That’s the style... a trip though centuries of fashion

But a remarkable private wardrobe dating from 1750 to the present day about to go under the hammer at Dales auctioneers Tennants shows that with enough dedication, some clothes stay in season for ever.

The collection, amassed by an unnamed Yorkshire woman over the past 30 years, ranges from 18th century ivory fans and silk dresses crafted on handlooms in London’s bustling Spitalfields Market, to modern day designer handbags – including one with an in-built telephone recently sported by pop singer Lady Gaga.

Tennants has been so struck by the sheer range of vintage costumes and textiles, that it has set up an exhibition of the clothes before the sale this Friday at its Leyburn-based auction centre.

In the display, the perfectly groomed ghosts of Regency period aristocracy, Edwardian ladies, 1920s flappers and 1980s yuppies pose next to period furniture clutching contemporary accessories.

More than two centuries of fashion, frozen perfectly in time.

“What is so lovely, is it is such a complete collection,” said Sarah White, fine arts valuer at Tennants.

“She has collected all these accessories to go with these dresses. It seemed such an ideal opportunity, because of the extent of the collection, to have an exhibition so people could see the movement and changes in fashion throughout the last 200 years.

“Some of these early dresses, you would probably only be able to see now in a museum.”

Among the rarest items in the collection of 125 lots, are two late 19th century Louis Vuitton cabin trunks in a pattern only produced between 1876 and 1888, that are expected to fetch up to £3,500 each.

The trunks belonged to the collector’s great-grandmother and were given to her to pack her luggage in for her honeymoon.

A 1760 silk brocade two piece, 1855 printed paisley two piece, 1890 black satin evening gown and Edwardian brown silk day dress are also all expected to fetch several hundred pounds each when they go under the hammer.

“These clothes really transport people back to the period they were made, it is as much for people interested in textiles and history as anything else,” Mrs White said.

“I think that works very well in the exhibition.

“It is also very interesting to see the changes in fashion over the decades.

“There is a transition of very different styles from the early pieces to the 1960s, but it also shows that fashion and style are being replicated all the time.

“A lot of the 1950s pieces that are in the collection are very fashionable at the moment.

“I would say the 1930s is my favourite era. I just like the cut of the dresses.

“They managed to be both very flattering and very stylish at the same time.

“It was in between wars and followed on from the 20s which was obviously a very fun period – much more so in general than in the 19th century.

“The fashion reflects that.”

Alongside the dresses in the collection are a dazzling range of accessories that would make any fashionista green with envy.

Pick of the lot is an early 19th century Tunbridge Ware table clamp and necessaire valued at up to £800 which a number of important collectors have told the auction house they have never seen outside of a magazine before.

A 19th century carved ivory fan, with 23 ivory sticks pierced and carved with exotic birds and monkeys, a perfect example of the fans used by the upper classes from the 17th century onwards as a subtle way of displaying interest in a potential suitor – for example a brief twirl of it in the left hand was a signal that they were being watched – is also part of the collection and is expected to fetch between £600 and £800.

Elsewhere, a late Victorian wasp-waisted mannequin on an oak tripod stand, 19th century decorative quilt rescued from a bonfire in a farm in County Durham, 1930s gilt metal compact and mahogany button boxes encapsulate the periods in which they were made.

The treasure trove of items has led to textile students from North Yorkshire schools visiting the auction house to draw the display.

“The collector who amassed these items now has to move and pay for storage for the clothes and accessories so it is time to let them move on to somebody else,” Mrs White said.

The exhibition is open between 10am and 4pm.

joe.shute@ypn.co.uk