With examples of unique creations made for discerning nobility, Hindman’s annual Summer Fashion auction is proud to present over 250 lots of high fashion and luxury accessories from the world’s most influential names in fashion, including impressive collections of Hermès, Chanel, and Louis Vuitton. Gathered from around the United States, this collection celebrates over one hundred years of high fashion, from hand-made designs of the turn of twentieth century to the highly sought-after and prized Birkin and Kelly bags, made exclusively in France by Hermès.

Headlining this auction is a rare and important collection of Parisian haute couture from the Countess Anita von Galen, a German aristocrat and socialite known for her avant-garde sense of style and brilliant entertaining. Born Anita Hengst in 1936 to a renowned banking family in Germany, she married Count Ferdinand von Galen, a member of one of the oldest aristocratic families in Germany in 1966. In the 1970s, the Count and Countess acquired a historic cattle ranch in Southern Arizona, which later became their full-time home. They remain active in Tucson as patrons of the arts and sciences, supporting the Pima Air and Space Museum and the Arizona Historical Society, among many other organizations.

Over the years, the Countess von Galen has used her visionary eye and a penchant for unique silhouettes to build an extraordinary collection of haute couture. She considered Hubert de Givenchy (Lots 1-18) and his partner, Philippe Venet (also a couturier Lots 19-20), close friends, with Givenchy designing the baptismal gown (Lot 1) for her only son, Ferdinand Otto von Galen. Indeed, Countess von Galen and Givenchy featured together in the March 1981 issue of German Vogue. The Countess’s son, Ferdinand, fondly remembers spending weekends as a child at the Givenchy and Venet’s French country estate, Le Jonchet.

Beyond her friendship with the couple, Countess von Galen was an ardent supporter of emerging, avant-garde designers including Pierre Cardin, Yohji Yamamoto and Kansai Yamamoto, the designer best known for the maximalist costumes he created for David Bowie.

The Collection of Countess Anita von Galen: Lots 1-67

Online / Chicago