Gauzy gown
This Alexander McQueen empire-line gown was part of Guinness’ Fashion Institute of Technology exhibit last year, and she wore it in a shoot by Mat Collishaw for the May issue of Harper’s Bazaar UK. The late McQueen said an elm tree inspired the collection that included the dress, and divorcée Guinness believes it would make a good wedding gown.
Estimated value: $23,000 to $30,000
Mat Collishaw
Studded style
Guinness included these studded McQueen platform boots in tomorrow’s Christie’s auction because they were displayed in her FIT exhibition last year. She wore them in a film she made for GK Reid titled “Legend of Lady White Snake,” a tribute to McQueen, who
committed suicide in February 2010. “They were one of the [items] that were really difficult for her to part with,” says Pat Frost, director of Christie’s fashion department in London.
Estimated value: $4,600 to $7,500
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Picture Perfect
Famed fashion photographer Mario Testino shot Guinness in this look for the March 2008 issue of British Vogue. “She liked [the photo] so much, she asked [to purchase a print] for herself, and it hung in her New York apartment,” says Frost. At more than 8 feet tall and 6 feet wide, the massive portrait was meant to be a gift for her grown-up children (she has three: Nicolas, Alexis and Ines). But now the proceeds from auctioning the photo will go to charity.
Estimated value: $31,000 to $45,000
Mario Testino courtesy of Christie’s
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Tulle Time
Guinness bought this tulle creation from the Lanvin store in Paris in 2006 to wear to a friend’s birthday party. The heiress can’t recall whose party she attended, but the dress remains unforgettable. “We like it from a fashion perspective because it’s clearly based on 1920s Lanvin historical dresses,” says Frost, who adds that the hoop skirt was a signature of the label’s original designer, Jeanne Lanvin. “In the 1920s, it was meant to make an entrance.”
Estimated value: $610 to $1,200
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Pleasing Pleats
A piece from the spring/summer 2009 Gareth Pugh collection, this cropped jacket features multilayered rows of pleats. “He’s a good friend of hers,” says Frost. Estimated value: $910 to $2,300
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Daphne Guinness and Gareth Pugh strike a pose.
Eric Ryan/Getty Images
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Four Play
This sculptural 2008 McQueen minidress thrilled Guinness so much, she asked the designer to make her four versions: black, black with long sleeves, feathered and the silver number featured here. The silver version is now up for auction. “It never went on the catwalk — it was a show piece,” says Frost. Guinness was spotted wearing this dress at a screening of her film “The Phenomenology of Body” with Andre Leon Talley in 2008.
Estimated value: $23,000 to $30,000
Fred Duval/FilmMagic
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Oh la lacroix
Another piece from Guinness’ FIT exhibit, this Lacroix midnight-blue satin ball gown was used previously in a 2008 Vogue shoot by Mario Testino. “They chose it together because it’s such a regal dress,” says Frost. “It was very difficult for her to part with, but it’s a one-off dress, really.”
Estimated value: $6,100 to $9,000
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Well-Red
These Gaga-esque ankle boots by Noritaka Tatehana are called Lady Bell, and are based on the shape of Japanese temple bells. “[Guinness] felt they were pieces of sculpture,” says Pat Frost. “Fashion as art is what appealed to her.” The shoes took eight months to make. “She went to Japan and talked to him about what she wanted, so it was a collaboration,” she says.
Estimated value: $2,300 to $3,800
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Haute Cow-ture
“This is one of [Christian] Lacroix’s very early pieces,” Frost says of the 1987 bubble dress with cow hide meant to invoke Spanish bullfighting. “Guinness says it’s the first piece of couture she bought from him. When she went to buy it, she met Lacroix’s muse, Marie Martinez, who is now a good friend of hers.”
Estimated value: $1,600 to $3,000
