“Anything that 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,” Apfel told ELLE DECOR in 2022. Even though the fashion icon died in 2024 at the age of 102, she is still keeping her word. Apfel’s furnishings, clothes, and accessories will be up for auction online at Christie’s from January 28 through February 13.
Instantly recognizable by her signature oversized glasses, blue eyeshadow, chunky bangles, and flamboyant personality, Apfel was beloved for redefining traditional notions of fashion and design—and now you could bring a piece of her into your own home. Over 200 pieces of her clothing and accessories spanning Apfel’s many eras will be available for bidding. The auction, titled “Unapologetically Iris: The Collection of Iris Apfel,” will also pay tribute to Apfel’s passion for interior design, featuring decorative art pieces and items from her homes in New York City and Palm Beach.
Iris’s life-sized ostrich bar comes with a plush Kermit the Frog
Apfel poses in her home, beside the ostrich bar.
Highlights include a life-sized ostrich-form bar, fondly dubbed by Iris as «Gussy,» from about 1975. It opens on the right wing to reveal bar space and comes with a plush Kermit the Frog (of course). It’s expected to fetch up to $8,000. There’s also an 18-inch cast-resin lime-green figure of Iris Apfel riding a scooter, starting at $500.
The cast-resin figure features Apfel riding a scooter.
Then there’s a pair of Louis XVI-style cream-painted chaises that will be on the block for a low-estimate of $800, as well as an oil-on-canvas painting of a Maltese with a red pom-pom collar, titled After Carl Reichert.
Of course, Apfel’s closet offers treasures galore. On the block will be a recycled-plastic rainbow fringe coat, a color-block Carolina Herrera shirt gown, and 10 pairs of eyeglasses from designers including Christian Dior and Emilio Pucci.
Select highlights from the collection will be on view in Florida at Christie’s Miami on January 24 and 25 and Palm Beach, Florida at The Colony Hotel from January 29 to 31. The full collection will then be on view at Christie’s New York from February 8 to 13.
Rachel Silva is the associate digital editor at ELLE DECOR, where she covers all things design, architecture, and lifestyle. She also oversees the publication’s feature article coverage, and is, at any moment, knee-deep in an investigation on everything from the best spa gifts to the best faux florals on the internet right now. She has more than 16 years of experience in editorial, working as a photo assignment editor at Time and acting as the president of Women in Media in NYC. She went to Columbia Journalism School, and her work has been nominated for awards from ASME, the Society of Publication Designers, and World Press Photo.
