Sotheby’s

On Joopiter, style storytelling and investment dressing for the hype set



Joopiter by Pharrell Williams

Hot retail news of the month so far comes from Pharrell Williams’ new online auction platform, Joopiter. “Pioneering a modern collecting economy”, it’s a way to sell off his extensive (11-storage units worth) archive of cultural artefacts, while the site simultaneously serves as an online archive of the archive, complete with content to add cultural clout to the pieces.

The first sale goes live next week (but previews from today here) and will consist of one-off items such as an 18k gold Jacob & Co BlackBerry (est sale price $15k-$25k) and blinged-out Swarovski-ed Stan Smiths (est sale price $2,500-$3,500).

Why should we care? (more…)

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On Karl Lagerfeld, consumption culture and owning influence



Karl lagerfeld by Takashi Murakami

“I find the joy of collecting, the fun of hunting for objects, the exciting thing. But once I [win] it, I lose interest. I don’t want to be a curator living in a museum.”
Karl Lagerfeld

It was fascinating looking through the lots of Karl Lagerfeld’s estate auction a couple of weeks ago. Among them were his 1980s scrapbooks, his Hedi Slimane for Dior Homme jacket, a Shu Uemura makeup box and his own Chanel croc-embossed tote bag (below, which sold for €94,500). “Collectors from the world over, snapping up Karl Lagerfeld’s objects and designs, have consecrated his status as a fashion icon. The ‘Kaiser’ would surely have been moved by this immense public success,” said Pierre Mothes, vice president of Sotheby’s France. (more…)

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Would you shop at a Sotheby’s ‘buy it now’ store?



Sotheby's retail store in New York

Gotta love the millennialisation of auction houses. From online speed auctions to hosting sales of rare Nikes to courting hype curators, the likes of Sotheby’s and Christies are pacing ahead in attracting younger demographics.

The latest initiative is a Sotheby’s boutique. Just opened at Sotheby’s‘ flagship on York Avenue in New York, the bricks-and-mortar store will rely on guest tastemakers to curate pop-up sales that hopefully mimic the adrenaline rush of scoring a hard-to-get grail item from one of its auctions. (more…)

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The culture of fashion: Georgia O’Keeffe’s wardrobe for sale



Georgia O'Keeffe - Todd Webb

I have tons of Georgia O’Keeeffe pictures on my Pinterest board as research for a project. Her personal style was just fantastic – those shirts! The hats! The kimonos! The hair!

Sotheby’s has a sale of a number of her personal artefacts coming up, including dresses, jewellery, coats and a fabulous velvet hood. What’s remarkable to me is that apparently some of these pieces were hand-sewn by Georgia O’Keeffe herself. (more…)

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