In the New Hope, PA gallery on October 20th & 21st, 2006 Charles A. Whitaker and Karen Augusta will hold their 10th consecutive specialty antique clothing and textile auction.  What began in the spring of 2000 as a memorial auction has now become a must-attend event for international fashion and textile collectors.

     Garments and textiles for the autumn sale come from a variety of sources. Institutional collections represented include those from the Denver Art Museum, California’s Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising and, from Massachusetts, Smith College and the Amherst Historical Society.

     Garments from private consignors include collections from two remarkable American women.  Selections will be offered from the closets of acclaimed Broadway costume designer & Tony award winner, Willa Kim.  Willa was a close friend of Rudi Gernreich in the 1960’s and clothing from her personal collection will be featured. We are also offering couture clothing from an American diplomat’s wife who lived in Europe immediately following WWII. This stylish lady bought directly from the Paris salons of Christian Dior, Jacques Fath, and Elsa Schiaparelli.

     Rounding out this sale are the contents from a retiring vintage dealer’s posh Manhattan shop. Jim Smiley Vintage Clothing had a very select following, catering to many of Hollywood and New York celebrities. Before moving to Manhattan 6 years ago, Mr. Smiley operated a shop on Magazine Street, the heart of New Orlean's antique district. A good deal of the clothing offered is mid 20th C designer and/or dead stock. Because of the sheer volume from this consignor and others, we have added an uncatalogued “Discovery” Sale Friday evening, immediately following our Session 1 catalogued sale. Hundreds of uncatalogued treasures will be offered to the highest bidder with no minimums or reserves.

     Featured garments include: 1939 couture Schiaparelli evening jacket, 1948 couture Dior cocktail ensemble, 1949 Jacques Fath red silk evening gown, 3 stenciled velvet Fortuny garments, 2 Rudi Gernreich 4-piece outfits, Belle Epoch gowns from the houses of Paquin and Rouff,  several 18th C women’s brocade items, 1770s embroidered gent’s suit, 19th C garments for men, women & children, beautiful whites, Egyptian revival beaded 1920s dress, paper dress lots, clothing from many internationally renowned designers including Charles James, Zandra Rhodes, Pucci, Galanos, Balenciaga, Balmain, Adrian, Beene, Chanel, Chapman and an large inventory of mid 20th C new old stock clothing for women & men.

     Featured textiles include: an impressive collection of rare, very high quality laces from the 17th-19th C including several handmade lace wedding veils and unusual 18th C Flemish laces. Ecclesiastic garments & textiles are well represented, with several 18th C embroidered chasubles, maniples, and framed textiles. A unique group of 18th & 19th C printed American political textiles, antique table & bed linens, embroidered & lamé shawls, quilts, coverlets, Aubusson & needlepoint items, rare batik & Sumatran ikat, paisleys, and much more are also features of the fall sale.

     These are two, very full sale days guaranteed to please any textile collector.
 

   Charles A. Whitaker has partnered with Karen Augusta, costume and textile appraiser and owner of Antique Lace & Fashion
http://www.antique-fashion.com to put together specialty Vintage Clothing & Textile Auctions in New Hope, Pennsylvania.  If you have questions or need additional information regarding any lot offered in this sale, please email your questions to karen@whitakerauction.com or call (802-463-3333).

      For questions regarding absentee or phone bidding, check pre-approval, consigning to future sales or any other auction-related questions, please email  Charles A. Whitaker at caw@whitakerauction.com or call (215-817-4600).