Past Auction

The Estate of Aileen Mehle

Wed, May 24, 2017 at 10am EDT |
New York
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Known to Her Fans Worldwide as the Society Columnist Suzy

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  • Sale of the Estate of Aileen Mehle on May 24, 2017
  • Known to Her Fans Worldwide as the Society Columnist Suzy
  • Contents of Her Elegant Ballroom Apartment Decorated by Mario Buatta / Lots 115 - 325

NEW YORK, NY -- Doyle was honored to auction the Estate of Aileen Mehle, known to her fans worldwide as the society columnist Suzy. Her elegant furniture, decorations, paintings, couture, costume jewelry, accessories, photographs, and memorabilia were offered as a featured section comprising lots 115 through 325 in the auction of May 24, 2017.

During a career spanning over fifty years, Aileen Mehle lived a life as glamorous and exciting as any of the society figures, film stars, and celebrities whose lives she chronicled in her columns. She was married twice and was linked romantically with five-and-dime heir Woolworth Donahue, Hollywood producer Walter Wanger, and Frank Sinatra. In the 1960s, she was a regular panelist on the television program What’s My Line? and even had a cameo role in a 1967 episode of Batman.  

Writing under the nom-de-plume Suzy, Aileen entertained straphangers, housewives, and the ladies who lunch from 1951 until 2005 with her unique take on society’s comings and goings. Alex Hitz described her in a recent tribute for Town and Country as “the undisputed arbiter and Queen of who-was-who in the richest uber-echelon of the rarefied world of that ‘high society’ or ‘beau monde.’ She was gossip’s grande dame.”

When Aileen moved to New York in 1957, she settled into an elegant pre-War building on Park Avenue and made the Upper East Side her home for the rest of her life. She eventually moved into a lavish ballroom apartment in a 1903 mansion designed by Horace Trumbauer, which Aileen’s close friend Mario Buatta decorated in the style of the ancien regime.

Important Jewelry / Auction Apr 27 / Lots 323 - 370

Aileen Mehle’s collection of jewelry was offered as a featured section of the sale of Important Jewelry on April 27, 2017. The jewelry reflected her exquisite taste, her vibrant personality, and her fondness for bold, colorful pieces by such designers as David Webb and Andrew Clunn. These were the pieces that she wore to glamorous events around the world during her remarkable life. Her collection is as unique as the charming, beautiful, and intelligent woman herself.  Read More

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A Selection of Auction Highlights

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