Auction Houses That Sell Vintage Costume and Textiles

A specialist auction house is the right place to sell when your piece is rare enough that collectors, dealers and museums will compete for it: 18th and 19th century garments, fine early 20th century evening wear, couture, and anything with a documented link to a famous wearer. For most mid-century and later clothing, online platforms will net you more for less effort. The auction houses most active in costume are Augusta Auctions in the US and Kerry Taylor Auctions in the UK, with Christie's, Sotheby's and Doyle selling designer handbags and fashion at the top end.

Quick answer

• Consider auction for pre-1920 costume, couture, important designer pieces, celebrity provenance, or a large historic collection.
• Augusta Auctions (Vermont) specialises in historic clothing and textiles and usually wants consignments of 15 or more lots, though it reviews important single pieces.
• Kerry Taylor Auctions (London) specialises in fashion and textiles and holds about six sales a year.
• Christie's and Sotheby's run handbags and fashion sales; Doyle (New York) holds regular jewelry and luxury handbag sales.
• Ask every house for its full seller terms in writing: commission, photography, insurance, unsold-lot fees and payment timing.

When auction is the right choice

If you are unsure what you have, start by dating and checking the piece: reproduction vs antique and designer label fakes are the two checks that matter most before approaching an auction house.

Augusta Auctions (Vermont, USA)

Augusta Auction Company describes itself as North America's premier auction house for historic costume, vintage fashion, accessories and rare textiles. The company was set up in 2000 by the late Karen Augusta, a dealer and appraiser who spent thirteen seasons as the lead fashion and textile appraiser on PBS's Antiques Roadshow. It holds catalogue sales through the year (its autumn 2026 schedule included a September catalogue sale and an online "Dust & Glitter" sale opening in October) and runs a bidding app.

Who consigns: most of its collections come from museums and other institutions selling deaccessioned pieces, with proceeds going back to their collections. It also accepts important pieces from estates and private consignors, reviewed case by case.

What it wants (from its own consignment page):

• 19th and early 20th century women's evening and cocktail clothes
• Designer and couture pieces
• Work and sport clothing (swimsuits, riding, motoring)
• Silk and lacy lingerie
• Printed cotton and linen clothing
• 18th and 19th century corsets and foundation garments
• Men's 18th century garments and 19th century to 1940s men's day or work clothing
• 18th and 19th century military
• Chinese robes, ethnic clothing and textiles
• Large handmade lace pieces
• Fine, ethnic and designer costume jewelry

What it generally does not want: 19th and 20th century cuffs and collars, white petticoats, Victorian black dresses, wedding gowns from the Second World War onward, mink, beaver or squirrel coats, men's formal wear, women's wool suits from 1950 on, synthetic lingerie, coats and day dresses unless by a major designer, white infant and children's clothing, hats and gloves from 1950 on unless designer or unique, and machine-made lace and textiles.

How to approach: email an inventory listing each item, its era, its condition problems and any family history, with simple phone snapshots including labels. Augusta generally looks for consignments of 15 or more lots and will not take a group suitable only for its annual Discovery sales unless it accompanies stronger pieces.

Useful for everyone: Augusta keeps its past sale archive free and searchable online. It is one of the best free records of what historic clothing has actually sold for, and worth checking before you price anything early (pricing your vintage).

Kerry Taylor Auctions (London, UK)

Kerry Taylor Auctions was founded in 2003 by Kerry Taylor, who previously spent about 20 years at Sotheby's developing its collectibles department. The house specialises in fashion and textiles, is based in Bermondsey, south London, and holds around six sales a year, including its "Passion for Fashion" auctions of rare costume and fine clothing.

It is known for high-profile provenance sales: pieces worn by Princess Diana, Audrey Hepburn, Ava Gardner, Amy Winehouse and others, and the Annabelle Neilson collection of Alexander McQueen. In December 2019 it sold Princess Diana's so-called "Travolta" dress for a hammer price of £220,000 to Historic Royal Palaces.

Best for: couture, important designer pieces, British and European historic dress, and celebrity provenance. Contact the house directly with photos for a view on whether your piece suits a sale.

Christie's and Sotheby's

The two largest international auction houses sell fashion mainly through handbags and accessories departments.

• Christie's holds online and live handbags and accessories auctions in Hong Kong, London, New York and Paris, featuring names such as Chanel, Gucci, Hermès and Louis Vuitton, and offers free, confidential valuations of single pieces or collections.
• Sotheby's runs a Handbags and Fashion department; its Paris Handbags and Accessories sale ran from 25 September to 9 October 2026.

These houses suit exceptional designer bags and accessories and, occasionally, whole collections with major names or provenance. Ordinary vintage clothing, however old, is not their market.

Doyle (New York)

Doyle holds regular Fine Jewelry and Luxury Handbags sales (it ran several in 2026, including June and August sales). For designer handbags and accessories with clear brand value, it is an alternative to the two biggest houses.

How consigning works

The process is broadly similar everywhere:

1. Enquiry. Send photos (full views and labels), measurements, condition notes and any provenance. Snapshots are usually enough at this stage.
2. Assessment and estimate. The specialist decides whether the piece suits a sale and gives an estimate range.
3. Agreement. You sign a consignment contract setting the seller's commission, any reserve, and any charges for photography, insurance, cataloguing or unsold lots.
4. Shipping or collection. Pack the piece as you would for storage, with acid-free tissue in the folds and a cotton or polyethylene cover; see how to store vintage clothing.
5. Sale. Lots are catalogued and photographed, often months after consignment.
6. Settlement. Payment follows after the buyer pays, typically some weeks after the sale.

Questions to ask before you sign:

• What is the seller's commission, and is it negotiable for a strong collection?
• Are there charges for photography, insurance, cataloguing or illustration?
• What happens and what does it cost if a lot does not sell?
• Can I set a reserve, and how is it agreed?
• When will the piece be sold, and when will I be paid?
• Who is insuring the piece while the house holds it?

Buyers at auction also pay a buyer's premium on top of the hammer price. That does not come out of your proceeds, but it does affect what bidders are willing to bid.

Not sure what you have? Appraise a photo

Prepare the piece, but do not "restore" it

Do not wash, mend, re-bead or alter a garment before consigning it. Auction specialists and their buyers prefer original condition, and well-meant cleaning or repair can lower the value or destroy evidence of age. The reasons are covered in repair or leave it and cleaning vintage clothing. Do gather any provenance: photos of the original owner wearing the piece, receipts, letters, original boxes and labels.

Auction vs online: a quick comparison

Sources

• Augusta Auction Company — Home
• Augusta Auction Company — How to Consign
• Augusta Auction Company — About Us
• Wikipedia — Kerry Taylor (businesswoman)
• Christie's — Handbags and Accessories
• Sotheby's — Handbags, Accessories and Fashion Auctions
• Doyle — Auctions