James Galanos (1924 - 2016) was a fashion school dropout turned revered designer to A-List stars such as Elizabeth Taylor, Marlene Dietrich, and Judy Garland. After dropping out of Traphagen School of Fashion, he secured an assistant position with Hattie Carnegie in New York in 1944. Hattie Carnegie got her start as a milliner, but had a knack for discovering fashion design talents. Her company became a fashion incubator for American designers such as Pauline Trigere, which we have a few of her designs on view at the gallery from November 14, 2019 to December 10, 2019. The job with Hattie was, unfortunately, a bit more clerical than creative and after growing disappointed Galanos left for another opportunity in California. However, the position he originally went to California for sadly never materialized; but as luck would have it, he was hired part-time at Columbia Pictures. Never one to rest too long Galanos quickly left his employment with Columbia to go work in Paris, just as the couture houses there were rebounding from World War II. He started work with Robert Piguet right alongside Pierre Balmain and Hubert de Givenchy, those are two names you might recognize!
In the 1950s Galanos decided to take another shot at California. He created his own company and quickly began selling his gowns to Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus. These gowns were made as ready to wear, not custom, but it was apparent from the beginning that his gowns were of higher quality, comparable to haute couture. He was a master at working with chiffon, an example of this can be viewed on item number 5593671 on the iGavel website. Galanos designs are timeless, in fact, Nancy Reagan wore a 14-year-old Galanos gown to her first state dinner at the White House in the 1980s. This is a testament to the workmanship and design of his work. James Galanos’s desire to create was lifelong and he has left an incredible legacy.
Over two hundred of Anthony Bourdain’s most cherished belongings are being sold this month—October 9-30, 2019—in an online auction that’s open to everyone who wants to bid.
NEW YORK CITY — Although not part of the Asian art feeding frenzy during Asia Week in New York, Lark Mason’s iGavel.com, way uptown, was previewing a month-long series of Asian art sales that opened during September’s Asia Week.
The Asian, ancient and ethnographic works of art auction opened September 5, with sales running through November 5. One of the showstoppers Mason was showcasing in his gallery was a pair of rare Chinese huanghuali continuous horseshoe back armchairs dating from the early Qing dynasty ($600/900,000). Almost all horseshoe back armchairs have a sloping crest rail that terminates in scrolled handgrips, but an extremely rare version has the crest rail terminating into the chair seat frame, which this pair has.
A collection of belongings left behind by Anthony Bourdain, the celebrity chef and television star who died in June 2018, will be sold in an online auction in October.
Sixty percent of the proceeds of the auction will go to Mr. Bourdain’s wife, Ottavia Busia, and daughter, Ariane. (Mr. Bourdain and Ms. Busia were separated at the time of his death.)
The remainder will be donated to a new scholarship to the Culinary of Institute of America created in Mr. Bourdain’s name that will allow recipients to spend a semester abroad or to study international topics.
The auctioneer, Lark Mason, estimates that the 215 lots on the block have a market value between $200,000 and $400,000....