DAPHNE GUINNESS IS RICH, GLAMOUROUS AND WELL, VERY RICH. WITH A NAME LIKE GUINNESS, DAPHNE IS RELATED OF COURSE TO THE WELL LOVED DRINK.
ISABELLA BLOW WAS A FASHIONISTA OF THE FIRST MAGNITUDE. FRIEND OF ALL THE TOP DESIGNERS INCLUDING THE LATE AND GREAT ALEXANDER MCQUEEN. SHE DISCOVERED HAT MAKER PHILLIP TREACY, SOPHIE DAHL, MODEL STELLA TENNANT AND OF COURSE ALEXANDER MCQUEEN.
Isabella Blow bought the entire inaugural collection of Alexander McQueen for L 5,000 (RM 25,000) when today 1 gown would cost that much. Blow was not rich and paid for it in L100 weekly instalments.
She committed suicide in 2007 after several earlier attempts as she was suffering from depression. She was also suffering from ovarian cancer and was married to Detmar Blow.
Now Blow's good friend Daphne Guinness is selling 100 pieces from her extensive wardrobe to raise funds for Isabella Blow Foundation.
Christie’s will auction The Daphne Guinness Collection To Benefit the Isabella Blow Foundation, a spectacular single-owner collection on 27 June 2012 at Christie’s South Kensington saleroom in London.
The full contents of the sale will be on public exhibition from 23 to 27 June 2012.
Comprising around 100 lots, the auction will feature a selection of dresses, coats, skirts, tops and jackets belonging to Daphne Guinness, as well as selected photographs and her signature shoes. The purpose of the auction is to launch and raise funds for The Isabella Blow Foundation. With the help of Christie’s specialists, Daphne has selected pieces to be auctioned which embody her personal style and will help to raise a significant sum for the foundation.
The auction provides the perfect opportunity for fashionistas to bid on rare couture pieces and designer items – most of which were acquired by Daphne directly from the designers themselves. Estimates for individual lots start from only £300, with the majority on offer for under £3,000. The star lot of the sale is a stunning one-of-a-kind sculptural metallic silver mini dress, made specifically for Daphne Guinness by Alexander McQueen in 2008 (estimate: £15,000-20,000).
The auction will include exceptional designs by the likes of McQueen, Chanel, Balenciaga, Gareth Pugh, Christopher Kane, Lanvin, Lacroix, Prada, Gucci, Alaia and others. The Collection as a whole is expected to realise in excess of £100,000.
E-catalogue: Available to view online from mid-May 2012 at www.christies.com/calendar
Press Preview: Thursday, 21 June at 10am
Public Exhibition: Saturday, 23 June - Wednesday, 27 June
Opening times: Monday 9am – 7.30pm; Tues-Fri 9am – 5pm (except day of sale until 4pm); Sat & Sun 11am – 5pm
Auction: Wednesday, 27 June 2012 at 7pm
HIGHLIGHTS
A unique, haute couture gown, made specifically for Daphne Guinness
A SCULPTURAL METALLIC SILVER MINI DRESS
ALEXANDER MCQUEEN, 2008
With padded shoulders and bell shaped skirt, constructed with integrated corset
Labelled 'Alexander McQueen'
Estimate: £15,000-20,000
This design was first viewed by Daphne in Alexander McQueen’s collection in 2008. After seeing it, Daphne asked Lee to create four dresses in this style, in different materials (one black, one black long sleeved, one feathered, and one silver). McQueen didn’t make the dress for his shop, it was a show piece. A favourite dress of Daphne’s, she has worn it to several high profile occasions and has been photographed with the likes of Mario Testino and David Furnish whilst wearing it.
A BLACK TULLE ‘ROBE DE STYLE’ SIGNATURE GOWN
LANVIN, WINTER 2006
An homage to Lanvin’s signature robes of the 1920s, sleeveless, embellished with silver and glass beads, with stiffened, tulle petticoats
Labelled, 'Lanvin, Hiver 2006'
Estimate: £400-800
Daphne bough this dress in the Lanvin store in Paris and wore it that night for a friend’s birthday party.
A LEMON YELLOW SATIN AND HIDE ‘BUBBLE’ DRESS
CHRISTIAN LACROIX, 1987
The bodice of brown and white hide, with sweetheart neckline and integrated corset, the skirt puffball, tapering to quilted, fitted tube skirt
Labelled 'Christian Lacroix, Paris'
Estimate: £1,000-2,000
This was the first piece of couture Daphne bought from Christian Lacroix. Having led to her meeting Lacroix’s muse, Marie Martinez, with whom she has since become great friends, it holds important memories for Daphne. Representing Lacroix’s Southern routes it is an iconic piece; the cow hide was typical of him, and the puff ball skirt is a very Spanish look which he often revisited.
A SHEER WHITE SILK MINI DRESS
CHRISTOPHER KANE, PROBABLY AUTUMN/WINTER 2008
Sleeveless, A-line, applied and trimmed with pleated grosgrain ribbon rosettes to the front, embellished with Swarovski crystals, the hem embroidered with rows of white acetate discs, with silk petticoat
Labelled 'Christopher Kane'
Estimate: £800-1,500
Having heard about the wonderful new British talent that was Christopher Kane, Daphne visited his shop, saw this dress and immediately fell in love with it. It was one of the first things she bought from Christopher Kane.
A PAIR OF LADY BELL PLATFORM ANKLE BOOTS
NORITAKA TATEHANA, PROBABLY AUTUMN/WINTER 2010-11
Heel-less, the red metallic leather embossed with floral scrolls, with zip fastening at the back
Stamped ‘Noritaka Tatehana’ to the sole
Estimate: £1,500-2,500
Ordered from Noritaka directly, these shoes took around eight months to be made. Daphne loved them, not-so-much for their practicality, or lack thereof, but because she viewed them as pieces of sculpture, more as concept pieces for looking at – fashion as art.
Christie’s Fashion
Introduced in 1975, Christie’s Fashion, Costume and Textiles Department and the South Kensington saleroom were established simultaneously. Since then, the department has secured Christie’s place in the auction market as one of the top destinations for collectors of couture, costume, textiles and accessories. Today, the department contributes to
numerous sales each year, offering items from all over the world, and featuring in no less than twenty-five auctions in 2011 including The Collection of Elizabeth Taylor, as well as Christie’s annual Fashion sale, the bi-annual Elegance sale of Hermès handbags, and Interiors, Chinese and Indian and Islamic sales; estimates start from £500. Focusing on the best of the best, items featured in Christie’s sales date from the 17th century right up to the present day, and range from haute couture and fashion pieces, through to historical clothing, handbags and luggage, and costume jewellery, as well as tapestries, samplers and more. The allure of Christie’s fashion sales draws International couture collectors and fashion lovers, as well as institutions, offering both ready-to-wear and museum-quality pieces.
Christie’s South Kensington
Open seven days a week, Christie’s South Kensington is one of the busiest salerooms in the UK attracting over 200,000 visitors each year. With over 100 sales and offering more than 20,000 lots annually, estimates start from £300. Interiors sales dedicated to home furnishings are held three times a month alongside regular Sunday sales of single-owner collections. Specialised sales for the avid collector are scheduled throughout the year according to category, and include Film Posters, Pop Memorabilia, Antiquities, Jewellery, 20th Century British Art and Chinese Works of Art, among others. In 2011 Christie’s South Kensington realised the highest ever total for the second successive year with sales of £115.9 million / $186.6 million.
About Christie’s
Christie’s, the world's leading art business, had global auction and private sales in 2011 that totaled £3.6 billion/$5.7 billion. Christie’s is a name and place that speaks of extraordinary art, unparalleled service and expertise, as well as international glamour. Founded in 1766 by James Christie, Christie's has since conducted the greatest and most celebrated auctions through the centuries providing a popular showcase for the unique and the beautiful. Christie’s offers over 450 auctions annually in over 80 categories, including all areas of fine and decorative arts, jewellery, photographs, collectibles, wine, and more. Prices range from $200 to over $100 million. Christie's also has a long and successful history conducting private sales for its clients in all categories, with emphasis on Post-War and Contemporary, Impressionist and Modern, Old Masters and Jewellery. Private sales totaled £502 million / $808.6m in 2011, an increase of 44% on the previous year.
Christie’s has a global presence with 53 offices in 32 countries and 10 salerooms around the world including in London, New York, Paris, Geneva, Milan, Amsterdam, Dubai, Zürich, and Hong Kong. More recently, Christie’s has led the market with expanded initiatives in growth markets such as Russia, China, India and the United Arab Emirates, with successful sales and exhibitions in Beijing, Mumbai and Dubai.
*Estimates do not include buyer’s premium. Sales totals are hammer price plus buyer’s premium.
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Prices do not include buyers’ premium
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