Currently underway in Paris, Sotheby’s is hosting the final chapter of its auction series dedicated to Karl Lagerfeld, the renowned fashion designer and artist. The sale, which runs until January 31st, features over 200 lots, including a diverse array of Lagerfeld’s personal items, such as drawings, musical instruments, designer suits, and iPods.
Lagerfeld is best known for his tenure as creative director for fashion houses Fendi, Chloé, and Chanel. He is often credited with reviving Chanel in the 1980s, propelling him into international stardom. Beyond his role in fashion, he was also a talented photographer, artist, and avid collector. He passed away in 2019 at 85 following complications with prostate cancer. Following his death, Sotheby’s hosted a series of tribute auctions featuring items from the artist’s estate in Paris, Monaco, and Cologne.
He was also the subject of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s annual Costume Institute show, “Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty,” in 2023, featuring his fashion designs as well as his sketches. The Sotheby’s auction also features hand-drawn sketches and drawings, many unseen, by Lagerfeld. These works were created with various materials, including watercolor, makeup powders, colored markers, and correction fluid. They range from quickly drawn fashion designs to satirical drawings, such as one depicting former German chancellor Angela Merkel and President François Hollande dressed as comic, operatic characters.
On sale are also plenty of highlights from Lagerfeld’s personal wardrobe. These clothing items have been grouped into 10 lots named “Total Looks.” Each of the “Total Look” lots, featuring a variety of shoes, ties, blazers, and more, is estimated at €5,000–€8,000 ($5,200–$8,400). Notable items include a white Dior Homme SS05 peak lapel blazer, a Hilditch and Key shirt monogrammed with Lagerfeld’s initials, and bespoke Massaro faux crocodile boots.
The most abundant item in the sale is the fashion icon’s collection of iPods, which included 45 of the classic Apple music players. These iPods are grouped into sets of four, each initially estimated to fetch between €80 and €120 ($84 and $126). However, bidding for each lot has far exceeded this expectation, with the highest bid reaching €1,100 ($1,150) for a set of four iPod Nano first-generation devices. Another piece, an iPod Classic paired with a bedazzled microphone, has a current bid of €500 ($525).
Other items in the auction reference Lagerfeld’s personal relationships with design luminaries. For example, a greeting card from architect Peter Marino sent to Lagerfeld is available for bidding, with an estimate from €300–€500 ($315–$525). Also on sale is a biscuit tin from Lanvin, with a message to Lagerfeld from fashion designer Alber Elbaz. The latter lot, containing three out-of-date biscuits, comes with a note from Sotheby’s advising the viewer that they are “clearly unfit for consumption.”
