Last week, on January 23rd, Christie’s held an auction of Elsa Schiaparelli’s personal possessions at its Paris location. You can read a bit about the auction and see some images here, at the Christie’s website. If you’re anything of a Schiaparelli fan, you’ll enjoy the pictures and you’ll probably wish you could have seen the objects in person (and maybe purchased a little something!).

Let’s go fantasy-shopping! Here are just a few of my favorite listings in the auction catalogue…

Like most perfume-obsessives, I admire Schiaparelli’s original Shocking perfume. The auction included a set of talcum-powder canisters from the Shocking collection. I wonder whether the scent of the powder still clings to them. I bet it does. In any case, the packaging design is still fun and fresh.

How about some antique furniture from the Schiaparelli household? This meridienne-en-confidant would be perfect for lounging and sharing secrets with a dear friend. Imagine the conversations it has heard over the years!

Of, for a touch of the exotic, here’s a pair of Italian carved-marble leopards. Schiaparelli displayed them in her salon. Each one is nearly two feet long, so they would add a dramatic (and stylish) touch to any room.

Although this wasn’t specifically a costume auction, there was a small assortment of garments from the designer’s personal collection. I love the idea of an evening gown with a matching jacket, especially in Schiaparelli’s signature hot pink. I wish I could see the jacket’s ornamentation more closely. This ensemble is dated circa 1950.

Schiaparelli seems to have loved her fur accessories; the auction included hats, gloves, and scarves from a variety of designers. If she were here in New York this winter, she’d be amply prepared for the record-low temperatures.

More treats for my fellow lovers of vintage perfumes: the auction featured several original drawings and watercolors for Schiaparelli perfume ads. This is one of Marcel Vertès’s concepts for Sleeping.

And another original Vertès, this one for Eau de Santé. (All Schiaparelli’s perfumes began with, or incorporated, the letter “S.”)

The best for last: two bottles for Zut perfume, “a partly gilt glass perfume flaçon by Schiaparelli, 1948 and its 1998 re-edition.” So naughty, so chic. I also like the  tortoiseshell haircombs and the mirrored makeup case illustrated on this page.

Well, that was fun, wasn’t it?

Images: top image, portrait of Schiaparelli by Horst, 1937, via Christie’s website; auction catalogue photos by Tinsel Creation.