DAPHNE STRIPS DOWN by Eric Wilson
Spring cleaning, as anyone with a small closet would recognize, is a journey that ends either by giving up too much, or simply giving up. Daphne Guinness, the socialite and couture collector, only recently discovered that this maxim applies just as readily to owners of large closets. In the process of moving her London home, she decided to clear the racks. She set aside about 1,000 pieces, including spectacular items from Versace, Dolce & Gabbana and Alexander McQueen, to sell in an auction to benefit Womankind, a charity that supports women in developing countries.
“It was quite a difficult process,” she said. “Like when the idea first happened, I thought it would be easy.”
Ms. Guinness sounded genuinely surprised to discover that it was not. She is known as one of the most original dressers of her generation, one who will pair Chanel couture with gaudy shoes and then vamp fearlessly through a party, recognizable by the hairstyle equivalent of the black-and-white cookie. (She is also really sweet.)
She herself designs, having created a collection of white shirts with Comme des Garçons that is sold at Dover Street Market, the company’s store in London.
Sorting through the clothes she had acquired over 20 years, Ms. Guinness could recall what inspired to her buy each piece and sometimes the places she wore them.
“The thing is, most of the clothes I really still like,” she said, including those that never quite made it onto her back. “Some of them were unworn for a reason. I bought them just to look at.”
The sale, organized by Kerry Taylor, an auction house, kerrytaylorauctions.com, is to take place on Tuesday in London. Bids can also be made on eBay during the event. A typical lot of shoes includes four or more styles from Jimmy Choo, Prada or Yves Saint Laurent; low estimates range from £40 to £200 (about $79 to $396, at $1.98 to the pound). Seven Marni coats are grouped together for £200, and a Lanvin shredded ribbon dress starts at £300 ($594).
“In the end, I went a little bit overboard,” Ms. Guinness said. “I probably am getting rid of more than I envisioned initially. But the whole point is that you can’t just give away your old rubbish. That’s just not interesting at all.”