More Than 250 Karl Lagerfeld-Designed Chanel Haute Couture Pieces Will Go to Auction

French businesswoman Mouna Ayoub boasts a massive collection of haute couture designs, with roughly 2,500 pieces and counting. On Monday, November 20, the esteemed collector will bid farewell to much of her expansive Chanel haute couture, placing 252 pieces designed by Karl Lagerfeld up for auction.

In an interview with WWD, Ayoub explained her reasons for sending the items to bidding: “[I'm doing this] for two reasons really: Number one, they don’t fit me anymore. Number two, I really want to give the young generation that didn’t know Karl and didn’t have the chance to own any haute couture pieces by Karl to own them and wear them and love them like I did — especially since most of them have never been worn.”

Ayoub, who was formerly married to billionaire advisor Nasser Al-Rashid, was not allowed to wear clothing that exposed her arms, legs or neckline during their marriage. Thus, many of her couture designs were left to be admired through a glass-covered closet in her Riyadh office.

Ayoub’s Chanel haute couture designs will go up for bidding via Maurice Auction at Pavillon Gabriel next week. Her collection, which comprises decorated evening coats and gold-laced dresses that were worn to attend the likes of the opera at La Scala in Milan and the Bal de la Rolse Gala in Monte Carlo with Lagerfeld, will be on view for the public from November 19 to 20.

Notably, many of the included garments took more than 800 hours to produce. In addition to coats and dresses, Ayoub’s collection comprises suits, shoes, jewelry, belts and a wig (the one that Shalom Harlow previously wore on Chanel’s runway), all of which were created between 1990 to 2014.

The public auction will take place on Monday, November 20, at 6:30 p.m. ET, and bids will also be accepted online.

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