From 15 to 22 November, Christie’s Paris is presenting Classic Week, a series of live and online sales spanning eras and art forms. In keeping with its Parisian spirit, the deliberately eclectic selection is designed to spark the interest of international collectors. Featuring some exceptional pieces dating from the 15th century until today, this 2023 edition is particularly diverse. Christie’s long relationship with fashion is built on emblematic collections and exceptional pieces. This edition of Classic Week will open a new chapter with Karl Lagerfeld’s artistic, architectural and design genius. The wedding dress designed for Chanel’s Autumn-Winter 2014-2015 collection is yet another feather In its cap and symbolize the entire week. Sported by New Zealand supermodel Ashleigh Good – eight months pregnant at the time – the gown provided a sensational finale to the unforgettable Le Corbusier Goes to Versailles runway show. Embroidered by Cécile Henri Atelier, this neoprene creation will go under the hammer on 21 November at The Exceptional Sale, which spotlights the most remarkable pieces.
The wedding dress headlining the 21 November sale marked the climax of a 2014 fashion show with a set design inspired by the apartment of a brilliant collector, with eclectic tastes ranging from Baroque extravagance to sparse modernism. For Karl Lagerfeld, the dress was “like a Medieval engraving, or a painting by Van Eyck, with a train reminiscent of the Court of Louis XIV.”(1) This model is the highlight of a collection blending concrete and neoprene with extremely delicate embroidery by the finest Haute Couture artisans. As the embroideries were computer-designed, it was a key piece in the 2016 “Manus x Machina: Fashion in an Age of Technology” exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, dedicated to the ties between fashion and technology. The dress marked Karl Lagerfeld’s oeuvre and the history of fashion. Only two copies of the model exist worldwide. One is held in the Chanel archives, while the other will be auctioned on 21 November, estimated at €50,000 – 70,000. Last year’s Classic Week an exceptionally rare evening coat from the Chanel Autumn-Winter 1996 Haute Couture collection achieved a world record for the fashion brand – demonstrating the market’s growing recognition for the work of Karl Lagerfeld.
Continuing the fashion theme, the sale will also feature a sketch by Yves Saint Laurent for the Homage to Mondrian dresses of 1965. The gowns were some of the most striking pieces in the designer’s portfolio and proved pivotal to fashion history. For Aurélie Samuel, former Director of Collections at the Musée Yves Saint Laurent, “It was practically at that moment that fashion changed status and started to become an art form in its own right”.(2) Yves Saint Laurent gave the sketch to his friend Roberto Polo during the famous 1975 Fashion as Fantasy exhibition in New York at which he exhibited. It is exceptionally rare : to date, no other preparatory sketches for the Homage to Mondrian collection have ever been seen on the market (estimate: €40,000 – 60,000).
Finally, on 21 November in Paris, as well as online until 22 November, a very fine selection of 130 gold boxes “La Collection Bayreuth, Gold boxes” is bound to capture the imagination of luxury enthusiasts, rounding off avery rich 2023 Classic Week.