The first few weeks of 2023 have seen an abnormal amount of fashion auctions cropping up across the capital. Earlier this week, the exact red ‘flesh and blood’ dress Julia Fox wore on the cover of ES Magazine went under the hammer, all to raise funds for the east London-based designer LeMÁine. Ever dreamt of owning a real Andy Warhol print? Or perhaps one of Grayson Perry’s dainty doll dresses? Well you can, provided you’re the highest bidder, of course...
The Collection of André Leon Talley
Fashion enthusiasts listen up: The Collection of André Leon Talley will be auctioned off today. Following the esteemed editor’s death in January last year, the auction will celebrate his life and chronicle more than five decades of fashion history. After doing a short stint at Christie’s Palm Beach and Paris, all of Talley’s prized possessions, from avante-garde kaftans to kimonos (there’s even a Hèrmes bicycle!), will be available to bid online until mid February.
The first Black person to serve as creative cirector of American Vogue, Talley forged professional and personal relationships with some of the industry’s key visionaries including Karl Lagerfeld, Tom Ford and ex-Vogue editor-in-chief Diana Vreeland– all of which are featured within the auction.
A photograph of Miss Vreeland– shot by image-maker Horst P Horst in 1979– reclining in her all-red maximalist Manhattan home is up for sale. There’s an exquisite silkscreen of her sat saddleback by Andy Warhol, with more of the pop-artists’ prints to follow. Three of Yves Saint Laurent’s tricolour paper collages, Karl Largerfeld’s polaroids, a Louis Vuitton gold plated monogram trunk and an iconic photograph, taken by Bob Colacello, of the then young editor with Bianca Jagger are all up for grabs. But the highlight has to be Talley’s classic navy Chanel silk faille tiered cape, for which he became most recognisable.
The legendary editor’s joie de vivre and pride in appearance was fostered in the churches of his youth, where he would don his Sunday Best every week. Proceeds will go to two New York Protestant churches close to Talley’s heart– his family church, Mt. Sinai Missionary in Durham (where he wrote his memoir, The Chiffon Trenches) and the Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem. “I’d like to be remembered as someone who made a difference in the lives of young people—that I nurtured someone and taught them to pursue their dreams and their careers, to leave a legacy,” he said in an interview with New York Times in 2009.
The online auctions run 27 January to 16-17 February, christies.com
Sir Grayson Perry’s auction at Central Saint Martins
Central Saint Martins are set to host a presentation and online auction of the 62-year-old Turner Prize Award winning artists’ dresses next week, which will go once, go twice until they are sold... so get ready to bid until your heart’s content.
Each year, second year BA Fashion Print students are tasked with the challenge of creating a quirky design for Perry’s alter-ego, Claire. The auction will feature a total of 41 looks collected from the project over the past 16 years, all of which will be revealed in a full catalogue on Monday.
Highlights include dresses with light blue polka-dot balloon sleeves, playful peter pan collars and prints in homage to Alan Measles, Perry’s much beloved teddy bear.
Perry has a long-standing relationship with the prestigious school of art and has been a chancellor since 2015, encouraging and nurturing the school’s fledgling talent. Funds from the auction will be donated to the university hardship fund, which aims to support students and kick start the careers of young, emerging creatives.
The full catalogue will be revealed on Monday 30th at @bafcsm with the online auction starting 3rd February from 5pm at Central Saint Martins, LVMH Theatre, 1 Granary Square, N1C 4AA. Register to bid at: graysonperrysdresses@arts.ac.uk
