“If you throw money out of the window, throw it out with joy,” said the late, great fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld. And any of his fans looking to splash some cash with reckless abandon might look to Sotheby’s, which is hosting a sale of more than 1,000 lots from his ridiculously fabulous residences.
Among the items going under the hammer via live auctions in Monaco, Paris and Cologne (and online) are some stellar pieces from Lagerfeld’s famously monochromatic wardrobe, including the Chanel handbag he carried every day and 10 pairs of the fingerless leather gloves he was rarely seen without, alongside smoking jackets, tie pins and Chanel luggage.
The Lagerfeld auction also majors in furniture and curios from his apartments, spanning everything from a yellow silk Louis XVI chaire à prêcher (circa 1770) to an ultra-spacey Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec quilted sofa and ottoman (2009).
Perhaps most intriguing are three of his scrapbooks from the Eighties, stuffed with newspaper clippings, handwritten notes and felt-tip sketches. There are two rather charming portraits of Jacques de Bascher, his partner of 20 years, and many, many items relating to his cat Choupette: think bowls adorned with the famous feline’s portrait, and a set of three white cushions, each embroidered with “ici, c’est la place de Choupette.”
Anyone looking to ride in serious Lagerfeld style might want to invest in one of his three black vintage Rolls-Royces. But, if you’re going to splurge, just remember his mantra: “Don’t say, ‘One shouldn’t do that’ — that is bourgeois.”
