As many of you know, I work at Leslie Hindman Auctioneers. I started last September and I love it.
ICYMI, read all about it here.
I am still a newbie- learning the ropes all the time.
To date, I have worked the big jewelry previews and fine print sales, furs and furnishings.
It’s fascinating work in every respect but my favorite has to be the couture sales.
Did you know that LHA* is the only auction house in the United States that handles couture? I didn’t. When it comes to auctioning high end fashion, our only competition is a house in London.
Author’s Note: This red is Leslie Hindman’s signature color. I love it.
We’ve got your pricey vintage clothes needs covered.
So a couple of weeks ago, I worked a sale that had come from the estates of three New York women.
One had been a big deal on Wall Street. One of the first women to make her mark there.
The next woman had been born into one very prominent New York family and had married into another.
And the last woman had been born rich, never married, and had been a generous philanthropist her entire life.
The first gal had no children. The second had two daughters, but they had lots of clothes of their own and only took a few pieces of their mother’s vast collection as a souvenir. The third had a daughter but she was young and didn’t share the socialite lifestyle of her late mother and thus had no need for ball gowns and expensive suits.
There were Chanel suits and Alexander MacQueen coats. Lagerfeld dresses and Stella McCartney jackets. Ferre, Fendi, Pucci, Pucci, Pucci, (one of the gals had been friendly with the family) Gucci, Dior, Marc Jacobs, Hermes, Ralph Lauren, Versace, Burberry, Armani and Prada clothing abounded.
All these fashions were viewed, sized up, tried on (only the coats and the jackets) critiqued and hungered over by women from Monday through Wednesday.
The auction was held on Thursday. There was a 97% sell rate. Practically everything went.
But on FRIDAY, there was an even bigger event.
A tag sale.
My boss, Ann, told me that this was a rare event at LHA. But these three New York ladies had owned so much stuff that two semi-trucks filled to bursting with clothes had been unloaded and tagged for a week.
The brand new fur coats had been tagged at $100.
That’s right. New fur coats. Gorgeous ones.
Nothing else- not Polo skirts or Armani dresses- had been tagged for over $50.
Most everything was going from $40 to $10.
Yep, you read that right.
$10.
An entire display case of unworn, never-been-touched Charles Jourdan heels in EVERY color were $20. If you wore a size 8, you hit the jackpot. I personally saw one woman buy twenty pristine pairs.
Mink and chinchilla and sable hats were tagged at $40.
Handbags, Polo and Hermès scarves, belts, you name it were never marked up over $50 and most, way below that.
This was the bargain sale of the century.
And our long-time clients knew it.
They had been lined up waiting since the early hours of the morning.
When I got to work at 9:20, I had to fight my way in.
At ten o’clock the LHA doors opened.
And we were mobbed!
I recognized many of the women who had previously come to the couture preview. They were no longer quiet, genteel and well-behaved.
Now, armed with white shopping bags, they ran hither and yon, hysterically ripping clothes off the hangers and throwing shoes and purses into their bags with frenzied abandon.
They were stripping down to their underwear!
And there were men there.
In their quest for the fabulous fox coat or the $10 ball gown (and there were some) these well-off women were laser-focussed.
From ten until two, our showroom was flooded with ladies who had a black belt in shopping.
By three, most of them had more than they could cart home and wearily they reluctantly trooped out laden down with their bargains.
By four o’clock, it was the LHA employees’ turn.
(Everything that hadn’t sold that day was going to be turned over to charity immediately so these remaining items were incredible buys.)
No, I didn’t buy anything.
I wanted my paycheck to stay in my bank account.
But I was the ONLY one.
Now take a look at this clip and you’ll see what I mean. It was exactly like this.
And next time there’s a tag sale, I’ll be sure and give you advance notice here.
Ladies, get out your track shoes.
