Marilyn Kirschner, Fern Mallis and Tinu Naja – photos by Marilyn Kirschner
Iris Apfel, who died at 102 in 2024, was undoubtedly the world’s first centenarian-style icon. Over a thrilling eight-decade career, Apfel’s brilliant and bold style captivated the world. Her clothes, art, and furniture are currently up for sale at Christie’s.
Anything I can do to spread good design, color, whimsy, and a bit of organized madness in this sad, gray world is something I jump at” – Iris Apfel, Elle Décor, 2022
A ruffled jacket designed by Iris in collaboration with H&M.
Unapologetically Iris: The Collection of Iris Apfel features over 200 pieces of fashion, accessories, and design. The online sale showcasing Mrs. Apfel’s legendary flair for fashion, accessories, and interior design is open for bidding from January 28 to February 13.
Dries Van Noten
There are more than 200 lots, with a color and print theme running across items from the 1960s to the present day. Included are labels such as Beene, Blass, Galanos, Miu Miu, Saint Laurent, Alice & Olivia, Dries Van Noten, Norell, Oscar de la Renta, Alice & Olivia, Gemma Kahng, Carolina Herrera, Dior, and Chado Ralph Rucci.
Marilyn Kirschner & Ralph Rucci
One of the items on display was the fabulous red Mongolian lamb and duchess satin ensemble (minus the incredible red Manolo Blahnik boots) Ralph made for Iris to wear at the opening of The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s 2005 exhibition Rara Avis: Selections from the Iris Apfel Collection.
There are also items from collaborations Apfel worked on, including jackets from her H&M collection from 2022 and glasses from a collection with Italian brand Zenni.
Accessories on display were available to try on.
Ahead of the public opening of Unapologetically Iris: The Collection of Iris Apfel, Christie’s held a special preview on Wednesday from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. During the cocktail event, caviar, champagne, and artful hors d’oeuvres were served, and guests could try on some of the jewels and accessories featured in the collection.
In attendance were fashion designers Ralph Rucci, Batsheva, and Nicole Miller; Fern Mallis, who gave a short speech; Nancy Chilton, Lisa Silhanek, Andrew Yu, PC Chandra, Linda Fargo, The Washington Post’s Rachel Tashjian and Tinu Naja.
Tinu and Andrew Yu
Tinu and I own the limited edition Alice & Olivia “Iris” skirt, created in 2017 for a Bergdorf Goodman homage to Iris. It was part of the sale, and we had planned to wear it, knowing it would make for a perfect photo op. Hunter Abrams was there, photographing guests in a booth with a couch and some of Iris’s feathered boas.
Incidentally, I own two other items in the sale: the Alice & Olivia “Dancing Bears” skirt and a multi-colored satin Oscar de la Renta jacket. A Gemma Kahng pink and green linen jacket with jeweled buttons was once in my closet, but I sold it. Now I’m sorry I did.
“If you don’t look like anyone else, you don’t have to think like anyone else.” – Iris Apfel.
Gemma Kahng
Iris redefined the concept that ‘Youth is wasted on the young .’There was nothing subtle, delicate, or old-fashioned about the timeless Ms. Apfel-not her colors, proportions, or accessories, including her oversized reading glasses. Her rule-breaking style challenged conventional ideas of aging and what one ‘should’ wear.
Linda Fargo
Linda Fargo, a close friend, once noted that what she loved most about Iris was her unpredictability. ‘Iris never fails to surprise me,’ said Fargo. ‘Her combinations are wildly original, expertly mixed, and she’s democratic in her tastes. Price and origin are irrelevant to her, only the aesthetic value of things.’
On the Street Column by Bill Cunningham: “In Her Image” 2005
I’ve always felt a certain kinship to Iris Apfel and her more-is-more idiosyncratic, intuitive approach to fashion. Like Iris, I’m not a slave to trends or labels, I am not afraid to take risks, and I am very attracted to art-inspired pieces that make a statement. It’s probably not a coincidence that Iris and I are among the few people Bill Cunningham devoted an entire column to.
Bill once sent me a postcard referring to me as “a young version of Iris Apfel.” At the time, Iris was in her 80s, Bill was in his 70s, and I was in my 50s. It was in 2005, just after “Rara Avis” was mounted at the Met’s Costume Institute.
Like many others, I left the museum feeling uplifted and inspired by the creativity on display. I quickly contacted Iris and told her I wanted to do an interview as part of our Masters of Fashion Interview Series. I was one of the first, if not the first, to conduct an interview with Iris before she was a household name. It was just the beginning of her becoming a “geriatric starlet.”
Iris loved the interview so much that she hoped to use it for her 2014 documentary “Iris,” by Albert Maysles. Alas, the footage was never used, and unfortunately, we never got it back, but we do have a transcript.
