Iris Apfel, decades of trailblazing style, insisted on wearing what felt right and treating fashion like a personal adventure. Now Christie’s is spotlighting that irreverent spirit in Unapologetically Iris: The Collection of Iris Apfel, an online offering starting 28 January. The sale includes more than 200 items from her private stash of garments, jewelry, art, and furniture, drawn from her New York and Palm Beach homes.
Apfel, who was born in Queens in 1921, studied art history in New York before heading to the University of Wisconsin for art school. In 1951, she and her husband Carl founded Old World Weavers, a textile firm that quickly caught the attention of museums and the White House. They sold the company in 1992 to Stark, but she continued consulting for a few years. Her work travels fed her taste for mixing eras, cultures, and prints.
“When you don’t dress like everyone else, you don’t have to think like everyone else,” she once told the New York Times. She stuck by that motto for the rest of her life, making her mark through fearless pattern clashes, bold frames, and armfuls of bracelets and beads. After her 2005 exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute (the first time the museum focused on a living subject who wasn’t a designer), Apfel started collaborating with brands like MAC Cosmetics, Swarovski, and H&M. By the time she died in 2024, the BBC had dubbed her “the matriarch of maximalism,” underscoring how her carefree approach to dressing changed fashion’s conversation.
The Christie’s sale offers everything from a feathered Dior coat to a flamboyant travel case bearing her name. It’s a chance to own a part of Apfel’s one-of-a-kind vision. More than that, it’s a reminder that style gets interesting when you say what you want to say, with no apology.
