CHICAGO – Hindman Auctions will present its Spring Fashion: Centuries of Style auction on March 16, featuring several private collections of significant haute couture headlined by New York fashion collectors Susan Gutfreund and Jaqueline Leeds. Absentee and Internet live bidding will be available through LiveAuctioneers. Through these remarkable garments, we begin to understand not only the women who wore them, but also their lifestyle and knowledge of fashion history. Gutfreund and Leeds cultivated relationships with the trailblazing designers and couturiers that created the fashions in this sale.

Beginning with items that date to the 18th and 19th centuries, the women represented in this sale documented almost three centuries of fashion through their discerning eyes. The collections comprise some of the world’s most influential and inspiring fashion designers and couturiers, including more than 50 haute couture creations by Chanel, Givenchy, Philippe Venet, Madame Gres, Yves Saint Laurent, Emanuel Ungaro, Jean Paul Gaultier and Christian Dior, dating from 1969 to 1997. These collections also incorporate important custom-made and ready-to-wear designs by American and British designers such as Halston, Ralph Rucci, Vivienne Westwood, Alexander McQueen and John Galliano.

Property from the Collection of Susan Gutfreund

Gutfreund lived a carefully curated life, from her Fifth Avenue apartment to her elegant collection of highly researched clothing and textiles. Her influence as a collector has been so significant that some of her fashion choices have become part of the world’s most celebrated collections of clothing and textiles in renowned galleries and institutions such as the Denver Art Museum. She has become a dedicated patron of top couturiers including Karl Lagerfeld, Emanuel Ungaro, Hubert de Givenchy and Ralph Rucci.

The collection highlights Gutfreund’s relationship with Karl Lagerfeld, with designs from not only his own label, but examples of his haute couture and ready-to-wear pieces for Fendi, Chloe and Chanel. Stunning garments reflecting Gutfreund’s relationship with Lagerfeld during his time at Chanel include a haute couture wool tweed skirt suit from 1997, estimated at $2,000-$4,000, and a winter ensemble from 1989, estimated at $3,000-$5,000.

Spectacular lots from Gutfreund’s collection also include an Yves Saint Laurent haute couture leather coat with fur trim, estimated at $3,000-$5,000, and a Givenchy haute couture floral applique coat with fur collar, estimated at $1,000-$2,000. Another unique element of the offering is its inclusion of Givenchy maternity wear. Of note is a circa-1984 Givenchy maternity jumpsuit in light blue crinkle crepe, estimated at $500-$700.

Property from the Estate of Jacqueline Leeds

The collection of Jacqueline Leeds is a clear display of her passion for craft and design, with each item showing meticulous and elaborate construction and pattern details. Bidders will have an opportunity to bid on garments from the collection that span revolutionary Space Age designs by Pierre Cardin and Andre Courreges to designs by Christian Dior, Givenchy and Chanel. Key examples in the auction include a Chanel lambskin leather jacket from 2001 and a Chanel lame jacket dress from 2010, this last carrying an estimate of $700-$900. A Courreges blue wool coat from the 1960s is a modern offering, with an A-line style and a convertible collar.

Leeds eventually became interested in more contemporary fashion, gravitating towards designers such as John Galliano, Vivienne Westwood and Jean Paul Gaultier, known for reinvigorating high fashion with punk playfulness. The haute couture, ready-to-wear and luxury accessories range from the 1960s to the early 2000s.

[av_button label=’Click to view the auction catalog and sign up to bid’ icon_select=’no’ icon=’ue800′ font=’entypo-fontello’ link=’manually,https://www.liveauctioneers.com/catalog/237740_spring-fashion-centuries-of-style/?page=1′ link_target=’_blank’ size=’small’ position=’center’ label_display=” title_attr=” color_options=” color=’theme-color’ custom_bg=’#444444′ custom_font=’#ffffff’ btn_color_bg=’theme-color’ btn_custom_bg=’#444444′ btn_color_bg_hover=’theme-color-highlight’ btn_custom_bg_hover=’#444444′ btn_color_font=’theme-color’ btn_custom_font=’#ffffff’ id=” custom_class=” av_uid=’av-8fmkak2′ admin_preview_bg=”]

View top auction results on LiveAuctioneers here: https://www.liveauctioneers.com/pages/recent-auction-sales/