Our fashion dreams of shopping in a celebrity’s closet have finally come true. This past Sunday, quintessential 90s “it” girl Chloë Sevigny cleared out her closet, inviting anyone and everyone to sift through her one-of-a-kind wardrobe for a closet sale – and the outcome was mind blowing.
The actress and fashion icon partnered with The RealReal for a curated sale that she deemed to be the “The Sale of The Century.” Fashion enthusiasts came to pluck away at her wardrobe, finding everything from “everyday staples, Victorian to indie sleaze, designer & tons of denim. Something for everyone.” Held at the St. Peter’s Youth center in downtown Manhattan, the proceeds from the closet sale will benefit the Hetrick-Martin Institute, a New York non-profit LGBTQIA+ youth foundation.
The event was a part of Vogue writer Liana Satenstein’s Instagram series #NeverWorns, where Satenstein interviews style icons about their personal attire, and encourages them to clean out pieces they’ve never worn. There are many notable fashion figures that have participated in the series, like fashion editors Sally Singer and Lynn Yaeger. However, Sevigny’s supreme style was the main attraction – and fans did not disappoint when it was time to support.
The line to enter the pop-up shop was as long as the waitlist for Taylor Swift tickets – it wrapped around several blocks. Fashionistas came from far and wide to wait in line for hours in the hopes of catching a glimpse of Sevigny’s wardrobe, and the videos of those waiting in line are astounding. On Twitter, user@StormDorm411 uploaded a 17-second, sped up video of those waiting in line. Just when you think it’s going to end, it doesn’t.
y’all have fun pic.twitter.com/I75WgneTXD
— ghetto drab art fag? (@StormDorm411) May 14, 2023
Fans could buy anything they found during the sale, and many took to social media to revel in their purchases. From Prada handbags to Gucci toothpaste, it was a fashionista’s wonderland. TikTok user Mandy Lee (@oldloserinbrooklyn) posted a daily vlog of her going to the event, as well as a try-on of the pieces she found. While describing the sale as a “madhouse” for the insane wait, she mentions that “it was really organized, the staff was great, really helpful, the prices were amazing, and the inventory was…I have no words.”
@oldloserinbrooklyn Come with me to Chloe Sevigny’s closet sale in NYC. Got some forever pieces i will treasure ❤️ #nyc #chloesevigny #closetsale #samplesale #saleofthecentury ♬ original sound – Mandy Lee
I won the Chloe Sevigny storage sale pic.twitter.com/xdH6ANQxTo
— asherah (@e_asherah) May 14, 2023
yeah i bought the gucci toothpaste at the Chloe Sevigny sale… pic.twitter.com/DSaHadV3OF
— Charlotte Rose Benjamin (@charlobenji) May 14, 2023
Nevertheless, it was well worth the wait. Not only were exciting pieces purchased, but friendships were also formed while the sun’s heat blazed down on those New York City streets. Everyone was committed to entering the “Sale of the Century,” and Satenstein posted photos she took of those waiting in line on her Instagram, in all their fashionable, unique glory.
my new best friends and i leaving the Chloe Sevigny closet sale after learning each others names at 9am pic.twitter.com/6ug7fIM7WQ
— Fallon? (@ifallonthebunny) May 14, 2023
Sevigny’s closet sale was a haute couture paradise; the support Sevigny received as a quintessential fashion symbol was extraordinary. We’re thrilled to see these high-end, barely worn pieces make their way to a new home, to be styled and worn by hundreds of unique souls.
Top photo: by Guy Aroch, from the BUST archives (June/July 2007)