CHICAGO, Ill. – On May 18, Leslie Hindman Auctioneers will host a vintage couture and accessories auction featuring the clothing and accessories of billionaire real estate magnate Leona Helmsley.

The extensive collection of fashions and accessories from the Helmsley estate includes her finest suits, handmade gowns, furs and accessories and is highlighted by the suit she was photographed wearing to her first day at prison in a classic late 1980s Chanel suit in pink wool and denim.

Well-known as the infamous “Queen of Mean,” Leona Helmsley’s determination and marked perfectionism assisted her and her husband, New York real estate investor and developer Harry Helmsley, in amassing a fortune worth billions. Personifying the quintessential 1980s decadent lifestyles of the rich and famous, Helmsley made national news when her questionable business practices led to her indictment at the end of the decade.

Helmsley’s penchant for extravagance is reflected in her wardrobe being offered by Leslie Hindman Auctioneers. Her taste for the finest garments is reiterated in the dozens of custom designed, handmade evening gowns created for Helmsley by her personal seamstress. These one-of-a-kind garments, which feature impeccable construction, the finest fabrics, and extraordinary details and finishing required a full-time dressmaker, custom-made dress forms, and a workspace that occupied the third floor of one wing of Helmsley’s lavish Greenwich, Conn., estate, now being offered for sale at $125 million. Other notable items include gowns by Bob Mackie, ten fur coats, and hundreds of pairs of Ferragamo heels.

For more information, call 312-280-1212, or go online to www.lesliehindman.com

Posted: 03|24|08 at 3:50 pm. Filed under: Press Release.