CHICAGO, IL.- Hindman Auctions will present its Spring Fashion: Centuries of Style auction on March 16, featuring several private collections of significant haute couture headlined by New York fashion collectors Susan Gutfreund and Jaqueline Leeds. Through these remarkable garments, we begin to understand not only the women who wore them, but also their lifestyle and knowledge of fashion history. Gutfreund and Leeds cultivated relationships with the trailblazing designers and couturiers that created the fashions in this sale.

Beginning with items that date to the 18th and 19th centuries, the women represented in this sale documented almost three centuries of fashion, through their discerning eye. The collections comprise some of the world’s most influential and inspiring fashion designers and couturiers, including over fifty haute couture creations by Chanel, Givenchy, Philippe Venet, Madame Grès, Yves Saint Laurent, Emanuel Ungaro, Jean Paul Gaultier and Christian Dior, dating from 1969 to 1997. These collections also incorporate important custom-made and ready-to-wear designs by American and British designers, such as Halston, Ralph Rucci, Vivienne Westwood, Alexander McQueen and John Galliano.

Property from the Collection of Susan Gutfreund

Gutfreund lived a carefully curated life, from her Fifth Avenue apartment to her elegant collection of highly researched clothing and textiles. Her influence as a collector has been so significant that some of her fashion choices have become part of the world’s most celebrated collections of clothing and textiles in renowned galleries and institutions like the Denver Art Museum. She has become a dedicated patron of top couturiers including Karl Lagerfeld, Emanuel Ungaro, Hubert de Givenchy and Ralph Rucci.

The collection highlights Gutfreund’s relationship with Karl Lagerfeld, with designs from not only his own label, but examples of his haute couture and ready-to-wear pieces for Fendi, Chloé and Chanel. Stunning garments reflecting Gutfreund’s relationship with Lagerfeld during his time at Chanel include an Haute Couture Wool Tweed Skirt Suit from 1997 (lot 1; estimate: $2,000-4,000) and a winter ensemble from 1989 (lot 3; estimate: $3,000-5,000).

Spectacular lots from Gutfreund’s collection also include an Yves Saint Laurent Haute Couture leather coat with fur trim (lot 60; estimate: $3,000-5,000) and a Givenchy Haute Couture Floral Appliqué Coat with Fur Collar (lot 44; estimate: $1,000 - $2,000). Another particularly unique element of the offering is its inclusion of Givenchy maternity wear.

Property from the Estate of Jacqueline Leeds

The Collection of Jacqueline Leeds is a clear display of her passion for craft and design, with each item showing meticulous and elaborate construction and pattern details. Bidders will have a unique opportunity to bid on garments from the collection that span from revolutionary Space Age designs by Pierre Cardin and Andre Courrèges to designs by Christian Dior, Givenchy and Chanel. This is seen in the auction through a Chanel Lambskin Leather Jacket from 2001 (lot 34; estimate: $800-1,200) and a Chanel Lamé Jacket Dress from 2010 (lot 175; estimate: $700 - $900). A Courrèges blue wool coat from the 1960s (lot 125; estimate: $500-700) is a modern offering, with an A-line style and a convertible collar.

Leeds eventually became increasingly interested in more contemporary fashion, gravitating towards designers such as John Galliano, Vivienne Westwood and Jean Paul Gaultier, known for reinvigorating high fashion with punk playfulness. The haute couture, ready-to-wear and luxury accessories range from the 1960s to the early 2000s.