Whist 1 June 2008 marked a gloomy day for the fashion industry and proved to be a weighted loss for fashionistas as French fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent’s passed away. A month after, the fashion house planned an auction at Christie’s on 2 July. The auction collectibles include seven pieces of Saint Laurent’s attire & jewels featuring nearly every decade of his career. Popularly known as a style-setter, he was the most influential designer of the 20th century and his designer creations details pop-art print mini dresses, peasant skirts and graceful pantsuits that are appreciated till date. To be specific, the collection includes a 1958 Cocktail dress designed for Dior & a 1970 Rive Gauche camel cable knit sweater spruced in fox fur alike to the one that Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis wore bearing a pre-sale estimate of $250-$400. A gray pink tulle twilight dress with tinny pink and silver embroidery, designed for Dior in 1958 is anticipated to generate a sum of about $1000-$1500.

Other accessories available for auction include a floral gold-tone metal and crystal stone necklace from 1990 that may fetch $1000-$1500, a hammered gilt-metal “ethnic” necklace from the 1970’s for $600-$800. Currently in fine form, the expected price might seem cheap but the low cost is because of reason they aren’t new designs. Other elegant collection making up to the auction included designer wears from Thierry Mugler, Christian Lacroix, Balenciaga & Gianni Versace.

Via MSNBC

Those who are interested in rarely found furniture made by Thomas Chippendale and designed by Robert Adam shall eye Christie’s upcoming auction in London. The head of London-based Christie’s head of the International Furniture Department Robert Copley shares: The 18 June auction will exhibit 12 masterpieces of furniture dating back to 18th century. This collection of English furniture includes five works by Thomas Chippendale detailing The Kenure Cabinet, the Dundas Bookcase and the Dundas Chairs. Whist the Dundas chairs are anticipated to fetch $2.92-$4.87 million and the Kenure Cabinet may generate $4.87-$7.79 million

Born a child to a carpenter father in Yorkshire, Chippendale success is due to his potential of not restricting himself to furniture-making and goes a level ahead in advising his clients on soft furnishings and shades to be tinted with. You may find most of the creations bathed in mahogany for simple reason that it is his favorite wood.

Via Business24X7

Old is Gold! The substance of the statement is well identified via all antiques that undergo auction. Lately, this has been proved by a 19th century chair and desk on which Charles Dickens wrote “Great Expectations.” Against the pre-estimate amount of auction i.e. between 50,000-80,000 pounds, the furniture piece was picked by a former Irish journalist at Christie’s auction house for 433,000 pounds ($850,000), almost five-times of the expected sales amount.

Calling it an imperative piece of legendary history, the proud owner of the desk and chair Tom Higgins (49) is all set to install this precious piece of furniture in his Wicklow, southeast Ireland home. The imprinted words on bronze plaque desk reads: “This desk was the property of Charles Dickens and was in use by him at Gadshill when he died….” The set hails from Dickens’s family before it was ultimately gifted to Great Ormond Street Hospital, so that it can generate money by selling it off.

Via Yahoo

One can’t assist but speculate number of nattily decent citizens sitting countless nights at International auction houses viz. Sotheby’s, Christie’s and Phillips de Pury in coming next two weeks. A good percentage could be of serious bidders and others would be voyeurs eager to observe an implosion of $$$$ art market. It’s now being years that collectors and media have been waiting for the day when prices would finally top. But this time auction houses are hopeful that time will take a toll and things will play out well as they did three months ago in London, when, in spite of global economic nausea, a Francis Bacon triptych painting fetched $51.6 million.

Some highlights of the upcoming auctions:

Artist: Francis Bacon

Artwork: “Three Studies for Self-Portrait,’’ Triptych 1976
Auction House: Christie’s
Ballpark Figure: $25 million and $35 million

Artist: Jeff Koons

Artwork: “New Hoover convertibles, New Shelton Wet/Drys 5-Gallon, Double Decker”
Auction House: Christie’s
Sales: Christie’s post-war and contemporary sales
Ballpark Figure: $10 million
Date: 13 May

Artist: Monet

Artwork: “Le Pont du Cheminde Fer à Argenteuil,” 1873

Auction House: Christie’s
Ballpark Figure:$35 million
Date: 6 May

Artist: Edvard Munch

Artwork: “Girls on a Bridge,” a 1902 oil canvas painting
Auction House: Sothey’s New York Impressionist and Modern Art - Part I auction
Ballpark Figure: $28 million
Date: 7 May
Artist: Alberto Giacometti

Artwork: “Grande Femme Debout II,” 1959-60
Auction House: Christie’s
Ballpark Figure: $18 million
Date: 13 May
Artist: Henri Matisse, French painter

Artwork: “Portrait au mateau bleu”
Auction House: Christie’s Spring Impressionist and Modern sales
Ballpark Figure: $17 million
Date: 6 May
Artist: Pierre Patel the Elder

Artwork: ‘A landscape at Evening with Travelers’ and a Hunter Near Classical Ruins’ painted around 1640
Auction House: Sotheby’s London
Ballpark Figure: $800,000-$1.2 million
Date: 9 July

Via NYT