Almost 180 Paco Rabanne creations go under the hammer May 31

The visionary fashion designer Paco Rabanne stood out over the decades with his creative freedom and fashions that were in turns transgressive and avant-garde. Now, the French auction house Millon is paying homage to the designer with a sale of outfits and accessories, May 31 at 3pm (CEST), streaming on Drouot Live. 

From sculptural dresses, sometimes flirting with the world of art, to some now-legendary gowns, no fewer than 156 outfits -- as well as around 20 accessories, including headdresses, bags and shoes -- will go under the hammer in the May 31 auction, in collaboration with the expert Pénélope Blanckaert. Dating from 1977 to 1994, all the creations were collected by Jorge Zulueta and Jacobo Romano, founders of the theater and opera company Grupo Accion Instrumental.

This sale, which bears witness to the avant-garde nature of Paco Rabanne's designs, features a selection of pieces initially designed for the runway before being purchased as stage costumes. Encompassing retro and futuristic styles, the selection going under the hammer also shows that recycling is by no means a 21st century phenomenon. In the last century, the great designer was already making use of materials from all kinds of fields and upcycling them into spectacular couture creations.

Highlights include a chainmail dress with a curtain of plastic beads from the spring/summer 1978 collection (estimate: €800-€1,200 or approx. $975-$1,460); a winged bustier in molded cardboard covered with white rhodoid sequins from the spring/summer 1982 collection (€180-€280 or approx.$220-$342); a coat and hood set in black synthetic fur and fluorescent pink leather triangles riveted on circles from the fall/winter 1983-1984 collection (€600-€900 or approx. $730-$1,100); and a dress in black rhodoid lozenges, ostrich feathers, rhinestone cabochons and tubular rubber motifs from the fall/winter 1992-1993 collection (€1,200-€2,200 or approx. $1,460-$2,680).

Items in the sale will go on public display May 28 and 29 at Millon Paris before being auctioned, May 31 at 3pm, in a live closed-door auction streamed via Drouot Live.