Fashion fans will be scrambling to own a piece of history when Coco Chanel’s personal wardrobe from her Highland estate goes up for auction.
The designer behind the luxury brand Chanel who pioneered women’s fashion with the invention of the little black dress resided at Rosehall House near Lairg for much of the late 1920s.
She was the mistress of Hugh Grosvenor, the second Duke of Westminster, to whom the 20-bedroom mansion belonged to.
While there, she gave the place a makeover in her own vision with classic pieces of furniture and handblocked wallpapers, which are still present in the decaying building.
The 700-acre estate was where the duke and Ms Chanel entertained a host of celebrities and statesmen including Winston Churchill.
Since the 1960s the estate has been left to the elements with ivy creeping around the building’s façade and many of the ground floor windows boarded up.
Inside are some of the pieces of furniture used by Ms Chanel which have survived including a large wardrobe from Whytock & Reid based in Edinburgh.
The wardrobe – with its ornate style and intricately carved reliefs – is believed to be designed by Scottish furniture designer Sir Robert Lorimer.
It was also built in the same year that Coco Chanel invented her little black dress in 1926 and has a guide price of between £10,000 and £12,000.
It goes under the hammer at the first of eight auctions held by Cheeky Highlander, at Eden Court on Saturday, December 10.
Cheeky Highlander currently has two antique shops in Inverness and Dornoch after starting out as a lockdown project.
Coco Chanel’s wardrobe is likely to be the star attraction of the auction but other items up for sale include a 17th Century Bible Box from Ravencraig Tower in Plockton.
Several watercolours by Scottish landscape artist William Douglas Macleod featuring Stonehaven, Loch Ness and the Gleneig Ferry are also included.
Items can also be bid on through the saleroom website here.
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