Sotheby’s

Random Recs: Sotheby’s, Jonathan Anderson, The Bitter End



UK AIDS Memorial Quilt

A few snippets of digital ephemera and IRL recommendations I’ve enjoyed lately…

1/ UK AIDS MEMORIAL QUILT. Next Thursday (12th June) sees the UK AIDS Memorial Quilt go on display in the Tate Modern Turbine Hall, a combination of 42 quilts and 23 individual panels dedicated to approximately 384 individuals affected by HIV and AIDS in the UK. Alongside, there’s an hourly free screening of “There is a Light That Never Goes Out”, a recently rediscovered 50-minute documentary about the 1994 display of the quilt in Hyde Park. The quilt is on display at the Tate from 12-16 June; the film will be screened from 12-15 June. No booking required. Read more here. (more…)



Coming soon: Sotheby’s magazine



Sotheby's magazine Collector Walls Lucas Oliver Mill

The new Sotheby’s magazine sounds extremely promising. Helmed by former WSJ magazine editor, Kristina O’Neill, the print bi-monthly – landing in September – will cover art, fashion, luxury, culture and tech. With Kristina’s track record, it’s already creating a bit of a buzz. Watch this space for updates. (No images yet, so this will have to do from Lucas Oliver Mill’s IG.) (more…)



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…)



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…)