JEAN PATON DESIGNER SKETCH LARGE FRAMED SIGNED

I found this piece along with 15 other paintings & posters at the estate sale of a elderly cat person who had passed away - & the new owner was selling the contents
I found Jean Paton designed ties & dress designs - even info that she was a adoption champion, but nothing like this!
I believe it may be hand painted/colored because you can see where the gold on the dress has smeared in some spots.
It measures 21" x 25" and is signed (initialed) in bottom right corner - I first thought it was a different person's intials until I realized she'd initialed it backwards: PJ instead of JP!
Id this something special or just a poster that was sold commercially? Did she design clothes f-r any big dept. stores or just for dress sewing kits (all I saw)?
I appreciate any help.

 

Well, even better than Jean Patou (who was long dead in Winter 1987 and who was, by way, a man) the initials are those of the house's then designer Christian Lacroix.

http://www.nytimes.com/1987/02/03/style/lacroix-new-couture-star-leaves-house-of-patou.html

Debora

 

It's not Jean Patou? Edit: See Debora was already on it.

 

the siggy at the bottom could be a designer who worked for the fashion house...

 

The model is to wear mink gloves, hair in 'black knots' pendant earrings. The edge of the bodice decorated with little tubules of leather.

 

I'm confused (surprise!) - if Jean Patou was dead in 1987 why is his name at top? Was the dress a bow/salute to Patou from Christian Lacroix?
Is this a real Lacroix sketch & not a poster?

 

Fashion house names can survive the death of the founder.

 

It certainly does appear to be a real illustration. And the kind of thing that should be sold at a specialist (fashion) auction.

Debora

 

I think the name on the dress translates to "gold digger". It's technically "female seeker of gold" but ... yeahwell.

 

Yet more proof that a French Jean is very much a he, didn't we come across that before on the forum?
In French (and Dutch) Jean is a man's name, a woman would be called Jeanne.
Jean Patou:


This could be the final version of the dress, from the Patou fall 86/winter 87 collection:



The model, Anh Duong, found her own way of being a 'chercheuse d'or', she became an actress and a painter:

 

I said she because I thought it was Jean Paton - who was a designer & adoption champion.
Thank you all - thanks Debora!

 

That dress does match, as does the year - great find Any Jewelry!
I'm not sure if you can tell me what this may be worth & I can't find another to compare using 'Christian Lacroix sketch signed' - can you tell me if it's worth going to a fashion auction house as debra suggests or just putting it on eBay where the payment is quicker! (I've learned as a picker that it's either "feast or famine" - you have money or your broke, and with the unusual things I lean to they don't sell as quickly sometimes and... well, I'm usually famine instead of feast!

 

I've been looking, a lot of Christian Lacroix designs, but can't find anything about value or price. You could ask for an auctioneer for a valuation, and then decide what to do.
If you make a listing, be sure to add the name Patou, that will attract both Patou and Lacroix collectors.

 

Is that what the notes say in french?

 

Yep.

 

Wrong fabric. This is what note specifies.

 

So that's not the dress?
Where doe it mention the material?
Thanks Bronwen

 

The arrow on right at bottom details the fabric. It translates to "gold matelassé lamé."

Debora

 

The dress above certainly bears a lot of resemblance to the drawing, but bodice looks like leopard skin pattern. This is not the dress, but it is the sort of texture:

 

It is a sketch. After that you get the process of turning the sketch into a proper design, and the design into the first attempts of making the dress. During that process a lot is altered, which is why I said the dress I found could be the final version of the dress.