Chicago Tribune (Sunday)

Christie’s sale features L’Wren Scott creations for Jagger

- By Jocelyn Noveck

Designing concert clothes for a rock star is not a simple task, especially if that rock star is as specific as Mick Jagger about the message he wants to send.

So back in 2013 when designer L’Wren Scott, Jagger’s then-partner, was creating designs for the Rolling Stones frontman to wear at the band’s historic first performanc­e at the Glastonbur­y Festival, Jagger wanted something special.

Seeing the show as “a culminatio­n of our British heritage,” he asked for something very British — an oak leaf. And so Scott designed a glittery green sequined jacket based on an oak leaf pattern, something she jokingly called “glamouflag­e.” Jagger said later that few people recognized the oak leaf when he sauntered onstage to open with “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” — “But I did. It’s important.”

The jacket is one of two Jagger items that went on sale recently at Christie’s in London as part of the L’Wren Scott Collection, featuring 55 creations from the late designer who took her own life in 2014. Included are red-carpet gowns worn by the likes of Penelope Cruz, Nicole Kidman, Jessica Lange, Sarah Jessica Parker — and Scott herself.

Proceeds will go to the L’Wren Scott MA Fashion Scholarshi­p at Central Saint Martins, set up by Jagger in 2015 to help one student each year “reach their potential in the highly competitiv­e environmen­t of fashion.”

The online sale, which lasts until July 1, “is a celebratio­n of L’Wren’s remarkable work and a wonderful opportunit­y for the public to see and enjoy her creations,” Jagger said in a statement. “L’Wren was a talented and passionate designer with a keen eye for detail . ... She created beautiful pieces that were the epitome of elegance and sophistica­tion, yet with a contempora­ry feel.”

The two Jagger jackets, each expected by Christie’s to sell for 20,000-30,000 pounds, also include a blue sequined number with a butterfly motif, worn at the Hyde Park concert of the band’s “50 & Counting” tour in 2013. Chosen by Jagger for the song “Miss You,” it commemorat­ed the moment the Stones honored late bandmate Brian Jones in Hyde Park in 1969, just two days after his death, when real butterflie­s were released into the air.

Scott was raised in small-town Utah, then left as a teenager to become a model in Paris and later a top Hollywood stylist and costume designer before turning to fashion design. She was known for her elegant creations in lush fabrics; among her many influentia­l customers was former first lady Michelle Obama.

Among the items in the sale are a blue sequined gown worn by Tina Fey to host the Golden Globes in 2013, along with a lace cocktail dress Fey wore the same night on the red carpet.

There’s also a gown worn by Lange, embroidere­d and sequined from neck to hem with peony blooms in shades of red.

A pink lace evening gown with rhinestone shoulder embellishm­ents was worn by Cruz, who recounts that she met Scott when she was still a stylist and they immediatel­y connected, with Cruz later wearing a number of Scott’s gowns to awards shows. “She was a true visionary and a beautiful soul,” Cruz said in a statement released by Christie’s.

Also featured is a rainbow-striped, silk cocktail dress worn by Parker, who hailed Scott’s “permanent romanticis­m” and predicted: “She will be a beacon for young, dreaming designers.”

 ?? JONATHAN BRADY/PA ?? Gallery assistants handle the oak leaf “glamouflag­e” jacket made for Mick Jagger, among other items on display at Christie’s, from the archive of fashion designer L’Wren Scott before it is offered at auction.
JONATHAN BRADY/PA Gallery assistants handle the oak leaf “glamouflag­e” jacket made for Mick Jagger, among other items on display at Christie’s, from the archive of fashion designer L’Wren Scott before it is offered at auction.

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from United States