Christie's to Auction Bill Blass Archive: 129 Pieces, Personal Letters and a Gown Worn by Beyoncé
Christie's, the New York auction house, will open an online sale of 129 pieces from the archive of American designer Bill Blass on 9 September, running through 23 September. Titled "Bill Blass: American Elegance," the auction spans vintage garments, fashion sketches and personal correspondence from across Blass's career. Christie's expects the sale to realise in excess of $150,000, with proceeds going to the Bill Blass company, according to WWD.
The auction takes place in two physical settings. A preview runs at Christie's New York from 8 to 13 September. The full exhibition moves to Blass's own town house at 3 East 44th Street in Manhattan from 18 to 22 September, giving visitors a chance to see the pieces in the home where the designer lived and worked. Blass moved to New York from Fort Wayne, Indiana, in the late 1930s to study fashion, and in 1970 he established his own label, becoming the first American designer to build a fashion house around his own persona.
Among the garments on offer: a gold metallic long-sleeved gown from the late 20th century, a gold metallic beaded Klimt dress ensemble from fall 1995, and a rainbow ombré chiffon strapless gown that Beyoncé Knowles-Carter wore for InStyle magazine in 2004. The sketches and letters give the sale an archive dimension that goes beyond clothing. Correspondence includes a letter from Giorgio Armani and letters from designers Geoffrey Beene, Ralph Lauren, Elsa Schiaparelli, Pauline Trigère, Emanuel Ungaro, Vera Wang and Diana Vreeland — the legendary fashion editor who shaped American magazine style in the mid-20th century. Vreeland's letter to Blass carries an estimate of $800 to $1,200.
Peter Som, a former creative director of Bill Blass, served as curatorial consultant for the project. The Blass estate is owned by Peter Kim and Bill Kim.
This is not the first time Blass's possessions have gone to auction. Sotheby's sold the designer's personal collection of furnishings and collectibles in October 2003, a year after Blass died at age 79. That sale brought $13.6 million, more than double its high estimate. Blass sketches have also moved at Christie's before: five dress sketches sold for $3,500 at the house's 2020 "American Muse: The Collection of Nina Griscom" auction.
What makes the September sale different is its focus on the garments and the paper trail behind them rather than on interior decoration. The combination of finished couture, working sketches and personal letters offers a picture of how Blass operated within a network of designers, editors and clients — a social record of American fashion at a specific moment, preserved as lots.
