DALLAS, TX.- Heritage Auctions welcomes fall with an exceptional mix of luxury, craftsmanship and whimsy in its October 1 Autumn Luxury Accessories Signature® Auction, bringing together rare and limited-edition treasures from Hermès, Chanel and Louis Vuitton alongside an enchanting private collection of Judith Leiber minaudières.

Among the auction’s most coveted offerings is an Hermès Shiny Black Porosus Crocodile & Ostrich Feather Folie Kelly Elan, an extremely limited release that transforms one of the house’s most elegant silhouettes with dramatic feather detailing. The marriage of lustrous black crocodile and delicate ostrich feathers gives the bag an unexpected sense of movement while retaining the refinement for which Hermès is renowned.

“This is Hermès at its most imaginative,” says Diane D’Amato, Heritage Auctions’ Director of Luxury Accessories, Private Sales & The Boutique. “The Folie Kelly Elan takes an instantly recognizable design and turns it into something theatrical and extraordinary. It is sophisticated, beautifully made and impossible to overlook.”

Black makes another powerful statement in two additional Hermès rarities: the elusive Limited Edition 32cm So Black Box Kelly and the 20cm Black Box Clouté Mini Kelly. The former offers the monochromatic sophistication that has made the So Black collection one of the house’s most sought-after limited editions, while the latter introduces a studded edge to the diminutive Mini Kelly silhouette.

Another standout, the Hermès 20cm Black Epsom Leather Mini Kelly en Désordre, deliberately disrupts the familiar Kelly design through asymmetrical, off-center details. The inventive piece is among the highlights of The Treasures of a Global Collector, which also includes a Limited Edition Bleu Nuit & Violet Cosmos Togo HAC Birkin and an irresistible selection of Hermès minis, including a 14cm “Lucky Daisy” Micro Picotin and a Micro Mini Kelly in Rose Tyrien.

Color continues through a selection of Hermès exotics, including a Shiny Cactus Alligator Pochette and Matte Verde Jade Alligator Mini Bolide.





Chanel provides its own take on collectible luxury with offerings that include pieces from the recently released Métiers d’Art collection by Matthieu Blazy. Among them are a handwoven Maxi Flap Bag in a leopard motif, a Chanel 25 Mini Handbag and a Black & White Small Shopping Bag. Also featured is an exceptionally rare Black Satin & Leather Pearl Mini Flap Bag, along with Mini Kelly Shoppers and a selection of creative minaudières. One of the most fantastical is Chanel’s Gold Crystal & Enamel Birdcage minaudière, a jewel-like accessory that blurs the line between handbag and objet d’art.

Louis Vuitton adds another dose of fun with its exceedingly rare Saffron Leather Soft Truck Messenger Bag 1929, a colorful statement piece that transforms the house’s tradition of imaginative trunkmaking into an unmistakably playful collectible.

That same intersection of fashion, art and fantasy is celebrated throughout A Dazzling Private Collection of Judith Leiber Minaudières, an exceptional group built over more than 25 years through a father’s tradition of giving crystal-encrusted handbags to his daughter, relatives and family friends.

The collection reflects the extraordinary craftsmanship that has made Judith Leiber’s whimsical evening bags collectibles in their own right. Individual minaudières can take as long as two years and involve as many as 20 artisans, with each handcrafted piece sculpted, molded, painted and cut before crystals and semiprecious stones are painstakingly applied. Leiber’s creations have entered major museum collections and have been carried by first ladies, royalty and celebrities for generations.

“We’re delighted to showcase this collection of Judith Leiber minaudières, curated by a father’s love,” D’Amato says. “The collection features highly coveted vintage and current designs, many of which are rarely offered on the secondary market.”

Among its highlights are a Blue & Green Crystal Peacock Peek-A-Boo, Blue & Silver Crystal Scottie Schnauzer, Bronze & Black Crystal Kinkaku-ji Zen Temple, Blue & Gold Crystal Tie The Knot Tiered Cake, Black Crystal Fiery Big Cat and Blue Crystal Bird. The assortment reflects the art, nature and travel that inspired Leiber throughout her career, with handbags taking the forms of animals, flowers, food, architecture and other unexpected subjects.

The story behind the collection adds another layer of meaning. Shortly before the collector’s father died at 87, he continued buying Judith Leiber bags to give as presents. After his death, his family discovered a box hidden in his basement containing 17 minaudières he had intended to give away. His daughter subsequently decided to continue the tradition, gifting the bags to family and friends in his memory.

“Judith Leiber always understood that luxury could be joyful,” D’Amato says. “These minaudières are extraordinary examples of craftsmanship, but they also make people smile. Knowing that this collection was assembled through decades of generosity makes them even more special.”