Debutante Clothing :: A vintage clothing and fashion blog for unconventional style where vintage and runway meet.

Paris continues to heat up with steamy temperatures well into the low 90s. I thought that since everyone might be on vacation already that I might get lucky and pick up a bargain last week at the Haute Couture and Schiaparelli auction that was held in Paris.

Much to my surprise everyone who was anyone was there, and why wouldn't they be? Silly me! Who needs to be somewhere in the country side or the South of France when there was auction like this. Over 300 lots of haute couture and an amazing amount of rare dresses by Elsa Schiaparelli were on the block.

As I entered the room I knew that regardless of the hammer prices I would witness a moment of fashion history and reminded myself that true collectors and dealers never sleep, never stop searching and certainly never take vacations or if they do, have been savvy enough to set up pre arranged phone bidding from the comfort of their beach chairs.

As I waited impatiently in front of the door, I turned and saw Marisa Berenson the famous actress and model from the 1980s. Elsa Schiaparelli was her grandmother so I wasn't too surprised that she was also there to witness a moment in fashion history.

As I entered the room and searched for my seat I realized that I was sitting directly behind her (gasp! if you read my last post about auctions you'll understand why I gasp so much) Did they make a mistake with the seating, I thought? How have I ended up in the VIP section, I thought to myself and calmly reminded myself to take deep breaths.

Seated in front of Ms. Berenson who by the way is more beautiful in person than any photo I've ever seen, was another ex-model and successful fashion designer Inès de la Fressange. Hmmm... even they aren't on vacation - this would be an exciting auction!

As the lots flew by in a flurry of bidding surrounded by the Shocking bright pink walls I anxiously listened as the bids continued to mount faster than the temperatures outside. I felt goose bumps on my arms as I watched determined bidders spending more euros than some people make in a year on rare creations by Paquin, Lanvin and Chanel.

The true highlight was lot 200. A beige Schiaparelli jacket from 1937 with a Jean Couteau designed embroidered by Lesage. This magnificent design showed a woman with gold metallic tresses covering one arm of the jacket with her hand encircling the waist of the jacket. An estimate of 12,000-15,000 was noted and I nearly fell off my seat as I watched the hammer go down as the hammer price hit 140,000 euros.

I was so thrilled to have had the chance to witness such a moment and at the same time a bit sad that I might never see this jacket come up at auction again. A bit shocking but that's just part of the thrill of a steamy summer in Paris.

Happy Summer everyone!

Jeanne

Jeanne Suica collaborates with a major auction house in searching for and evaluating pieces for upcoming auctions. Clients worldwide who may be interested in selling or consigning their items can email her images and questions regarding their items via her site www.jeannesuica.com