Although seldom worn today, the belt buckle was an item of personal adornment to which all makers and designers of the late 19th and early 20th century turned their hand. There was huge variation on the theme with the examples made for Liberty & Co alone including designs by Jessie Marion King, Kate Harris, Archibald Knox, William Hair Haseler and Rex Silver.
Pictured here is a small selection of 67 lots that proved highly desirable at estimates under £200 each.
Anthony Gardner (1938-2023), a RADA-trained actor and St Martins graduate, started The Purple Shop in the 1960s with his partner Michael Becker, a trained graphic designer from Germany.
Selling Art Nouveau, Arts & Crafts and Art Deco from a unit at Antiquarius on the Kings Road until the 1990s, in its pomp The Purple Shop name and its wares appeared regularly on the catwalk and in the pages of fashion magazines.
