PARIS.- Sotheby’s unveiled the Quidam de Revel collection dedicated to fashion and haute couture, to be sold in Paris on 5 July 2018. Collected by Emmanuelle and Philippe Harros, the 160 pieces, jewellery and accessories which date from the 1930s - 2000s provide a wide overview of iconic designs by couturiers who have left their mark on the history of fashion. Hidden from the public eye for the last twenty years, these items will now be showcased at the Galerie Charpentier for a few days only.
Quidam de Revel needs no introduction in the world of fashion. The name is already known to cultivated fashion-lovers in search of a unique piece that is rich in history to lend new chic to their wardrobes. Emmanuelle and Philippe Harros, the couple behind the brand, have always worked with discretion. For twenty years now, they have sought out and preserved numerous works of iconic 20th century couture and accessories, carefully selecting each piece for its quality, originality and history.
Keen to give new momentum to their collection, Emmanuelle and Philippe Harros have now entrusted Sotheby’s with selling part of their collection. It features women's fashion, jewellery and accessories by leading couturiers – of particular note Madame Grès, Elsa Schiaparelli, Hubert de Givenchy, Yves Saint Laurent, Pierre Cardin, André Courrèges, Paco Rabanne, Azzedine Alaïa, Comme des Garçons, Yohji Yamamoto and Martin Margiela.
The pieces in this sale are united by their fine craftsmanship, embodying an artist or period, characterised by exquisite materials, sophisticated detail and shimmering colours. The sale allows Quidam de Revel to offer these clothes and accessories a new life and new owners, becoming the harbinger of a world where the refined meets the timeless.
This extraordinary collection consists of unique pieces with rich histories, symbolising a particular moment in fashion or the particular style of a designer.
One of the highlights is a 1967 dress by Paco Rabanne. Made of metal plates - a radically new material introduced by the designer, this legendary dress dramatically changed the codes of couture at that time (estimate: €6,000-8,000). In the 1960s, the safari jacket became a centrepiece of Yves Saint Laurent‘s collections (estimate: €1,500-2,500). An identical safari jacket design is now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, and different designs can be seen in the Musée Yves Saint Laurent in Paris. Elsa Schiaparelli revisited the Belle Epoque with a bustle back dress decorated with a pattern of elegant women walking their poodles. The dress was presented in the legendary collection of 1939, the year of the Eiffel Tower's 50th anniversary (estimate: €6,000-8,000). The Philadelphia Museum of Art has two other examples of this type of dress from this collection.
The sale will include twelve items by Madame Grès, notably a long pleated silk jersey dress with strapless top sporting different shades of pink, 1975, where the apparent simplicity of its art conceals as ever the extreme complexity of its expertise (estimate: €3,500-4,500).
Pierre Cardin will also be in the spotlight with 15 pieces, including a double-breasted pinafore-style coat in black leather and astrakhan (estimate: €2,000-3,000) and knitwear jumpsuits sold together with impressive necklaces (estimate from €2,000).
Other pieces showcase collections inspired by art works, such as Hubert de Givenchy's 1973 coat embroidered entirely with flower patterns, likely to have been inspired by Impressionism and Pointillism (estimate: €3,000-4,000).
Elsa Schiaparelli's rhodoid necklace crawling with iridescent metal insects may be inspired by Botticelli, but has a distinct touch of Surrealism about it (estimate: €15,000-20,000). A similar model that once belonged to Millicent Rogers is now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.
More recent pieces demonstrate true refinement, like Thierry Mugler's 1987 black velvet sheath dress with a broad cut-away back featuring a "basket" of voluptuous flowers (estimate: €2,000-3,000). A similar example can be seen in the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris. The "sunbathing" wedding dress in ivory silk satin by Martin Margiela (2006) mingles ingenuity with a touch of folly (estimate: €2,000-3,000).
Rounding off this fashion show, the catalogue also includes accessories and jewellery that are still highly contemporary, such as pectoral necklaces in chrome-plated metal designed by Pierre Cardin in the early 1970s (estimate : €1,500-2,500), and the lace and rhinestone plastron created by John Galliano in 1998 for Christian Dior (estimate: €1,000-1,500).
Quidam de Revel
The collector Emmanuelle Harros instilled the passion for luxury vintage clothing in husband Philippe Harros, who was an antiques dealer at the time. In 1999, they opened Quidam de Revel in Paris, a concept store which mingled design and fashion, before setting up in a discreetly-situated apartment to receive customers by appointment. The brand rapidly became a reference for fashion, film and advertising professionals on the lookout for rare pieces. The couple tirelessly scoured second-hand and antiques shops to build up their collection, travelling widely to maintain their independent and open-minded attitude.
