In the wake of New York Fashion Week, a discreet location on the Upper East Side caught the attention of the most discerning collectors on Friday, September 11, 2026. Peter Brant Jr. opened the doors of his carriage house—a historic Gilded Age residence—to transform its salons into a fashion theater from another era. Far from the hustle and bustle of the usual runway tents, the event marked the prelude to “The Impossible Couture Collection,” an auction organized by Fair Warning. The initiative, born from a collaboration between Brant Jr. and Loïc Gouzer, a former contemporary art specialist at Christie’s, offers a fresh perspective on the vintage haute couture market, treated here with the same reverence as the fine arts.
An Upper East Side salon aesthetic
The chosen format broke with current standards to reconnect with the intimacy of mid-20th-century couture presentations. Under the stylistic direction of Allia Alliata di Montereale, style director for W magazine, thirteen looks were showcased before a small but influential audience. In the front row, fashion designer and collector Law Roach watched the models walk the runway alongside Giovanna Engelbert and Princess Maria-Olympia of Greece. This “salon-style” presentation was not merely a nostalgic whim; it aimed to breathe new life into pieces often relegated to the status of static objects. Of the twenty-three lots in the auction’s complete catalog, only the sturdiest took to the runway, while the others remained protected in a permanent exhibition due to their extreme fragility.
Naomi Campbell’s Wardrobe and the McQueen Record
The highlight of this presentation lies in the provenance of certain key pieces. Among the most sought-after lots, a custom version of Look 1 from Alexander McQueen’s Spring/Summer 2010 “Plato’s Atlantis” collection drew particular interest. This piece, taken from Naomi Campbell’s personal archives—she had worn it at her Fashion for Relief gala in 2010—is accompanied by the matching Armadillo shoes. These shoes, true sculptures of leather and silk, have remained on display on a pedestal; their height and complexity preclude any use on the runway sixteen years after their creation. The McQueen ensemble has a pre-sale estimate of between $600,000 and $1,000,000 (approximately €540,000 to €900,000), a figure that reflects the historical value of this collection, the last one completed by the designer before his passing.
The Mondrian Dress and the Sculptural Legacy
While McQueen represented the contemporary side of the auction, Yves Saint Laurent was its classical pillar. The famous “Mondrian” dress, from the Fall/Winter 1965–1966 Haute Couture collection, was displayed in a static exhibition. This milestone in fashion history, which marked the definitive fusion of geometric art and clothing, is estimated at between $200,000 and $500,000 USD. Alongside it, Peter Brant Jr.’s selection explored other forms of textile radicalism: a hooded dress by Azzedine Alaïa from the 1986–1987 season, a collar adorned with gold-plated metal insects by Elsa Schiaparelli, and a papier-mâché vest from the Maison Martin Margiela archives.
The Shadow of John Galliano
The inclusion of several designs by John Galliano—notably a black dress for Dior from the summer of 1995 and an Egyptian scarab necklace from the Spring 2004 Haute Couture collection—resonates with recent institutional developments. This spotlight comes just a few weeks after the Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art announced the cancellation of the retrospective dedicated to the designer, originally scheduled for 2027. In this context, the dispersal of these archival pieces takes on a political and commercial dimension, offering an alternative to the museum circuit for the preservation of Galliano’s work. The scarab necklace, originally worn by model Hana Soukupova on the runway, remains one of the most spectacular examples of the designer’s “pharaonic” era at Dior.
Haute couture as a financial asset
For Loïc Gouzer, the significance of this sale goes beyond a mere celebration of aesthetics. The founder of Fair Warning argues that iconic vintage haute couture pieces remain structurally undervalued compared to prices on the contemporary art market. By applying the principles of rarity and exclusivity from the art auction world to fashion, the platform aims to attract a new type of investor. Following the September 11 fashion show, the pieces remained on view by appointment through September 16. The final sale will take place on September 17, 2026, in a strictly digital, invitation-only format via the auction house’s dedicated app.