Vintage Fashion & Textiles

A usually quiet August was dramatically awakened by a series of sleepers that emerged at three UK regional auction houses.

Luxury fashion discovered in a charity shop is heading to upmarket London retailer Fortnum & Mason.

Do embroidery and cut-paper pictures count as art? Bidders certainly appreciate their expertise

A previously lost tapestry, commissioned by Henry VIII for Hampton Court during the turmoil of the English Reformation, is a step closer to returning to the UK for public display.

The Harrison semi-automatic pedestal knitting machine was designed c.1900 for producing rib socks.

Underwear soars above estimate at a Richard Winterton auction

Forty dealers spread across four venues in Nottingham a few minutes walk from each other is the enticing prospect for Mid-century buyers.

The best needlework samplers continue to bring prices far above more routine examples.

This Qing dynasty imperial court robe embroidered with roundels of five clawed dragons on a dark blue ground will feature at Sarasota Estate Auction.

A section of period costume and textiles that featured in a general sale at Thierry de Maigret (24% buyer’s premium) on March 24 produced some notable results for several well-preserved examples of 18th century costume.

A group of signed drawings by royal fashion designer Norman Hartnell (1901-79) was offered at Richard Winterton (22% buyer’s premium) on February 15.

A doublet and hose worn by the Earl of Abergavenny at the coronation of George IV in 1821 came to auction in Nottinghamshire.

The dress tassels pictured here came to auction from the archives of Henry Newbery & Co.

The reminder of earlier pomp and ceremony from a coronation came courtesy of a recent sale at Gloucestershire auction house Dominic Winter (20% buyer’s premium).

This drum major’s uniform is from the era of Queen Elizabeth II, as indicated by the big, gilded-thread monogram E II R under the crown.

The oshi-e technique, meaning ‘pressed picture’, involves folding and pressing scraps of fabric, such as kimono cloth, and washi paper to create an image.

Kate Day, known as the ‘Queen’s Milliner’, made hats for Queen Elizabeth II even before her coronation and continued afterwards.