Photo Source: ELLE Decor
Style icon Iris Apfel initially entered my radar as a blogger when I interviewed a former Sears employee for my Behind the Brand series. The new documentary Iris portrays her lifestyle as a collector of couture and costume jewellery.
With support from her husband Carl, Iris fills her apartments (and a storage locker) with pieces from around the world that reflect her eclectic yet stylish taste. Their residences look clean, but purposefully cluttered. In addition to garments and accessories, they also have a large collection of books. Iris prides herself on knowing what’s happening in economics and politics. She recognizes how fashion trends reflect historical events and has lived long enough to confirm that eventually everything becomes trendy once again.
Photo Source: New York Times
Her reputation for selecting unique pieces has granted her exceptional opportunities to do interior design work for many presidents at the White House. Iris counts other cultural icons as personal friends, including J. Crew’s Jenna Lyons who attended Carl’s 100th birthday party. The film shows viewers that her famous fans include Alexander Wang and Kanye West.
Critics often encourage her to select pieces to display in museum exhibitions. Likewise, the film includes a clip of Iris working with Bergdorf Goodman executives on a window display for which they pulled items from her personal collection. It seems that some of the biggest names in fashion can always learn something new from her.
I like how the film takes viewers along on shopping trips so you can watch her thought process as she selects products and haggles with shopkeepers. She is very candid in the interviews and allows the cameras to share a glimpse of her personal life. However, I would’ve preferred more information about her upbringing, as the film never conveys how Iris affords to buy and store so many pieces. She briefly discusses her wedding and explains how she chose travel and work over children, but the biographical context is insufficient.
Iris is an intriguing documentary for anyone who wants to understand what it means to be a tastemaker. I hope that I’ll have a chance to see her collection on display soon, as it’s one of a kind. Walking out of the theatre, I felt inspired to layer necklaces and continue adding to my own collection.