FAMOUS AVANT GARDE BRITISH JEWELLER SHAUN LEANE TO AUCTION 45 JEWELS FROM HIS PERSONAL COLLECTION ON 4 DECEMBER 2017 IN NEW YORK BY SOTHEBY'S

KEE@FSWMAG.COM

COUTURE FASHION JEWELLERY – THE PERSONAL ARCHIVE OF SHAUN LEANE

At Sotheby’s New York on 4 December 2017

THIS SILVER CORSET IS ESTIMATED TO FETCH OVER RM 1.2 MILLION 

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 COILED CORSET

 CROWN OF THORNS

 LARGE SHELL EARRINGS

 PORCUPINE QUILL EARRINGS

 SKELETON CORSET

THISTLE BROOCH

 TUSK ANKLET

 ARM VINE

 NEVER TRY WEAR THIS ALONE AT HOME, HAHA

 MONSTER EARRINGS

THE LATE AND GREAT ALEXANDER MCQUEEN 

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Over 45 Bespoke Pieces by the Iconic British Jewellery Designer,

Renowned for his Collaboration with Alexander McQueen

Jewellery and Body Sculptures worn by Fashion Icons:

The Honourable Daphne Guinness, Isabella Blow Kate Moss, Sarah Jessica Parker

More than 30 Original Designs for Alexander McQueen,

Spanning His Runway Collections from Autumn/Winter 1996 to Spring/Summer 2008

Highlighting A LIFE OF LUXURY - A Curated Week of Auctions & Events this December

“Shaun has been a close friend and companion for many years. He captures the feeling of my work and the aesthetic of the time we live in…full of structure and finesse, crafted to perfection.”

– Lee Alexander McQueen

This December, Sotheby’s New York  will present Couture Fashion Jewellery – The Personal Archive of Shaun Leane as a highlight of the inaugural A Life of Luxury* auction series. 

Created by London-based designer Shaun Leane over the course of more than 20 years, the Evening Sale will feature over 45 bespoke pieces produced for beacons of the fashion industry, including legendary houses Alexander McQueen and Givenchy, as well as style icons the Honourable Daphne Guinness, Isabella Blow, Kate Moss and Sarah Jessica Parker. 

From the immaculate Contra Mundum Evening Glove, a special commission for Ms. Guinness that was inspired by her fascination with armor, to the iconic Crown of Thorns, from McQueen’s Autumn/Winter 1996 ‘Dante’ collection that appeared in The Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Victoria & Albert Museum’s blockbuster retrospective in 2011 and 2015, respectively, the hauntingly beautiful selection on offer this winter encapsulates the exceptional dynamism and remarkable diversity of Leane’s creative vision.

Offering both jewellery collectors and enthusiasts a unique chance to acquire covetable treasures of fashion history, the sale offers works ranging from $2,000 to $400,000.

Shaun Leane, Creative Director of the House of Shaun Leane commented: “I’m thrilled to be partnering with Sotheby’s and Kerry Taylor on this truly special sale. I believe that the collection represents a level of creative freedom that has no parallel today and a time when jewellery, performance art and fashion fused as one – it has prompted questions in my own mind as to the important role the collection still has to play in conversations surrounding the relationship between these vital creative industries. 

"I see the auction as answering the questions these objects put forward when I began creating them: Is it art? Is it fashion? Is it jewellery? Its destiny now is to do the job it was designed to do; to inspire and provoke. 

"It is an honour to present these designs to the public, and it is my hope that the endless inspiration and unadulterated joy that these pieces have brought to me and so many others over the years, will now be shared with collectors, museums & institutions from around the world.”

Kerry Taylor, fashion expert and auctioneer who is collaborating with Sotheby’s on the sale, said: the sale, said: “This is an historic collection – many of the pieces offered for sale have been previously only glimpsed behind the glass of major museums. 

Shaun Leane’s beautifully crafted fashion jewellery and body sculptures are not only iconic in their own right, but have contributed to some of the most memorable ‘fashion moments’ of all time on the McQueen catwalk.  From truly avant-garde finale pieces to numerous desirable examples for those wishing to purchase jewels to wear, the sale offers works for institutional collections, Contemporary art collectors and fashion enthusiasts alike. 

Provenance is key and it is rare to be offered pieces of this significance directly from the creator; the last time many of them were worn was on the catwalk by models including Kate Moss, Erin O’Connor and Stella Tennant. Those lucky enough to acquire pieces in this auction will not only purchase a unique work of art – but a little bit of fashion history too.”