More Than 250 Karl Lagerfeld Chanel Haute Couture Designs are Going up for Auction

For many, to own one Chanel Haute Couture piece is a dream come true. So imagine what it would be like to own 2,500. This is the reality of French businessman Mouna Ayoub, who has amassed a massive Haute Couture collection over the years — designs that can now be embraced in your own closet.

Ayoub announced that she is putting 252 pieces from her Karl Lagerfeld Chanel Haute Couture collection up for auction. Per an interview with WWD, Ayoub explained the reason for this is that these pieces no longer "fit" her.

"[I'm doing this] for two reasons really: Number one, they don’t fit me anymore. Number two, I really want to give the young generation that didn’t know Karl and didn’t have the chance to own any haute couture pieces by Karl to own them and wear them and love them like I did — especially since most of them have never been worn," she said.

Ayoub is the former wife of billionaire advisor Nasser Al-Rashid, and during their marriage (that ended in 1997), she was not allowed to wear garments that revealed her limbs or her décolleté — resulting in many of these soon-to-be auctioned pieces having never been worn.

“It was very difficult to decide which pieces I was going to part ways with, especially since I really love them all,” she told WWD. “But in order to have a successful sale, I had to choose the best pieces.”

Pieces in the collection include evening coats, gold-laced dresses, suits, shoes, jewelry, and even a wig — the latter of which is an ankle-length ponytail Shalom Harlow formerly wore on Chanel's runway. Ayoub’s Chanel Haute Couture designs will be up for free public viewing in Paris on November 19 and 20. 

Even though she's bidding adieu to over 250 couture designs, Ayoub will still possess around 2,500 pieces and counting with more orders — from Chanel, Schiaparelli, Fendi, and Dior — on the way.

“I'm very particular about it and a little bit crazy, but no one understands that," she said. "If I were given the opportunity to buy a piece of jewelry for 200,000 Euros and a dress for the same price, I would always choose the dress. Because I love promoting the high fashion industry. Although I am not very fond of fast fashion, I am actually against it.”