The name Anne Bullitt may not be immediately familiar as a fashion icon, but a special couture auction in Adam's salesrooms in Dublin reveals a woman with a rare style. Her impressive wardrobe of designer labels – dominated by haute-couture creations by Lanvin, Ungaro, Yves St Laurent, Givenchy and Chloe, including over 400 garments, plus accessories – will be auctioned today with all proceeds going to Crumlin Children's Hospital.

Bullitt died in Dublin in August 2007. An American political aristocrat along similar lines to Jackie Kennedy, she bought the 700-acre Palmerstown estate in Co Kildare just after the second world war and became the first woman to obtain a licence to train thoroughbred racehorses in Ireland. Although renowned on the international racing circuit for her elegance, the tall, willowy American was also well known in the New York design studios of the l950s and '60s, where she worked for a time as a fashion model. Jane Beattie of Adam's, who helped curate the items, says today's auction will have enormous appeal to everyone from fashion students to lovers of design classics.

"Anne seems to have had a special relationship with Jeanne Lanvin, as there are gowns from this designer for nearly every decade. The Ungaro designs are mainly l970s and '80s. There's quite a bit of Jean Muir, who is now very collectable, and Nina Ricci. One of my favourite looks is a fitted grey Christian Dior jacket. It hadn't been worn and was still wrapped in tissue. It was designed to go with a full-length black tulle evening skirt appliquéd with velvet ribbon. Because of the circles Anne moved in, a lot of her wardrobe is quite formal. But there are bright colours and splashes of fun too.

"The clothes are in particularly good condition. It's a nice thought that although she was very rich, Anne really looked after her clothes."

The bad news is that many of the more fitted dresses and suits are only size 8-10. Anne was probably like her contemporary Audrey Hepburn in that she was very tall, but slight, and remained slender throughout her life, says Beattie. Given the fashion for loose shift dresses in the '60s and '70s however, there are alternatives for the not-so sylph like, particularly in the Ungaro and Chloe labels. And there are collectable accessories, with suitcases filled with Japanese obi belts, gloves, belts and costume jewellery. The accessories include hundreds of Hermes and Jean Patou silk scarves, which Beattie has arranged in individual bundles of four.

There are no reserve prices fixed for items in the auction. Everything is to be sold on the day, says Beattie, for "whatever the highest bid may be".

vintage auction

Adam's salesroom

St Stephen's Green

Dublin 2

From 12pm today