Those who long to own a piece of heiress/muse/artist/designer Daphne Guinness’s enviable wardrobe now have their chance. Guinness will auction off 100 items from her closet this summer at Christie’s for “The Daphne Guinness Collection: Sold to Benefit the Isabella Blow Foundation.” The pieces, which include designs by Alexander McQueen, Chanel, Balenciaga, and others will go on sale at a June 27 auction at Christie’s South Kensington in London. The items will also be exhibited to the public June 23-27.
The mission of the Isabella Blow Foundation, established in late 2011 in Blow's memory, is to support burgeoning talent at the intersection of art and fashion. A percentage of funds generated by the organization will go to mental health charities. Blow — who was a British fashion editor credited with discovering McQueen — suffered from severe bouts of depression, attempting suicide several times before she killed herself by drinking weed killer in 2007 at age 48.
Fashion collectors are almost certain to scramble to purchase a pair of Guinness’s teetering 10-inch heels or one of her elaborate couture creations, many of which were displayed in a show at the Museum at FIT last fall. In a February appearance on “The Charlie Rose Show,” Guinness announced she will exhibit Blow’s wardrobe (which she purchased after her friend’s death) online and at London fashion school Central Saint Martins.
Related:
Daphne Guinness Unveils Her Staggering Collection of Avant-Garde Fashion at FIT
A Night With Isabella Blow: See Stefan Brggemann's Intimate Photos of the Tragic Fashion Icon