Crowning Glory Special report to The Times...
Crowning Glory
Special report to The Times from Diane Sustendal in New York:
A bit of history will be on the auction block in Geneva Wednesday and Thursday when the jewels of the late Wallis Simpson, Duchess of Windsor, go on sale at Sotheby’s auction house. But already the event has created such excitement that even Sotheby’s executives have been surprised.
“The collection is important on three levels,” said Nicholas C. Rayner, chairman of Sotheby’s in Geneva. “First for size and quality of stones. The duke had an eye for fine stones. Second, for style. Many of the designs were created in consultation with the duke and were avant-garde. The duchess liked modern designs; it is hard to find a photograph of her wearing antique jewelry. And third, and certainly as important, is the historical significance. Their whole romance, before and after marriage, is chronicled in inscriptions on charms, jewels, cigarette cases and so forth.”
Sotheby’s estimates the sale will bring in about $7 million, the proceeds will go to the Institut Pasteur for medical research in Paris. But speculation is that the $7-million estimate is low. The collection includes 87 jeweled pieces by Cartier of Paris and 23 others by Harry Winston, David Webb, Vedura and Van Cleef & Arpel.
Much has been written and said about the duke and duchess, and certainly not all of it flattering. Even Sotheby’s Rayner was to comment: “The duke liked loud clothes; she liked great jewels. . . . She was not pretty in the classical sense, but she was a famous hostess--charming, fashionable and vivacious.”
It has also been said that twice-divorced Wallis was bitterly disappointed when rules were not waived so that she could be queen consort. She wore tiaras, but her only crown is a small one of rubies that sits atop a heart-shaped diamond brooch given to her by the duke to commemorate their 20th wedding anniversary. That too goes up for sale in Geneva.
‘Tuxedo Junction’
Add one to Oscar nominee Willem Dafoe’s growing collection of tuxedos. Along with two by Valentino he picked up in New York, he plans to add another, by costume designer Linda Bass, before Academy Awards night. Bass, who first met Dafoe on the movie set of “To Live and Die in L.A.,” says she custom made a tux for him to wear to the Oscar event. It is charcoal gray with black silk lapels. The black silk shirt has a Mandarin collar. She called Dafoe when she heard he was nominated. “I knew exactly what he should wear and I told him so,” she says. Which tux will he wear to the Oscars? Time will tell.
Jane Does It Her Way
At a dinner in honor of her friend, designer Bill Travilla, Jane Russell was asked whether her multicolored evening gown was made for her by the special guest. “She said: ‘No, I design my own clothes now, and they’re all I wear,’ ” Listen hears from Joe Broady of the City of Hope committee that hosted the evening. After dinner, a fashion show included costumes Travilla styled for Russell to wear in “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes.” She tells Listen that she’ll show her own collection, under the Jane’s Way label, in Santa Barbara at the Lion Inn on April 5.
Quick-Change Artist
For her next act, Bernadette Peters will make 11 costume changes in nine minutes. It is part of a “Happy Birthday Hollywood” variety show that stars Peters, Liza Minnelli, Morgan Fairchild and several dozen others, Listen hears from Alvin Colt, costumer for the show. He says the show is scheduled for April 26 at the Shrine Auditorium.
