Cristóbal Balenciaga Couture Designs Smash Estimates at Bonhams Paris

COUTURE COUP: A rare Cristóbal Balenciaga haute couture evening dress from fall 1951 stole the spotlight at an auction in Paris this week, selling for 95,650 euros, more than 19 times its pre-sale estimate.

The black lace and silk design has a bustier top and a sheath skirt with a wide, bias-cut flounce at the bottom. Two identical dresses are preserved in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

The live sale, Haute Couture & Vintage: A Fashion Story Part I, took place at Bonhams Cornette de Saint Cyr earlier this week, with an online sale continuing until May 5.

Other top-performing lots included an Alexander McQueen coat and an Elsa Schiaparelli evening jacket.

The coat is from the fall 1996 Dante collection, and is made from black wool with beige Mongolian lamb trim. It achieved a price of 48,640 euros, compared with a pre-sale estimate of 1,200 euros to 1,500 euros.

The evening jacket, in black crepe and embroidery, dates to 1944. The jacket is typical of Schiaparelli’s structured silhouette, and features embroidery by Maison Lesage and buttons designed by Jean Arp and made by François Hugo. The jacket was sold for 38,400 euros, against a pre-sale estimate of 4,000 euros to 6,000 euros.

Other big sellers included a rare Balenciaga haute couture suit from spring 1948. The gray and white houndstooth wool design achieved 44,800 euros, 11 times its pre-sale estimate.

A Christian Dior haute couture gown from spring 1957 made from silk taffeta and printed with branches of roses on an ivory background achieved 25,600 euros, more than four times its pre-sale estimate.

The overall sale, which also featured designs from Chanel, Hubert de Givenchy, Yves Saint Laurent, Paco Rabanne, Jeanne Lanvin, Thierry Mugler and Madame Grès, made a total of 1,048,815 euros.

Hubert Felbacq, director of the fashion and accessories department at Bonhams Cornette de Saint Cyr, said the April fashion sales benefited from “strong global participation” and offered “a rare insight into the world of exclusive craftsmanship. It gave collectors a unique opportunity to acquire museum-quality works.”

Bonhams simultaneously staged its first shoe sale, called Choose Your Shoes: The Art of Dressing Your Feet. It featured footwear designs from 1900 to the 1990s by designers including Roger Vivier, Christian Dior, André Courrèges, Paco Rabanne, Pierre Cardin and Maison Margiela.

A highlight of the sale was a pair of Madeleine Vionnet open-toe evening sandals with gold metallic leather straps and heels, circa 1938, that achieved 1,920 euros against a pre-sale estimate of 400 euros to 600 euros.