From fashion house to auction house – designer labels go under the hammer

As Paris Fashion Week draws to a close, designer labels at bargain prices will be going under the hammer at an auction in the Cotswolds.

Contemporary pieces from some of Europe’s top fashion houses will be sold at Cirencester auction house Moore Allen & Innocent on Thursday, March 9 during the first day of the firm’s first-ever two-day sale.

The garments are being sold on behalf of a storage company: the original owners have failed to pay a substantial bill for storage of some of the contents of their home.

As such, mens and women’s designer clothes and shoes will be sold without reserve, as Moore Allen & Innocent helps the storage firm to recoup its losses.

Auctioneer Philip Allwood said: “These pieces are here to sell, and at a fraction of what they would cost fashion-lovers in the boutiques of London, Milan, or Paris.

“The clothes, shoes and bags are in excellent condition – some seem hardly worn. Some pieces are still on general sale. Others are recently-discontinued lines, and are selling on auction websites for more than the original retail price.”

A case in point is a pair of Jimmy Choo for Hunter wellington boots. Originally retailing at £128, pairs are changing hands for around £160. An auctioneer’s estimate of £100 to £150 means someone will snag a bargain.

For ladies, a pair of brown suede Christian Louboutin boots with red soles are currently on sale at Selfridges in London for just over £1,000. The auctioneer’s estimate is £100 to £150 – and the boots look hardly worn.

Other pairs of shoes and boots – mostly in UK size 5 and by big names including Louis Vuitton, Dior and Jimmy Choo, and featuring a fetching pair of genuine snakeskin ankle boots by Dolce & Gabbana – are expected to sell for between £50 and £150.

There are rails of evening dresses, coats, jackets and tops by Valentino, Dolce & Gabbana, Armani, Burberry, Celine and more, in a range of sizes from 10 to 14, with estimates ranging between £50 and £200, silk scarves by Armani, Valentino, Christian Dior, Burberry, and Fendi, and handbags by Gucci, Chanel and Juicy Couture – all priced to sell.

For men, shoes by Berluti and Crockett & Jones – which retail from a few hundred pounds to over £1,000 a pair - will be sold in lots of four pairs, with each pair carrying an estimate of £80 to £120. Sizes range from UK 8 to 10. There are also mens clothes and neckties – all by designer names.

For men and women there are dozens of cashmere sweaters, by brands including Dolce & Gabbana and Burberry, and a baby cashmere cable knit hoodie by Loro Piana which retailed at over £1,000.

And there is high-end skiwear by the likes of Salomon, North Face, Bogner, and Phenix. Auctioneers will be looking for a bid of between £100 and £200 for all the clothing, and £100 to £200 for the skis and accessories.

Elsewhere from the house are chandeliers, Christmas decorations, and high-end bed linen and curtains, which form part of the largest selection of curtains ever sold by the firm.

Together with curtains from smart houses around the Cotswolds, bidders can choose from a wide range of styles and sizes of ready-to-hang curtains, some plain, others in floral, check, tartan, Regency stripe, and William Moris-style decoration.

While much of the fabrics sale is contemporary, one particular piece of antique fabric should not be sniffed at.

A lawn cotton handkerchief, once the property of Queen Victoria, and embroidered with her cypher, is being sold on behalf of a fabrics collector and lecturer, who bought a box of old fabrics and found the artefact at the bottom.

Auctioneers are expecting a bid of between £200 and £300.

For a full auction catalogue, log on to mooreallen.co.uk