Suzy Menkes Cleans House
Suzy Menkes may well be the world’s most respected fashion journalist: she’s been honored with the Order of The British Empire and the Legion d’Honneur in France, and has contributed a total of more than 1.7 million words to The International Herald Tribune (recently renamed The International New York Times). Menkes is a living icon; and thanks to 47 years in the industry, it’s no surprise that she’s gathered a collection of unique and desirable designer garments—some of which Christie’s will be auctioning off starting July 11th.
“I have never thrown anything out of my wardrobe, since 1964,” Menkes says, noting if she had the space she’d want to create a gallery dedicated entirely to her collection. “My style has always been to choose the charming and quirky,” Menkes says, explaining how her love for prints started when she first met Idanna Pucci and the two drove to Florence in a Fiat 500. “I even like black and white—as long as it is in dog tooth check, preferably mixed with stripes.”
Pieces from the most renowned designers in history will be on sale: an Yves Saint Laurent cocktail jacket from his 1980 collection “Le Soleil;” a dramatic, houndstooth-printed Christian Lacroix silk ensemble with a matching oversized handbag, and a personalized Chanel “Suzy” clutch bag with diamond stitching are just three of the exceptional 80 pieces on deck.
Christie’s has already sold the private collections of style icons like Daphne Guinness, Anna Piaggi, Elizabeth Taylor, and Marilyn Monroe. But the auction house’s fashion department director Pat Frost was still thrilled when Menkes chose Christie’s. “I knew that this was not going to be a wardrobe full of fashionable black uniforms. As she [Menkes] says, ‘Clothes are like friends’—in this case, good friends who conjure up good times,” Frost says.
CHRISTIE’S “IN MY FASHION: THE SUZY MENKES COLLECTION” AUCTION TAKES PLACE ONLINE ONLY FROM JULY 11 THROUGH 22; BIDDING STARTS AT $200. FOR MORE INFORMATION, VISIT CHRISTIE’S WEBSITE.
