The most precious object is a very rare Hermès Kelly bag that belonged to Elizabeth Taylor. Beyond its origin, the measurements of the piece are the key. It is a Kelly 20, of a very unusual intermediate size and that Hermès stopped manufacturing about 15 years ago. Her seller bought it at a flagship auction of Taylor's jewelry and personal items, so far the most valuable ever held for jewelry and fashion. At that time, the origin of the piece was its greatest asset. Now, though, it's its rarity – the fact that a Kelly of that size is no longer available – that adds to the passion for ownership.
"Predictably we'll have Kelly collectors and Elizabeth Taylor collectors fighting over it," says Rubinger. “It is a unique opportunity to acquire a piece as interesting and dynamic as this one. It's like the classic Kelly but smaller. It has a lot of value for collectors because even if you visited all the Hermès stores in the world, they don't do it anymore, and it's in perfect condition. It has all the virtues. The piece is fabulous, both for its conditions and for its origin”.
It should be noted that there will be many other more common Kellys and Birkins up for auction (starting prices are around £3,000), so if you're thinking of getting one for Christmas, this is the best way to avoid the famous Hermès waiting lists.
It also highlights a collection of runway bags from Chanel shows. According to Rubinger, interest in this aspect has grown a lot, since fashion houses often produce exclusive pieces or in very limited editions destined for the catwalk, later highly persecuted by collectors. A matryoshka-shaped Chanel from the Paris-Bombay Metier d'art Autumn/Winter 2012-13 collection will fetch the highest price in its category, estimated at £3,584 to £5,376. “Catwalk bags are highly prized by collectors. They ask for them all the time. Of this model, they only made a couple of versions to take them out in two different fashion shows”. The seller, reveals us, has never used it.
