Karl Lagerfeld’s Fingerless Gloves to Go under Hammer

Three small embroidered cushions for the cat Choupette and leather gloves are displayed before the auction of late fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld?s Collection by Sotheby's auction house in Monte-Carlo, Monaco, November 30, 2021. (Reuters)
Three small embroidered cushions for the cat Choupette and leather gloves are displayed before the auction of late fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld?s Collection by Sotheby's auction house in Monte-Carlo, Monaco, November 30, 2021. (Reuters)
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Karl Lagerfeld’s Fingerless Gloves to Go under Hammer

Three small embroidered cushions for the cat Choupette and leather gloves are displayed before the auction of late fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld?s Collection by Sotheby's auction house in Monte-Carlo, Monaco, November 30, 2021. (Reuters)
Three small embroidered cushions for the cat Choupette and leather gloves are displayed before the auction of late fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld?s Collection by Sotheby's auction house in Monte-Carlo, Monaco, November 30, 2021. (Reuters)

Personal belongings of the late designer Karl Lagerfeld, including his trademark fingerless leather gloves and the cushions his cat Choupette sat on, are to go on sale in a series of auctions that begin in Monaco this week.

Lagerfeld, who died in 2019, was an icon of the fashion industry, celebrated as much for his distinctive personal style of gloves, sunglasses and ponytail as he was for the fashion he designed for Chanel and other houses.

The collection of belongings, being auctioned by Sotheby's, has items from his personal wardrobe and the furniture, accessories and art which decorated his many homes.

Bids are also invited for a model of Choupette with an estimated price of 5,000 euros ($5,690) to 7,000 euros, and a figurine of Lagerfeld made out of PVC, metal and rhinestones, with a price estimate of 200-300 euros.

Elaborate trunks and suitcases that Lagerfeld took with him when he traveled, three Rolls-Royce cars and a pair of chrome-plated dumbbells owned by the famously body-conscious designer, are also included in the sale.

"This collection is emblematic of Karl Lagerfeld's taste," Pierre Mothes, vice president of Sotheby's in France, told Reuters at a preview of the collection.

"It gives a sense of his aesthetic choices, his personality, the man he was, and the private life that was hidden behind the facade we all know, that of a great designer."

After Monaco on Dec. 3-5, the sale moves to Paris later in December, then on to Cologne early next year.



Armani Couture Channels Black as Maestro Misses Paris Bow for 1st Time, Days from 91st Birthday

A model wears a hat during a presentation of creations for Giorgio Armani Privé during the Women's Haute-Couture Fall/Winter 2025-26 collection show at Palazzo Armani in Paris, on July 8, 2025. (AFP)
A model wears a hat during a presentation of creations for Giorgio Armani Privé during the Women's Haute-Couture Fall/Winter 2025-26 collection show at Palazzo Armani in Paris, on July 8, 2025. (AFP)
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Armani Couture Channels Black as Maestro Misses Paris Bow for 1st Time, Days from 91st Birthday

A model wears a hat during a presentation of creations for Giorgio Armani Privé during the Women's Haute-Couture Fall/Winter 2025-26 collection show at Palazzo Armani in Paris, on July 8, 2025. (AFP)
A model wears a hat during a presentation of creations for Giorgio Armani Privé during the Women's Haute-Couture Fall/Winter 2025-26 collection show at Palazzo Armani in Paris, on July 8, 2025. (AFP)

Armani Privé opened Tuesday under an unmistakable shadow. For the first time in the 20-year history of his couture house, Giorgio Armani was not present in Paris to take his bow.

Days from his 91st birthday and following doctors’ advice after a recent hospital stay, Armani reportedly oversaw the Paris couture week show remotely from home, a moment of absence that lands heavily for a designer who has shaped every one of his brand’s collections since its founding.

The show’s theme, “Seductive Black,” played out with literal and symbolic force on the runway: black in myriad forms, from liquid velvet and lacquered silk to pavé crystals and flashes of gold. Even the models’ makeup followed suit, rendered in shades of gray.

For some in the front row, the relentless palette felt pointed. Guests quietly wondered if the choice of black was a coded message from the maestro himself.

This is not the first major show Armani has missed this season. Just weeks ago, he was forced to sit out Milan Fashion Week for the first time in the label’s history, following a brief hospitalization.

According to the brand, the absence was a precaution to save energy for his Paris couture appearance.

For decades, Armani — often referred to as “Re Giorgio,” or King George, in Italy — has been both the creative and business force behind one of fashion’s last great independent empires.

The Tuesday collection balanced tension and control. After an uncertain start, including velvet jodhpurs and stark crystalline seams, Armani’s familiar codes quickly emerged: tuxedo jackets transformed into evening gowns with plunging lapels and floating bow ties, tailored blazers worn on bare skin and military-inspired equestrian jackets paired with slim velvet pants.

Bursts of embroidery and colored feathers provided a balance from the monochrome.

Armani’s recent absences have sent ripples through the industry. In a landscape dominated by conglomerates like LVMH and Kering, Armani remains the sole shareholder of his company, personally overseeing every collection for nearly 50 years. In 2024, Armani Group reported revenues of $2.5 billion, while Giorgio Armani’s personal fortune is estimated at $11–13 billion — even as the global luxury market faces headwinds.

Armani is widely credited with redefining men’s and women’s tailoring, pioneering gender-fluidity in fashion, and inventing celebrity red-carpet dressing, from Julia Roberts to Cate Blanchett. Yet the designer himself has acknowledged that age is now a reality to deal with and that pulling back could be a necessity.

Whether the monochrome collection was a deliberate metaphor or simply a showcase of discipline, “Seductive Black” felt personal — both a mood and a message, perhaps an understated nod to a master whose presence, even in absence, remains absolute.

As the show closed, the final bow belonged to the models alone. But Armani’s vision — uncompromising and unmistakably his — filled the room.