Our friend, the unstoppable Antiques Diva, Toma Clark Haines has been talking to another of our friends, the uber stylish man about town Mark Hill, about his next Design at Home sale taking place 2 June 2018 at Dawson's Auctions in Maidenhead, Berkshire, because a particular lot caught the Venice based fashionista's eye!

A unique Christian Dior scarf with a most interesting connection to recent C20th history is for sale, having been gifted by Dior himself to the then concert pianist Marion Stein, Countess of Harewood, later to become Mrs Jeremy Thorpe!

A unique mid-1950s Christian Dior cream silk scarf,

screenprinted in black, brown, orange, blue, and yellow with a designinspired by Prehistoric cave paintings, and the wording:

“ce carré de soie a été réalisé pour Christian Dior d’après les peintures des Grottes de la Dordogne et spécialement imprimé pour Madame le Comtesse de Harewood.”

Read on ....

Unique Christian Dior Scarf Up For Auction Saturday

Posted on May 30, 2018 at 12:19 pm by Toma Clark Haines / Diva Lifestyle, Vintage Fashion Tours

I don’t often share items for sale on The Antiques Diva blog, but this scarf by Christian Dior is so special I knew you would want to know – and maybe bid on it! My dear friend Mark Hill alerted me to this Saturday’s online auction at Dawson’s featuring this unique silk scarf.

I love incorporating vintage clothing into my wardrobe – it’s wearable art! While I often drape a boldly colored scarf around my neck or bag to add a punch of color, I also decorate with silk scarves! In my own home, I tied brightly colored Hermes scarves around pillows on my white leather couch. I’ve been shopping for a special vintage scarf to frame and hang in my boudoir – one I can easily take down and wear when the mood strikes! #DivaTip: Hermes scarf display kit attaches your precious scarf using magnets, so the material is never damaged!

Mark Hill told me the silk Christian Dior silk scarf:

It was a personal gift c1955 from Christian Dior himself to concert pianist Marion Stein when she was the Countess of Harewood – it seems he gave such scarves to his favoured clients at the time, with each one personalised with the name of the recipient. Stein’s husband, the Earl of Harewood, was 6th in line to the British throne at the time, so he had to ask permission to marry her! They drifted apart when the Earl fell in love with another woman and, after her divorce, she married Jeremy Thorpe, the leader of the Liberal party. Yes – this is the same Jeremy Thorpe who is currently being played by Hugh Grant in the BBC’s ‘A Very English Scandal.’

The only other examples of this scarf (given to and named for other clients of Dior’s) that I can find are in the Henry Ford Museum and the Musee de la Mode in Paris.

Dawson’s describes the scarf:

A unique mid-1950s Christian Dior cream silk scarf, screenprinted in black, brown, orange, blue, and yellow with a design inspired by Prehistoric cave paintings, and the wording “ce carré de soie a été réalisé pour Christian Dior d’après les peintures des Grottes de la Dordogne et spécialement imprimé pour Madame le Comtesse de Harewood.” (This square of silk was made for Christian Dior after the paintings of the caves of the Dordogne eand specially printed for Madame the Countess of Harewood), also screenprinted ‘Charin – Paris’, 83cm by 86cm.

As it is unlikely that the descendents of the other recipients will sell such a piece, this is a rare opportunity to own a very personal gift from Christian Dior, who was at the height of his career, to a lady with a fascinating life.

BOOK AN ANTIQUES DIVA Vintage Fashion Buying Tour

Dawson’s Auctioneers, Maidenhead, Berkshire

Lot 322: A UNIQUE MID-1950S CHRISTIAN DIOR CREAM SILK SCARF, SCREENPRINTED IN BLACK

Saturday, June 2 2018

11:00am BST

Happy Shopping!

Toma – The Antiques Diva