Peter Brant Jr. Brings 23 Pieces of “Impossible Couture” to New York
The Fair Warning auction gathers museum-worthy designs by Alexander McQueen, Yves Saint Laurent, John Galliano, Azzedine Alaïa, and Elsa Schiaparelli
For a few days during New York Fashion Week, some of the most recognizable clothes of the past half-century are coming out of storage—and, in some cases, going back onto a body. Curated by Peter Brant Jr. and presented by Fair Warning, “The Impossible Couture Collection” brings together 23 lots spanning the work of Alexander McQueen, Yves Saint Laurent, Azzedine Alaïa, Elsa Schiaparelli, and others. Before the collection goes under the hammer on September 17, Brant will stage a small fashion presentation on September 11 at his Gilded Age carriage house on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, followed by private viewings by appointment from September 12 through 16.
Among the most important lots is an Alexander McQueen ensemble from Naomi Campbell’s personal collection, based on the opening look from his Spring/Summer 2010 “Plato’s Atlantis” show. Campbell wore the metallic brocade bodice and skirt at Fashion for Relief in New York in 2010. The lot also includes a pair of the designer’s extraordinary Armadillo boots, made for Campbell as a later custom reissue, and carries an estimate of $600,000 to $1 million.
A very different kind of fashion landmark comes from Yves Saint Laurent. The Fall/Winter 1965–66 Mondrian dress, estimated at $200,000 to $500,000, belongs to the designer’s celebrated group of cocktail dresses inspired by the hard-edged abstractions of Piet Mondrian. This example is made from ivory silk crêpe de Chine punctuated by red and yellow panels and bands of black—a remarkably spare composition that helped turn the collection into one of the most recognizable of the designer’s career.
Elsewhere, the sale demonstrates just how elastic the definition of couture can become in the hands of the right designer. An Azzedine Alaïa hooded dress from Fall/Winter 1986–87 uses a spiraling zipper and rigorously cut panels to wrap the body, while a gilt-metal necklace from Elsa Schiaparelli’s Fall 1938 “Pagan” collection incorporates painted leaves along with a bee and a beetle, turning the natural world into surrealist ornament. The wider group also reaches beyond the headline names, with works by Paco Rabanne, Martin Margiela, and Line Vautrin appearing alongside pieces McQueen designed during his tenure at Givenchy. That mix makes the Fair Warning format an intriguing fit.