Betsy Bloomingdale private collection going to auction

NEW YORK – Personal belongings of the late fashion icon, socialite and philanthropist Betsy Bloomingdale will be auctioned in New York later this year and next year.

Bloomingdale, who was married to the late Alfred S. Bloomingdale — heir to the New York department store fortune — died in July. She was 93.

Christie’s announced Thursday that her jewelry, including Harry Winston pieces, will be offered on Dec. 7 as part of its Magnificent Jewels sale.

Furnishings and other contents of her Hollywood Regency villa will be auctioned at a later date in Spring 2017. They will include interior designs by William Haines.

Some couture and other clothing also will be offered. Bloomingdale donated a large selection of her designer wardrobe to the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising in Los Angeles that was exhibited in 2009.

Bloomingdale patronized the hottest of haute couture designers in Europe and regularly made best-dressed lists. She was quoted on style by fashion magazines and designed loungewear for the Swirl brand in the 1980s.

Bloomingdale was a close friend of Ronald and Nancy Reagan and was renowned for hosting parties, many for charity, at her family’s Los Angeles mansion.

The two auctions, comprised of 300 lots, will also feature works of arts, Chinese and European porcelain and other objects.