A n item comes imbued with so much more meaning than the sum of its material parts. Any object of significance is a collection of histories – from its physical passage through time, to the conditions of its making, to the circumstances, backstory and creative inclinations of the person who made it. This fall, Sotheby’s and Luxury Group by Marriott International – the hotel company’s luxury division consisting of The Ritz-Carlton, Ritz-Carlton Reserve, Bvlgari Hotels & Resorts, St. Regis Hotels & Resorts, EDITION, The Luxury Collection, JW Marriott and W Hotels – are launching a global partnership that pairs iconic pieces with extraordinary experiences, providing collectors with unparalleled access to the multifaceted history of luxury objects through thoughtfully curated, immersive experiences.

Sotheby’s Sealed

Alexander McQueen Discovery: Presented By EDITION

Kicking off the occasion is the upcoming sale of a beaded evening gown by Alexander McQueen, offered in tandem with “Alexander McQueen Discovery” now on Sotheby’s Sealed. The one-of-a-kind two-night experience at the London EDITION hotel transports guests to where a teenaged McQueen first learned the art of tailoring.

“The London EDITION is deeply rooted in Fitzrovia, where McQueen himself lived and drew inspiration,” says George Fleck, Senior Vice President and Global Brand Leader, EDITION. “We feel a profound connection to his revolutionary spirit and artistic vision. This collaboration not only honors McQueen’s indelible mark on fashion but also reinforces the EDITION brand’s commitment to fostering creativity and serving as a hub for the fashion industry.”

The McQueen dress on offer at Sotheby’s comes from the late British designer’s Fall 2007 collection, dubbed “In Memory of Elizabeth Howe, Salem, 1692,” which looked to the Salem witch trials and paid homage to McQueen’s maternal ancestor Elizabeth Howe, who was hanged for witchcraft in 1692. (In truth, Howe had taken charge of her family’s farm after her husband had gone blind; her land and relative independence made her a target for accusations of witchcraft when their sickly daughter blamed her fits on Howe.)

“This collection draws upon three major themes of McQueen’s work: dark drama, the defiant, persecuted female and his family history,” says Lucy Bishop, a specialist in Sotheby’s Fashion Department. The McQueen dress, up for auction in Fashion Icons from 27 November-16 December, debuted on the Paris runway flanked by pagan imagery, the set design centered on a red pentagram below a hanging inverted pyramid. The piece itself, originally paired with a 12-pointed star-as-headdress, features a diagonal sweep of silver beads bending from the left shoulder to the right hip, as if the gown were illuminated by a beam of moonlight.

“This collection, dedicated to Howe, showed designs which drew upon these themes and reflected a somber and gothic tone. This gown was one of the stand-out looks from this powerful collection: the sharp shoulders and glistening star-burst of bugle beads in stark contrast with the fluidity of the velvet,” adds Bishop.

Also on offer in the Fashion Icons auction is a menswear trench from McQueen’s Fall 1998 runway in London. The lauded collection, called “Joan,” was similarly inspired by an infamous historical episode of religious persecution, this time drawing on the legend of Joan of Arc. The space, a former bus depot on Gatliff Road, took on a haunted air as models overtook the catwalk, red eyes and white hair glaring in the dim lighting. As the grande finale, model Erin O’Connor, playing the part of the martyr, was engulfed in a circle of fire. The coat, Bishop describes, encapsulates “a rare and exemplary instance of McQueen’s work and demonstrates his expert tailoring skills gained during his infant years as a pattern-cutter on London’s Savile Row.”

The biography of the revered fashion designer is intimately connected with London, his birthplace. Likewise, the curated roster of bespoke experiences catered by Sotheby’s and Marriott, offered at auction on Sotheby’s Sealed, brings McQueen’s formative years and creative peak to life in intimate detail.

The youngest of six children born to a cab driver and a social-science teacher, McQueen grew up knowing he wanted to work with clothes. At 16, McQueen dropped out of school to apprentice on Savile Row, the historic street known for men’s bespoke tailoring. He worked first at Anderson & Sheppard before moving on to Gieves & Hawkes followed by a stint at Angels & Bermans, said to be the longest-established costumiers in the world. Known for providing costumes to London’s theater and film industries, the latter would no doubt inform McQueen’s pronounced flair for theatrics. Beyond the showmanship in “Elizabeth Howe” and “Joan,” McQueen’s runways would see a white dress modeled by Shalom Harlow painted with a robotic arm for Spring 1999’s “No.13.” And the futuristic, underwater-themed “Plato’s Atlantis” for Spring 2010 would prophetically be the first fashion show to be livestreamed on the internet – while also tragically marking the designer’s last-ever collection.

But at age 21, McQueen was laser focused – and even then undeniably and conspicuously gifted. He applied for a job teaching pattern cutting at Central Saint Martins, and was instead offered a spot in the college’s prestigious masters design program. His graduate collection, which took up the characteristically macabre theme of “Jack the Ripper Stalks his Victims," was acquired in its entirety by the editor, Isabella Blow.

As much as McQueen mined historical areas and characters of interest, his career is itself now a storied history, with its ripples cascading through years of contemporary fashion.

The buyers of “Alexander McQueen Discovery” will find themselves on the edge of Soho in the West End, walking distance to Savile Row, where McQueen first began to realize his elaborate vision that would later catapult him to international acclaim – and numerous accolades, including four British Designer of the Year Awards and a CBE bestowed by Queen Elizabeth. The buyer will also experience a photoshoot with French visual artist Ann Ray – who was a dear friend and collaborator of Alexander McQueen from 1997 until 2010.

Fashion is only the beginning of the partnership between Sotheby’s and Luxury Group by Marriott International, who are planning several more extraordinary experience pairings for guests in the coming months. This September, coinciding with Sotheby’s highly anticipated watch and whiskey highlights in The Luxury Sales, The Ritz-Carlton will host a riveting masterclass at The Ritz-Carlton New York, NoMad location, as part of “Whiskey Reverie.” Details the experience pairing – including a rare whiskey experience with entrepreneur and whiskey historian Fawn Weaver and a custom menu curated by the experts at the José Andrés Group at the hotel – are also on offer at Sotheby's Sealed as the perfect pairing to the auction house’s fall Whisky & Whiskey sale.

Sotheby’s Sealed

Whiskey Reverie: Presented by The Ritz-Carlton