Christie’s London announces The L’Wren Scott Collection, an online sale taking place from 9 June to 1 July 2021. The collection sale comprises 55 curated lots designed by the renowned fashion designer L’Wren Scott between 2006 and 2014, and this auction celebrates her legacy as a highly respected couturier and stylist. The proceeds from the sale will be donated to further funding the L’Wren Scott MA Fashion Scholarship at Central Saint Martins, UAL, a scholarship set up in memory of L’Wren by Mick Jagger in 2015 in order to annually support a student reach their potential in the highly competitive environment of fashion.
The 55 lot sale showcases a selection of the most intricate and beautiful L’Wren Scott pieces, worn by L’Wren and by a number of the most celebrated faces in fashion, film and music. L’Wren’s designs were recognised as one of the ultimate labels for red carpet and event dressing by a rollcall of Hollywood royalty. Her designs embodied a philosophy of timeless style and classic flair which seamlessly took its wearer from day to night. L’Wren’s signature silhouettes and precise construction, in both her ready-to-wear and bespoke couture for private clients, presented a woman with a flair for complex dress-making and a new vision for each collection. This proved to attract Hollywood stars and high profile personalities such as Sarah Jessica Parker, Nicole Kidman, Penelope Cruz, Michelle Obama, Amy Adams, Ellen Barkin and Renèe Zellweger. She had an innate eye for what would flatter and sculpt each of her clients after years as a hugely successful model and stylist. L’Wren was quoted as saying, ‘I have dressed millions of different types of bodies over the years, and that provides a useful insight into what women want and crucially what actually works’.*
Mick Jagger comments, ‘The L’Wren Scott Christies Collection sale in June is a celebration of L’Wren’s remarkable work and a wonderful opportunity for the public to see and enjoy her creations. L’Wren was a talented and passionate designer with a keen eye for detail. Everyone who wore her dresses was at the centre of her designs. She created beautiful pieces that were the epitome of elegance and sophistication, yet with a contemporary feel. I’m delighted the proceeds of this auction are going to benefit young students, helping to nurture emerging talents in fashion.’
The top lots in the sale are two bespoke stage jackets which L’Wren Scott custom-designed especially for her partner Mick Jagger (illustrated below far left), (lots 14 and 15), (estimate £20,000-30,000 each). These unique jackets were a collaboration between L’Wren Scott and Mick Jagger and designed to be eye-catching and colourful. The ‘glamouflage’ jacket, made of black satin, beaded, densely sequined and embroidered overall with oak-leaf motifs in shades of green, black and khaki, with black satin lapels, was worn by Mick Jagger during the historic Rolling Stones’ headline performance at Glastonbury in 2013.
The Butterfly jacket, (illustrated below second left and beaded detail below right), made of black satin, the shoulders and sleeves covered in sequined and beaded butterflies in shades of blue with white detailing on a black sequined ground, with satin lapels, was famously worn during the celebrated Hyde Park concert, part of the Rolling Stones’ ‘50 & Counting’ live tour in 2013. For Glastonbury in 2013, Jagger had requested something with a very British vibe – ‘something very English’ – hence represented by an oak leaf, while the butterfly jacket was designed to be an integral part of the performance itself. Jagger wore it while performing ‘Miss You’, when large screens surrounding the Hyde Park stage showed blue butterflies, identical to those on his jacket, fluttering skywards as a tribute to the late Brian Jones, reminiscent of their 1969 Hyde Park concert when white butterflies were released into the sky in his honour.
Further highlights include:
Actress Nicole Kidman was one of L’Wren’s earliest, preeminent clients. She wore the nude sequined sheath from L’Wren Scott’s second collection ‘Under my Skin’, Spring-Summer 2007 (illustrated below left), (lot 54), (estimate £700-1,000), to the film premiere ‘Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus’ at the Rome Film Festival in 2006. It was the first L’Wren Scott ‘red carpet’ evening dress to have been worn by Kidman. She also wore the stunning black and gold sequined ‘Oscar’ dress to attend the 85th Academy Awards in 2013. This dress was look 27 from L’Wren Scott’s ‘Allegory of Love’ collection (illustrated below right), (lot 11), (estimate £1,500-2,500).
Nicole Kidman comments, ‘L’Wren was exceptionally chic and refined, but she was also very sexy, and I think that her clothes depict that combination. I miss her dreadfully but I cherish our time together. I can’t name just one piece I loved that L’Wren designed, there were so many. We had an enormous amount of fun together. We had very similar body shapes, which is always quite good with a designer so she was able to design to my frame – anything she would wear I would wear.
Another of L’Wren’s loyal clients and friends, Penelope Cruz, notably wore a gold sequinned L’Wren Scott gown to accompany her husband, Javier Bardem, to the premiere of the James Bond ‘Skyfall’ film in 2012, (lot 35), (estimate £1,000-1,500). Penelope also wore a pink lace evening gown designed by L’Wren Scott to attend the Paris premiere of the film ‘Nine’ in 2010 (not illustrated), (lot 29) and a bordeaux evening gown from L’Wren’s ‘Serengeti Sunrise’ collection to attend the 83rd Academy Awards in 2011 (not illustrated), (lot 43).
Penelope Cruz comments, ‘I met L’Wren when she was a stylist. We immediately connected. After knowing her for some time, she started to share her designs with me. She was an incredible talent. She created many unique pieces that I wore for some of my premieres and the Oscars. She was a true visionary and a beautiful soul. I loved her very much and miss her immensely.
Fabio Piras, Course Director MA Fashion at Central Saint Martins comments, ‘L’Wren Scott created collections that were intricately cut and finished with a skilled eye for detail. In this, she and my predecessor, the late Professor Louise Wilson OBE, found common ground. They met at the British Fashion Awards, and L’Wren was impressed with Louise’s commitment to excellence and dedication to fashion education. Sadly both these phenomenal women passed away in 2014, but each leaves a legacy that will benefit the students of Central Saint Martins MA Fashion course and, through them, the fashion industry
Caitlin Yates, Head of Sale comments, ‘Christie’s is honoured to bring The L’Wren Scott Collection to the market in celebration of her illustrious career. This sale follows in the footsteps of the iconic fashion-focused collections of Audrey Hepburn, Catherine Deneuve et Yves Saint-Laurent and Stella X Smart Works Fashion Auction at Christie’s. L’Wren Scott was well known for her seductive, old-world, feminine silhouette. She was equally recognised for the range of her important clientele, their complete trust in L’Wren formed on her flawless combination of raw talent, warmth and sheer professionalism. Both of these themes run throughout the collection. With lockdowns lifting globally, there is now cause to celebrate and occasion to wear one of the beautiful gowns, ensembles or jackets made by such a talented designer. After this difficult year, we are thrilled the proceeds of the sale will be used to support young talent on the MA Fashion Course at Central Saint Martins through the L’Wren Scott Scholarship, especially as it is an educational establishment where L’Wren continues to inspire the next generation of artistic and imaginative designers.’
The L’Wren Scott Collection sale includes pieces worn by clients including Madonna, Isla Fisher, Jennifer Lawrence, Jessica Lange, Gretchen Mol, Tina Fey, Michelle Dockery, Mariella Frostrup, Julianna Marguilies and Naomi Campbell amongst the many celebrities, Hollywood stars, and personalities who were her close friends as well as clients.
Highlights from the collection will be on view to the public in an exhibition at Christie’s, King Street, London, from 11-16 June 2021.
© Photographer Natalie Parrish I Stylist Martha Ward
