Latest news with #Apfel
New York Times
12-02-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
A Chance to Buy a Bit of Personality
'It's nice to see everyone dressed up as Iris tonight,' said Fern Mallis, the fashion industry stalwart. She was at Christie's to introduce the auction of the estate of Iris Apfel, the interior designer who became a later-in-life style icon in the internet age. Ms. Apfel died last March at the age of 102. She and her husband, Carl Apfel, were together for 68 years. They founded Old World Weavers, which sold textiles that appeared in White House interiors from the time of President Truman to President Clinton's. Ms. Apfel also worked as an interior designer for clients that included Greta Garbo and Estée Lauder. 'She grew up on a farm in Queens and had to take a ferry to get to the city,' Ms. Mallis said. 'A 65 cent brooch was her first treasure accessory. And even at 100, she exuded the energy and confidence of someone half her age.' Ms. Apfel was so known for her eclectic personal style, which combined flea market finds with haute couture, that the Metropolitan Museum of Art organized an exhibition of her wardrobe in 2005. In 2007, a coffee-table book, 'Rare Bird of Fashion: The Irreverent Iris Apfel,' followed. When 'Iris,' a documentary directed by Albert Maysles, came out in 2014, her place in fashion history was solidified. Her fans were often young. 'I first found about her from the documentary,' said Jalil Johnson, a 25-year-old fashion consultant who attended the party. 'I had a connection to her. It was not about her age and more about the feeling and her delicious point of view about getting dressed.' Ms. Apfel left behind a large collection, spread between homes in Manhattan and Palm Beach, Fla. It included designer clothes, home objects and many of her signature accessories: giant bangle bracelets, chunky necklaces and, as Ms. Mallis put it, 'the biggest eyeglasses ever made.' The sale, which is open for bidding online until Feb. 13, will 'benefit charitable causes near and dear to Iris,' Grace Smoker, a spokeswoman for the Iris Apfel estate, wrote in an email. The auction is about 200 lots, which Tash Perrin, the deputy chair at Christie's, said was on the smaller side for the auction house. Nevertheless, it was a sale she pursued. 'I got in touch with her advisers and said, 'You have got to give me an opportunity.'' She described Ms. Apfel's style as 'unique, punchy and vibrant.' 'Her apartment in New York felt a bit like a time capsule with a bright turquoise kitchen,' Ms. Perrin said. 'There would be a fabulous piece of traditional furniture next to an array of animal figurines. She was a bon vivant.' The sale includes a polychrome painted dog bed with a grapevine trellis; a Dior couture coat with feathers in shades of black, green, brown and purple; and a life-size carved ostrich that doubled as a bar, affectionately named Gussy. Some lots, like a selection of multicolored bangles, had a low estimate of $200 to $300 but, a week in, already had more than 20 bids. Some attendees had their portraits taken by the photographer Hunter Abrams in a sitting area decorated in the style of Ms. Apfel's homes. Others tried on owlish eyeglasses. Devon Fredericks, who works in the food world, scrolled on her phone to see what the estimate was for a lot of 40 Chinese ceramic fruits. Marilyn Kirschner, a former Harper's Bazaar fashion editor, showed up wearing a long red satin skirt covered in sequins and imprinted with an image of Ms. Apfel. Alice + Olivia made the skirts, and Ms. Kirschner bought hers at Bergdorf Goodman. (One is for sale, size medium, with an estimate of $600 to $800; it already has a dozen bids.) 'I think Iris and I shared a desire to not look like everyone else,' Ms. Kirschner said. 'I was the first person to interview her for the Met exhibition in 2005. I went to the show and contacted her. So I love having her face on my skirt. And there is another woman here wearing the same skirt.' The woman she was referring to was Tinu Naija, a Nigerian fashion editor who was wearing the skirt along with jewelry from a collection that Ms. Apfel did with H&M. 'We met at Henri Bendel,' Ms. Naija said of Ms. Apfel. 'I said, 'I love what you're wearing,' and she said, 'I love what you're wearing, too.'' Ms. Naija and Ms. Kirschner posed for a photo together. Ms. Mallis asked the crowd to consider the legacy of Ms. Apfel. 'This is a reflection of a woman who has lived a life full of bold choices,' she said in her introductory remarks at the party. 'Raise a glass for a toast, and in true Iris style, we hope you'll go shopping.'
Yahoo
30-01-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
As Christie's preps for Iris Apfel auction, highlights go on display in Palm Beach
An online auction celebrating one of America's legendary style-makers debuted Tuesday, with a selection of items from the sale being showcased this week in Palm Beach. "Unapologetically Iris: The Collection of Iris Apfel," presented by Christie's, features over 200 pieces of fashion, accessories and design. Apfel, an iconic style-setter who wore oversized oval glasses, blue eyeshadow, feather boas, and chunky bangles up and down both arms, died in March 2024 at 102. The online auction is open for bidding through Feb. 13, and select pieces from the collection will be on view through Friday at The Colony Hotel, 155 Hammon Ave. "It's a fascinating collection that I think shows all the different facets of Iris Apfel," Nathalie Ferneau, junior specialist for Christie's Private & Iconic Collections, told the Daily News. Fashion highlights from the sale include a feather coat by Dior haute couture, estimated to bring $800 to $1,200; a pink, red and yellow color-block shirtwaist gown by Carolina Herrera, ($800 to $1,200); and a case of 18 multicolored and patterned Iris Apfel X Zenni eyeglass frames ( $400 to $600). The sale also offers decorative art pieces and items from Apfel's homes in Palm Beach and New York, including a carved "Gussy" ostrich-form bar from Italy, circa 1975, estimated to fetch $6,000 to $8,000. A highly regarded collector and specialist in antique textiles, Apfel began her career as a decorator and was instrumental in prestigious restoration projects, including those at the White House. Together with her husband, Carl, she co-founded Old World Weavers, an internationally renowned textile company. The couple later sold the company to Stark Carpets. Carl Apfel died in 2015 at 100. "Iris occupies a really special place in both the fashion world and in popular culture," Ferneau said. "She was effortlessly herself throughout her life, which is something that I think is rare. And I think it's really rare also to have someone enter the limelight at that stage of life. She didn't really become a household name until 2005, and she just continued to gain popularity from there. I think it's really inspiring to see someone be so unapologetically themselves through their life and to really be rewarded for that originality, especially as an older woman." The Colony Hotel is the second of three locations that will showcase select highlights from the Apfel sale. Christie's in the Miami Design District featured pieces from the collection Jan. 24 and 25, and Christie's at Rockefeller Plaza in New York City will display select items Feb. 8-13. Palm Beach was an ideal location to display a portion of the Apfel collection because the market is "critical" for Christie's, said Cathy Busch, deputy chairman for Christie's Americas. "Our most important clients are here, and so we want to be where they are, spending time with them, engaging with them, discussing the art market and having conversations with our team," she said. "As we have in previous years, we're thrilled to bring highlights from sales and bring the best of Christie's to Palm Beach when it applies, like Iris. We are just so happy to be engaging the Palm Beach community supporting cultural institutions and charitable causes." Thirteen lots featuring approximately 45 items are on display at The Colony Hotel, Ferneau said. Admission is free and open to the public. Hours are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. To browse or place a bid in the online auction, visit Jodie Wagner is a journalist at the Palm Beach Daily News, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach her at jwagner@ Help support our journalism. Subscribe today. This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: See some of Iris Apfel's iconic wardrobe before it goes to auction
Yahoo
29-01-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Christie's opens auction of Iris Apfel collection; highlights on display in Palm Beach
An online auction celebrating one of America's legendary style-makers debuted Tuesday, with a selection of items from the sale being showcased this week in Palm Beach. "Unapologetically Iris: The Collection of Iris Apfel," presented by Christie's, features over 200 pieces of fashion, accessories and design. Apfel, an iconic style-setter who wore oversized oval glasses, blue eyeshadow, feather boas, and chunky bangles up and down both arms, died in March 2024 at 102. The online auction is open for bidding through Feb. 13, and select pieces from the collection will be on view through Friday at The Colony Hotel, 155 Hammon Ave. "It's a fascinating collection that I think shows all the different facets of Iris Apfel," Nathalie Ferneau, junior specialist for Christie's Private & Iconic Collections, told the Daily News. Fashion highlights from the sale include a feather coat by Dior haute couture, estimated to bring $800 to $1,200; a pink, red and yellow color-block shirtwaist gown by Carolina Herrera, ($800 to $1,200); and a case of 18 multicolored and patterned Iris Apfel X Zenni eyeglass frames ( $400 to $600). The sale also offers decorative art pieces and items from Apfel's homes in Palm Beach and New York, including a carved "Gussy" ostrich-form bar from Italy, circa 1975, estimated to fetch $6,000 to $8,000. A highly regarded collector and specialist in antique textiles, Apfel began her career as a decorator and was instrumental in prestigious restoration projects, including those at the White House. Together with her husband, Carl, she co-founded Old World Weavers, an internationally renowned textile company. The couple later sold the company to Stark Carpets. Carl Apfel died in 2015 at 100. "Iris occupies a really special place in both the fashion world and in popular culture," Ferneau said. "She was effortlessly herself throughout her life, which is something that I think is rare. And I think it's really rare also to have someone enter the limelight at that stage of life. She didn't really become a household name until 2005, and she just continued to gain popularity from there. I think it's really inspiring to see someone be so unapologetically themselves through their life and to really be rewarded for that originality, especially as an older woman." The Colony Hotel is the second of three locations that will showcase select highlights from the Apfel sale. Christie's in the Miami Design District featured pieces from the collection Jan. 24 and 25, and Christie's at Rockefeller Plaza in New York City will display select items Feb. 8-13. Palm Beach was an ideal location to display a portion of the Apfel collection because the market is "critical" for Christie's, said Cathy Busch, deputy chairman for Christie's Americas. "Our most important clients are here, and so we want to be where they are, spending time with them, engaging with them, discussing the art market and having conversations with our team," she said. "As we have in previous years, we're thrilled to bring highlights from sales and bring the best of Christie's to Palm Beach when it applies, like Iris. We are just so happy to be engaging the Palm Beach community supporting cultural institutions and charitable causes." Thirteen lots featuring approximately 45 items are on display at The Colony Hotel, Ferneau said. Admission is free and open to the public. Hours are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. To browse or place a bid in the online auction, visit Jodie Wagner is a journalist at the Palm Beach Daily News, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach her at jwagner@ Help support our journalism. Subscribe today. This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Daily News: Christie's unveils Iris Apfel sale; select items on view in Palm Beach
