Remembering Coco Chanel - 50 years on since the death of the revolutionary woman of fashion. Here we reflect on her legacy and one of her most iconic designs in the fashion industry.

50 years on since the death of Gabrielle ‘Coco’ Chanel (10 January 1971), a revolutionary of women’s fashion whose love of sport influenced her designs with materials and cuts that enhanced the female form, celebrated femininity and exuded both class and style. A fashion icon whose legacy lives on through the decades with her clothing lines worn by the social elite and copied for the high street. Her designs exude a quality and class that others only aspire to replicate.

Chanel 2.55 handbag
Sold - £1,550
Designed in February 1955, the Chanel 2.55 handbag remains one of the most iconic and treasured handbags of the 20th Century, a bag of style and sophistication and one that commands exceptional prices in the auction market. It continues to be on the ‘wish list’ for many handbag lovers.
Click here for more information on our Designer Handbags and Luxury Items.
The term ‘Company School’ refers to a genre of painting that emerged in India in the late 18th and 19th centuries, flourishing under the patronage of British East India Company officials, their families, and other European residents in India. Sworders Asian & Islamic Art department is pleased to present a curated selection of these wonderfully insightful works in their next auction on Friday 15 May.
20 April 2026
A fascinating group of 42 lots from the Sir Thomas Longmore library feature in our Books, Manuscripts and Maps auction, offering a rare insight into Victorian military medicine and reform. Highlights include two letters by Florence Nightingale, alongside annotated books and personal volumes from Longmore’s own collection.
16 April 2026
A remarkable group of books from the library of Professor C.J.F. Dowsett will feature in our April Books, Manuscripts and Maps sale. The collection reflects a lifetime of scholarship in Armenian, Iranian and Near Eastern studies.
16 April 2026