Somewhere in France, an anonymous collector spent decades amassing a wardrobe so vast and so meticulously kept that auctioneers compare walking into it to stepping into a fairytale. Now that collection — more than 3,000 pieces of Chanel, Dior, Hermès, Valentino, Fendi, Roberto Cavalli and Emanuel Ungaro — is heading to the block under the banner of The Infinite Wardrobe.
Salomé Pirson and Marie-Laurence Tixier, the founders of Maurice Auction, were entrusted with cataloguing the hoard, which spans decades and includes haute couture, ready-to-wear, handbags and accessories. Many pieces are in pristine, never-worn condition. Summer clothing had its own closet, winter clothing another, and some favourite designs were bought in more than a dozen colourways — a quirk that gave the team a rare window into the collector's mind. She came by it honestly: her mother was a couture client, and she had close ties to fashion houses from childhood.
The sale is structured for buyers of all budgets and interests. Rather than one overwhelming event, the wardrobe will be split into eight themed online auctions of 300-plus pieces each, run through mauriceauction.com after the opening live sale. Chanel, Dior and Hermès each get a dedicated auction. But the auctioneers flag two sleeper categories: Roberto Cavalli, whose animal-print pieces are riding a resurgence, and Emanuel Ungaro, whose rare colourful couture pieces are seldom seen on the market. If you're after something beyond the obvious heritage houses, those sales could deliver the best surprises.
The curtain-raiser happens in Paris. The collection goes on public view at Galerie Bachaumont from November 14 to 17, with the live auction on November 18 — a free excuse to see couture-grade fashion up close before it scatters to new owners. Even if you're not bidding, the preview is the kind of event that turns a November city break into something memorable: a decade-spanning display of craft, in the middle of the city's most fashion-adjacent arrondissement.
Who should care? Serious collectors hunting investment-grade couture, yes — but also design nerds, vintage hunters and anyone who enjoys watching how the market prices rarity. Auction previews are one of Paris's most underrated free attractions, and this one is unusually accessible: online bidding means you don't need to be in the room to snag a piece of fashion history.
