Obsessive and sentimental, fashion collectors are often designers, journalists, merchants, stylists… But not her. A long-time physiotherapist in Angers, now retired, Christine (who does not wish to communicate her surname) one day calls on vintage expert Pénélope Blanckaert. The latter remembers : “I took the train to Angers, I went to her esthete apartment, and I discovered, carefully stored in boxes, her wardrobe signed Martin Margiela. » That is no less than 350 pieces from which the septuagenarian separates today by exhibiting them, then by dispersing them at auction at Millon.
Christine built up this collection over the years in a trendy shop in Angers where she went on Wednesday afternoons during the children’s extracurricular activities. Without bragging about it to her husband, totally hermetic to his wife’s taste for the Belgian designer’s conceptual humor… Sock sweater, glove sleeves, babydoll worn inside out, fall-winter 1997 dress that leaves a side of the exposed bust, or the famous quilt coat from autumn-winter 1999, sit side by side with sober tank tops, pants or pullovers, which are easier to put on every day to do your job.
“Martin Margiela – L’Ange d’une Angevine”, exhibition on September 10 and 12, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., then auction on September 13. Chez Millon, 5, avenue d’Eylau, Paris 16e. Estimates per lot: €30 to €2,500. millon.com