January 24, 2019
Christie's pre-auction exhibit. Image credit: Christie's
Auction house Christie’s sale of actress Catherine Deneuve’s Yves Saint Laurent fashions exceeded expectations as bidders tuned in around the globe for the live bidding.
During Paris Fashion Week on Jan. 24, Ms. Deneuve auctioned her vintage couture pieces collected over four decades of friendship with Mr. Saint Laurent. Ninety percent of the 129 lots up for grabs sold for multiple times more than their estimates, with the sale totaling $1.026 million.
“This sale which was a real triumph, achieving €900,000 for the first part of Catherine Deneuve’s wardrobe, paid tribute to these two iconic French artists which are the glory of this country,” said François de Ricqlès, president of Christie’s France, in a statement. “During the auction, the Yves Saint Laurent Museum preempted three lots.
“We would like to express our deepest thank you to Catherine Deneuve for entrusting us with the sale of her treasured Yves Saint Laurent wardrobe,” he said.
Fashion friendship
The auction had a sell-through rate of 100 percent.
An evening-wear ensemble from the fall/winter 1977/78 collection achieved the highest sale price. With an original estimate of 3,000 to 5,000 euros, the lot sold for 52,500 euros, or about $59,000.
Other lots included a le smoking suit created for Ms. Deneuve, which became the most expensive le smoking sold at auction with a price of 20,000 euros, or $22,600, and the gold dress Ms. Deneuve wore to the 2000 Oscars when she was nominated for he role in “Est-Ouest.”
The final item up for bid was black velvet jacket with sable trim, for which bidding lasted minutes as buyers from 10 countries competed. It finally sold for 33,750 euros, or about $38,000.
Christie’s said that this auction saw one of the highest online bidding interests for its French operations in the last five years. More than 100 people signed up ahead of this particular sale, and 4,500 people visited the pre-auction exhibition.
Christie's pre-auction exhibition
This interest translated to a five-hour sale.
Following the live auction, another 140 items are going up for sale online. This auction will last until Jan. 30.
“This week, with highlights including the view and the auction itself, has been a new experience for me and has exceeded my expectations in many ways,” Ms. Deneuve said in a statement. “I would like to thank Christie’s for the beautiful catalogue and the fact they paid tribute to YSL’s talent by presenting his creations in such an exquisite way at the preview, attended by thousands of people.
“I sincerely hope that the new owners will enjoy these pieces of couture as much as I did,” she said.
Auction house Christie’s has seen its online auctions grow, and recently sold its highest number of watches in a digital auction.
The Christie’s Watches Online: Winter Holiday Sale sold 100 percent of its inventory by value and 83 percent by lot. It achieved a total of $2,514,375, making it the highest sale total achieved and highest number of registrants, bidders and buyers for a Christie’s luxury online sale (see story).
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