The Vault: Collection 002

An overlooked sterling silver Cartier minaudière, Matthew Williamson silk gowns, an undervalued Hermès icon, Chanel Comics, and more.

I spotted a sterling silver Gucci clutch with a tassel that was up for auction. Unfortunately, I came across it too late and missed my chance. Later, I stumbled upon photos of Nan Kempner carrying something remarkably similar to my original Gucci inspiration, and I was completely hooked.

So this edition of The Vault was inspired by a moment when luxury houses treated evening bags as heirlooms. Precious metal, engineering, and design all distilled into one tiny object. I found a Cartier sterling silver minaudière that I think is a remarkable value today. It’s the kind of piece that makes you wonder how the market hasn’t caught up yet.

Gown shopping, on the other hand, is a hopeless hell. After scrolling through what felt like an endless parade of $2,000 dresses made primarily from synthetic fabrics, I started wondering what that same budget bought twenty years ago. Unsurprisingly, it bought a lot more luxurious draped silk. That led me back to Matthew Williamson. His early collections are filled with extraordinary prints, intricate embellishment, and evening pieces that would be enormously expensive to reproduce today. Yet many of them can still be found for under $400.

The rest of this month’s collection follows the same thread. An exceptional Chanel piece from 2001 that feels surprisingly overlooked. A wonderfully iconic Hermès bag that many collectors consider undervalued. And, as always, a handful of discoveries I stumbled upon while looking for something entirely different.

They’re all yours for the taking below.