Jean-Paul Gaultier's crème de la crème will soon be available at auction

Have you ever worn a skirt so richly decorated that it weighed 10 kilos? Well, Mona Ayoub has. Though she gave this skirt the star-studded life it deserves, she has now decided it’s time to part with it. This Scottish-inspired skirt modeled after a kilt, crafted from thousands of tiny colored glass beads embroidered by Maison Lesage, is part of the FW98 haute couture collection by Jean-Paul Gaultier. It is among the numerous items Ayoub will be auctioning off on November 25th. In addition to this collector’s skirt, no fewer than 40 historical fashion pieces by Gaultier and other designers will go up for sale at the end of the month. Among them is a denim bustier gown transitioning into a mermaid skirt with a gradient of ostrich feathers, a spring 1999 couture piece estimated to be worth between 25,000 and 35,000€, according to Kerry Taylor, a seasoned expert with whom Ayoub collaborated last year for the sale of her haute couture Chanel pieces.

The owner of these exquisite pieces is a real estate mogul and one of the most passionate haute couture collectors, well-versed in fashion. Among her favorite outfits is a soutache-embroidered pantsuit from Gaultier’s Punk Cancan spring 2011 collection, which required over 200 hours of handwork. Her wardrobe also features couture ensembles bearing Gaultier’s iconic stripes, cabaret-themed pieces, corsetry, and gender-defying garments that blur the lines between masculine and feminine. She even dared to wear the evening denim dress named L'Écume des jours, inspired by Boris Vian’s 1947 surrealist novel. “However, I was horrified when I lost a feather and immediately took it off,” she told Women’s Wear Daily. “It’s a museum piece, after all, and deserves to be treated as such.”

This is why she has decided to part with the works of art that beautifully fill her wardrobe. While these pieces were worn only once and preserved like relics before being auctioned, the socialite says she has “many young friends who never had the chance to order from JPG during his active years. This is a great way to introduce others to the best of JPG couture.” A wonderful opportunity to let others experience the avant-garde craftsmanship and artistry of Jean-Paul Gaultier, now retired after 50 years of service to the fashion industry. For those interested in possibly adding these exceptional pieces to their collections or merely seeing these small pieces of fashion history up close, Ayoub’s Gaultier pieces will be exhibited from November 23rd to 24th at 84 Rue de Turenne.