Phantom Menace’, to name but a few. After each production was finished, he liked to celebrate by going shopping for some eye-catching menswear. Some ensembles were worn just a few times, others never. His reason for selling? He tells us he is now ‘too old and too fat’ and wants others to enjoy them!
For the final chapter of the sale - lots 405-440 - we present the second chapter of the late Dr Joan Coleman Shawl Collection, with good examples of Spitalfields, Kashmir, Norwich, woven and printed Paisley and Edinburgh shawls dating from 1800-1860s.
We hope you enjoy perusing this glorious treasure-trove of a sale. Do get in touch to request condition reports and to place bids. We look forward to hearing from you!
For more information on how to bid, please click here. If you wish to participate in live online bidding on the day, you must register via Invaluable here.
Lot 2 - A beaded lamé flapper dress, late 1920s
Sold for £280
Buyer's premium: 25% (exclusive of VAT)
Lot 3 - A beaded pale pink crêpe-chiffon flapper dress, mid 1920s
Sold for £380
Buyer's premium: 25% (exclusive of VAT)
Lot 4 - A beaded white muslin flapper dress, mid-1920s
Sold for £550
Buyer's premium: 25% (exclusive of VAT)
Lot 5 - A beaded mustard muslin flapper dress, mid-1920s
Sold for £280
Buyer's premium: 25% (exclusive of VAT)
Lot 6 - A black silk evening gown with rhinestone-studded velvet bodice, circa 1929
Sold for £250
Buyer's premium: 25% (exclusive of VAT)
Lot 7 - A blue lamé dress with draped swags and cascading iridescent-pink petals to hip, 1920s
Sold for £260
Buyer's premium: 25% (exclusive of VAT)
Lot 8 - A floral devoré velvet dress in rare larger size, late 1920s
Sold for £320
Buyer's premium: 25% (exclusive of VAT)
Lot 9 - A good group of mainly velvet clothing, 1920s
Sold for £400
Buyer's premium: 25% (exclusive of VAT)
Lot 10 - A good printed pink velvet and glitter evening coat, 1920s
Sold for £600
Buyer's premium: 25% (exclusive of VAT)
Lot 11 - A group of boudoir caps and lingerie, mainly 1920s-30s
Sold for £380
Buyer's premium: 25% (exclusive of VAT)
Lot 12 - A group of lounging pyjamas, playsuits and Japanese inspired lingerie, 1920s-30s
Sold for £600
Buyer's premium: 25% (exclusive of VAT)
Lot 13 - A lamé opera coat with ruched green velvet collar, 1920s
Sold for £400
Buyer's premium: 25% (exclusive of VAT)
Lot 14 - A large quantity of mainly 1920s damaged dresses and remnants
Sold for £650
Buyer's premium: 25% (exclusive of VAT)
Lot 15 - A pale green beaded velvet opera coat, 1920s
Sold for £160
Buyer's premium: 25% (exclusive of VAT)
Lot 16 - An interesting group of clothing, 1920s
Sold for £550
Buyer's premium: 25% (exclusive of VAT)
Lot 17 - Ten lace and white-worked summer dresses, 1920-30s
Sold for £950
Buyer's premium: 25% (exclusive of VAT)
Lot 18 - An interesting beaded flapper dress, mid 1920s
Sold for £200
Buyer's premium: 25% (exclusive of VAT)
Lot 19 - Two ivory beaded flapper dresses, 1920s
Sold for £360
Buyer's premium: 25% (exclusive of VAT)
Lot 21 - A lamé evening cloak in shades of blue and gold, 1920s
Sold for £320
Buyer's premium: 25% (exclusive of VAT)
Lot 22 - An interesting group of 1920s-30s evening wear
Sold for £700
Buyer's premium: 25% (exclusive of VAT)
Lot 23 - A group of beach and summerwear, mainly 1930s
Sold for £850
Buyer's premium: 25% (exclusive of VAT)
Lot 24 - A large group of swimwear, mainly 1950s
Sold for £2,600
Buyer's premium: 25% (exclusive of VAT)
Lot 25 - A large group of bridal and ivory eveningwear, 1930s-40s
Sold for £1,000
Buyer's premium: 25% (exclusive of VAT)
Lot 26 - A Violet Tatum crescent-moon-and-stars printed green silk gown, late 1930s
Sold for £550
Buyer's premium: 25% (exclusive of VAT)
Lot 28 - Twelve garden party dresses, late 1930s-1940s
Sold for £700
Buyer's premium: 25% (exclusive of VAT)
Lot 29 - A Cantonese embroidered silk evening coat/robe, 1930s
Sold for £320
Buyer's premium: 25% (exclusive of VAT)
Lot 30 - A black velvet evening coat with Chinese embroidered skirt panel to lining, 1930
Sold for £460
Buyer's premium: 25% (exclusive of VAT)
Lot 31 - A floral printed velvet evening jacket, 1930s
Sold for £650
Buyer's premium: 25% (exclusive of VAT)
Lot 32 - A devoré velvet and lamé evening coat, 1930s
Sold for £400
Buyer's premium: 25% (exclusive of VAT)
Lot 33 - A good floral printed lamé and gold-lace evening gown, mid 1930s
Sold for £320
Buyer's premium: 25% (exclusive of VAT)
Lot 34 - A good lamé evening jacket in shades of coral and blue, probably Liberty, 1930s
Sold for £900
Buyer's premium: 25% (exclusive of VAT)
Lot 36 - Five evening gowns in purple and black, 1930s
Sold for £480
Buyer's premium: 25% (exclusive of VAT)
Lot 37 - A bias-cut red velvet evening gown, 1930s
Sold for £300
Buyer's premium: 25% (exclusive of VAT)
Lot 38 - Four bias-cut evening gowns, mainly black, 1930s
Sold for £700
Buyer's premium: 25% (exclusive of VAT)
Lot 39 - Four evening gowns in shades of peach and silver, 1930s
Sold for £300
Buyer's premium: 25% (exclusive of VAT)
Lot 40 - Two good bias-cut lamé evening gowns, 1930s
Sold for £650
Buyer's premium: 25% (exclusive of VAT)
Lot 41 - A bias-cut acid-green velvet evening gown, 1930s
Sold for £650
Buyer's premium: 25% (exclusive of VAT)
Lot 42 - A group of eveningwear in shades of green, black and gold, 1930s
Sold for £220
Buyer's premium: 25% (exclusive of VAT)
Lot 43 - A bordeaux velvet evening coat with leg-o-mutton sleeves, 1930s
Sold for £400
Buyer's premium: 25% (exclusive of VAT)
Lot 44 - A group of red and black evening wear, 1930s
Sold for £380
Buyer's premium: 25% (exclusive of VAT)
Lot 45 - A group of evening wear in shades of pink, yellow and gold, 1930s
Sold for £300
Buyer's premium: 25% (exclusive of VAT)
Lot 47 - A lamé evening gown in shades of pink, silver and blue, mid-1920s, altered in the 1930s
Sold for £600
Buyer's premium: 25% (exclusive of VAT)
