Stars and iconic pieces, fashion conquers auctions
Buying at auction offers several advantages: a certified second-hand item, the immediate availability of a rare piece, garments worn by celebrities that become investments. But also being able to have the creations of the biggest brands at a lower cost.
2' min read
2' min read
It will be a busy month of June for fashion auction aficionados, a category that has been gaining more and more space in auction house calendars for at least ten years now: Among the most interesting appointments is the one devoted to creations from Vivienne Westwood's personal wardrobe at Christie's at the end of the month, while Julien's will attempt to repeat the success of the sale of Princess Diana's 1985 dress (which fetched an impressive $1.1 million in December) with other dresses belonging to the Princess of Wales, and Bonhams will beat a sophisticated black dress by Yohji Yamamoto worn by Carolyn Bessette Kennedy, consort of John Kennedy Jr., which is expected to fetch up to $200,000.
The celebrity of the wardrobes of provenance, which guarantees value retention; the preciousness and rarity of the workmanship (such as the Chanel Haute Couture AW 1996-7 Coromandel coat on which Lesage's embroiderers worked for over 800 hours, which was sold for $312,000 by Maurice Auction, a Parisian auction house specialising in fashion); the possibility of accessing 'second hand' creations but with certified provenance, or to have immediately those that normally in their new version require long waits to arrive in the shop, attract more and more people to auctions of this kind. Events that guarantee, by betting on the icons of the most famous brands, also interesting investment possibilities. The case of Hermès' Birkin 28 Himalaya, in Nile crocodile leather and diamond inserts, considered the most precious bag on the planet, proves this: under Christie's hammer in Hong Kong in 2016 it fetched $300,000 and in 2021 $513,000.
Italian auction houses are also increasingly reserving spaces for fashion, as demonstrated by the case of Turin-based Aste Bolaffi, which specialises in coins and stamps: on 30 May, at its headquarters in Via Cavour, luxury accessories by the leading brands of these events, Hermès Chanel and Dior, will be auctioned: Among the most coveted pieces, the 2005 Hermès Kelly 32 in cognac-coloured crocodile, for which the auction base is €10,000, and a Kelly Retourne 25 in swift rose dragee leather, which will be auctioned at €5,000. Prices that when compared to new make owning one of these brands' creations more accessible, especially in times of crisis for purchases in the so-called premium segment. Starting from 1,300 euros, one can aspire to a Dragon shoulder bag signed by Tom Ford for Gucci and from a thousand to a red Mini Timeless by Chanel.
